Sanders Reviews

I bought this sander after doing research on the internet and thinking this would be a good purchase. We are building a cabin and I am doing a good bit of the work myself.

An hour after buying the sander, I started using it on a piece of white pine. After about ten minutes I noticed it was "dragging". I looked and saw that the belt had been slipping and the belt was actually cutting into the plastic housing of the sander itself. I was pretty well disgusted with this and over the next several minutes I was constantly stopping and starting the sander to get the belt back on the proper track, as it kept "eating" into the plastic of the sander. I had already decided that I was going to take it back to the store if I could just get this one piece sanded that I was working on. Unfortunately, in a few more minutes, the sander just quit completely. I never got it to start again. I waited several minutes thinking that maybe it had just gotten hot and needed a rest. I never got so much as a whimper out of it again. Total time of use was less than 20 minutes. I took it back less than three hours after it was purchased and got my money back.

Maybe I just got a lemon, I don't know, as Makita usually has a pretty good product. Anyway, unfortunately, this particular item could not have been any worse.

Several of the reviews critical of this sander seem to be from people who don't know how to use it properly: there's a screw on the side to adjust the path of the belt, and if you turn it you can move the belt so that it'll cut into the plastic (if you want to ruin the sander ;-) or extend out even beyond the base (for sub-zero clearance/flush sanding). You usually have to adjust this when you change belts because they're not all exactly the same size, and sometimes after using one for awhile because they stretch.

I've had this sander for years and it's always done what I need, yes, even including cleaning up the leftovers after using a drum sander on hardwood (oak) floors. It's small, light, easy to handle, reliable, durable, and while it isn't the most powerful sander I've ever used, for the price I say you can't beat it.

This sander is with out a doubt the best belt sander on the market ! Being a carpenter I've spent thousands of dollars on tools . I cant remember when i got such a great tool for the money. it's worth its weight in gold . there is not one single bad thing i can say about it . It tracks perfect, And doesnt ever really get hot . The first day I had it it ran all day on dug fir removing saw marks My helper stopped before it did . great tool

When I read 2.25 HP being described as "powerful," I thought this must be some kind of sick joke. I use chainsaws all the time with my carcasses, and 16" ain't nothing. First of all, let's get one thing straight, o.k.? Electric chainsaws have their limitations. That being said, I could still use it for chopping down trees and roundin up firewood. However, as for my, shall we say, clandestine operations, I have found this Milwaukee variety of chainsaw to be less than cutting edge, pardon the pun.

I purchased this chainsaw in March 2001 and immediately noticed oil leaking. I notified a Milwaukee representative who informed me that a small leakage of oil was normal but if the oil reservoir was empty then I should bring it to a service dealer. I finally did this once I was convinced that it was leaking too much and after waiting about 4 weeks I was informed that the parts needed were still on back order. In turn for my inconvenience I was given a new chain saw. Unfortunately, this new chain saw is doing the same thing. I have put out an inquiry regarding this problem to Milwaukee but still have not heard back.
I must say that I am very satisfied with the way this chain saw works and easily cuts through large sized logs.

LBuono

when the time came to get a new chainsaw I saw Milwaukee made an electric. With the advent of portable power generators it made sence. The Milwaukee power chainsaw cuts everything it goes up against. The safety features are great and dont impede the "average" guy trying to get a "job done". Its tough, dependable (as your generator), and will cut anything its gas powered "cousin" will without all the "hoopla".

The dust collection doesn't work. Take the side cover off and see for yuorself, Porter Cable blocked the rear dust collection port with a strip of metal. They put the port onthe top which is useless. Remove the strip and the fanand use a vacuum or buy a different sander.

This a fine quality machine. It really is very basic and quite simple in its design. Although not as refined as some sanders out there this unit does one thing well. SAND.The ability to adjust the speed is a must on any sander.This tool will easily withstand the daily rigors of loading and unloading your work truck.I do recommend upgrading the sanding shoe and I wish porter cable offered that as a standard.From the rugged american craftsmanship to its simplicity and fair price this tool is a big hit.Two thumbs up on this one.Now get out there and sand something.

If you are looking for a professional belt sander, this is the one to own. Porter-Cable invented the belt sander, and this shows why they are still the industry leader. The 12 amp motor does not bog down. The swivel feature on the dust bag will keep it out of your way, and it's quiet, unlike many competitive models. Simply put, it does it's job, and does it well.

This unit gets the job done with precision and speed. Although I don't use this machine as frequently as some of my other tools -- when you need to sneak up on final dimensions,edge sand hardwood doors, drawer fronts of faceframes this machine is great to have around.

This is one smooth working critter. Took about 4 hours to set it up on the base and learn the book and then it was off to make money. The spindle sander in three sizes that can be easily replaced on the end and which I did not know it came with, is a really cool extra. Especially since we were thinking of getting one. The hardest thing to get use to is the belts movement as I am so use to non moving belt sanders. All in all, a great machine.

I am a custom cabinet maker. I have used this machine for about two years now. I really like it. haveing used other edge sanders (Oliver) I found the oscillating belt awesome! My main use is face frames, drawer fronts, clean up of parts, etc.
drum sander is pretty useless for someone to use as a dedicated sander. sleeves get wasted due to the high speed and non-oscillating. As far as setting up for acurate indexing... A little set-up time and your done.

My shop uses many sanders and I have purhcased many through amazon.com or "Tools parts direct" web site. This sander works fairly well if used several hours a day as long as you can change the bearing regularly.
If you are more heavy professional, try p&c 504.

When you consider most belt sanders on the market and then go out and take a close look this one surpasses many others .
Most outside of a few have the motor set 90 degrees to the belt , while this is not the most balanced desigen Makita has come up with a design that almost eliminates tipping and gouging .
Another thing to look at is the flatness of the base and how sturdy it is secured to the motor .
This sander has a flat base and it does not flex or give at all and it is set 90 degrees to the base of the motor .
A friend of mine got the porter cable and one of the first things I noted was the base appeared bend so the sander leaned to the right ( viewed from the handle end) this was before I got the makita and when I did check others in stores all where the same way .
The one I got has the dust collection and it works very well , one thing to keep in mind is that all belt snaders pickup from the rear so if you have the rear off the work area dust will drift and blow on all belt sanders .
This sander also has a rather long cord so for me most of the time I don't need an extension .
Some conplain that it seems to be a 4" base on a 3" sander and in a way it is and it can be used to run the belt to the edge for flush sanding . More important is that this wider base gives the sander stability and helps a great deal to keep the sander from tipping .
I do have a bosch 3x21 inch inline belt sander with variable speed and use it for most jobs requiring a belt sander and for light duty work .
But if I do need to remove wood fast and stay in control put a 150 grit belt on this sander and work with ease and control plus fast stock removal .
There are not alot of things that can go wrong with this tool . It is well designed and simple to adjust , the tracking works very well and there is also a replaceable belt stop to keep form cutting the housing through with the belt and it is made to last a very long time . Everything about it is heavy duty .

I have owned this belt sander for 9 years now and it has never let me down. The dust collection works great, belt changes are a snap with the lever. This is one of those tools that just feels right in your hand, powerful but light. Extra wide base is for flush sanding. Would buy again in a minute.

Is this the famous furniture maker Larry Summitt?

Do you need any other evidence that this is the greatest belt sander made? I mean, all due respect to Mr. Larry Summit below. But Jesus bought this sander and uses it to this day. Jesus from East L.A. He runs a cabinet-making shop over off Cesar Chavez Blvd...somewhere near Whittier. Makes good stuff and swears by this sander. Get it. It runs the wood down to the wire.

I teach shop in a Junior High School. Over the years I have used almost every brand of 4" X 24" Belt Sander. The Milwaukee sander is light, well balanced, sands smooth even when changing directions on large flat surfaces and is very durable. I always tell people, "If it can survive Junior High, it is good" Our sander has been in operation for 6 years and has performed flawlessly without breakage or failure.

I have owned many, many Milwaukee tools...But this one was a real disappointment. I estimate 7 to 8 hours on the tool before it is absolutely unusable. First the "random" action ceased, which is not uncommon with a worn out "belt"...but the power became less and less, sparks emit from the windings. I was shocked to get this poor of quality from Milwaukee. Not to complain, but the housing is also very light, the entire unit just feels "cheap" to me. Granted, it is a cheap (inexpensive) sander, but I expected a little more than 7 or 8 hours of use from it.
I still recommend Porter Cable, I generally get good hours out of that brand...DeWalt does ok, Makita, so-so...Hope that helps anyone out there lookng for a unit that will hold up under use.

Best sander I bought. It most likely will last me for a while. There is one draw back, do not buy the psa. Every time I put a new sanding disk on, it just shoots off. But the Hook and Loop. Hope this helped-

Milwaukee is noted as being a producer of top-notch tools for the professional. This sander lives up to the Milwaukee name.
The tool is comfortable to use, doesn't make too much noise and I know it'll outlast most other brands by a large margin. It even comes with a little vacuum bag to help keep down dust particles. This type of sander is usually one of the last tools you think of buying, but once you have it, you'll wonder how you got along without it.
One caveat BEFORE you purchase the 6018 (used with stick-on sanding disks) or the 6019 (used with the velco-type hook and loop sanding disks)!!! Check which type of disks are available in your local area!!! I bought the 6018 (stick-on), only to find that just the hook and loop type disks were available at the local Home Depot. Furious, I called Milwaukee to get a price on a replacement hook and loop type base ($30+!!!)...(similar base for the Porter Cable is $17.00) I must have sounded a little irate and they sent me one free!!! Now I have a choice of which disks to use. Don't count yourself this lucky....check which pads you can buy at local outlets and save yourself some grief.

I bought the 6148-6 to flush grind welds on a table saw stand that I made from 3/4 inch square mild steel tubing. The job was completed very quickly, much to my delight. The tool is powerful and the motor temperature barely moved above ambient throughout.

Some reviewers have commented about the less than robust wrench that is included. The tool that I bought included a wrench that is 1/8 inch thick and is entirely up to the task of tightening and removing the abrasive disks.

I have owned Ryobi, DeWalt, and Milwaukee grinders, and Milwaukee is by far the best. Powerful rugged and can stand up to heavy use. The wrench is not strong enough to remove the wheel if it is very tight.

I built a fireplace in my basement and needed a grinder/cutter to shape the stones as I put them on the fireplace. This tool worked great. With a diamond blade it cut the stones like butter and the grinder wheel fine tuned the stones so they fit perfectly. The three position handle was especially convenient in the shaping and cutting the stones when I found myself in an awkward position. The motor had plenty of power and didn't bog down. Removing and installing the blade guard was a little awkward until I got the hang of it. One of the previous reviewers complained about the wrench and how difficult it was to use. I found it easy to use and had no trouble changing blades and wheels. I highly recommend this tool.

Overall this is a great tool. The power is great. Some reviews talk about on/off switch, I found it to be acceptable. Although it could easily be improved for safety. The tool case was design very well, all accessories snap in. (but kit does not come with all accessories) Power cord is nice and long. It is loud! Use hearing protection.

There are three complaints.

It is made off shore. I know most people do not care where tools are made anymore, but I live, work and pay taxes in the USA. I care. I still feel the quality of American made tools is second to none. Including tools made here by foreign companies.

Second, I dislike how companies say "KIT" and only supply you with basic tools with the tool. I feel most consumers who buy high end tools expect a tool case with the tool. This does not constitute a kit. On a jig saw I feel the basic tool should come with case, a few blades, anti-splintering device. A kit would include all above plus Combination Rip and Circle Guide fence, dust pickup attachment, Plastic Shoe Cover, and hearing protection.

It is a barrel grip saw and the plastic barrel housing gets slippery when you use it for awhile. I think the engineers should of used a rubberized grip. This is all the rage now with tool manufacturers. This helps in many ways. It reduces operator fatique, improves comfort and anti-slip for safety. I would bet the engineers who designed this never used a jig saw before.

I still like the tool. It is a keeper.

Well, I've used this saw on my job for two years now. It has power and cuts pretty smoothly or aggresively with a flick of the orbital action switch. I like the way it fit in my hand and the way the base adjust. But I did have the blade changing lever break on me. It seems a little flimsy to me and if you kept it together with other power tools in a bucket, it might break like mine did. I also have a bosch which cuts even smoother with less vibration and it hasn't broke on me in 8 years. I gave that jigsaw 5 stars

I recently purchased this jigsaw and have used it a few times. Here are a few things I've noticed in this short time:
On the plus side, I like how it fits in my hand, barrel grip saws just feel better to me than top grips. It's got plenty of power, and with the variable speed, you can dial in whatever you need. It cuts beautifully and leaves smooth edges, but that could also be that I only use Bosch blades.
While it is a bit heavy, I find this to be advantageous to staying online and reduce vibration. The plastic foot cover allows to to glide nicely as well.

On the minus side, there are a couple of safety concerns I'd like to mention. First and foremost, the switch to turn it on, while somewhat protected by the upper knob, pushes in for ON and pulls out for OFF. This occurs to me as easy to accidentally bump on and a little trickier to turn off quickly if needed. I'm a bit surprised that is configured this way as every other tool I've seen is designed to turn off if bumped, not on.
Second is in regards to the quick change blade system. While certainly a super idea and WAAAY faster than any other jigsaw I've used, I've noticed that after only being used a few times, the blade retaining sleeve, which should rotate back 90 degrees to completely lock the blade in, only rotates back about 20 degrees barely doing the job. As I previously mentioned, I use Bosch blades which are a bit thicker than the Milwaukee ones, but even with those it only closes about 40 degrees now. I've blown it out with compressed air in case there was sawdust in there, but that had no effect.

Against my better judgement(needed to finish the project that day), I've used it in this condition and haven't had any problems though I plan on contacting Milwaukee about this.

The last thing on the minus side is that the bevel adjuster lever is really easy to bump loose and thus inadvertantly slanting the blade over. Alas, I know this from experience. Now that I'm aware that this can happen, I'll have to pay more attention to that setting.

All that being said, I really do like this saw. It's SOOOO much nicer than my DeWalt cordless jigsaw. Once the blade retention sleeve issue is worked out I'll feel fully confident and won't have any worries, but I'll always keep an eye on the ON switch and bevel adjust lever from now on!

I had worn out the drive wheel that turns the sandpaper on my old (30 years old)Milwaukee belt sander and decided to replace it with something that had variable speed and I thought that "whisper Series" might mean that it was quieter than average. No Way is it any quieter than the Milwaukee.
The variable speed is a nice feature and the slower speed keeps the belt from loading up with paint as quickly as it would with full speed. I haven't used it hard enough to experience platen problems since I've mostly used it on the siding of my house and can't put the kind of pressure on it that I could sanding flooring. The platen probably stays cooler at reduced belt speed.
The sander seems to be well built and certainly has adequate power. If it lasts as long as the Milwaukee, I'll have no complaints; however I would ahve bought another Milwaukee if they made a variable speed model.

What a work horse! This was an upgrade from my previous 3x18 belt sander which I've been using for over 20 years. As reported by other reviewers, it does create a lot of heat, so be prepared for that, and don't wait for the graphite shoe, it is a must. I've just finished flattening an 8' table top and you'd think that I ran it through an industrial drum sander. It is perfect. The dust collection works as expected, and as it should. Team this sander up with a multi pack from Klingspor's and you've got a combination that can't be beat.

Upon receiving this sander, I was impressed with it's solid construction. For the application I'm using it, I decided from previous reviews to get the graphite replacement shoe. Good choice .. I'm dressing old barnwood timbers for our new house. The sander just floats at the right pressure for the coarse grit sanding belts to work, (40-60 grit). I'm NOT using the dust catcher bag however, since I'm working outdoors, I rigged a 1" PVC conduit sweep, (smooth 90 degree bend), with a short piece of rubber hose and hose clamps to blow sanding dust away from the timber, (and my face). I would say if you have a tough sanding job to do, this is the machine that will get it done!