Why is an angle grinder called an angle grinder and not a Vietnamese angle grinder?

Most likely, I’m not the only one who has asked a fair question: why is a wonderful hand-held power tool called an angle grinder in everyday life called “grinder”, and not “Vietnamese” or “Hungarian”? Indeed, if you tell some average person the real name of the device - angle grinder, angle grinder - not everyone will understand what you are talking about... And if you say: grinder - why are you fooling yourself, you would have said so right away!

To find out where this device got such a strange nickname, to put it mildly, let’s look at history.

How, who and where invented the grinder

A grinding machine for cutting, grinding, and cleaning stone, metal, and concrete products was invented back in 1954 by German craftsmen Ackermann and Schmitt. The guys created a company for this purpose, which, without much fuss, was christened Ackermann + Schmitt. They gave their brainchild the name FLEX - from the English word “mobile”. In many Western countries, the device is called “flex” or “flexi”.

This wonder reached domestic craftsmen in the seventies of the last century in the form of a Bulgarian modification under the brand name “Eltos”. Instantly and, one might say, forever, the Soviet people called the power tool “grinder” and still call it almost throughout the entire post-Soviet space.One day I went into one of the many power tool stores in our town and on the price tag I saw the notorious: “Bulgarian”, and then there was the name of the model and its cost. And all buyers react calmly to the information, some smile...

There is one not very funny joke about this:

Once two friends met, and one complained to the other:

“Can you imagine, my husband doesn’t give me anything, but for some Bulgarian woman he bought two diamond discs!”

Are “Bulgarians” being produced now or not?

According to Wikipedia, the Bulgarian plant for the production of power tools in the city of Lovech was opened in 1961. In 1996, the company was acquired by the German concern Sparky. The manufacturer remained afloat in the third millennium; if you wanted, you could just recently find the company’s products on our shelves or order them on the Internet. However, the pandemic is crushing even the most resilient. In 2020, the Bulgarian company declared bankruptcy.

In conclusion…

My dad, I remember, had that same Bulgarian “grinder” about forty years ago. The old man couldn't be happier with her. And it’s true: she worked a lot, persistently and for quite a long time. Whether she’s alive now, I won’t lie, I don’t know. Maybe it’s lying around somewhere in the attic of our country house. At the beginning of the 2000s, my ancestor and I simultaneously acquired brand new angle grinders made in China.

It’s hard to say that they are better than the old Bulgarian ones. Previously, things were made reliable, not like now... I wonder if the first types of this power tool were brought to us from China, what would people call them: “Chinese”, “Chinese” or “Chinese” - what do you think?