Sanders Reviews

I bought both Rigid and bosch at same time and could not compare apples to oranges. Rigid is Way better and made in Germany compared to Bosch ( not sure but it seems it is made in China ).

Rigid is a high end sander at low price and I felt I paid too much for bosch..

Try Rigid 6" and you will be lot happy for flattening joint boards, panels and lot more..

I just finished 3 hours of sanding on a 70 year old oak floor that has never been refinished. Full of pits, scratches, nail holes, splinters, old varnish ect.. and believe it or not some knuckle-head years ago even starting painting a large corner of the rooms floor with white primer. Using 80 grit paper this thing ate through the old finish and paint like a champ. After 3 hours my arms and hands feel fine, no tingling or numbness, smooth and easy one hand operation. Changing my grip on the tool to different hands and different positions during operation was seamless and comfortable, it was actually a pleasure to use this thing. As long as I emptied the hepa filter dust catcher regularly dust kick-up was minimal. This is one of the few tools I've bought that I was 100% satisfied with.

When I refinished the wood floors in part of my house a few years ago, instead of renting an edge sander I tried my new Bosch 6" randome orbit instead. Wow- this thing can really remove material! It's become my favorite sander for cutting through old finishes and removing wood- I use it in places where I'd have used a belt sander in the past. Put a 32 grit pad on it and watch the sawdust fly.

The variable speed means you can use it for everything from rough cutting to fine sanding and polishing. Great tool.

Haven't used it yet

I recently used this blade to undercut door jabs and to undercut about 75 feet of molding. It worked flawlessly.

I'm glad I have this blade for use with the Fein Multimaster. The only problem is that when you are doing a job like trying to cut through a 3/4" cedar wall to install an outlet box, it is hard to keep a perfect corner. I am not talking about keeping a perfect line, it is great for that, but when you are trying to cut an exact corner with a wide angled blade, it is hard to determine the edge. Consequently the edge of your cut can go a little wider than hoped for, leaving a tiny slit that can run out of the outside circumference of your edge lines.
For making those kind of cuts the straight blades, without the angled sides makes for a perfect job. Knowing where the edge of the blade is, even while it is sinking into the wood is the key to getting your corners exact. With the 2 1/2 inch E cut blade, the tip is harder to get a bearing on where the vibrating edge is going to leave its mark. I'm not saying that you can't do the job with this blade, but for that type of application, the square rectangular blades make it easy to do a perfect job.
I'm not knocking this 2 1/2 inch blade. As a matter of fact I like using it for covering a wide area. I can angle the face of the blade along a line, and as the back of the edge is sinking deep, the front edge is starting a new edge of the cut. All in all highly recommended. PS: Get a square-rectangular style blade as well.

This sander seems to be first rate in terms of quality and performance. I would have given it five stars if not for a few adjustments that needed to be made to the machine before I could use it. The dust flange/seal behind the sanding wheel was bent and rubbing the impeller for the blower. The first time I turned it on a got a lot of rubbing noise and the smell of burning plastic. After figuing out what the problem was it simply required reaching in thru the dust port and slightly bending the flange away from the impeller. The biggest problem is my unit arrived damaged (broken cast iron foot) and am currently awaiting a replacment. This unit seems to be on constant back order, so that's another issue. The broken foot was probably caused by UPS but some fault lies with Jet for sub-standard packaging (this unit weighs 100 lbs and they pack it in flimsy styrofoam).
Other than those issues this is a really good machine... smooth, powerful, flat table, lots of mass. Even though it costs significantly more than similar units, it's worth the money.
I would buy it again.

WOW - What a tool SHOULD be. The best disk sander I've ever used, and for several reasons. The motor is quiet and this tool is vibration free! The cast iron table in front is large and comes with two miter slots, unlike the Delta and Grizzly. I purchased the stand and filter locally only because Amazon was out of stock at the time. Don't tighten the hardware on the middle of the stand untill you first measure the hole distance on top for the sander. Pre-arrange them at that distance and then attach the sander. Dust collection is very nice too as the internal blower fan blows it into the filter without having to attach and use a shop-vac. I like this feature. I purchased this sander for $224.99 but two weeks later it increased $168.00 - DON'T KNOW WHY SO MUCH! All in all, I'd buy it again. You won't be dissapointed.

Here's another glowing review of the JDS-12. Yes, it is the most costly of the 12" benchtop disc sanders, but it's worth it and makes my list of "buy only once" tools. I bought just the sander and skipped the filter and stand because I had a spot on the bench with plumbed dust collection reserved for it. This sander sports a cast iron housing and shroud where the others are made of sheet metal or plastic. This helps account for its beefy weight of 100lbs. The platen and table are also cast iron. The table is the largest of its competitors at about 12" x 16" and features miter slots going both directions. It comes with a sturdy metal miter gauge and circle cutting jig. The trunnions are table mounted as opposed to post mounted, keeping the table edge nearly touching the disc throughout its movements. This also eliminates any flex or deflection.

The 1hp motor has plenty of power to hog down even the hardest of woods. The brake is a little cheesy, but I rarely use it anyway. The JDS-12 has excellent dust collection features (a huge consideration for any sander) with its built in fan impeller and 4" dust port. There is also a motor fan on the back shaft. Mine came with one that is made of riveted sheet metal and was not true. It was wobbling and rubbing on the motor housing until I adjusted it out a bit. I've been told that on earlier models this fan was cast metal. The disc platen is very true with minimal to no runout. You will appreciate this when doing precise sanding to the line. All disc sanders leave marks. I usually finish with touch ups on my belt or orbital sander, but the disc will certainly get you 99% of where you want to be.

A back issue review of 12" sanders is available for download from Wood Magazine. It was rated "Top Tool" in their 2003 review.

I'm very happy with this machine.

I use this sander as a secondary in my shop. Changing out the attachments is time consumming.

I was looking for a small sander, so when I saw an add on TV for this Black & Decker unit with the dust accumilation it was interesting & checked out the reviews. So for the price took the plunge, it arrived the other day & tried it out. It doesn't pick up every piece of dust, but it does a darn good job. The collection cup does fill up fairly fast, so you have to keep an eye on it to see when it needs emptying, but that's no big deal if you pay attention. And the attachments are perfect for details such as corners or sligtly larger jobs. The velcro system of installing sanding pads is convient, haven't had to get new ones yet, so I don't know how much they cost. So the one downside of this sander it would have been nice to be able to adapt & use sandpaper sheets of one's own choosing. Overall I'm pleased with this item. It won't do the big job of a belt sander, but it doesn't pretend to be one.

I do alot of furniture and cabinet refinishing and I think this is the best little sander in the world. It collects the dust as you go along and it has a pointed tip so you can reach any corner when sanding down furniture. It is light weight and very easy on the wrists. I don't need to wear a mask because the dust is contained. I love this little sander!!!!

This sander has one serious limitation--you cannot sand vertical surfaces with it. The owner's manual warns that the gears will wear out quickly if the sander is used on anything but horizontal surfaces. This is because this sander is oil-lubricated (you must keep a check on the oil level) with 90 wt. gear oil.

I'm sure this sander is very good for sanding horizontal surfaces, but Amazon should really have mentioned that it cannot sand vertical surfaces in the description.

the absolute best heavyduty sander ever made, please let me know when they become available again. (...)

I've inherited this one and prior to which I used 2 different PC sanders. I didn't think that I could justify the purchase of this and really didn't understand what this could do that another sander couldn't do.

The first time I used this I immediately noticed its balance and ability to get an even surface quickly. Its motor sits evenly across its entire length from front to back distributing that weight evenly across it's entire platen in each direction.

The motor on one of my lower-end PC sanders is heavy to one side. You could feel it and see it by holding it up balancing it between the knob and handle and that unbalance translated right to the wood so I had to try to compensate by adjusting pressure. This is something I had to train myself to compensate for.

You can let this 503 sander help you do the work. It's ment to sand flat, and it's heavy so you're working with gravity and balance. I had no trouble getting things even side to side and front to back in short order.

This sander has been relatively unchanged for 50 years. It hasn't fallen victim to planned obsolescence and it's readily servicable. I heard good things from a tool repair specialist. This is one sander that should last a lifetime.

For the price of this tool I expected it to be a little more finished looking, instead of a import tool with the Delta name pasted on it. Does it work, yes. However, as I found out too late, I could have ordered a 1" belt sander from Grizzly without the 5" disk for $49.00 and would have had an import tool that was green and worked, for $40.00 less.

The fine tool comes equiped with two exhaust ports that "should" connect to a shop vac, but in Delta's wisdom, these ports do not match any standard Vacuum size hose and there is no adapter Accessory to allow you to do so. Silly way to design a tool that makes a mess but it does work fine as a sander.

I really like this sander. I am a hobbyist knife maker and use it for handle shaping. It is perfect. The only thing I might change on it is the disk, could be bigger. It fits neatly in the conrer of my work bench and is light enough to move around as needed. Replacment belts and disks are easily obtained from woodworking stores.

THE SPECS THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SANDER CALLED OUT A HOOK AND LOOP PAD. WHAT WE RECEIVED WAS A CLAMP ON PAD. WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE THE PAD THROUGH A LOCAL VENDOR AT AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE. THIS IS A VERY GOOD SANDER DISPITE THE ERROR.

I have only a few Makita tools but have used these sanders for over 20 years, for long projects with very fine work like wooden boat repair. They keep running as long as they are cleaned with air. They are easy to use and leave few marks. I can't imagine a better quality power tool of any kind for the money. (The older models without dust bag do throw dust vigorously all over the place, but then there is no other place for it to go.)

This finishing sander is a pleasure to use. I usually use a Dewalt 5" random orbit sander for finishing the face of my work pieces as it is very "error proof". However, I find a random orbit sander difficult to use on the edge of boards and in corners.

The Makita sander fills in where my Dewalt is lacking. Don't get me wrong the Makita is a wonderful finishing sander for the face of boards too but I am not a gifted woodworker and enjoy the forgiveness of the random orbit sander.

The only problem I have had is the plastic frame for the dust bag. The frame broke as I was replacing the dust bag. I don't know if it was cracked from the manufacturer or if I broke it. I am going to contact Makita and will let you know if their customer service is good or lacking.

So far, this router meets all my expectations; it's precise, reasonably quiet, and particularly suited for use in a router table. The only thing that bugs me is the cutting depth adjustment screw: why 5 turns per inch? Either 4 or 8 turns would make a lot more sense, and make it much easier to set a specific cutting depth from a "zero" start. However, I like the tool well enough that I guess I'll learn to live with this quirk.

Great tool very powerful .A little heavy but very well made compared to other companies out there.Iwould highly recommend this tool to anyone who does a lot of router work.

I recently purchased the 5616-20 router. As I was waiting for it to be shipped I read some reviews that had me concerned. It seems that under the table mounting was not allowing room for the collect wrenches. When I received my router I proceeded with the task of mounting it to my table. Mine being a homemade table with a �" aluminum plate meant that it was necessary to drill mounting holes. Which interfered with the existing holes. So I rotated the mount by 90 degrees. This put the opening for the "T" wrench up front and allows me to utilize both front and back wrench openings from either side to change collects. Making it an easy job. I am 100% satisfied with the performance of this router.

Very comfortable could not bog it down with pressure when grinding. have owned several other top brand grinders and really liked the Dewalt. This has much more power and can be used for longer periods of time without hand fatigue. The power is impressive. It doesn't rev as quickly as the others though.

I like to take on projects as a reason to purchase a tool and have been wanting a grinder for a long time.

The reason I went with the Milwaukee (besides the reputation) is this had a lot of power and variable speed, not found in most grinders.

I was able to rig a hose and a table to this grinder and use it for wet polishing of granite with the harbor freight diamond wet polishing pads. worked great and did a good clean edge on our granite countertops. However since this is not designed for this task, it only worked well in the jig I had created (would not work for a regular polishing application since there is no way to deliver the water through the shaft ...)

but anyhow I got the grinder I wanted and its performed flawlessly, although with a tool like this be sure you always use hearing protection as it can be loud ...

The offroad club that I lead (Longhorn Offroad), has been building an RTI ramp recently out of 1/4" box steel. For the uninitiated, an RTI, or Rate of Travel Index ramp, measures how much wheel travel a particular vehicle has. We've been using a stick welder, chop saw, and two angle grinders to build this beast.

I'd been eyeing this grinder for quite awhile, and when we got sick of having to switch from grinding to polishing wheels on my friend's DeWalt, I picked one up. Milwaukee has a great tool in this little grinder. It can flatten down a weld in about half the time of the DeWalt. With the cutting wheel, I can cut through steel faster than the chop saw. It can also cut through automotive frame rails without a second thought.

My favorite thing about this grinder is the trigger action. The DeWalt's was slightly awkward and located a bit too near the wheel for my taste. The Milwaukee's is larger and easier to work with gloves. It also allowed for better balance and thus easier operation of the tool.

If you're doing woodwork or anything delicate, I'd steer clear of this machine. If you do regular automotive modification or any heavy metalwork, however, pick up one of these. It is a wonderful tool for everything from cutting off bolts, to grinding welds, to even cutting through fully boxed steel.

Can't say I'm too happy with this sander. It was dead right out of the box. Looks nice, but just not much need for a 115V paper weight.

I have been using this sander since oct 2005. I like how it sands (very well)and it has a good case. I do not like the dust catcher--it is virtually useless and comes off too easily. The machine blows dust out in copius amounts when it is first turned on. For the price, I guess it is O.K.

I am impressed on the features of this sander. I bought 3 packs of assorted velcro sandpaper discs to use with it. I can't compare it with other orbital sanders since this is my first one.
The dust collector bag actually does work and the variable speed is a good feature. Vibration is not a problem either. Makita tools have never let me down yet.
The 14.4 volt M-Force cordless drill kit is a great choice also.
The 14.4 volt cordless impact guns are very lightweight to use, plenty of power & torque & even has an LED light.