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Testing different brands of Type 1 metal cutoff wheels 4 1/2"


kanxrus

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This Saturday I was forced to do a little mechanical work. One of my leaf springs snapped in half while carrying a heavy load. Luckily there was a local company who specializes in custom leaf springs! Getting a replacement set was not a problem. However, removing my old springs were. The bolt's were frozen in place. Impacting, heating, lubing, a lot of cussing, and maybe a little crying :'( did not do the trick! I was left with one option.... cut the old bolts out. I had my trusty DEWALT DC411 Angle Grinder, but no wheels. So I went shopping for a 4 1/2" cut off wheel. No major power tool suppliers were open after 12 on a Saturday, so I headed off to my local Home Depot. I bought up a Norton Type 1 cut off wheel and headed home. Not even half way through my first bolt the wheel was done!

So I decided to add in this article and go shopping for cut off wheels at the local big boxes! I went to Lowes, and all they had were two different Dewalt wheels. Model DW8062 High performance, and the Dewalt DW8851 Extended performance. I went back to Home Depot and bought another Norton Wheel Model 01617, and a Hilti Model 00253777. I also went to Sears and bought the Craftsman Model 28444. After that I headed off for my last stop at the local Harbor Freight, and bought the Central Pnuematic 5 pack Model 66394, and the Chicago Electric 10 pack, Model 45430.

Once I got home, I put them all to the test! I had some old #4, 1/2" rebar laying around, so I decided to use that  for my cutting test. Not near as hard as my bolt's, but close enough to get an idea for the best BANG FOR THE BUCK!

Below are the specs, and a breakdown of "Price per cut" and the price  I paid at my local big boxes! I understand that hot deals come along, or bulk pack buys! However this should give you an idea on some very common Type 1 Cut Off wheels, and there performance.

Starting from Best to Worst!

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Dewalt

Model DW8062

4.5" x .45 x 7/8"

13,300 Max RPM's

Made in Slovenia

$1.97

16 Cuts, $0.12 Cuts per Dollar.

DeWALTDW8062.jpg

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Chicago Electric

Model 45430

4.5" x .40 x 7/8"

13,200 Max RPM's

Made in Russia

$0.79

5 Cuts, 6.3 Cuts per Dollar.

ChicagoElectric45430.jpg

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Central Pneumatic

Model 66394

4.5" x .25x 7/8"

13,300 Max RPM's

Made in Russia

$0.99

4 Cuts, 5.02 Cuts per Dollar.

Cenral Pneumatic66394.jpg

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Sait

Model A60S-23101

4.5" x 0.45 x 7/8"

13,300 Max RPM's

Made in USA

$2.44

8 Cuts, 3.27 Cuts per Dollar.

SAIT_A60S_23101.jpg

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Dewalt

Model DW8851

4.5" x .45 x 7/8"

13,300 Max RPM's

Made in Germany

$2.97

8 Cuts, 2.69 Cuts per Dollar.

DeWALTDW8851.jpg

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Craftsman

Model 28444

13,580 Max RPM's

4.5" x .40 x 7/8"

Made in China

$2.99

5 Cuts, 1.67 Cuts per Dollar

Craftsman28444.jpg

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Norton

Model 01617

13,580 Max RPM's

4.5" x .40x 7/8"

Made in China

$1.89

3 Cuts, 1.58 Cuts per Dollar

Norton01617.jpg

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Hilti

Model 00253777

4.5" x .40x 7/8"

17,000 Max RPM

Made in USA

$3.58

5 Cuts, 1.39 Cuts per Dollar.

Hilti00253777.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good Job JC, this is something I had always wondered about. I mean, Ive always known that most of the cheapies are junk, and most the Dewalt's and Walter's are good, but this was very informative.

I would like to see Dewalt VS Walter Zip Cut VS SAIT Cut.

Keep up the good work.

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  • 4 months later...

I can get 30 cuts out of a 1mm 4" Norton disc on 1/2 rebar, easily. I don't know how you are getting your results. Also, if it was 1 disc sample, results are pretty useless as wear changes drastically depending on heat and cutting technique. If you are just plunging it down, you are doing it wrong. I'm all for scientific tests, not Ridgid Forum grade tests, you know it.

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all your vids say "Video not found", maybe because or my region, maybe they were taken down. I have a perl script on my forum so I can upload FLV directly to my site instead of using youtube. It has become such a slum that they nuke your vids at their discretion, stuff them with ads, etc. Plus you can have true HD vids if you host them yourself.

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  • 9 months later...

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