Which Orbital Sander ....

[Ivan Wolder]

I need to go and purchase an orbital sander tomorrow.I am looking for some advise on what to buy.

[Joe Shinall]

I have the Ridgid 5". Absolutely love it! The Dust bag on it does really good or you cna hook a vacuum right up to it and works great. I can use mine fr an hour straight without my hand feeling like jello.

Do not, absolutely do not, IMO buy a Ryobi. I went through 2 in a 6 month period just to save the extra $30 or so. The first one burnt out and the second one stopped spinning. Both of them made my hand vibrate so bad I hardly had control of my fingers after a few minutes of using them.

I do not know about the Porter Cable or DeWalt from hands on experience, but I heard they are really nice as well. Definitely spend the money for a good one.

[Ivan Wolder]

I actually really like the Rigid products,I have quite a few already,maybe will just add to the collection.

[Joe Shinall]

I have 9 power sanders and I haven't used any of the others since I bought the Ridgid.

[John Hollaway]

Ditto on the Ridgid. I have both the 5" and the 6". Best I've ever used, and that's quite a few.

[Ivan Wolder]

Which is the more popular size 5" or 6"?

[Mike Reinholtz]

I have a 5" Makita and love it, very low vibration for the price and it's been heavily used for the last 2 years. I think 5" are more common, the paper seems more abundant around here as well. Other reason I like the Makita over the Ridgid is it's not made in China, like all the other Ridgid stuff. Not looking to start an argument here, just something I look for. While I'm not sure where the parts come from, the Makita is at least assembled here in the states.

I have to disagree with the 6" Ridgid, after about an hour I thought me teeth were gonna fall out from all the vibration. Maybe I got a bad one, not too sure. I returned it and picked up a Bosch 6", incredible difference in vibration. I know it costs more, but for me not having a numb arm it's worth it.

[Van Huskey]

First I suggest a 6" ROS if you are going to have only one.

Second, if you are looking for an excellent I am not a fan of the Rigid, 2 single action 6" ROS stand head and shoulders above the rest, the Festool ETS 150/3 and the Bosch 3727EVS, the latter can be had for about half of the former and the Festool is only a small better better further the Bosch is about the same price as the Rigid 6". If you are looking for a dual mode sander the Makita B06040 is really hard to beat and I like it better than the Festool Rotex but thats blasphamy to the green kool-aid drinkers.

If you decide on a 5" there are good choices available but I think if you are going to just have one my choice is a single action 6".

[Cary Falk]

+2 for the Makita. I have the 6" and love it. Actually all my sanders are Makita.

[John Thompson]

If you are only to get one at the moment.. I would personally go with the 5". I have both a Ridgid 6" from when it was made by Metabo in W. Germany and a 5" Milwaukee. I find I use the 5" more as it is easier for me to control on narrower stretchers.. legs.. etc. You can still stand larger piece with a 5" but just takes a few minutes longer. And I also find the 5" a better choice if you do contour sanding from a control point of view.

If you get heavy into this craft you will want to add a 6" for table tops.. shelves and other larger carcass pieces. I love my Ridgid 6" and the Milwaukee 5" for ease of use. I will say that I personally believe that the Ridgid 5" mentioned comes from the same factory since Milwaukee went off-shore and the features look almost alike. Just a suspicion just as this is just my IMO based on use.

I am sure the Festool's are great machines and if I were a pro depending on a machine for paying work I would definitely consider them but... I am simply a retired amateur that is in the shop 5 days a week and the Ridgid and Milwaukee are very proficient for less money invested.

Good luck

[Daniel Smith]

I have 5" sanders from Ridgid and DeWalt. I prefer the Ridgid over the DeWalt, although I must mention that my Ridgid quit on me after a couple months of light use. HD sent it out for repair (replaced brushes) at no cost to me other than the down time. I think the Ridgid's on/off switch is more convienient and its dust collection is better. My shop vac's hose fits the orange sander perfectly while I needed to buy an adapter for it to fit the yellow sander. As long as the Ridgid stays functional, I'll grab it over the DeWalt.

[Dennis Lopeman]

I have a Porter Cable 330. It's a 1/4 sheet sander (square) and works AWESOME! Pretty much a workhorse!

[Steve Griffin]

6" for sure!

And I much prefer the ones with the motor located over the sanding disc, as opposed to hanging off the side like a grinder.

-Steve

[Kyle Iwamoto]

PC variable speed. I don't use the variable much but it's a plus, if you want to do a little finer finsih sanding. DC is a little weak. Mine did not come with a vac adapter, and the bag fills up really fast. I just let the dust fly. Its a smooth sander, much smoother than the Ryobi. I have not used the Rigid, but they seem to be gathering quite a following. When making your choice, grab both of them and see how they feel. I'd go with the one that feels better. IMO either will be a good buy. I preferred the feel of the PC.

[glenn bradley]

Bosch 1295DVSK here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=71560&d=1189358318). 5" variable speed, smoothest pattern tested by FWW back aways. I have the Klingspor badged version as well; same sander only $49.95 because its not blue :rolleyes:. With my vac attached it sucks up more dust than it makes. My bench is cleaner after sanding than before I start :D.

[Van Huskey]

Bosch 1295DVSK here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=71560&d=1189358318). 5" variable speed, smoothest pattern tested by FWW back aways. I have the Klingspor badged version as well; same sander only $49.95 because its not blue :rolleyes:. With my vac attached it sucks up more dust than it makes. My bench is cleaner after sanding than before I start :D.


Gotta agree the Klinspor 5" is a great sander at a good price I have 3 of them and they are excellent.


Here is the Klingspor site, the link to the sander is a MILE long but one can find it in power tools easily.

www.woodworkingshop.com (http://www.woodworkingshop.com)

[Tom Rick]

How heavy of work do you do?

For many tasks the PC 7336 is hard to beat and has been my mainstay for many years. For anything that required muscle go with the Fein MSF 636-1. The Fein will breeze through work that will stop most others cold, and do it for days at a time.

For light work I have been using the PC 333 "Quicksand" 5" sanders. Don't love them but they get the job done.

[Ivan Wolder]

As usual a lot of great replies,thanks.There still does not seem to be a clear cut winner,I suppose it comes down to trial and error.

[Shawn Pixley]

+1 looked and tried the Festool. Not much improvement over this

[Van Huskey]

As usual a lot of great replies,thanks.There still does not seem to be a clear cut winner,I suppose it comes down to trial and error.


The replies are all over the place because we aren't sure what you plan to use it for and your budget. It is easy to say Festool is the best (they are) but unless you want to spend $185 to $500 then it isn't much help to you. Let us know.

[Dennis Lopeman]

yup - knowing what you want it for would be helpful.

everyone whose used the PC 330 love it... If mine dies, I'll get another.

As for detail work I use my Fein multimaster - got it for $100 of Craigslist. Haven't tried any of its new competitors.

I don't have a random orbital... the PC 330 is not random... just orbital I think... However, don't need it after using it - I just do a quick hand sand after finishing all the grit levels to catch any swirls I can't see.

Another tip is to wet the surface AFTER sanding with some MinSpirits... might show your mistakes before final finishing.

[Dennis Lopeman]

Oh yeah - here's some light reading ;)

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=best+random+orbital+sander&aq=0&aqi=g3g-m2&aql=&oq=best+random+orbital+&gs_rfai=&fp=a2bb30ecf4f91972

[Terry Welty]

I have had several electric... currently using a Bosch. Next one will be a Ridgid.

[Joe Shinall]

I was just waiting for someone to say the Ridgid wasn't made in the USA ;)

Frankly, sometimes, I don't care where the tools are made as long as they perform in my shop. Best thing to look at also is your hand on the tool. I have huge hands and I just liked the way the Ridgid felt better than any others and that's why I bought it truthfully. But it ended up being the best sander I have owned.

I'm sure any of the major brands will be a good buy for ya.

[Brian Penning]

Another satisfied Ridgid owner here.

[Ivan Wolder]

I am going to be using it for general sanding,nothing fancy.As far as I am concerned it does not really matter where it is made,if a certain number of components are made here then they call it made in the US.One would assume that a company who is a recognised brand name would have some sort of quality control i.e Toyota no matter where it comes from! I will take your advise and check it out.

[Glen Butler]

If you have a compressor go with air powered. If you want electric, I have porter cable and I am not impressed. If I were to buy another electric it would probably be makita.