Bosch Professional gWs 18V-Li
price: rrp £360 (+Vat) Supplier: www.bosch-professional.com In physical size the biggest grinder on test, as well as the joint heaviest at 2.3kg, the Bosch features electronic motor protection to protect against overload for longer life, while electronic cell protection looks after the 4.0Ah battery to ensure it isn’t overloaded, and doesn’t overheat or become too deeply discharged. No load speed is 10,000rpm.
The side-mounted on/off lock button is perfectly placed and, with a smooth slide action, proved the easiest of those on test to switch on and off without hesitation. The spindle lock on the Bosch, however, proved slightly trickier to use than the others – the body is a little bit wider just where you need to grip it, and there’s more of a stretch to apply enough pressure with your thumb to hold the spring-loaded button down. If you always need extra-large-size gloves it won’t be a problem, otherwise you might need to put the grinder on a hard surface to apply enough pressure to the lock button and still have the other hand free for the spanner.
The rubberised upper body meant grip was good, and although the disc guard needs an Allen key for adjustment, the key was more reliable than a screwdriver, as used on a couple of the others. The guard ring also has serrations that lock into teeth around the machine’s collar, so once it’s tightened there’s no risk of it slipping.
Interestingly, the locking ring has two sets of holes to fit differentsized peg spanners, although only one spanner is supplied.