The Hercules and bauer brushless grinders are basically identical, Herc might be slightly more powerful but it might be the bigger batteries. I use both in professional automotive and fab work and haven’t crapped either out yet in a year. I still use the corded dewalt to really grind fat welds because they spin faster and are slightly more powerful, but for most tasks these cordless grinders have been surprisingly stout compared to the crappy Ryobi I got. More on reddit.com

Anyone try this cordless angle grinder? I’ve used em a lot. Not the HF versions. I will say they’re great for light work or moderate intermittent use. For heavy grinding (welding work) you still can’t beat corded ime. My issue is always the self shutdown due to over heating. More on reddit.com

I have the blue Chicago Electric HF one ($30). It's seen plenty of use for dumb stuff, from grinding out transmission bellhousings (don't ask) to cutting square tube to fix my grill (again, don't ask). I've had it for years, and it's still excellent. I wouldn't buy a cordless one, they never quite seem to have the "oomph" of the corded variety -- and I say that having tried the 20v Dewalt one. The handle can be screwed to the left, right, or top of the head of the grinder, it's pretty simple to operate, and if you burn it out -- you're only out $30. I haven't tried the Hercules ones, but I would guess that they're also pretty damn good. But why spend more? The flappy paddle on the blue Chicago Electric is pretty nice to have as well, though I think an electric brake would be nice. While we're talking grinders though, get yourself some safety gear. Wheels can and will explode, and you really don't want to be in the way of the debris following. At a minimum safety glasses, because you don't want rust in your eye that needs drilled out. More on reddit.com

Which 8A Bauer grinder, the trigger grip or the paddle switch? I got the trigger grip on sale a month ago. I like it so far, works great but I've run it for maybe three minutes. I did my usual "read four-star reviews until you find someone with Strong Opinions" trick, and this one sold me: Fine for light metal removal with a hard wheel I am a professional custom metal fabricator. I have purchased dozens of grinders in my career of 25 years. For the money, this is a quality unit intended for repetitive light stress use. The unit runs smooth and quiet, so smooth that I find myself going for the Bauer grinder because it has very minimal vibration on my hands. So quiet and smooth that it makes me wonder if it runs as high as 11,000 RPM. Wish I had a way to test it. A good indication of quality bearings and quality machines gears. The unit feels solid, may be a little heavy for its size. This style is shorter than the competitors grinders of the same style and size range. I have two issues with this particular model, first is it could use a higher quality plug, the prongs bend in the plastic usually easy. Second the trigger does not have a safety, so when you set it trigger side down on the edge of a table, the edge of the table can press the trigger in with the weight of the grinder and the hanging cord. I thought I should add, that I just purchased 6 pcs 4.5 inch Bauer angle grinders for a job I’m doing. After going to all the chain stores and checking out all of their angle grinders in my size range, the Bauer seems to have comparable quality with the name brands as far as construction. Time will tell if the internal components hold up. The rigidity of the spindle bearing movement with minimal backlash in the spindle gears along with the robust design of the cast aluminum head housing are the defining things that sold me. Hope this answers some questions for the fabricator with questions. More on reddit.com