Sheet Sanders Reviews

I own quite a few sanders, and in my opinion this is one of the best, although not _the best_.

Other reviewers have done an excellent job on focusing on all the positives, so I won't waste time restating what they wrote.

For the price there are a few things that could be improved on:

1.) The old 330 has a metal housing, where as this one is plastic. Granted, on a cold day the plastic is probably more friendly, but I like the feel of the metal housing better.

2.) The new 330 isn't made in the U.S.A., where as the old one is. For the price, it should be made here.

3.) The new 330 is rated at 14,000 RPM, where as the old one is 15,000. This probably makes the brushes and bearings last longer, although the brushes don't seem to be the same quality as on the older unit. Either way, the extra 1,000 RPM helped a lot when trying to avoid swirl marks with a course grit. The 340 is also 14,000 RPM, but 1/2 the price.

4.) The new 330 isn't counter-balanced as well as the old, perhaps because of the lighter plastic case.

5.) The 330 doesn't have a dust collection system, unlike the 340. Granted, if you buy a 330 you probably have a downdraft table and don't want the drag of the vacuum hose to interfere with the feedback of the sander, but it would still be nice.

6.) You pretty much need the tool to install the sandpaper. Everyone I know (including me) who has a 330 uses PSA paper because of this. Bosch has an ideal setup on their 1297DK, which is also a nice sander, but 12,000 RPM.

With that said, this is still the best unit available for purchase that I've found. The hand grip is very comfortable, it's fairly quiet, and the vibration is low enough to not cause numbness after extended periods of sanding. Because of the price I'm giving the new 330 4 stars, although I'd have given it 5 if they kept everything the same from the old 330.

I purchased one of these 14 years ago and have used it commercially in a sign shop for the same length of time. I believe the motor might be finally giving out but I will replace it with the same one. I wet sand my signs with it. That means I spray water all over the sign and use wet/dry sandpaper to sand it. This little sander has withstood years of abuse, water, and paint. I highly recommend one of these. I have a bunch of DeWalt tools most of which have failed on me.

I bought my first one of these sanders about 9 years ago. I use it all the time. It does an excellent job, is solidly built, and above all it doesn't make my hand and arm tired. I have a small wood working business on the side and I'm in the garage working usually every other weekend. I eventually wore my first sander out; I think it was the bearings that started to go. I contemplated changing them out but for $89.00 it's almost disposable at that point. I did however hang on to it just in case I wanted to have it rebuilt as a back up. My second one is still going strong. The reason I went with the Porter cable in the first place is because I'm still using the 1/2 pad sander my father purchased in 1952. For the most part you can't beat a Porter Cable.

I worked in a cabinet shop that did an ongoing production run of solid-surface bank teller counters, and for surfacing and polishing the tops, they used these Fein vacuum sanders. They were very effective, and kept that miserable Corian dust down to a very respectable minimum. However, it seemed as though they spent nearly as much time tinkering with the sanders trying to make them work decently as they did actually using them.

This is an outstanding combination for dustless sanding. I got mine from Coastal tools for $559.95 ($170.00 less than Amazon)

At the risk of being the odd man out. I just came from the WoodWorks2002 show at the Ft Washington PA Center. Top names were there demonstrating, as well as vendors with their wares. Fortunately the Fein sander vac combination, with all of the Fein sanders were there to use. The rep attached each of the sanders to the latest Turbo III vac. As an owner of a Bosch 3727DVS 6" sander, which is twice the money of their regular line, but less than half the cost of the Fein, I noticed that the Fein models, had vibration delivered to your hands. I had so so feelings about the Bosch sander, but after using the Fein, I must admit, I am now a lot fonder of my Bosch. The Fein did remove the material rapidly from the stock. I thought the Bosch removed material quickly also. Without a side by side comparison, it would be tough to tell any differences. The only problem with the Fein is the vibration would give me discomfort after using it for awhile. I know this sounds unbelievable after reading the other reviews that state they did not have a problem with vibration, even after hours of use. The vibration next to the Bosch model was substantial in comparison. It was that way with both of the Fein sanding models. He did not hook up the air driven model, stating it was the same as the electric, and did not have a compressor to feed it.
The odd thing is that I was talking to someone else at the store that had a Fein sanding system, and he mentioned the vibration to me. I did not prompt him for that information. A conversation broke out near a router station, and it drifted into sanders. He said, "I have the Fein sander, and the vibration is a problem." I immediately responded that I noticed the same thing.
I own a Fein RT-1800 router, see my review, "Simply put, this is the very best", and I also have the Fein Multimaster, with their pro cut, and extra individual blades, and loads of sandpaper boxes. I love the Fein quality.
The dust capturing feature is something that the Bosch has also. Holes in the bottom of the sanding pad and paper, allow the vacuum to suck up the dust. Fein advertises that it picks up 99 percent of the dust. A small amount of dust that is generated at the edges of the disc, escape the draw of the vacuum. The Bosch does the same thing.
The Fein Turbo vac is a very nice unit. It doesn't complain when the air flow is limited. It has an independent cooling air flow. I use a Sears 6 1/4 HP model that is designed for a ton of airflow. Hooking it up to the small flow of the sander, is like trying to breathe through a straw. What I did was to hook up the 2 1/2" airline to the outlet, which is smaller. I let it leak. The extra air that is released around the outside of the inlet nozzle, successfully draws that 1% of dust that escapes the edges of the pad. Wahlah, complete dust capture. Noisy in comparison, but complete.
The Fein turbo vac has the advantage of being super quiet, auto run when you start the sander (the sander plugs into an outlet on the vac, so it knows when it turns on) and is designed specifically for the flow levels of sanding.
I know I will receive a lot of flak stating that it vibrates, especially since the other reviewers are obviously professionals, and did not notice a problem with that. I did not use it for a long period of time, but the vibration was very noticeable. The Bosch 6" is substantially smoother.
The other thing worth mentioning is that the 8" Fein had a tendency to dance across the wood, when riding flat, whereas the smaller model gave you a more stable ride. It is capable of hovering without pulling you erratically. Either sander you could ever so lightly tilt to one edge, minutely off of plane, and get a stable ride, but then you are doing more digging. The perfectly flat ride, will not dig, and gives you the maximum work surface at one time. So the smaller model gives you more of the advantage of a flat sheet sander, than the 8" model does. The Bosch 6" gives you that kind of stability at all speeds. Maybe their is something inherent in the 6" disc that makes for a more stable ride.
I must admit the Fein cut a lot of material very quickly. The package is very quiet. I know from my other Fein equipment that it is built to last. For those reasons, I gave it 5 stars.
I'm overly sensitive to vibration, because I was using an inexpensive vibrating sander, that gave me throbbing fingers after 20 minutes of use. The Bosch was a dream in comparison, so when I did a hands on with the Fein, I was surprised. It was a lot better than the vibrating sander, but not as smooth as the Bosch.
If you do a decent amount of sanding, and have a hard time scuffing up the cash for the Fein unit, check out the Bosch 3727DVS. It's twice the money of the standard Bosch line, but is an impressive unit. Hope this helps.

I have used the Makita Model 9046 1/2 sheet sander for 4 years. It is almost identical to this model.

I had the opportunity to do a hands on evaluation of 1/2 sheet sanders. I liked the ruggedness Porter-Cable, the economy of the Milwaukee, and the feel of the Bosch, but the Matkita is in a class of it's own.

At first it seemed a little heavy, but after I got use to it and let it work, it did a fantastic job. This 1/2 sheet sander oscillates much more than the others and does the job in half the time. It leaves the surface dead flat and is very kind to veneer.

It has vacuum pich-up holes in the paper/sander like a random orbital sander. If you hook it up to a vac the dust is minimal ( This may require a little tape around the outlet to fit your hose). The punch plate does not come with the sander. So unless you can find the special pre-punched paper, you need to order the plate from a Makita rep or make one.

I do not recommend starting with 80 grit paper. This sander can be very aggressive, so start with the finest grit that will do job.

My application requires a minimum dust sanding system (house with air heating ducts). I could not find any vendor selling the vacuum hose and punch plate for the BO4900V sander so they were ordered directly from Makita. The sander was ordered from Amazon. When all parts arrived from the two vendors nothing fit. Called the the Makita Service Center and talked to Dalton who resolved the problem (one of the parts was was quickly replaced). The question was asked: why don't you include the punch plate with the sander? Answer: many customers don't need or use the punch plate and so it gets lost; this just adds to the price of the sander. This is a quality punch plate (1/2 lb steel), rugged, accurate, virtually indestructible and worth the price. Wait! There's more! The edge of the sanding pad has air holes to vacuum dust from the two long sides of the sander without the punch plate; but it's even better with holes in the sandpaper from the punch plate. I am now the proud owner of a great sanding system!

It IS the best sander I've used so far. Quiet, balanced, does the job faster AND it's good looking. Doesn't come with a punch plate...$17+ shipping to order from Makita. Make your own with some dowels and a block of wood. Other than Makita not including that in the package, you won't be disappointed with this sander.

I am 22 and just got married a month ago. I got the tool set about a month before I got married and I have used it a hundred times since. The tools aren't the most heavy-duty things out there but they are a perfect starter set that will last for a long time.

I like this kit a lot, it is great for new home owners!. If you are planing to do some "DO IT ON YOUR OWN" stuff just buy this one.

The storage station is made of plastic but it feels strong. It can be used as a small work bench!

The bonus 100 piece bits are great too!!.
All the tools are good for starters. If you are planing to upgrade you may have to look further.

i like this product very much coz i fill like i can do every thing with this stuff & they very strong & in my ow house i also have a lot of things things of "black & decker" coz they number 1!!!!!!!
tanks a lot !

This is the perfect tool for anyone that needs to cut fiberglass. It is indespensable and much more managable than a dremmel or other hand grinder. I use this tool almost daily. The only down side is that this blade is a bit fragile and will break if bent even slightly.

I was told about this tool by a freind when I needed to do some work on the inside of my sailboat. The tool works on the same principle as an orbital sander, only with this cutting blade attached, it will cut just about anything very safely. I have used this blade to cut fiberglass tabs away from the hull without danger of cutting throught the hull and with very little dust. I have also cut the 3/8 plywood that was fiberglassed to the bulkhead. I just took my time and the adjustable depth stop and did not cut through any deeper than necessary. I also trimmed the ends of Stainless steel screws off that are through bolted through the cabin top. I now carry this tool with me anywhere I have a job to do for cutting or sanding. Well worth the money.

The sander came a few days after I ordered it! I had never seen it before neither had anyway to compare it to anything else out there! Nobody seems to carry it in stock! I just bought it based on Makita's reputation and specs!

I opened the box and [ooooaaaawwww!]What a beast! It is the biggest orbital sander I have seen for home use! It has the biggest motor and all about this baby screams: Quality!!

I immediately put it to use and I could not believe my eyes! It went through anything I did with it (sanded a couple of doors, a bunch of selves, a new desk I am working on) like nothing. Noise is moderate (I woul;d have prefered it to be quieter) but not excesive. I definetly would recommend ear protection using this baby though especially for long time sanding jobs.

I had spent a lot of time (as I always do before bying a new tool) researching and scrutinizing the competition. The Porter Cable has no dust control and feels old and outdated, the Bosch has a great feel handling it but looks not powerful enough fro big jobs (and I am a Bosch man...), the Milwakee had a weird feel in my hand (more personal taste than a gripe...). I also looked at the other Makita 1/2 sheet sanders but something always drew me back to this machine. Maybe the specs, maybe the picture in the Makita catalog or pure curiosity. I was right though! It is the best orbital/finishing sander money can buy, in a class by itself w/o any other competition!

To be frank it is a heavy unit but once fired up it just glides over your work like on wheels. The paper hold down mechanism is the BEST I have used in any sander of this type bar none! It holds the sand paper firmly and it also streches it while doing so.

Next use I had for the machine was to sand the walls of two of my home's bedrooms! The job was done in a tenth of the time although the machine is kind of heavey for the task! By the way, I never even used the dust collection bag! I do not think it is worth this unit's overall quality. I attached the sander on my shop vac and practically eliminated dust from muy work! One really nice feature is that the bottom of the sanding pad is perforated for dust collection but so are the sides. The sander comes with a small assortment of sand paper but I used it all in no time with all my projects.

The ONLY real dissapointment regarding the unit is that it comes with NO punch plate. For this you either make your own or self out about 18.00 to buy it form Makita! I would have rather spent the extra money and have it included with the unit!

This sander oscilates at a slower speed than the competition. The oscilations are larger and it does the job in less time. Vibration is limited and it does not tire the hand easily. I have a palm sander that makes my hand cramp after a little use! None of this with the big Makita. Anotehr nice ergonomic touch is that the front habndle rotates 90- degrees fro a more comfortable handle with different projects.

I give it 5 stars although it deserves more! It has NO competition out there and it defines a class of its own. I recommended highly for most of your finishing sanding needs.

I recently had an opportunity to do a hands on evaluation of 1/2 sheet sanders. I liked the ruggedness Porter-Cable, the economy of the Milwaukee, and the feel of the Bosch, but this new Matkita is in a class of it's own. I bought it.

At first it seemed a little heavy, but after I got use to it and let it work, it did a fantastic job. This 1/2 sheet sander oscillates much more than the others and does the job in half the time. It leaves the surface dead flat and is very kind to veneer.

It has vacuum pich-up holes in the paper/sander like a random orbital sander. If you hook it up to a vac the dust is minimal ( This may require a little tape around the outlet to fit your hose). The punch plate does not come with the sander. So unless you can find the special pre-punched paper, you need to order the plate from a Makita rep or make one.

Have one at work, it just takes a beating and keeps on working.

After agonizing over my choices for a finish sander, reading reviews and comparisons, I settled on the Milwaukee 6010-6 and I couldn't be happier. I couldn't believe how smoothly it coasted across the wood. It uses off-the-shelf sandpaper. It felt heavy at first but when in use it seems to just float. One possible negative is that it requires a extra purchase for a dust collection bag, but I've pretty much made up my mind to go for more sophisticated collection system anyhow. I don't have a basis for comparison of how loud it is but that can probably be found in the specifications..

I have owned this sander for a few weeks now. It is far superior to the failed sander (a 20+ year old Wen) that it replaced. It is much more effecient, has less vibration and sands more evenly than the Wen did. My only dissapointment with this sander was that the included hole punch is plastic instead of metal like those that come with some Makita and Milwaukee sanders. However, it does make adequate holes in the paper for dust extraction through the pad and costs a lot less than many sanders that do not have a punch included. I would give this sander fewer stars if the price was higher. I tried quarter sheet Milwaukee and Makita sanders (that cost about the same) before deciding to say with a 1/3 sheet size sander and am glad I went with the larger size. Overall, I highly recomend this sander to anyone who doesn't want to spend 50% more for some of the higher performance sanders but wants to step up from entry level products like B&D etc.

I find this to be the best sander I have used. The vibration level is very low making it a comfortable tool. Its cutting capacity and speed at which it does the job far exceeded my expectations.

I have owned this half sheet sander for 2 years now and it is still going strong. I have used it to sand large areas such as steps and floors. This sander runs very smooth and has very little noise for a sander. The unit is constructed of all metal so it can take the bumps along the way. I also purchaced the attachment for collecting dust and it really helps to keep the dust down to a minimum. Paper change is a snap also. Another great product from Porter-Cable!

I retired a year ago and started working in a cabinet shop, where they used the 505 sander. This is the smoothest sander made. It does a remarkably good job on any wood. You can't harm any wood, unless you're not paying attention to what you're doing. I have used this for hours at a time with no fatigue. It's well worth the money, and will last for many years. Buy it......

I used dozens of these for years in cabinet and furiture shops. They are smooth, quiet, powerful and last forever. They are made for easy servicing when that time comes... but it take years before they need it. I used other brands of half-sheet sanders but all the others (older Bosch, Hitachi, and Milwaukee models)I've tried just vibrate too much. After a few mintes of sanding your hand feels numb from using a sander that isn't smooth and well-balanced. They needed far more servicing as well.

They're expensive but if you're looking for a large, half-sheet sander: this is the one! Porter-Cable really has the sander market in a bag.

Three stars only because of the cost. I bought 15 sheets of assorted sandpaper at a dollar store for a dollar, cut to size and glued them onto the original pads with Tacky Glue. They last as long or longer than the original grit. I've not yet reached a limit as to how many times this can be done.

The palm sander fits easily in the palm of your hand and reduces fatique form long project use. The 220 grit is not available in Lowes or Home Depot so getting it on line is easy and it offers another grade of the product. I have found this product to be easy to install, sands hard to get areas, and easy to remove. When I used it there were no burns, gouges, or uneven spots. My first project was a pie safe which came out so well, even my wife was satisfied.