M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 4-1/2 in./5 in. Braking Grinder Kit w/Two 5.0Ah Batteries and Hard Case

This grinder rocks. Keyless chuck is awesome and the break is a great option to have. I use it mostly for tile with a 5.0 battery I hardly ever have to charge it, I believe it would last for weeks if need be maybe more.

I bought this grinder for 3 jobs, cutting & grinding stone, wire brushing metal railings & cutting metal. The big question for me, and I spend hours & hours trying to solve it, was does this unit use both 5/8" & 7/8" disks? Well after looking on the HD website using their search engine and seeing no 5/8" arbor 4 1/2" or 5" regular cutoff wheels for either metal or stone, I went to 5 different hardware stores & home centers including my local HD, wasting all kinds of time! Some of the stores had 60 different kinds of disks to choose from!... none had 5/8" arbor 4 1/2" or 5", but only 5/8" in the 4" size. The directions say to only use 4 1/2" or 5" wheels, so I was beginning to think why would Milwaukee make a grinder that you can't find wheels for? I even looked on line to see if there was a 5/8" to 7/8" adapter, which there is BUT, after looking at several blogs & Q&A websites, I found the answer! Come to find out this unit can take both! (see pics) Why in the world HD nor Milwaukee mentions this anywhere, be it in the instructions, the box or on the web is strange to say the least....it seems like a very important feature! The way it works is there is a little raised area on the bottom Flange that will fit 7/8" disk holes, 5/8" disks just fit right on the spindle shaft (see pics). There is no need to flip the Flange like on some grinders ( which is nice!). I also found the start switch lever that you need to move before pushing down the paddle on mine was sticking to the on position for the first few times I tried it. I would let the paddle go but the grinder didn't shut off. After going thru 5 or 6 cycles & manually moving the black switch back & forth, it's been working fine. You might want to try yours to be safe before actually working with the tool. I was quite shocked when I released the tool and it kept going full speed! I should also mention the the back of the Flange that faces the tool has 2 flat spots so make sure to rotate it until it seats fully on the tool (see pic) before putting on a wheel. While changing blades you need to take off the battery, but I found there are some sharp edges on the plastic case near where the battery slide on that will catch & pull clothes. I took a piece of 120 grit sandpaper to knock off the sharp edges (see pic) problem solved. If you are going to use this with a wire cup wheel, you'll need a 5/8" with 11 threads per inch, usually listed as 5/8" /11. I've read some places that say you can use a larger wire cup wheel than 5" without the guard, but I don't think that makes any sense, I remember getting hit with wire wheel fragments from using a drill mounted wire cup wheel which hurt, that's so much slower than a grinder! I found that the depth of cut with the guard on is just about 1" & with a 4" wheel and just under 1 1/4" with a 5" wheel. I used 2 cutoff wheels that worked very well with this grinder from the HD website. The first is a Whirlwind 4 1/2" blade for concrete, stone & brick, it can be used wet or dry. Model # THS 4.5 Internet #300801591 The other is a Milwaukee 5" metal/stainless cut off blade Model # 49-93-7810 Internet #301042332 Both come with a 5/8" bushing, but as described above you really don't need it. I hope this helps someone save a lot of grief & aggravation as the tool is really nice to use!

This tool is awesome, great quality from the best tool manufacturer.

This tool feels great to handle before you even switch it on. Solid with a well-built feel to tit. In the box is the main tool, a side handle, two guards (type 27 - grinding and type 1 - cutting) and a spare clip-on air filter. You bring your own battery and grinding or cutting wheels (4 1/2" or 5"). No tools are needed at all. The guards have a firm clip that releases them and allows them to be positioned in various positions. Changing the wheels is done by lifting a tab on the arbor and turning the locking nut by hand. The switch has a safety lever that prevents the switch from being actuated by accident, and believe me this is important. When the tool turns on you can feel the torque as it move the tool as it accelerates up to speed. The wheel stops pretty fast when the tool is switched off. The box says "under 2 seconds". Hard to time but it certainly is fast enough not to be running when you put it down. Needless to say, it grinds away very well. This is one of those tool with which you really must wear safety glasses. Proud to own one of these beasts!

This thing is awesome has plenty of power and comes with both type1 and type 27 guards. It will eat batteries, the 4.0 and 5.0 last the longest. This is the closest they have come to a corded grinder. And they break feature is awesome on the job site.

Milwaukee has really hit the ball out of the park with their line of M18 Fuel brushless tools. This new 4.5 / 5 inch grinder is no exception. It's built well, powerful and built for rough and dirty tasks. The complete kit comes with the grinder, two 5AH batteries, charger, two steel blade guards for 5 inch wheels (Type 27 and Type 1), a comfort grip brace handle, two removable filters for the tool and a sweet carrying case. From the moment you pick it up you know this grinder is no wimp. It feels heavy duty in the hand and has thick handles for big working hands. The gear head is metal, the handle is a combination of Milwaukee red plastic and black rubber grips where needed. You'll like the big paddle switch too. This is a feature rich tool. Of course, as stated it has a brushless motor and it's a beast. As powerful as any corded 5" grinder out there. Two 5AH batteries give you all day power. The blade guards attach and detach easily and can be adjusted with a push button to any angle you need quickly. The braking feature isn't one that's important to me, but it stops the wheel fast and is quite handy if you need it to do so. Changing wheels is so fast. The arbor has a lock button and you twist off the wheel nut by hand. It has a flip up grip that lets you get the wheel off fast and get back to work. If you need to use 4 1/2 inch wheels you'll need to buy the accessory blade guard. It does not come with it. It's set up with guards for 5 inch wheels. At no point during use does this tool slow down or bog or even miss a beat. It just keeps going. And those 5AH batteries are good for all day power. Quick wheel changes, endless power, long rumtime, the excellent Milwaukee warranty, what else could you need? Milwaukee keeps settings the pace with their M18 Fuel cordless brushless tools and you will not be disappointed with this new grinder offering. Look no further.

This is now my 'go to' grinder for most welding work. There's several features that make it better in my opinion, small things, but they make a difference to me. One is the braking. I never realized how much time I spent waiting for my other grinders to spin down, and of course there was always the occasional 'oops' when the grinder disc hit something while still spinning. It stops FAST. I measured about 0.8 seconds with a 5" cutoff wheel, and about 0.6 seconds with a lightweight 4.5" sanding disc / pad. That's faster than I can put it down. Then there's the fact that it sits flat and stable upside-down. It also sits flat face down, but that's not how I set mine down. These two things make start and stop grinding a lot faster. The attachment nut is tool-less, which makes it faster to change out. I also found out that it does not get 'stuck' like a normal nut if you hang up a sanding pad. Apparently the nut has some kind of clutch in it, and you can actually feel it when you tighten it. The safety guard is adjustable without tools, and has a neat feature where you can push a lock button and rotate the guard to the desired position. This grinder is quieter than any other grinder I have. I think it's because of the brushless motor. I still (always) wear ear protection, but it is a noticeable and welcome difference. The other nice things are the side handle, which is cushioned and reduces vibration; the paddle handle is easy to use, and the safety switch is easy to operate even with welding gloves. Power is very good, on par with my high-end corded grinders. Battery life is good, and of course the Milwaukee batteries are easy to swap even with gloves on. Weight is ok, a little on the heavy side, but that's the trade-off with a battery powered tool. It comes with the normal Milwaukee items, dual charger, case, plus a couple of big ol' XC 5.0 batteries, and both T1 and T27 guards. The only thing I wish Milwaukee would include is a 12v auto charger, since this tool is perfect for the remote job site, and I would love to have it in my emergency off-road trail kit.

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

Works great gets the job done with ease. Should have bought one sooner

Rating provided by a verified purchaser