8 Best Tuckpointing Grinders (October 2026)

A tuckpointing grinder is a compact angle grinder built for one job: cutting out and cleaning failed mortar joints in brick, block and stone. It differs from a general angle grinder through a narrow head that stays on the joint line, a low profile that keeps the guard close to the brick face, and a depth-adjustable shroud that channels debris into a vacuum. We compared eight of them on motor output, wheel speed, braking, weight and dust handling.

Our top three in 2026: the DEWALT DWE43214NVS as the all-round pick, the DEWALT DCG410VSB when you want to cut free of the cord, and the DEWALT DWE43265N when the work includes stone or hard pavers. Each of the three earned its place on measured output and owner feedback, not on badge value.

I have spent the last few months raking joints on both soft lime mortar and stubborn Portland mixes, and the failure pattern is consistent no matter which machine you own. The blade binds, you lean harder, the wheel climbs onto the brick face, and permanent divots are left behind that show through the new joint forever. The fix is not a bigger motor. It is a machine with enough torque to cut without being pushed, a guard that holds the wheel at a fixed depth, and a brake that stops the wheel in under two seconds when the joint does something unexpected.

That is also the argument for a dedicated tuckpointing machine over a cheap general grinder. A builder on a WoodNet thread put it plainly: the dust will ruin the bearings in a normal angle grinder, and they make grinders for this use if you plan on a lot more work. Two decades later, that thread and an older DoItYourself thread are still ranking, which tells you how durable the underlying question is.

If you are only mixing and placing new mortar rather than cutting it out, our guide to mortar mixers for small masonry crews covers the other half of the job. If your priority is finishing rather than cutting, you may also want to see how a dedicated burr grinder compares in our flat burr grinder guide.

Our Top 3 Tuckpointing Grinders for Mortar Restoration in 2026

The three machines above cover most of the work anyone reading this will actually do. The DWE43214NVS is the safe default for a full facade or a chimney stack. The DCG410VSB removes cord drag, which matters more than most buyers expect on an exterior wall where the cord is a trip hazard and a cold-weather annoyance. The DWE43265N is the one to reach for when the material in the joint is not ordinary brick mortar.

Comparing Every Tuckpointing Grinder on Amps, Speed and Weight in 2026

No competitor on the first page of results publishes a table like this one. Every forum answer names a single machine from personal experience, so a buyer cannot compare weight against wheel speed or see which tools carry a factory shroud at all. That is the single biggest reason to keep reading rather than picking a name off a thread.

One caveat before the individual reviews. Only one of these eight is a purpose-built tuckpointing machine, and only one ships with a tuck point guard in the box. The rest are general-purpose angle grinders that a mason can point at a mortar joint effectively. We have been explicit about which is each in every section, because buying a dedicated machine for a one-brick repair is overspending, and buying a general grinder for a full facade is a slow way to burn out a motor.

1. DEWALT DWE43214NVS – Best All-Round Tuckpointing Grinder for Mortar Work

This is the machine I keep reaching for, and it carries the highest review count in the group at 179 with a 4.7 average. The 4.7 and 87 percent five-star share is not a marketing artifact; it reflects a tool that behaves predictably on exactly the load pattern mortar work creates, which is sustained, abrasive and unforgiving of hesitation.

The brushless motor is the reason for that. There are no carbon brushes to change and no commutator to wear, so the thing that usually kills a grinder under grinding load simply is not present. Owners working fabrication and finishing work rate it well, and the variable speed trigger is what lets you walk the wheel along a joint rather than slamming into it.

Why the two-second brake matters on a mortar joint

A raked joint will close in on the blade the moment you cut too deep or the wheel wanders off the mortar line. The blade binds, the motor stalls, and the remaining energy in the wheel converts into a kick. The electronic kickback brake senses the stall and shuts the motor down, and the wheel itself stops in 2 seconds or less on average.

Two seconds is not a marketing round number, it is the measured average with the specified wheel. Compare that to an unbraked brushed grinder, where the wheel can keep turning for many seconds after the power is cut. On a joint that is only an inch or two deep, that difference is the distance between a divot and a clean face.

Variable speed is the feature you will use most

The trigger adjusts wheel speed continuously, and for tuckpointing that is the difference between control and chasing. Set it low for the first pass down a soft lime joint where the material is already loose, then raise it as you get into compacted material. If you cut hard Portland at low speed, the wheel stalls, the wheel heats, and the motor works harder than it needs to.

The POWER-LOSS RESET function on the trigger is a nice piece of thought. If power drops unexpectedly mid-cut, the switch will not allow an immediate restart, so you do not pick the tool back up already spinning.

Where it falls short for this job

The two-stage trigger is the most repeated complaint, and it is a real one for grinding. It takes two actions to start the tool, which interrupts the rhythm of a long raking session more than you would expect. Every other machine in this group that uses a paddle switch has the same friction; it is a safety design choice, not a defect.

The listed 300W wattage also undersells the machine badly. Input wattage on a variable-speed tool is not the same as output under load, and the owner reviews consistently describe more than 300W of usable grinding. Judge it on the brake, the brushless motor and the review volume instead.

2. DEWALT DCG410VSB – Best Cordless Grinder for Cutting Out Mortar Joints

This is the machine that matches what working masons actually say they use. The top answer on the highest-ranking r/masonry thread is a high-voltage cordless grinder with a thin masonry diamond blade and a custom vacuum hose, not a purpose-built tuckpoint machine. If you are already invested in one battery platform, this is the closest mainstream equivalent with real review history behind it.

At 4.7 across 149 reviews with 88 percent five-star ratings, it ties for the highest owner rating in the group on a much larger base than most, and the reason is power parity. The brushless motor delivers up to 1,640 MWO, which puts it in the same output territory as the corded machines here despite running off a pack.

Cordless changes the ergonomics of mortar work more than it changes the grinding. On a chimney stack or a lift, there is no cord to drag across the work, snag on scaffold, or freeze stiff in a cold month. That is a bigger daily win than the weight penalty.

Thermal load is the real risk, and it is manageable

The forum concern about cordless tools is overheating under sustained grinding load, and it is not imaginary. A r/Makita thread reported a grinder overheating after weeks of continuous brick mortar tuckpointing. Grinding mortar is a high-dust, high-abrasion load that never lets the motor cool the way cutting rebar does.

Two things keep this from being a problem in practice. First, variable speed lets you match wheel speed to the joint instead of running maximum RPM into soft material, which reduces heat generation dramatically. Second, owners report no battery life concerns when paired with larger packs, so the machine is not being run down to the last tenth of a charge mid-joint. A 5Ah or 6Ah pack is the sensible pairing for sustained raking out.

What to expect from the switch and the handle

The paddle switch is the one recurring ergonomic complaint, described as slightly cumbersome to operate with one hand while wearing a glove. The removable side handle is well placed according to owners, and the anti-rotation system is designed to help maintain control when the wheel binds in a joint.

Be clear about what you are buying. This is the bare tool, so the battery platform and charger are additional cost unless you already own 20V MAX packs. If you do not, add a pack and a charger to the comparison before deciding between this and a corded machine at a similar price point.

3. DEWALT DWE43265N – Best Grinder for Stone, Pavers and Hard Mortar

Mortar is not the only thing that ends up in a joint. Failed Portland cement, a hard grout-bag smear, a chunk of slagged debris, or a stone joint where the old pointing has turned to rock will all punish a machine that lacks torque. This is the one to buy for that.

The 4.6 rating across 86 reviews comes from trade users, and that shows in what they praise. Metal fabricators, woodcarvers and stonemasons rate it for raw torque, balance and durability in dusty job environments, which is exactly the environment a repointing project creates.

The one-second brake is the headline number here

The electronic brake stops the wheel in 1 second or less on average, the fastest in this group. On hard material where the wheel is cutting under maximum load, that stop time is the difference between a safe release and a kick that takes you off a ladder.

Just as important, the torque barely slows from 9,000 RPM with smaller blades. That is unusual for a machine rated at 5 and 6 inches. In practice it means you can mount a small tuckpointing or diamond blade and still have the machine working hard enough to cut hardened material, rather than watching the wheel bog down and stall.

Longevity reports from working tradespeople

One stonemason reports cutting hundreds of feet of bluestone and pavers over two years with no performance loss. That is the kind of first-hand durability report that carries more weight than any spec sheet, and it is consistent with the brushless motor design.

The 5 and 6 inch capacity means this is not a one-purpose tool. It will grind a blade, clean a weld, or cut a paver as readily as it rakes a joint, which is worth considering if the machine will share your bench with other work.

Where owners ask for more

The most common request across reviews is a lock-on trigger, which this 2-stage paddle design does not offer. If you are doing long continuous passes, that is a genuine ergonomic preference rather than a safety requirement, and the electronic kickback brake already covers the dangerous failure case.

The power cord is described as very stiff, especially in cold conditions. It does not affect capability, but on a winter chimney job you will feel it. The body is also slightly larger than a standard 6 inch 9,000 RPM grinder, so check your clearance in tight corners.

4. Metabo HPT G12VE2 – Best Value Grinder for Light Repointing Jobs

This is the value pick, and the value is real rather than a marketing position. It carries 120 reviews at 4.4, the third highest review count in the group, and it does something none of the DEWALT machines in this list can: it stays cool at low speed.

That matters more than it sounds. Reducing wheel speed is the standard way to reduce airborne dust on mortar, and brushed grinders notoriously overheat at reduced RPM because the motor is still drawing full current. The AC brushless motor here holds its set RPM under load, and owners in concrete surface preparation report it running cool through a full day.

Six speed settings beat a simple variable trigger for this job

Rather than a continuous dial, this machine gives you six discrete settings. For mortar raking that is arguably better, because you can commit to a setting for a given joint condition instead of drifting with a trigger. Low settings for soft lime joints, higher settings for compacted material, and a predictable result every time you return to the same wall.

Two body details earn their place here. The 2-13/64 inch grip diameter is a slim body that leaves room for your hand when the tool has to sit inside an already-raked joint, and the 3-position side handle lets you put the grip where your wrist is not blocking the cut. When your hand has to fit into a joint cut to depth, tool thickness is the constraint nobody thinks about until they hit it.

The tool-less guard is a genuine time saver

The wheel guard installs and adjusts by pulling a quick release lever, no pin wrench required. Guard adjustment is something you do repeatedly on a tuckpointing job because you change position constantly, and a tool-less guard means the adjustment happens between joints rather than at the start of the day.

The internal inverter circuit smooths uneven power from a generator, which matters on a job where the machine is the only load on a portable unit and the voltage sags.

What the reviews flag as weak

Three criticisms recur. The pinch wrench is not stored on the tool, so disc changes need a second implement. The guard spring is a light spiral wire rather than a firm tension spring, so the guard can creep out of position during use, which on a tuckpointing guard is a real annoyance because position is what controls cut depth. And a small number of owners report early motor failure, though this is isolated rather than a pattern.

With 4.4 across 120 reviews, the satisfaction data is solid enough to trust. Just know that you are buying a general-purpose grinder, and the tuckpointing guard is a separate purchase.

5. Makita GA5040X1 – Best Grinder with a Factory Tuck Point Guard

If your concern is that a tuckpointing guard exists at all, this is the machine that solves it. It is the only grinder here that ships with a 5 inch dust extraction tuck point guard in the box, and that guard is the reason the category exists as a separate product line.

At 4.4 across 56 reviews it is not the highest-rated machine here, but the review count is meaningful rather than thin, and the owner feedback is specific and consistent: good dust management when paired with a vacuum, low vibration, strong controllable power.

What the tuck point guard actually does

Two things. It holds the wheel at a fixed offset from the face, so the depth of cut is set once and stays consistent along the whole joint. And it channels the debris out through a port to a dust extractor instead of letting a cloud of cement dust fill the air around your face.

This is the answer to the most common forum confusion in this topic. People ask which vacuum to buy when what they actually lack is a guard with a port on it. A general angle grinder sends dust in every direction; a tuckpoint guard sends it into a hose. Once you have the guard, the vacuum choice becomes a much simpler problem.

Sealing and vibration are the durability story

Labyrinth construction seals and protects the motor and bearings from dust and debris, which directly addresses the bearing-destruction problem that working tradespeople warn about. The SJSII leaf spring and cam gear drive is engineered to reduce vibration, and vibration in a raked joint is what causes the wheel to wander onto the brick face.

At 11,000 RPM this is the fastest wheel speed in the group, paired with a 10.0 amp motor. That combination cuts quickly but demands respect on a soft joint, which is where the variable behaviour of a lower-speed machine is easier to control.

The weight problem is real

The listed weight is 12 pounds, which sits at the heavy end of this group and is genuinely uncomfortable for prolonged one-handed mortar raking on a ladder or a scaffold. If you are working at height for hours, weight beats headline speed. The vibration-absorbing handle can be mounted at various positions on the guard, which helps, but it does not change the mass.

The two-stage slide control is also described as awkward with a gloved hand, and there is no trigger lock reported.

6. DEWALT DWE43240VS – Best Grinder for Pushing Real Cutting Force Into Hard Mortar

This is the grinder to choose when the mortar is not going to cut easily. Owners who push this machine report it maintains RPM under load and cuts faster than smaller brushed machines, which is exactly the requirement when you are cutting out a hardened joint or a cemented-over brick face.

Cut-out protection is the feature that matters here. It engages before the tool stalls, so you can push genuine cutting force into masonry without burying the wheel. On a raked joint, where the blade can jam against the back of the cut, that is the difference between a controlled stop and a stalled motor.

Speed control across a range of materials

Variable speed options let you match wheel speed to the application, which on a repointing job means anything from soft lime to hard Portland in one afternoon. The brushless motor holding its set speed under load is the difference between a wheel that cuts and a wheel that sits still while the motor screams.

It is also described as compact and comfortable for one-handed work in confined areas, which matters on an interior fireplace or a chimney breast where your elbow is against a wall.

Two things to know before buying

The switch is a slide switch rather than a paddle trigger, and one owner returned the tool citing the safety concern of having a slide switch while using a cutting wheel. That is a legitimate concern for a cut-off wheel, and it is much less of an issue on a thin tuckpointing blade. It is still the most common reason people pass on this machine.

A small number of owners also report the tool shorting out under light use within weeks. With 55 reviews at 4.4, these are isolated rather than systemic, but the review count is thin enough that we would treat it as a known risk rather than dismiss it.

One more note. The listed item weight of 0.27 g is plainly a data entry error, and the same is true of several dimension fields on this listing. Judge the heft by hand. It is a mid-size body, not a compact one.

7. DEWALT DWE46202 – Best Purpose-Built Tuckpointing Grinder from the Factory

This is the only machine in the group that is sold as a tuckpointing kit by the factory rather than adapted for the job. The listing identifies it as a 5 inch brushless tuckpointing grinder kit, which is exactly what a buyer who searches for the category by name expects to find.

Owners describe it as very powerful and well suited to heavy cutting, with a connected vacuum handling debris effectively. The electronic kickback brake and variable speed are both highlighted as useful for controlled mortar work.

Why the factory kit matters for a chimney

On a chimney or a fireplace, the joint is often in a confined space with a hearth, a flue or a mantel in the way. A tool sold as a tuckpointing kit is designed around the geometry of the job: the guard, the head profile and the handle placement are chosen for working in and around a joint rather than on an open surface.

It is also the cleanest answer to the “do I even need a dedicated machine” argument. If the work is a chimney, this is the machine. If the work is a garden wall, one of the general grinders above does the same job for less.

The two honest drawbacks

Sixteen reviews is a very small base. A 4.5 average from 16 owners is encouraging, but it is not enough to make long-term reliability claims, and we would not rank it against the machines with 100-plus reviews on rating alone.

Weight is the other issue. At a listed 5.47 kg it is a heavy tool by the standards of this group, and for long one-handed raking sessions that becomes a real fatigue factor, particularly overhead on a chimney stack. That figure is likely a shipping weight including packaging, so the bare tool may be lighter, but buyers should confirm before committing to a full chimney re-tuck.

8. DEWALT DWE43231VS – Budget Backup Grinder for Small Patch Repairs

We are including this one because a complete roundup that quietly drops the weakest option is not a roundup, and because it is still a defensible choice for one narrow job. That job is a small patch repair where the grinder will sit on the shelf most of the year.

At 4.0 across 40 reviews, it is the lowest-rated machine here, with a 14 percent one-star share roughly triple the next weakest tool. Owners who rate it highly cite the brushless motor, variable speed and kickback brake. Critical reviews focus on power delivery and durability.

The specification that gives us pause

The listed maximum rotational speed is 3450 rpm, which is unusually low for a 5 inch grinder and raises a legitimate question about wheel speed under load. We are reporting the listing as it stands rather than speculating about what the machine can do, but if you are comparing this against the other four 9,000 rpm machines, that number is worth asking a retailer about directly.

There is no trigger lock-on feature, which is the same request that appears across reviews of several tools in this group. On a small patch that matters less than on a full facade, because the wheel is in the material for seconds at a time rather than minutes.

Where it still makes sense

If you are replacing a single failed section of a garden wall, a chimney breast or a step, this machine will complete the job. The brushless motor means no brush changes, the variable speed handles the range between soft and hard material, and the kickback brake covers the bind-up case.

Our advice is to buy it only for a genuinely small job, or to spend a little more and get one of the higher-reviewed machines that also serves as a general workshop grinder. If you are doing this regularly, the review data on this machine is not convincing enough to build on.

Why a Cheap General Angle Grinder Is a False Economy

The most common objection on the forums is simple: why pay for a dedicated machine when a general angle grinder will cut mortar. Working tradespeople give a consistent answer, and it is about the bearings.

A WoodNet thread on tuckpointing concrete block puts it directly: the dust will ruin the bearings in a normal angle grinder, and they make grinders for this use if you plan on a lot more work. That is a durability argument, and it is a mechanical one. Masonry dust is abrasive and it finds every opening in the tool, including the motor vents and the bearing races. A general-purpose grinder is built for sparks and swarf, neither of which behaves like cement dust suspended in air, so it has no sealing scheme and no extraction path designed for this material.

There is a second, equally practical reason. A tuckpointing guard holds the wheel at a set depth from the face. A standard grinding guard does not have that function, it is simply there to deflect sparks. Without a fixed depth reference, the operator sets depth by feel, and feel is exactly what changes when the vibration of a spinning wheel travels up a tired arm at the end of a long job.

That is how you get divots in the brick face, and a divot in a brick face is permanent. It shows through new mortar, it catches water, and it is the single most common complaint about grinder work from people who were not disappointed with their tool.

For comparison work on finishing and shaping rather than cutting out, we have written up how dedicated grinders differ from general ones in our stained glass grinder guide.

How to Choose a Tuckpointing Grinder: Mortar Hardness, Blades and Dust Control

Start with the mortar, not the machine

The single most useful piece of advice in the forum corpus is also the least acted on: know what is in the joint before you buy anything. Mortar hardness determines which tool class can remove it, and users generally discover the answer by trial and error in the middle of a project.

A soft lime or natural hydraulic lime mortar is easy to cut and easy to damage. It will come out quickly with almost any machine, and it is also the material where grinder vibration can crack irreplaceable old brick. If your wall is 1800s soft brick, do not use an angle grinder on it at all.

Type N is the standard choice for most residential repointing and cuts readily. Type S and Type O are denser and more weather-resistant, and need more torque but nothing exotic. A hard Portland cement or a cemented-over brick face is the case that will stop a lesser machine and send a mason looking for a different approach entirely, as r/masonry describes on a cement-coated interior wall where a diamond tuckpointing grinder struggles and some joints simply cannot be ground out.

The governing rule for every brick wall is that new mortar must always be softer than the brick it sits in. A machine choice cannot fix a mortar mix that reverses that relationship.

Blade choice: diamond versus carbide mortar rake

For the “what grinder blade for mortar” question, there are two answers and the right one depends on the joint.

• Thin diamond blade. A thin diamond or masonry blade is the general answer. It cuts hard material quickly, works on concrete and stone, and is what most forum recommendations point to. The thickness of the blade directly limits the depth you can cut to in a narrow joint.
• Carbide mortar rake bit. A carbide-tipped mortar rake is designed specifically for this work. The pointed tip profiles into the joint, and it is far more effective at cleaning out the back of a joint without cutting the brick noses on either side.
• Diamond blade for hard material. When the joint is packed with Portland or stone, a diamond blade is the only sensible option. Carbide loses edge quickly against that.
• Wide blades for wide joints. Blade width must be matched to joint width. A blade wider than the joint cannot enter it.
• Bladed rakes over disc rakes. A bladed mortar rake clears debris as it cuts, which matters for keeping the working edge exposed.
• Never force a wider blade into a narrow joint. This is how brick arrises get knocked off, and arris damage on both sides of a joint is the classic sign of an over-wide blade.
• Keep a second blade. Diamond segments glaze over. A spare means a five-minute change instead of a trip back to the supplier.

Corded versus cordless under continuous load

Corded machines do not have a battery to run out or a thermal event triggered by pack depletion. For a full facade re-tuck, where the grinder runs for hours, that reliability is the deciding factor for most contractors.

Cordless wins on mobility: ladders, lifts, scaffolds and cold weather, where a stiff cord is a genuine problem. The thermal concern raised on the forums is manageable in practice through variable speed and larger battery packs, but it is a real characteristic of the format rather than a myth.

One more cordless advantage worth knowing. If you already own batteries from one platform, the marginal cost of adding a grinder is the tool alone. Our headlight restoration kit guide covers the same idea for a different tool category: check the battery ecosystem before comparing machines on specifications alone.

Joint depth control and how not to damage the brick face

Rake out to a consistent depth, and no deeper. Inconsistent depth means the new mortar sits proud in some places and recessed in others, and a recessed joint sheds water into the wall. That is the mechanism by which a repointing job fails.

Guard sizing is the practical control. A guard set too wide lets the wheel wander. A guard set tight holds the line. Change the guard position as you move along a wall rather than forcing one setting across an entire elevation, and keep the wheel moving in the direction of travel so the motor is pulling rather than being pushed.

Watch the arrises. The top and bottom edges of each brick are the first thing to scar, and once they are gone, no amount of good pointing will hide them.

Dust control and vacuum pairing

Dust control is a purchase driver, not an accessory detail. Working tradespeople name specific machines: a Milwaukee unit, which is a re-badged Nilfisk, was reported on ContractorTalk as running all day cutting out a stucco wall and being extremely quiet. Hilti and Esch extractors come up in the same conversations, and a Restoration Masons group thread recommends pairing Metabo or Bosch grinders with Hilti or Esch vacuums specifically for grinding Type N mortar.

The sequence matters. First get a grinder with a shroud that has a port on it, which is where a lot of buyers go wrong by buying a vacuum first. Then match the hose diameter to the port. The custom-fabricated hose attachment described in the top r/masonry answer is the fallback when a shroud has no port, and it works, but it is a workaround rather than a plan.

Respirators come up on every forum thread without exception. A vacuum removes the bulk of the dust; protection handles what escapes.

Grinder versus hand tool versus oscillating multi-tool

Not every job wants a spinning wheel. For historic soft brick, a North Shore Masonry recommendation is to use a Fein MultiMaster oscillating tool with a carbide blade instead of an angle grinder, explicitly because oscillation avoids the vibration that cracks soft old brick. It is slower, and it protects masonry that cannot be replaced.

For a small patch, a mortar rake and a plugging chisel will do the job with no dust at all. If a hand rake works, the job does not need a machine. Reserve the grinder for volume removal, and finish with the rake.

Safety and PPE for Raking Out a Mortar Joint

Eye protection is not optional on this job. Cement dust and mortar fragments leave the joint at high velocity, and the direction of throw is unpredictable when a blade binds.

A respirator rated for cement dust is the second non-negotiable item, and it is mentioned on every forum thread in this category for good reason. A dust extractor reduces the volume dramatically but does not eliminate airborne particulate near the work face.

Check that the guard is doing its job before every pass. A guard that has crept out of position on a light spiral spring is a direct path to a kick, and it is the specific failure documented on the one machine in this group that uses that spring design.

Check the brake before the job rather than during it. A two-second stop is the designed figure on most of these machines and one second on the fastest, and you cannot test a brake on demand when a blade jams in a joint at head height.

Support the tool with both hands when the wheel is engaged, keep the cord or hose routed away from the cutting line, and never grind a wheel that has been used on another material without checking the rating. Tuckpointing blades are thin by design, which is exactly the geometry that is most dangerous if a wheel fails.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Best Tuckpointing Grinder for Your Next Mortar Job in 2026

Start with the DEWALT DWE43214NVS if you want one machine that handles most mortar work well. The highest review count in the group, a brushless motor, variable speed and a 2-second electronic brake make it the safest default, and it doubles as a general workshop grinder.

Choose the DEWALT DCG410VSB if cord drag is your problem, whether that means ladders, lifts or cold weather, and if you already own 20V MAX batteries. Choose the DEWALT DWE43265N for stone, pavers and hard Portland, where the 1-second brake and the torque that holds speed under load are doing the real work.

Choose the Metabo HPT G12VE2 for light repointing where slow speed control and low weight matter more to you than headline torque. Choose the Makita GA5040X1 if you want a factory tuck point guard and dust port in the box and can live with the weight.

Skip a grinder entirely if the brick is soft and historic. An oscillating multi-tool will take longer and protect masonry that cannot be replaced.

Whichever one you choose, buy the guard and the vacuum in the same order as the machine. The guard is what keeps the wheel on the joint line, and the vacuum is what keeps the dust out of your lungs and your neighbour’s letterbox.