Bosch 1773AK 5-Inch Concrete Surfacing Grinder

5 Reviews

1. The grinder itself seems to work pretty well. Just make sure you have some type of vacuum hooked up to the port; it generates alot of dust. I was a little disappointed in the actual grinding wheel that came with the unit. It only lasted for about 65 sq.ft. of grinding. Replacement wheels can be found on line for about $120.

2. Great tool! I removed painted safety striping in a food processing plant. The tool effortlessly removed the multiple layers of paint. Don’t leave tool in one spot…you’ll end up in China. The diamond cutting wheel cuts quickly but it also disappears quickly. I went to Lowe’s and bought Dewalt diamond grinding wheels that are 4-1/2″ instead of 5″. They worked great and seemed to last much longer than the Bosch grinding wheel. Also the vacuum adapter/attachment is a real pain. The tool doesn’t hook up to a shop vac easily. Thank goodness for duct tape.

3. This tool exceeded my expectations. I had approximately 280 sq ft of thinset to clean off concrete in my kitchen. The thinset left after chiseling off the tile was pretty thick and I was prepared for the worst, both in time to remove and the mess that we would have in the rest of the house. I connected this tool to a good vacuum cleaner and proceeded to clean it all up with almost no dust created. The only thing you need to do is to keep cleaning the vacuum cleaner filter every 30 -30 sq ft so you don’t burn out the vacuum cleaner. The tool had no issues at all. An electrician and a general contractor stopped by while I was using it and bother were amazed the job it did and the ability to do it without making a mess.

4. This reallly is a great tool. It grinds down concrete with little to no mess. This tool works very well for cleaning paint, thinset, drywall mud and splattered concrete off of slabs. It is also great for smoothing joints or cracks and for making minor slope adjustments in concrete to eliminate standing water. I am amazed at the number of uses I am finding for this tool!

   I do have a few tips. Dewalt makes a grinding wheel that fits this machine, part number DW4774. It costs about half what the Bosch wheels costs and lasts more than twice as long. It is available at most Lowes (usually only one per store) for about $60. It is slightly smaller in diameter (4.5in vs. 5in) so it does not get as close to the edge of the shroud. You will also have to use a spacer on the grinder shaft towards the end of the DW4774′s life (use one clamping nuts that come with the grinder).

   The tool _must_ be on its own 20A branch circuit. Do not run your vacuum on the same branch circuit! I have had no trouble with breaker tripping, but the tool does peg my current meter at 18.5A.

   I docked one star mostly due to price. There are a few other minor issues. There needs to be a way to secure the vacuum hose in place other than friction. You don’t want the vacuum hose to come off, even for a second! A high-power, low-power switch to reduce current and prevent breaker tripping would be nice. I would love to see a wet/dry version of this tool. I would also like to see a larger version (may have to be 240VAC).

5. I’m using this tool to remove old paint, mortar, and cement defects from my basement’s floor. This tool works great!!! No dust whatsoever. However, my Rigid wet’n'dry vac needs to have the filter cleaned every few minutes. I’ve order the Bosh shop vac, but I haven’t got yet. It’s supposed to clean its filter by itself.

   The grinder performs great, and seems to be built very strong.