6 Harbor Freight Tools You Can Use Instead Of An Angle Grinder

The angle grinder is a favorite among many users because of the enormous range it brings to the table. It can operate as a cutting tool, a material shaping tool, a surface grinder, a blade reprofiler, and even a makeshift sanding device. It does a lot of things well, and fits right at home in just about any toolkit. However, even professionals frequently find the tool nerve-racking to use on a regular basis. 

Angle grinders easily transform into grisly weapons in the hands of less knowledgeable users or those who've become fatigued. This relentless power tool gives off some serious rodeo bull energy. It feels like it wants to jump out of your hands at the first opportunity, and given how many feature a lock-on switch, that can easily become disastrous.

In addition to being hard to use, the tool frequently does a worse job than other purpose-built solutions. It's a jack-of-all-trades, and alternatives like the die grinder or cut-off tool deliver improved functionality in their individual focuses. These six tools from Harbor Freight often offer a better experience with one or more tasks an angle grinder is often employed to manage. You still might reach for your trusted grinder to handle numerous jobs, but knowing that an alternative exists that might improve your workflow remains important and can elevate your work when the job calls for something different.

The Central Machinery 3-Inch Bench Grinder with Flex Shaft is a benchtop tool that handles many of the tool maintenance tasks that an angle grinder can be used to accomplish. One of the most prominent examples is in lawnmower blade maintenance. Rather than clamping your blade in a vise and reshaping the material with your angle grinder, a benchtop unit allows you to bring the blade to the tool. It's a more streamlined approach that makes for improved efficiency in holding the angle of attack, too. Bench grinders tend to feature tool rests and other accessory inclusions that make any kind of sharpening or shaping task a truly simple endeavor. This includes reprofiling knives, caring for screwdriver blades, and much more.

This solution offers a maximum rotational speed of 11,000 RPM and operates with a ⅜-inch arbor. It comes with a 3-inch grinder stone and fiber wheel, and adds in a flex shaft attachment for even more functionality. The typical bench grinder doesn't offer this extension tool, so the Central Machinery unit adds what amounts to a 39-inch rotary tool shaft into the mix, as well. Stationary grinders are a big upgrade for many workshops. They offer the ability to introduce precision polishing, grinding, material shaping, and even rapid sanding capabilities. These are all tasks an angle grinder can accomplish, but the tool's nature makes it a little harder to control during any of these operations.

A cut-off tool feels a bit like cheating for this list. The Bauer 20V 3-Inch Cut-Off Tool (and every other like it) is essentially a small angle grinder with the arbor and attached wheel reoriented at a new angle. Rather than jutting out ahead of the tool's inline body, the cut-off tool operates more like a circular saw in the way users hold it. However, both tools are ideal solutions for cutting metal, tile, concrete block, and other dense stock. Cut-off tools are generally smaller than the angle grinder unit they're seeking to replace. This makes them better equipped to handle precision work in many instances. They offer a better angle of attack for those looking to perform cuts in a workpiece, mirroring the saws most will be more familiar with. However, their smaller stature means that cut-off tools tend to operate with smaller wheels and less power, making them inadequate for some larger tasks.

This Bauer model offers wheel speeds up to 19,000 RPM. It cuts with a 3-inch grinding wheel and provides for a 0.6-inch maximum depth when performing straight and plunge cuts. The adjustable cutting guard makes it easy to maintain protection from debris and sparks while retaining flexibility to expose the most advantageous part of the wheel for each individual cut.

Fire on a flap disc and your angle grinder becomes a tool that no longer cuts, but rather shapes and polishes metal faces. The die grinder can also perform this function, and often does it better. The Hercules 12V Brushless ¼-Inch Right Angle Die Grinder is a precision tool underpinned by a "high-performance brushless motor" capable of reaching a maximum speed of 25,000 RPM. It features a ¼-inch collet that securely grasps accessory solutions to support surface grinding, sanding, or polishing tasks. The tool is part of the brand's 12 volt battery platform, making it lightweight and physically small. It's therefore easy to handle without losing power. It also offers four selectable operation modes to deliver the right speed for every job.

Right angle die grinders like this one are diminutive but powerful. The orientation makes them feel a little like a high powered impact driver while providing the job performance of a hulking angle grinder. They allow for closer access to the workpiece you're seeking to clean, shape, or otherwise perfect than many tool alternatives. You're unlikely to attempt any serious cutting tasks with a die grinder, but in finish work with metal stock, this is one of the best choices available.

Among tools that can elevate your woodworking skill, the band saw is a prominent player. Smaller, portable band saws, however, are typically designed to handle dense metal-cutting needs. The Hercules 20V Brushless Deep Cut Band Saw shears through metal stock with the help of a banded blade, replacing the cutting power of an angle grinder. The grinder delivers more versatility in that choosing a huge range of cutting discs can make for seriously powerful cutting chops that range far beyond steel and other metal stock. Yet, the bandsaw provides far greater precision, and even in its admittedly more limited capacity, makes for a superior cutting option for those who need clean, precise cuts. You might think of this as a quasi-miter saw equivalent for cutting metal beams rather than wooden boards.

The Hercules model offers a deep throat that's capable of cutting larger stock than a standard band saw. It can handle 5-inch by 5-inch cuts and runs with a six-speed dial and a variable speed trigger for just the right blade speed for each task. It's built with rugged bumpers that help provide increased durability for use in demanding circumstances, too. The saw also features a toolless blade change lever to make swapping cutting bands hassle-free.

Those working on precision machining of parts, customizations and personalizing tasks, and nuanced material shaping can get a lot out of the rotary tool. These come in many formats, and the Bauer 20V Cordless Variable Speed Rotary Tool Kit is one option that pairs the power of a larger unit with the flexibility of a non-bulky, mobile solution. It runs on the brand's 20V batteries rather than operating with a corded power source. This allows the tool to deliver portable shaping, sanding, cutting, and grinding power.

For true precision work involving small workpieces or parts, there's really no substitute for a unit like this. Angle grinders simply can't touch the finer detail work that a rotary tool is capable of achieving. This unit features a base that handles the power needs, and a 36-inch flexible shaft for quality reach away from the workstation. The tool operates with a built-in spindle lock and a ⅛-inch collet in the pen-style tool design. It utilizes a variable speed dial to find and hold the exact power you require for each job, up to 33,000 RPM. The tool kit is just $35 at Harbor Freight and comes with onboard storage and 36 accessories to support polishing, cutting, grinding, and sanding tasks right out of the box (assuming you're already a Bauer tool user and have at least one battery).

No list like this would be complete without a hand tool. In one important sense, the angle grinder, as a power tool, came about as a replacement itself, for the hacksaw. These tools are built a little like a standard hand saw, but they are specifically designed to cut metal and other hard material rather than timber. Hacksaws feature a small, thin blade strung between the ends of a bow on a basic dimple, hook, or something similar. The tool is then tensioned to whip this thin sheet of toothed metal into a taut blade ready to rip through its kin. The teeth on these blades are usually very small, but they pack a serious punch when tension is applied to their length.

A tool that's unique in this region of the hand tool catalog is Harbor Freight's Pittsburgh 12-Inch 360-Degree Adjustable Hacksaw. The tool appears to be a classic example of a hacksaw, but it features a pivoting assembly that allows you to turn the blade around a 360-degree axis before adding tension to support cutting needs. This effectively eliminates the throat depth that would otherwise limit how deep the hacksaw could cut into a workpiece. The tool won't perform any of the other functions an angle grinder can handle, and it's going to be a slower process to hand cut just about anything. However, there are certain times when a hand tool is the more appropriate solution to the problem. When the need arises, cutting metal stock demands a hacksaw.