What brand of random orbit sander?

[Bryan Cramer]

I am looking at 5" random orbit sanders around $100. Which brand is the best: Dewalt, Porter-Cable or Makita? Any other suggestions would help. I want good quality no junk.:)

Thanks in advanced.

[keith ouellette]

I have told a few people this. Its hard to believe but I was shocked at how well my RA sander from harbor freight tools worked. It is the blue model. Not the orange. I have no complaints about it other than the dust collection. If you want to save some money I don't think you'll be sorry. It was every bit as good as the dewalt of comparable size I was using before it.

[Ted Baca]

I started out with a Ryobi years ago and was sorely disappointed, then bought a Bosch and loved it but wanted a palm grip and now have a Porter Cable and I feel it is somewhat better. I sold gthe Bosch to a freind and he loves it as well. But the dust collection is better on the PC. It is the 390K by the way. Also I like the dust port as it accepts 2 different sizes of hose.

[Simon Dupay]

Makita is the best value out there IMO.

[Jim Neeley]

I started with a DeWalt about 15 years ago, replaced it with another about 3 years ago. Recently I've been given a Bosch and now the DeWalt sets in the box. Less vibration, better built-in DC, with or without a vac..

[shane lyall]

The P-C has built in dust collection via a fan between the pad and sander body. It also will use 2 different hose sizes as stated above. I've tried a few over the years and I like the P-C. I can't remember the model number off hand but I caught it on sale for, I think, $60 at the blue BORG. Forgot to mention I beleve the DeWalt and P-C are the same sander just a few cosmetic differances. Not sure about that and hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong.

[Cary Falk]

All of my sanders are Makita. I have the 6" ROS and am very happy with it.

[Ernest Martin]

We used to own an assortment of Dewalt Ryobi,and Makita and all of them worked fine if I remember right the Dewalts had quite a bit more vibration to the hand than the Makita. Since then we have switched over to Festool and really like them. Festools are a little more compact in the width, and a lot less vibration. One thing we have noticed with the Festool is the velcro pads don't last near as long as some of the cheaper brands.
If your not looking at using it everyday your probably just as far off staying with the cheaper Dewalt or Makita brands

[Tom McCann]

I just had to replace my old porta cable and picked up milwaukee at hd for 79.00. It is a really nice tool dust collection awesome very happy. You won't be dissapointed.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I have a ryobi pistol grip 5" that just won't die. I can't bring myself to get rid of it even though it is loud and vibrates like crazy. My wife saw me lusting over the Ridgid 6" and got it for me for Christmas last year. LOVE it. I will say that even though it recently had to go in for warranty repair. It is smooth and quite with fantastic dust collection. A little on the heavy side, but In my opinion, that helps.

The warranty issue was the switch and it was a easy as dropping it off at the local repair shop and picking up a week later. I would buy it all over again.

Ryan

[Andrew Joiner]

I just had to replace my old porta cable and picked up milwaukee at hd for 79.00. It is a really nice tool dust collection awesome very happy. You won't be dissapointed.

I agree with Tom. The Milwaukee 6021-21 at my HD was closer to $59. Great value, good sander and no swirl marks.

[Rick Bunt]

Another vote for Milwaukee 6021-21. It was "top value" in Wood Magazine review a year or two ago (PC 390 was "top tool" overall). The Milwaukee has a 5 year warranty and I don't expect to need it. I like that it is a more aggressive sander when needed, but it still does finish work well. Also, $59 at my HD (similar price on amazon).

[Craig D Peltier]

I have had 2 boschs. Although there dust collection is great ( it was always full) ( waffle type filter). After a few months of use it spits the sandpaper off (mirka brand) and wont hold onto it. I talked to bosch and he said maybe I'm sanding on the side ( grinding it to get more wood off quicker). Maybe I am but my dewalt doesnt have that problem. Dewalt DC isnt good but I like it better now cause of that.

I know you said $100, but I wont lool back at paying alot for my festool, just the fact that its so much healthier breathing would sell me on it. Theres no sawdust it seems at all. No cloud , nothing on board.Quiet.

[Homer Faucett]

I like the Bosch 1295 DVSK. Low vibration and good dust pickup when attached to my Fein vac. The pad on my Makita did not last. The DeWalts vibrate quite a bit, and I have not had good luck with longevity on DeWalt products. Since PC was relegated to second class citizen behind DeWalt when B&D bought the brand, I've generally shied away from that brand.

[Karl Brogger]

I can say avoid the DeFalt, and the Makita. Both crap

I'd buy a Festool sander if you could get them with out the stupid dust collection, and a PSA pad.

[William Hamilton]

got a Dewalt maybe a year ago for like $80. It does the job but the dust collection, as some here have said, is sub par.

[Paul Janders]

My favorite and most used sander is Dewalt's D26451. I don't think there is a better value in a 5-inch sander today.

It's very comfortable to use, has dust collection second to none (when connected to my shop vac) and only costs $59 from a well known online retailer that also sells books. It has actually made sanding an enjoyable (and fast) task. It has a hook and loop pad for fast paper changes when working through the grits. I use it with Mirka and Norton sanding disks.

I used to use Bosch sanders exclusively but experienced the problems others have reported in this thread. I own thousands of dollars of Bosch tools and think they're great but I haven't been happy with their sanders.

[Chris Matthysse]

I had been using a Bosch that I was fairly happy with except for the dust collection. My wife bought me a Festool 125 for our anniversary. The Bosch now just sits in the cupboard of misfit tools. IMO the Festool is worth spending an additional $70. Its quieter, has less vibration and substantially better dust collection.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Another vote for Rigid. I have the 5 & 6" ROS's, so far never a problem with either. The 5 is about 6 years old and the 6 - 2 yrs. Good machines and great warranty.

[Dar Lounsbury]

Another vote for Milwaukee 6021-21. Have one at home and one at the shop. Best sander for the money. I don't remember exactly what I paid but seems like under $50. Special deals somewhere, probably Amazon.

Dar

[Bryan Cramer]

Is the Festool really worth about $70 more? I want a sander that is easy to control, no vibration, and aggressive yet a good quality surface.

[Joe Leigh]

Is the Festool really worth about $70 more? I want a sander that is easy to control, no vibration, and aggressive yet a good quality surface.

Add near perfect dust collection and you've just described Festool sanders.

[Mark A Johnson]

I started out with a PC, good sander however vibration killed me. After 2 neck surgeries, it doesn't take much to send my muscles into spasms. I purchased a Festool model 125 3, big difference in the amount of vibration. Along with the sander, I also purchased the CT Mini the two it makes almost a dust free combination.

As posted before, they're worth the extra money.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I just had to replace my old porta cable and picked up milwaukee at hd for 79.00. It is a really nice tool dust collection awesome very happy. You won't be dissapointed.


+1 I have that same one and like it so far.

[Montgomery Scott]

I really like the Bosch 3725(?) DVS. Good control, low vibration and reasonably priced. Another member here said it was as good as the Festool a while back. I buy another one.

[Prashun Patel]

Consider this. Pricey, but whoa mama!

Mirka CEROS 5" Compact Electric Random Orbital Sander

[glenn bradley]

Bosch 1295DVSK. Won a lot of the bake-offs. Best swirl pattern, etc. Now hard to find (of course). With a vac attached it picks up more dust than it makes. I can sand and clean the bench at the same time :D Klingspor used to sell a re-badged version for about $50. I have one of each and they are identical except for color. I have been running them for years.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have the Milwaukee. Have nothing bad to say about it but nothing about it makes me Love it. I think it has a hard time on narrow stock like rail and style. I had a Ryobi for years and think I liked it a little better. But they don't make that model anymore.
The Rigid I think is a close clone of the Milwaukee.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have a Bosch 1295 variable speed also. I really like it. The pad sucks, mine fell apart, but replacements are cheap.

The Festool, if you can swing the cost, and you'd need the vacuum, is THE best sander I've used. If you buy it, you will not be unhappy. They don't claim it, but it has zero dust emission IMO.

[Bryan Morgan]

I just had to replace my old porta cable and picked up milwaukee at hd for 79.00. It is a really nice tool dust collection awesome very happy. You won't be dissapointed.

I also have the Milwakee. I like it a lot.

[Bryan Cramer]

Before I make my decision I am going to look into the Festool.

[Tom Ewell]

I have several Festools and like them but if they are too price heavy, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Makita.

My now out of production Makita BO5021K is hitting 10yrs of use and is still kicking like a young colt. It's light and actually outperforms, sans dust collection, my Festool 125 palm sander in terms of aggresive cut and it's better than good for final finish (the Festo is slightly better for final finish but takes longer to get there)

I've not used Bosch or Milwaukee sanders but judging by the quality of their tools that I do have, I certainly would consider them should I need a new finish sander.

Hard to beat the dust collection of a Festool but considering the modern evolution of tools I would suspect that many brands are getting pretty close.

That Mirka thing looks "crazy", would like a test drive one but I'd also like to take a Lamborghini Aventador for a spin too.

[Bruce Kohl]

I have four older PC random orbit sanders, and they've all worked well and given reliable service for a number of years. However, to me the new PC sanders (and for that matter other comparable brands) don't seem to have the same solid feel as my older ones have, so I don't know about their reliability. I don't have experience with other makes, but I suspect that all the sanders in this price range are constructed about the same. I've had good luck with Dewalt and Makita power tools, so I would expect sanders from them to be serviceable. Now if money is not an object, I'd definitely go with a Festool sander. Unlike Karl above I prefer hook and loop over PSA. For me it's much easier to quickly change grits.

[Todd Hyman]

Another vote for Rigid. I have the 5 & 6" ROS's, so far never a problem with either. The 5 is about 6 years old and the 6 - 2 yrs. Good machines and great warranty.

+2 on the 5" Rigid. Mine is about 7 years old and the non-China version and works great.

[Don Morris]

I think we answered something similar to this not long ago. Answer is similar to the same: my 5" Bosch 3107DVS has been around for years and looks much like the previous post by Glen Bradley, a 1295DVSK. And as with Glen's, with the dust hose attached to my shopvac, I just don't get any dust, and I think it extends the life of the paper as well. If it went and I couldn't replace it, I'd get something very similar, absolutely with dust extraction capabilities. I just don't see how a significantly more expensive machine could be price/function better.

[Jason Pinsonneault]

Bosch or makita

[Joe Shinall]

Another vote for the Rigid. DC on it is great. I put mine through the ringer. It gets used everyday.

[David Prince]

I have a PC, couple of Dewalts, a B & D, and a Festool. I use every one of them depending on what I am working on. If I had to pick just one, I would take the Festool. My reasons are: The sanding disks seem to last forever. The sanding disks stay on. Great dust collection. Variable speed. Doesn't take very long to remove material.

Now for the other ones, The Festool is expensive, so I will use the others for quick and dirty work. Other Sanding disks are cheaper, but don't last as long, so in reality, the Festool probably wins the race in the long run.

I am actually kinda attached to the B&D, but it will throw the sanding disk off at about the time it is worn. The Festool holds tight.