Sanders Reviews

I am anxiously awaiting delivery of my Performax 22-44 pro drum sander which I recently ordered, and am looking forward to evaluating its performance. One thing I would like to point out to those interested in this or any product, what shows in a picture on the web site doesen't mean that that's what your going to get.The picture of the Performax 22-44 Pro Drum
Sander shows casters, in and out feed tables, etc. I assumed were a part of the complete package. I was wrong to assume. Pictures portraying a package should state "Shown with Optional accessories not included."

I have been extremely pleased with this tool. It was very easy to setup and came with a well written User Guide. The PRO model is very heavy duty and a good choice for a medium duty workshop. This will save you lots of time with finish sanding and dimensioning. Some reviewers took issue with the belt tracking - I have no complaints and found this to work well. I do recommend you order both the casters and infeed-outfeed tables when you purchase the Drum Sander.

I've been mulling over a precision drum sander for years and finally pulled the plug on the 22-44. Aside from its 350lbs delivery weight, I had no problems getting it set up and the digital gauge calibrated. I haven't set it up for 220V use and think it would aid the drum, but so far the 110V has been handling the stock I've been passing through.

This machine is solid and the mobile base and casters are far and away superior than the any of my other mobile bases. Lock the casters and the machine won't budge. Cutting papers is a pain, but a sheet will last the hobbyist a long time. There are also gum rubber sheets you can pass through to clean the drum.

It is amazing how much time this machine saves since it not only brings the wood to finish grade sanding (with proper paper), but can dimension with extreme precision.

Recently, while in the middle of a hardwood flooring project, I purchased this model sander at a local supplier. After considerable use, here's my assessment.
Positive observations:
- It's build like a tank and will probably run forever.
- It's well-balanced and offers smooth sanding capabilities
Negative observations:
- The metal baseplate or "shoe" that came with the unit started warping after 1-2 hours of hard use, due to excessive heat. Fortunately, I had taken the advice of another reviewer and purchased the graphite impregnated shoe and was able to replace the original shoe without losing time on the job.
- At 12.0 amps, it's still significanly underpowered. It almost stalls with a 50 grit belt and heavy pressure.
- It's dust collection capabilities are mediocre, at best. Even when connected to a large shop vac, it clogs continuously during heavy sanding. Repeated clearing with an air hose is necessary.
- The machining on the housing is poor, especially in the area around the dust collection opening near the back of the belt. The mating surfaces don't align, which adds to the dust collection problems since the dust collects in the misaligned joint. I was able to improve this some with a small file but access is limited unless you remove the rear roller.
- The label on this machine says "Whisper Seriers". I don't know what Porter Cable's definition of "whisper" is, but it's obviously much different than mine. Ear plugs are absolutely essential for the operator and anyone else within "whisper" distance.
Overall, I would have to say that there are better choices than this sander. I own numerous Porter Cable tools and have been satisfied with most but this one leaves me disappointed.

This has to be be the best power tool I have bought in recent years. I had bought a power planer for quickly reducing thickness of rough cut wood. However the planer is not really suitable for final finishing as it tends to leave deep gouges in the material.. I had a conventional palm sander, but that took too long to achieve results. So taking up the 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and checking out other manufacturers, I opted for the PC 362.

It was absolute charm to setup and use. You change belts by flipping a lever. You adjust the "trim" of the belt with a small wheel while the machine is turned on. With 50 grit, it quickly removes 1/16 inch in a couple of passes. So start with 80 and don't apply any pressure - let the tool just glide. Its 15lb and far more sturdy than bosch or dewalt competitors. However the weight is actually a plus, because it means you don't have to force it down to remove material. The dust bag actually works very well at removing the sawdust.

The main consideration was the price. However, don't think you'll get good results if you go for a sub- [$] unit. This is a tool any professional will use again and again.

I was facing the daunting task of sanding a 34 X 72 quarter-sawn white oak table top I had glued up, and knew using my Makita 3 X 21 would challenge my somewhat fragile emotional state. I looked at the Bosch and liked it, but am somewhat partial to PC, and also saw the extra weight as an advantage, not a negative. I started out with 80-grit, but just was taking too long, so I switched to 50-grit, then graduated to 80, then 120. What a beautiful job this tool does: smooth, powerful, and well balanced. The key to using a belt-sander is to use a light touch, letting the machine do the work, and to make your transitions in direction (fore & aft) as imperceptively as possible. Try not to concentrate on "problem areas" and sand the entire piece uniformly & methodically. Think of the machine as "floating" over the work. This is a big unit that prduces first rate results. Oh, by the way, don't bother with variable speed, it just is not neccessary...

Don't get me wrong here, this is a real good machine. Very heavily built, excellant finish, and very quiet. The dust collection is great, it has plenty of power and tracks well. But I had to return it and replace it with the Shop Fox G4790(see separate review). There were a couple of reasons for this. First you cannot remove the end piece from the belt sander and sand on the radius. This piece is an intregal part of the tracking system and must remain on the machine when sanding. I need a machine that I can sand/shape large radius on. Second..I need a machine that I can quickly change belts, as I will go thru 4-5 differant grits in a 10 minute period. Changing the belt on this machine involves removing parts...too slow. The last item was the casters...they should be heavier duty. If I had kept the machine I would have changed them out for Gizzly 3" locking casters.
If none of these are important to your use, I would recommend this sander. It's a nice machine and I wish I could have kept it.

Purchased in February 2004 to replace a smaller sander that wore out after 15 years. I was impressed with the quality of the machine. Tracking was easily set up and has stayed true. Plenty of power, smooth operation and the vaccuum system is helpful in dust removal. Only negative was in the foot lever to lock the wheels which bent if I engaged the lock with a foot. Worked fine if one used a hand to set the lock. This flimsey locking mechanism should be improved.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS UNIT. IT IS MY FIRST JET PRODUCT AND I AM VERY SATISFIED WITH THE QUALITY AND OPERATION. WAS A LITTLE SKEPTICLE AT FIRST BECAUSE OF THE SMALLER H.P. MOTOR , BUT SOON FOUND OUT THIS IS NOT A PROBLEM.

This is a great little sander. It works really well, and the dust collection works fabulously. The reason it gets 4 instead of 5 stars is that the first one that was send had a bad gear or something. Amazon made it all right in record time. Four stars for Wilton, but 5 for Amazon!

With an Amazon promo I paid just over a hundred bucks for this sander, and for that price you shouldn't have huge expectations. But this little gem works great, has awesome dust collection when hooked to a shop vac, and is very quiet.
It arrived fast, and worked out of the box with minimal assembly. Could not be happier with my purchase.

So good to sand with a smooth sander. Had the Ryobi, which Katrina took, but I do believe that this one is a little smoother. Really like the operation and the dust collection adapter.(hook up for the shop vac) I think it's a great buy.

This is not a high quality tool, but for someone like me that only uses a belt sander to fix a mistake, it is just fine. I would love to have a bosch, makita or dewalt and those are the sanders I would reccommend for heavy duty use, but I only use mine to strip old or mistake finishes and this tool seems to work just fine.

The miniute i turned this thing on it went flying, no doubt i had my 100 ft. extention cord hooked up to it and it took of like my new truck WITH A HEMI V8 BABY!!! I chased that ting until it ran over my neighboors annoying chihuaha. i didnt have to put up with the annoying barking for months. id give it 10 stars!

Rivals any of the more expensive model sanders.

This was my first purchase of a Delta product. In my mind it is the perfect benchtop tool to accompany my Jet mini-lathe. I turn pens and fishing lures on my lathe. I use the disc to square off pen blanks and the belt for shaping my lures. The belt has also worked well sharpening axes and lathe tools. I went with amazon.com because you can't beat zero tax and free shipping. I bought this tool because others rated it as very sturdy. It stays put on my bench and is easy to adjust. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars only because the drive belt and disc guard is cheesy plastic that was tedious to install and the miter gauge marker needed a little bending to line up. Otherwise, I reccommend without hesitation to anybody looking for a great benchtop sander.

I've had this sander for about a week and used it about 6 hours so far. I make unit building block for sell on the internet an in my store. I had been clamping a Bosch R.O. sander to my finishing table. Wow what an improvement this sander made. This puppy is build rugged.

I use the belt to rough sand band-sawn red oak ovals to shape and then use the disc to sand them till they feel smooth. The sander is 4 years old. I use it almost every day and have not had to replace anything other than belts and discs. It has enough power, runs very smooth, is heavy enough so that it does not walk around the bench. The tables are easy to set. Sawdust collection requires two hoses, I connect them with a Y to my dust collection system and dust collection is good. I would not run it without some kind of dust collection. A real work horse.

I agree with Mr. Stocker that this machine has seen its day in the American woodshop, and for more reasons than price or overqualification. Not too many years ago the American abrasives market was pretty primitive, and because of the wide availability of 6x48 belts, and because there is no better 6x48 sander on the market, I would have recommended at least the belt sander module without qualifications. Now, with the advent of the internet and retailers like Klingspor, if I had an opportunity to trade this machine for a good edge belt sander, I would do so.

The belt sander deserves 5 stars and 3 stars is a gift for the disk sander.

The belt sander holds belt tracking very well, altho switching from horizontal mode to vertical requires resetting of the tracking. Delta has for decades stocked a wide assortment of accessories for their machines, but each one has to be evaluated on its merits. The dust port is an odd size, but rather easily bushed to receive a shop vac hose, which provides adequate dust control. The Delta dust control accessory transitions to 5", and the industry standard now is, of course, 4". In 1996 I thought the auxiliary fence was rather expensive. The wooden fence was solid, of some species like alder, and out in winding over 1/4", so I had to make my own fence of Baltic birch ply. I would rather Delta had just sold me raw Chinese castings at a good price. With the auxiliary fence and outboard rollers I have often finished very long and thick stock and for the shop with limited space the belt sander can fill the role of an edge sander very successfully. For rounding exterior curves I greatly prefer the edge sander in the vertical mode to the disk sander. The auxiliary table has good adjustable stops for 90 and 45 deg., tho they are finger pinchers. When the auxiliary table is not attached, there is a large hole in the casting which lessens the force of dust control, but this can be easily masked with a scrap of wood.

At the time I bought my machine (1995) Delta made the disk of steel. On my machine the disk nonconcentricity is .010 and it flutters .011. When Delta told me this is "within tolerance" they basically blew me off. I believe all disk sanders to be obsolete technology. Removing a disk to change grits ruins the old abrasive, any runout makes fine work difficult, and the table is symmetrical, ignoring the fact that all work takes place where the abrasive is moving down. The table has no angle stops. Neither auxiliary table is t-slotted for modern miter gauges. Dust control is nonexistent and requires uncommon resourcefulness, or expensive Delta accessories, to attain.

I sometimes see the belt sander alone on the used market for ca. $300, and for the shop with limited space or a product mix of predominantly small parts, that is good machine value.

I've had one of these wonderful sanders in my shop for over 20 years. Delta wanted $125 for their dust pickup accessory for the disc - probably because they made it out of cast iron. So, I fashioned one out of polycarbonate for much less cost - the only change I've made to the tool. Except for occasionally replacing (or cleaning) the belt or disk, there is zero maintenance. Changing either takes 5 - 10 minutes. You can reuse the 6" x 48" belts, but since the disk sandpaper sticks on, once you scrape it off, it's history. Using good quality sandpaper, you can extend the paper's life by vacuuming it and using one of those cleaning sticks, when necessary.

I've used this heavy-duty professional-grade tool many hundreds of times, and don't think anything needs improvement. The nicely machined cast iron tables are solid, easy to adjust to any practical angle, and they stay put when you tighten them down. Each has convenient miter slot. The 6" belt mechanism can be set to 90 degrees (vertical, for most work), or level, or any point in between. The only thing mildly tricky is adjusting belt tracking, necessary when you change belts - I wrote what the two belt knobs do in magic marker on the machine's side, which solved that issue.

This tool can remove stock faster and with greater precision than other sanding methods, plus it does things no other shop tool will do, does them well, and in reasonable safety. I could give dozens of examples, but here's just one -- yesterday, a 12" piece of oak base molding only touched that wall section at its ends because the wall bowed inward. Using the sander, I quickly taper sanded the reverse side/ends of the piece, so it fit flush against the wall. This tool can be used for quick stock removal (using rough paper), delicate removal, and everything in-between. It has all the power needed, and the motor has never even slowed down, even when pressing the stock hard against the paper. If your work shop is a bit cramped, put the machine on a mobile base.

One safety note: Big sanders can create huge volumes of very tiny / lung-unfriendly dust, so my advice is to use a dust collection system with HEPA bags. For big jobs, I also turn on the work-shop exhaust fan and wear a quality respirator. The hood at the top of the 6" belt keeps much of the dust from flying off. With the dust pick-up accessory installed for the disc sander, two 4" suction hoses are needed; one for the belt and one for the disk. If your central dust machine has a 6" inlet, as mine does, two 4" pickups provide better air-flow than on sanders with a combined 4" pickup for the belt & disc, such as the Powermatic model 31A.

This is an indispensable tool for the serious wood worker, metal worker, or handyman. I own a dozen Delta tools, and this one of my favorites.

I first used this machine in a machine shop in the 60's. I now us it in my own shop. I do both wood and metal sanding. it is designed for the metal shop. It is more than one needs for wood.
I see that Delta makes a wood table for the disk that you can buy now. It is like the one thay have on there sanding center. This is good for small parts. If you have long parts get a horizontal 40in belt sander. This machine is heavy duty and the disk and belt run at different speeds. No small machine shop shoud be with out it. I wish I had purschased it 30 years ago. Happy days working in your shop.

nice solid unit...unique handle allows variations in holding the unit up.

I had a body shop for twenty years. Spent more time behind a polisher than would be believed if I stated it. Polishers for automotive use were all 2400 RPM. It was either on or off, and no variable speed. When trying to feather in an area, I used to feather the switch on and off intermittently. This polisher by Makita takes it to the next level. The moment I took it out of the box and plugged it in, it was preset at one on the speed dial. I squeezed the trigger, and it crawled around so slow I couldn't believe it. Then when setting it at a higher number it gave you variable speed on the trigger. That way you had the option of adjusting by the trigger, any speed up to the preset number. Additionally, you could press in the lock on, and it would remain at a constant speed. In plain words, every option was considered, well thought out, and integrated into the tool. Leave it to Makita to make another dead on accurate tool. Add to that the built in smart electronics, which gives you just the right amount of power to keep it running at the preset speed, even when it encounters more resistance. That keeps the speed constant.
I do woodworking projects now, and was looking for a solution to give me a polished finish. The problem was that my old polishers had two speeds. Flat out 2400 or stop. Additionally they had only one option for bonnets, or cutting wheels: Large!
The Makita 9227C comes with a hook and loop 7" backing pad, and an included centering spline. Their are nice polishing wool bonnets that work with the hook and loop pad. Their are also hook and loop lambswool polishing pads that are close napped, and make for a very tight clean edge. Great for getting into those otherwise inaccessable areas. With woodwork, you may be polishing a 3 inch apron for example, right up against the underside of the table top. That requires a hook and loop backing pad, with a tight nap hook and loop pad.
Makita also has available as an option, the side handles that we have all come to know, the standard throughout the years. Those side handles are my personal choice for automotive. The handle that this 9227c comes with does not feel intuitively comfortable in my opinion. At first I thought that handle would grow on me after awhile. NOT, it is uncomfortable. I had bought the Makita 4 1/2" grinder at an earlier time from Home Depot, when they run their tool sale, just about giving it away. That side handle works perfectly on the polisher as well. So for the super cheap price, it is nice to have the handle, and the grinder.
Additionally, this polisher is available at the Makitatools.com site with the side handle only instead of the wrap around handle. The part number on that one is 9227CY. Since the side handle is available as an option, I chose to go with this one, and pick up the handle, to keep all options open.
Makita also had the standard rubber backing pad with the hex nut for the center, so you can use the standard bolt on cutting wheels, and be able to use the tie on bonnets on top of it.
If you are planning on doing the mile deep gloss level of polishing, you will need the 2400 speed range that this Makita gives you. (As well as the other speeds) The polishers that only go to 1750 is not what you want for truly incredible gloss. Especially when using high build finishes like urethanes, and well cured lacquers.
With all that in mind, that makes this Makita the top of the heap. It does share that position with the Milwaukee 5540, but that is another review. I like the Makita because it is 6 pounds instead of 9 like the 5540, and has 99 percent of the power, and 25% better price tag. The Milwaukee comes with the side handle instead of the wrap around.
All in all I am glad I bought the Makita although I must admit the Milwaukee is tugging at me as well. Highly recommended.

I recently took delivery of this machine and just can't put it down. The electronic speed control does exactly what they claim. It maintains speed even running an eight inch soft pad with sixty grit on the slowest speed setting of 300 rpm! The handle is another great bonus with a much greater combination of postions than a regular side grip. This polisher/sander maintains Makita's rep as having the lightest...but strongest polisher/sanders around, this one's a feather. It also has the standard goodies like the spindle lock and trigger hold. It's definitely the favorite in my shop.

This is a very nice polisher. Their is nothing wrong with it. The reason why I suggest the Milwaukee model 5540 polisher instead, even though it is a few more dollars, is because it polishes up to 2800 RPM's. 1750 is usable for a lot of purposes, but 2400 is where you want to be for the ultimate gloss in catalyzed urethanes or old world leaded lacquers. (They took the lead out years ago, and their went the glass like gloss, so next day polishing on catalyzed urethanes is the mile deep club)
I had a body shop for 20 years, did a lot of high-end cars. Spend a zillion hours behind a polisher. Had a multi step polishing procedure. First you wet sand the car with 600 grit or 800 grit wet dry sandpaper. Then you use a true silky smooth tie on lambs wool bonnet and Dupont 606 hand application compound. (The secret is after going over the car the first time with the 606S compound, put on a fresh lambs wool bonnet, and go over the car a second time. It is amazing how it improves the gloss. That way you have a true polished surface to build your protection on. Then use liquid ebony to eliminate the swirl marks, then Maguire's machine glaze, and then hand glaze. People couldn't help but come over and ask you about the finish on the car. Three new bonnets are required) Anyhow, 1750 rpm's didn't do something, like warm up the finish enough to give you mind blowing gloss. The 5540 gives you up to 2800 RPM's with a speed setting dial, so you can tweak it in to the desired speed, which is 2400 for, automotive.
By the way the owners manual, which is available here at Amazon at this listing, and the listing on the 5540 as well shows you that the hook and loop pad is available as an option, with several different types of pads, depending on the application you are using.

Milwaukee makes great equipment, and no matter which model you choose, it is a nice piece for your arsenal. I just think the 5540 is worth the extra money, because of the increased capacity into an area that includes automotive level of finishing. Hope this helps.

I compared this with the Makita 9227-c side by side. The Milwaukee is a good deal beefier and I'm confident it will run all day long if I ask it to. Note one difference is the Makita has a hook and loop (velcro) disk if you are for or against that. The Milwaukee has a plain rubber disk. I don't know if H&L is an option or not.

I use this for final buff-out of high gloss lacquer furniture finishes and it works great.

A nice feature is that the back has a "stand" of sorts, so you can lay the tool down securely without contaminating the bonnet. Also nice is the twist-lock cord that helps prevent breaking the conductors at the point where it leaves the tool. I have this problem with other tools that require a sharp bend to get them back in their cases.

This is variable speed, with a dial, so all you do is dial in the speed and pull the trigger switch. The speed dial is conveniently located at thumb-tip above the trigger.

When you what a polisher with some guts this is the one. Having been a Millwaukee fan since my first hole shooter drill, I expect a lot from each product I buy from them. This polisher is no exception. You can put a nice buff on a wax job with a light touch, or you can grind off 10 years of oxidation with rubbing compound and a firm application. The Millwaukee just keeps on working, staying cool in your hands and not bogging down. Costs a little more to buy this quality at first, but down the road these tools are always a bargin.

The first time I used this sander the dust bag clip broke. It continued to stay attached so I continued to use it. Yesterday it finally broke off completely. I called Makita... they require you to send the entire tool to them for warranty repairs. This is not only costly but requires me to buy another sander to use in the meantime. They were willing to sell me a new bag though... stay away from Makita... Porter Cable and Dewalt are much more consumer friendly.

I just purchased this sander last week, after noticing that amazon had a coupon code for 10% off tools. I have not yet received it, so I can't comment on the tool itself. I can tell you this, however: The price, before the coupon, was $94.95. So, after the coupon, I paid $85.45. I felt good about that, until I picked up a lingering stack of papers off my printer and discovered that I had printed out this page three weeks earlier, when there was no coupon. The price at that time? $85.24. Beware the amazon coupon offers! Has the price been increased to (more than) make up for the discount?

Disappointing...

I have a shelf full of sanders and right now we're building 50 oak thresholds for our motel in my shop. None of my single speed older sanders were very good for finishing either the wood or for sanding between coats of polyurethane finish. I ordered this Makita from Amazon and it showed up 19 hours later. I turned it on, then rolled that speed knob down to "slow" and it purrs like an idling inline 6, with no torque reaction to hinder your control. My helper and I were nearly speechless about how easy it was to use this light & near-silent tool, and it made all the difference in our being able to get a craftsmanlike result. I guess I'm a little obsessive about things like wood finishes and tools, but I just can't say enough about this piece. Thank you Makita for making the best sander in my fleet of tools, and to Amazon for your $79 annual fee for 0-extra 2-day shipping (I paid $3.99 extra to get it overnite under this program). Amazon=Awesome