Review on Metabo DSD 250 10 Inch Grinder by Mike Robinson

Please note: This machine is made in China, not Germany like the 5 star rated machine by Trapshooter. If there was ever a product I had to return to Revain, this was it. I wasn't expecting a $1200 Baldor grinder, but not this one. My Story: The mill arrived via UPS, not freight as I would have imagined for something this heavy. However, it was packaged in a double box, both in great condition. When I opened the factory packaging, I found that the lightweight styrofoam packaging had been broken into thousands of small pieces. Between the dry, static winter air and the styrofoam package, I looked like a snowman when I plugged it in. Power button pressed, vibrated a bit when turning, a little slow to approach speed but I was expecting this for a small motor size. Pushed off the ground and observed the lateral and radial runout as the grinding wheels slowed down. So I had to send it back. The left wheel stopped, the right wheel made one or two more revolutions! Right side wheel guard removed, two of the three mounting bolts hand tight or less tight. The grinding wheel nut is finger tight, not very secure. as tight as I want. After removing both grinding wheels I found that the spindle shafts were RUSTED. It was between the grinding wheel adapter and the spindle shaft. Both guards/grinding wheel guards removed, again only half the hex head screws tightened. Clean the waves with a Scotch Bright Sponge. The right shaft is fine, the left side is ulcerated. Excessive rust on the left shaft may indicate why the left shaft bearing is noisy. Some WD 40 on stock seemed to help. My guess is that the engines were stored outside in the rain or sent to the assembly plant in the rain. I prefer the second guess since all of the engine bolts have been tightened. The Metabo instruction booklet and product information website are incorrect as to the size of the grinding wheel: 250 x 40 x 51 (2 inch ID). Requires a standard 1¼" ID wheel. Some tool shop websites list the spindle size as 1¼" OD but it is not, it is a lighter/smaller 1" OD. Spindle comes with adapter to fit the larger standard 1¼" "-Drilling. grinding wheels. The quality of the grinding wheel is questionable. The 36 grit wheel has an area about 3/8 inch wide on the inside edge that was very aggressive. If it was about twice as wide I would consider it a feature. I replaced both grinding wheels. After mounting the DSD250 on a JET brand grinding stand (all Metabos were available to borrow for a while), adjusting the lateral runout of the grinding wheels and threading the discs to eliminate radial runout, I just stood back and observed the two-hour set-up work spread over a week. WTF! You are joking! The Metabo brand sticker on the front of the machine is crooked. It is 1/8" to 3/16" higher on the right side. Heat gun, trash can, stationary. The upside is that I use it a lot more than I expected.