The most used, the most feared
The angle grinder is the machine every metal workshop uses daily and the one that sends people to hospital. We compare 115, 125 and 230 mm (9.06 in) machines on power under load, guard adjustment without tools, and the two features that are worth more than any amount of wattage: a kickback brake and restart protection.
1,400 W · constant electronic · soft start · €100
The same 1,400 W as the Metabo beside it, with a soft start it does not have and a quick-change nut it does.
Best for: Steady, heavy grinding where the machine runs for minutes at a time
720 W · 176 mm (6.93 in) grip · flat gear head · €46
The cheapest professional-line grinder here, bought for its 176 mm (6.93 in) grip and its flat head rather than its power.
Best for: Light dressing, deburring and short cuts, where the tool is picked up and put down all day
800 W · restart protection · soft start · €70
The cheapest machine here with restart protection — the feature that stops a grinder starting by itself.
Best for: Anyone who leaves tools plugged in — which is everyone, eventually
900 W · 2,800–11,000 rpm · speed preselection · €61
Variable speed at €61 — which matters because stainless, paint and thin sheet all want a slower disc than steel.
Best for: Mixed work — stainless, painted steel, thin sheet — where full speed is the wrong answer
840 W · labyrinth seal · slim body · €77
Bought for the labyrinth seal — the detail that decides whether a grinder survives a year of grinding its own dust.
Best for: Dusty work — masonry-adjacent grinding, rust removal, foundry and farm repair
1,100 W · anti-rotation guard · €64
A guard that cannot spin round under load — a small detail that stops sparks arriving where your face is.
Best for: Steady cutting and grinding in the workshop, where the tool stays on the bench between jobs
1,400 W · tool-free disc change · constant speed under load · €89
A disc change without a wrench, and electronics that hold the speed when the cut gets deep.
Best for: A workshop that changes between cutting and flap discs a dozen times a day
1,900 W · anti-restart · AFT stops the motor on a jam · €207
The machine that cuts its own motor when the disc jams — which is the moment a grinder throws itself out of your hands.
Best for: Daily cutting and grinding, where the jam that throws the tool is a question of when
1,400 W · 2,800–11,000 rpm · €146
Full power and a full speed range in one machine — the combination the cheaper grinders make you choose between.
Best for: One grinder for a workshop that cuts steel, dresses stainless and occasionally polishes
2,000 W · brake stops in 3.5 s · anti-kickback · brushless · €279
The only machine here that publishes how long its brake takes — 3.5 seconds — instead of just claiming to have one.
Best for: Someone using a grinder for hours a day, who wants the disc stopped before the tool is set down
Power decides the ability to hold speed under load. A machine that slows burns the disc instead of cutting.
Disc diameter governs the accessible depth of cut. It is a geometric limit no amount of power compensates for.
A small grinder is better controlled, less tiring and reaches places a large one cannot enter.
125 mm (4.92 in) covers the vast majority of needs and is held one-handed. 230 mm (9.06 in) cuts deep and demands both hands and constant vigilance.
The disc jamming throws the machine violently towards the operator. It is the main risk: side handle always fitted, and never stand in line with the disc.
Always, and oriented between the disc and the operator. Removing it is the most dangerous modification you can make to the tool.
No. Discs have different geometries and permissible speeds; a disc used outside its purpose can shatter.
No cracks, expiry date not passed, permissible speed above the machine’s. A dropped disc is thrown away.
On large diameters it is a genuine safety gain: the starting torque of a 230 mm (9.06 in) tears the machine from your hands.
Goggles or a full face shield, gloves, hearing protection, and no loose clothing. Grinder spatter leaves at high speed.
With discs intended for it: aluminum clogs and makes ordinary discs shatter. This is not a detail.
125 mm (4.92 in) covers almost everything; 230 mm (9.06 in) cuts deep and is the most dangerous tool in the workshop. Guard always in place, side handle fitted, never in line with the disc — kickback is what injures, and it gives no warning.
Four sets in five must state the figure before a column appears. A half-empty column manufactures false gaps.
| Model | Price | Power |
|---|---|---|
| Bosch Professional GWS 1400 | — | 1,400 W |
| Bosch Professional GWS 9-125 S | — | 900 W |
| Bosch Professional GWS 7-125 | — | 720 W |
| DEWALT DWE4057 | — | 800 W |
| FLEX 2000 W 125 mm, with brake | — | 2,000 W |
| Makita 9565CVR | — | 1,400 W |
| Makita 9558NBRZ | — | 840 W |
| Makita GA5091X01 | — | 1,900 W |
| metabo W 1100-125 | — | 1,100 W |
| metabo WEQ 1400-125 | — | 1,400 W |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for welding and metalworking machines and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: August 13, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
