DeWALT DCG413 20V MAX Brushless Angle Grinder With Kickback Brake

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. For grinding, cutting, sanding, wire brushing, sharpening, and general dentistry, an angle grinder is often the best tool for the job. With the portability of 20V MAX, you can handle business without an electrified cord to double dutch while you’re working. And if by chance the wire brush catches on a metal nook, it’s cool; the DeWALT DCG413 angle grinder has an electric brake to reduce kickback. Let’s dive into some of its more practical features (just to clarify, dentistry is NOT one of them).

Running The Numbers – DeWALT DCG413 Angle Grinder

Quick Specs:

* Platform: DeWALT 20V MAX
* Brushless motor
* Speed (unloaded): 9,000 RPM
* Arbor size – 7/8”
* Spindle thread: 5/8”-11
* Included guard: Type 27 (for use with most wheel types). For cutting wheels, however, DeWALT recommends a type 1/41 guard (sold separately).

Barrel Gripped And Brushless – The DeWALT DCG413 Angle Grinder

If you’re experiencing déjà vu, thinking we just recently covered a DeWALT 20V MAX angle grinder, you’re not crazy (at least not by our standards). There was one included in the DeWALT 20V MAX 4-Tool Combo Kit W/ Tough System. But this is a different model that may be more appealing to some readers.

The most notable differences are that this angle grinder has a brushless motor (for extended motor life), a wheel brake (for safety), a barrel grip (which some people find more comfortable than the D-handle) and better hardware (because better is better). The one in the 4-tool combo kit is great, but this grinder, the DCG413, turns it up a notch.

I did a casual performance comparison of both grinders using 4AH battery packs and didn’t really notice much difference in power or battery life. You can get a lot of work done on a single charge, especially with a grinding wheel. But metal cutting and other heavy tasks do load the motor a bit and drain the battery faster. Keep a spare battery charged for the more demanding jobs. Better yet, go with a 6.0AH battery if you have one.

Safety First – Because Boo-Boos Are Bad, Mmkay?

Your first line of defense with any tool is to pay attention to what you’re doing and be aware of your surroundings. Read your owner’s manual, wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and don’t aim fountains of sparks anywhere near your hoard of explosive barrels and leaky hydrogen tanks. As for the tools themselves; use your guard and don’t bypass trigger locks or other safety features, no matter how “annoying” they may be.

With this barrel grip/paddle switch combo, it’s nearly impossible to pick up the tool without squeezing the trigger. To mitigate that, powering on the tool requires a 2-step action: flip the little lever back then squeeze the trigger.

The safety switch works pretty well, but it’s not foolproof and does take some getting used to. If you’re careless in how you grab the tool, you can inadvertently flip the lockout lever and depress the trigger (which, in turn, can depress the user). It’s not highly probable, but definitely possible. Personally, I’d prefer a more traditional thumb-activated trigger lock.

Kickback Brake – Safety Done Right

Kickback occurs when a spinning blade (or grinder wheel) catches or is suddenly forced to a halt and all that momentum transfers to the tool or workpiece, typically throwing one or the other at the operator at a high velocity.

If the spindle ever slows way down or completely stalls, the DeWALT DCG413 angle grinder slams on the brakes to reduce the risk of damage or personal injury. Since nothing good ever comes of kickback, I hope you can understand my hesitancy to actually put this feature to the test. I’m going to have to just trust DeWALT on this one.

The Wheels On The Grinder Go Round And Round

We received the DeWALT DCG413 angle grinder as a bare tool. So I took a trip to my favorite toy store, The Home Depot, to gather an assortment of wheels. I did, by the way, use the 5” DeWALT grinding wheel that came in the 4-tool combo kit (even though it’s a “4-1/2 inch” grinder) with no problems at all. You can also use 4” wire wheels, 3-4” wire cup brushes and diamond cutting wheels, none of which I own. This being tax season and all, I was on a limited budget.

If you can do it with a corded angle grinder, you can do it with the DeWALT DCG413. Only without a mile of knotted extension cords.

Spindlerella – DeWALT DCG413 Arbor

Okay, so it’s not exactly the stuff of fairy tales, but compared to the DCG413’s spindle, flange washer and flange nut, those on most other angle grinders are basically the pumpkin carriage after midnight. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen such a well-made set.

The flange nut is thick with a knurled edge that makes it easy to thread on and off by hand. Then use the include hex key to tighten and loosen. It may seem strange to wrench the nut with an off-centered tool (rather than a typical arbor wrench that spans two holes). But it feels perfect and works beautifully.

DeWALT DCG413 20V MAX Paddle Switch Angle Grinder w/ Kickback Brake

If you need to take a healthy bite out of your workload and prefer the luxury of cordless tools the DeWALT DCG413 just might be the angle grinder for you.

Buy the DeWALT DCG413 angle grinder for under $170:

Buy Now - via The Home Depot

I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with Home Fixated in sponsored content. As a part of the sponsorship, Home Fixated is receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. This post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.