DEWALT Angle Grinder Tool, 4-1/2-Inch, 11-Amp (DWE402K)

Why it's worth it

The DWE402K has the strongest corded motor in this group and the fastest guard adjustment. It's built around the jobs most people actually do — cutting angle iron, grinding welds, stripping rust — and it takes dust abuse better than the cheap grinders it sits next to.

This is the most powerful corded 4.5-inch grinder here. The 11-amp motor spins at 11,000 rpm with no load, and DeWalt builds in overload protection so it won't quit the first time you lean into a cut. When you're slicing angle iron, grinding down a weld, or taking rust off a truck frame, that headroom is what keeps the wheel from bogging under pressure.

Guard adjustment is the small thing you'll appreciate every single week. The One-Touch guard swings a full 360 degrees in one motion, so moving from a cutting position to a grinding position takes a couple of seconds. The Quick-Change wheel release works the same way — no spanner, and no wrench rattling loose in the bottom of your bag.

From our review of 8 angle grinders

What we like

• +This is the most powerful corded 4.5-inch grinder here
• +Guard adjustment is the small thing you'll appreciate every single week
• +Grinders usually die from dust, not from work
• +The paddle switch is the safety feature most people underrate

What to know

• –It's the heaviest corded grinder here
• –There's no electric brake, so the wheel coasts for a while after you release the paddle