The 18V 180mm BITURBO Brushless Grinder combines all the oomph needed to tackle 230mm jobs, without the hassle or weight of large angle grinders.
THERE’S PLENTY of issues tradies have to put up with when it comes to using large angle grinders – finishing roof railing or finely carving thick stone for a landscape job, for instance. LAGs can be bulky, corded and a pain to manoeuvre.
SEE MORE: Tradie Tough Tests
Thankfully, Bosch Professional Power Tools has bundled the power and durability of an LAG into a more efficient package: the 18V 180mm BITURBO Brushless Grinder. The Tradie ventured down the Mornington Peninsula south of Melbourne to Mount Martha, where we spoke with chippy Dave Simpson of JTR Carpentry about his time with this grinder.
TEST 1: POWER LIKE NO OTHER
The BITURBO Brushless power train (equivalent to 1500w corded power) has this brushless grinder packing some serious punch. Dave said as soon as he spun it up, he noticed it was no ordinary cordless grinder.
“It spins at 7000rpm,” he said. “It’s a helluva powerful tool.”
“So far it hasn’t had any problems bringing the goods for me or the guys.”
Dave tested the grinder on fibre-cement batons, brick and steel, his main uses for the grinder. He had absolutely no trouble cutting through the 20x65mm fibre cement. The tool made an equally easy – no to mention clean – job of cutting through an impressive 55mm of brick.
All this power comes with the benefit of handling a grinder that’s 30 per cent lighter and smaller than some of the BITURBO Brushless Grinder’s LAG competitors, and having the gear head and trigger rotated at 90 degrees really helped Dave cut at different angles more comfortably.
“I’m able to go from working on the bench to trimming something over my head without the hassle of a cord or moving my hands to a different part of the handle,” said Dave.
Despite using a 180mm blade, thanks to its gear housing, which is smaller and doesn’t impede the blade, this tool can meet the demands of a 230mm blade and then some.
TEST 2: PEAK PROTECTION
The grinder also benefits from several great safety features that keep carpenters safe while on demanding jobs. Your standard BITURBO Brushless Grinder will come with a clip-on and protection guards, and both are super easy to adjust around the blade to suit the users’ needs.
“I’m a big fan of the guard,” he added. “You’re always changing the angle of the guard on the job, and Bosch has made it super easy. With the press of a button I can spin the guard in any direction I want to. That is super useful.
“There’s so many times where you’re cutting two things on different sides, and trying to move that guard around is crucial.”
As well as drop control and restart protection, Dave found a few key safety features stood out. One was the run-out brake, which brought the blade to a complete stop mere moments after his finger left the trigger, and the other was the kick-back control, which brought the grinder to a sudden stop in the event of kickback.
“When my mates use a corded 230mm grinder, they complain about the hefty kickback from the power they put out,” Dave said.
“Because of that we’re so happy this grinders’ come out. It has all the safety features, it cuts just as deep and it’s so much easier to handle thanks to its size.
“It ticks all our boxes.”
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
Dave’s hard-pressed to ever go back to corded LAGs, with Bosch Professional Power Tools demonstrating the cordless era can go big. This grinder from Bosch is more dynamic, can work the bigger jobs and is safer than many of its alternatives.
“I had a few of the boys give it a shot, and they say it’ll blow all the competitors out of the park,” Dave said.
“It’s a beauty.”