Like I say in the video, I have extensive experience using a grinder to cut and shape metal and other materials, and only by using the tool to do these thing will you get better at using it.
Like any other skill that you develop, practice will improve your ability to use the tool effectively and produce accurate results.
The main function of the guard is to keep the operator from touching the spinning disk. Secondary to that, it will also keep material from flying back at you while making a cut, or if pieces break off of the cutting / grinding disk.
Good quality cutting and grinding disks have a fiberglass mess that reinforces the disk and keeps it from breaking up, so it's usually only through damage or abuse that the disk will come apart.
I always hold the tool out of line with my face and body while cutting.
Holding the tool too rigidly can make it difficult to cut straight and can side load the disk. Side loading the disk (the face of the disk is grinding against the edge of the kerf) can cause the disk to wear out prematurely and damage the fiberglass mess that holds the disk together.
Letting the disk follow the cut without forcing it will give the best results. Keeping the disk moving will help to prevent it from binding in the cut, and also make the cutting action more efficient.
Side handles are mandatory on larger grinders but I find they are just in the way on these smaller ones. Unless you are grinding a large flat surface, but then you'd be better off with a bigger grinder for that.
As I said in the video, this is my observations from using the tool for many years and going through hundreds of cutting disks. It is not meant to be a comprehensive tutorial on how to use a grinder - use at your own risk.
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