PRODUCT REVIEW
Festool AGC 18
ANGLE grinders are essential tools – they do what they do very well and are used in almost all trades. I have heard stories of industrial applications, like boiler making, where angle grinders are bought by the pallet load and have a working life expectancy of anything from a few days to a week. I dread to think how hard they must be worked and what sort of jobs they must be doing.
They also come in an amazing array of sizes, motor power and (surprise, surprise) in various levels of quality. A cheap £15 angle grinder would do for occasional use but the general rule of thumb for tools applies: you get what you pay for.
Cordless angle grinders are the latest innovation, and for many users increased battery capacity and EC (brushless) motors have made them ideal site tools. I can’t remember the last time I used a corded angle grinder, whereas my couple of cordless ones get regular usage, usually cutting bolts, brackets and the occasional bits of sheet metal.
However, a couple of metal fabricators I spoke to told me that they always had corded and cordless grinders available.
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cordless angle grinder: Compact, tough, durable?
For sheer convenience of wattage and not having to worry about battery life, a corded grinder was needed for cutting heavy steel tubing, while deburring, polishing and occasional weld grinding were best achieved using a cordless machine.
Against this background, the launch of the new Festool AGC 18 angle grinder should be noted because it promises durability, robustness, cordless fl exibility and safety via the various features built into the machine. Ideally, I should get six months to test all of these, but deadlines being what they are, I had only a couple of weeks to use the grinder as hard as I could in as many applications as I could fi nd.
I received the ‘full monty’ AGC 18 packed into its custom Systainer with auxiliary handle, wrench, cutter guard, two 5.2 Ah battery packs and latest Festool smart charger. It’s a lot cheaper to buy the ‘naked’ version without the batteries and charger, and most Festool fans will opt for that I am sure.
On a side note, I now have a case for almost every power tool I own and although they take up far too much space, they also make packing up at
By PETER BRETT
the end of the day much easier, and Systainers make it even easier than most because there is a place for all the bits, (even charger cords) so you can spot anything missing.
First impressions - Up to the job? This grinder is not a delicate fl ower – it has a robust weight and size – 2.7 kgs and 355mm long – that felt to me a bit of a handful when I fi rst picked it up. But the handle is not short of grip, with some strategically placed and vibration- absorbing rubber. Unlike old brush motor tool bodies, the AGC 18’s feels smooth and with only a few places where dust might collect.
Picked out in Festool green as usual, there are two main controls – the variable speed selection dial selection and the sliding on/off switch. These are within reach and are easy to use with gloved hands. The on/off switch gets my vote because it has an easy two-stage motion of push forward and then push down to start and then just push down on the back of the switch to turn off . My guess is that the switch will stay that easy to operate as long as the user keeps it relatively free of the inevitable dust and fi lings associated with angle grinding.
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