Makita GA5030KX

makita GA5030 720w grinder – from new the locking mechanism was hard to engage so i could remove the disks it was like playing russian roulette will it work or not , it was returned to makita to be inspected and repaired it came back only slightly better and not long after the locking device completely jammed, worst makita grinder ive ever owned .

makita grinder GA5030 – advertised as high quality but the spindle locking design is substandard, very shallow holes for the pin to lock into when trying to remove a grinding disk, its like playing russian roulette will it lock or wont it from brand new, my old makita is far better designed and flawless operation for years of hard industrial work mind you that one is genuine japanese made.

Awesome machine! – This is an exceptional 125 mm grinder. Very robustly built and high performance. I have used it daily for both a trade and diy usage. It has a angled handle which makes it very easy to use. It was well priced and I replaced the brushes after 3 years for a measly 10 bucks and it was very simple to do just one screw and 5 minutes and back up running again. Highly recommended.

Quality tool but the guard lets it down – I got this grinder to replace a very old and tired 115mm grinder. The guy at the local tool shop recommended it as they also repair power tools and he said they get very few returns on this model. To be honest it took a bit of getting used to. There are some good bits like the large spindle lock and good power to weight ratio. I like the gear box and motor, it is very powerful and as quiet as a grinder can be. I find the power switch a bit tricky to engage with welding gloves on, but no big deal. The box is 50mm too small, you can’t put the tool away with a full disc on it.

The guard is well, bad, very bad. It uses a phillips head screw to tension it, this gets in the way and means you can only rotate it 270 degrees. It seems that its will go in any direction except where you need it. My old grinder didn’t have this and spun all the way round so it was always in the perfect position.

After running a few discs through the grinder I started to get complacent. And my lack of concentration cost me. For a split second it hit the palm of my hand, went through the glove and bit me… off to the E.D. for a few stiches.

I will take it back to the shop and see if they have an aftermarket guard that solves this problem.

Would I buy it again? no, purely because of the guard.

Will I keep it? yes, overall I really like it and I will keep it if I can get the guard modified to be safer.