When buying a concrete grinder, it’s important to make sure you purchase the right equipment to suit the type of work you do.
You need to consider what you will require from the machine. Are you going to be grinding for basic surface preparation, polishing for a high shine, or both?
This obviously makes a big difference to the machine you purchase and how much you need to invest.
If you’re using a grinder for general floor preparation and small domestic jobs then you’d be fine investing in a smaller machine like the Meteor 250 or the Shark S250.
This is the smallest of the stand-up grinders; it’s great for removing high spots, glue removal and general grinding for coating preparation. It only weighs 50kgs and will fit easily into the boot of a vehicle. But these smaller machines like the Meteor 250 can’t produce a polish to the quality of a larger machine, and because it only has one 250mm grinding wheel it doesn’t flatten the floor as well as larger machines.
So, if your projects generally have larger areas to grind or you need the machine to be more aggressive, then it would be worth investing in a machine that’s heavier and has more diamond wheels that grind in a larger diameter.
The Satellite 380 is a great machine for general domestic work. It’s still light but has three 7” wheels that work on their own giving you a much flatter finish, and is ideal for coating and general preparation.
Both the Satellite 480 and the Shark S480-D are the largest of the 240 volt grinders and are both brilliant all-round preparation machines. They are heavier machines weighing in at 170kgs. With the option of three 7” diamond wheels or six diamond plugs, they can grind, polish or remove coatings with ease and the extra weight gives these machines the ability to flatten floors very well. They’re great for domestic and commercial work and can grind approximately 300m. per day.
If your projects are medium to large commercial, then it’s worth investing in a larger machine again, one that has the capability to grind large areas fast. Therefore you’d want it to be a heavier, more powerful machine with more diamond wheels.
A good example is either the Shark S640-P, the Shark S750-P, the Satellite 760-6 or the Satellite 760-12. All of these are 3-phase machines that are a lot heavier and can grind areas in excess of 1,000m. a day. The 760-12 is a 4-motor machine that runs twelve 7” diamond wheels, giving it the ability to be the quickest and most efficient in the range.
So in summary, if you’re looking to do general floor preparation and don’t need to polish to a high shine, then the smaller machines like the Shark S480-D, the Satellite 380 or even the Meteor 250 would be the perfect machine.
The larger the area and more aggressive you need the machine to be, the heavier the machine needs to be with more diamond wheels. If you need to polish to a high shine then you need at least a mid-range machine, like the Shark S640-P planetary, variable speed polisher.
If you are unsure which concrete grinder to select, contact Con-Treat today. We can advise you on the best option for your needs.
* The above information is to be used as a guide only and Con-Treat accepts no responsibility for any consequence resulting from the advice contained herein or verbally.
