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I have recently purchased a Makita 2100W angle grinder. It has just the live (L) and neutral (N) connectors unlike the one I previously used, which had a third protected earth (PE) connection.

Would it be better if I changed the connections to a 3 pin connector?

Jonas Stein
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Emmanuel Sillah
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3 Answers3

71

Your grinder is a Class-II Double Insulated appliance and therefore does not require a ground/earth connection.

But even if you did decide to fit a 3-pin plug, what would you connect the 3rd pin to?
There's no 3rd wire in the cord, nor is there a ground point in the device to connect it to.

brhans
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It is double insulated. Your prior one wasn't so its case had to be grounded.

Look for the square in the square icon on the name plate of the device:

Double-insulated icon

You will not be any safer if you replace the plug.

psmears
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Dan D.
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Well, your modification would very likely worsen the safety.

Either you replace only the plug, it would be just that, a new plug, with the GND not connected anywhere. That makes it worse by giving a false belief that the appliance is grounded.

Or you decide to replace the cord as well. It would mean opening the chassis, finding a connection point somewhere and soldering or connecting the GND wire there. However, you first, can't be sure that the connection point is "good enough". Second, opening the chassis may damage some insulation. Third, the device, as is, was tested against various failures and use conditions, your modification would not be.

yo'
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