Orbital sander recommendations please

[Patrick Curry]

My wood shop is a part time job and I probably spend 6-16 hrs a week sanding/finishing. Surface areas range from coffee table size tops at the large end on down. I'm thinking a 5" orbital.

I have a Speed Bloc 1/4 Porter Cable finish sander and a Harbor Frieght 4" belt sander. There are a half dozen others but they are out of commission for one reason or anther. That belt sander has been 'road hard and put away wet' on rough reclaimed barn wood and taking the char off the inside of bourbon barrels. It's paid for itself many times over but has seen it's best days. The Porter Cable finish sander was a godsend compared to the Rigid and Ryobi quarter sanders. I've even put 60 grit paper on it at times given my current lack of tools.

i'd like a new orbital sander that can both remove surface but also take me up the ladder to a finer grit. If not 220, close.

My budget is open. I'd be thrilled if I could find a good daily sander for $100. But I've reached the point where I could mentally justify Festool prices for a sander with a longer life cycle so long as it can do more than just, "finish" or "surface removal".

Any suggestions on would be appreciated. I guess the budget is $75 to $300 so long as I can justify buying 1 sander over 3 at $100.

[Mike Chalmers]

I have 5" DeWalt ROS. Recently upgraded to a Bosch ROD65VC-6. What a great move. Large increase in sanding area = less time to cover. Anti-vibration really works. Dust collection is outstanding. Well balanced and easy to control.
I keep the DeWalt for small projects.
Worth every penny to me.

[Brian W Smith]

Electric or pneumatic?

[Kevin Jenness]

Most commercial shops use Dynabrade or similar pneumatic random orbit sanders. They are lightweight, compact, ergonomic, durable, and do what you want, although a belt sander is better for gross stock removal. The downside is you need a compressor that puts out around 15 cfm@100psi, 5 hp or so. An electric alternative that has good reviews is the Mirka CEROS, same size and shape, about $500. Otherwise you are looking at electric sanders with conventional motors, most of which do better with two hands than one. Festool and Bosch among others make decent ones

[Patrick Curry]

Most commercial shops use Dynabrade or similar pneumatic random orbit sanders. They are lightweight, compact, ergonomic, durable, and do what you want, although a belt sander is better for gross stock removal. The downside is you need a compressor that puts out around 15 cfm@100psi, 5 hp or so. An electric alternative that has good reviews is the Mirka CEROS, same size and shape, about $500. Otherwise you are looking at electric sanders with conventional motors, most of which do better with two hands than one. Festool and Bosch among others make decent ones

I picked up a used Craftsman 5hp 25 gal compressor a few years ago. Initially it was used for a etching glass but now it's only turned on when cutting thin metal with this HF rotary disc cutter I picked up. The compressor cycles on and off non-stop. Could be any number of things but I'm not inclined to go pneumatic due to noise, energy costs.

Thanks for the suggestion on the Mirka Ceros. I looked at these online recently, along with some Festol sanders.

"Would I rather have one "Mirka/Festol" or approximately 4 "DeWalt/Porter Cable" sanders of various configurations?", is the question. Suppose the right answer is based on personal preferences. But just based on the jump from the Rigid 1/4 sander to the Porter Cable Speed Bloc, the difference in quality was immensely appreciated.

[Patrick Curry]

Mike, thanks for the info.
I noticed for an extra $60 or so you can get a kit with both the 5 & 6 inch pads. That might be worth the extra money for me since I don't yet know if I'll prefer one over the other.
I understand the Swiss made Bosch tools are very nice. And at just under $300 (kit) it's a lower priced alternative to some Festool models considered.

[Patrick Curry]

Electric. My compressor probably isn't up to the task of extended use. 5 hp, 25 gal Craftsman that just seems to keep cycling on and off.

[Dimitrios Fradelakis]

I have the Mirka Ceros and couldn't be happier. I also have a slightly older Bosch ROS that's my second favorite sander. Can't go wrong with a Bosch or a Mirka.

[Joe Kieve]

Been using my Porter Cable 505, 1/2 sheet orbital sander for over 30 years with no problems. It's been discontinued but you may find one on ebay. I think I paid around $135 originally.

[Matt Day]

I've got an older Bosch 5" ROS which has been great since I bought it 8 years ago or so.
I recently got a used Porter Cable 7346 6" ROS and it is a beast comparatively. Much more power and quicker coverage on bigger pieces. Both of them are great and complement each other nicely.

[Prashun Patel]

IMHO if you don't have a Ceros you won't miss it. But if you have it, you will appreciate it.

A good daily sander, IMHO is the Bosch variable ~ $60. I've used three and they are fine sanders. They are not though in the same league as the Ceros.

[Patrick Curry]

[QUOTE=Prashun Patel;2346203]IMHO if you don't have a Ceros you won't miss it. But if you have it, you will appreciate it.


That's so true...one short demo later and the Christmas ski trip turns into taking the kids sledding at the public golf course.

i think I'm going to try my luck with a Bosch.

[Erik Christensen]

I have 2 festool sanders - i like 'em - dust collection so good you forget sanding = dust, only other sander i'd consider would be the Mirka

[Wade Lippman]

I have 5" DeWalt ROS. Recently upgraded to a Bosch ROD65VC-6. What a great move. Large increase in sanding area = less time to cover. Anti-vibration really works. Dust collection is outstanding. Well balanced and easy to control.
I keep the DeWalt for small projects.
Worth every penny to me.

I just bought a couple of these; well, the 5". Great sanders, but heavy. You really need two hands.
OTOH I tried a Ceros. Very light, but more vibration than the Bosch and terrible dust collection. I know some people love them, but that wasn't my experience.
I used a pad protector with them; I wonder if the people who say the DC is good use them, as they do look like they would affect the DC.

[Rick Potter]

I am very happy with my little Milwaukee from the HD. Happy enough, that I now have two. About $60, and it is much smoother than my old Bosch (10 yr). The newer Bosch are probably better than that one though. If you don't like it, they have a pretty good return policy.

[Prashun Patel]

I'd put my Ceros/Ridgid dust collection ability up to anything. It's amazingly effective. I use Abranet and Rhynogrit 8-hole discs, both with the Abranet pad protector. There's no dust. It's so good, I sometimes (not advised) sand without a mask. I have been able to sand indoors because of this sander. I sand now in raking light, and you usually can see dust pretty well with that. No dust.

[Jim Becker]

I originally used the venerable PC333 ROS sanders...went through a couple of them (and I'm just a hobbyist) and was getting numb hands from use. I've been using a Festool 150/3 for years now. Great results. Quieter. Outstanding dust extraction. NO numbness in my hands even after very, very long continuous sanding sessions. Absolutely worth the money to me for that last part alone.

[John Coloccia]

I originally used the venerable PC333 ROS sanders...went through a couple of them (and I'm just a hobbyist) and was getting numb hands from use. I've been using a Festool 150/3 for years now. Great results. Quieter. Outstanding dust extraction. NO numbness in my hands even after very, very long continuous sanding sessions. Absolutely worth the money to me for that last part alone.


Mine were going numb too. I finally had a big job...refinishing my deck and finally fixing a lot of stupidity from previous "professional" jobs. Picked up a CEROS and never looked back. I can use that all day long with no numbness or discomfort. I'll never go back.

Porter Cable sander mortality has driven a lot of shops in my area to go to Festool, and now Mirka too. I've talked with cabinet shops that have started killing the Porter Cables in months. That becomes very unaffordable pretty quickly!

[scott vroom]

I've had a Porter Cable 390K ROS for 4 or 5 years....does the job and decent dust collection.

I just checked the PC website and they're now showing only 1 ROS model available...a $39 cheap-o. Looks like they're getting out of the ROS biz?

[John Coloccia]

I've had a Porter Cable 390K ROS for 4 or 5 years....does the job and decent dust collection.

I just checked the PC website and they're now showing only 1 ROS model available...a $39 cheap-o. Looks like they're getting out of the ROS biz?

After the buyout, it became clear that PC would turn into a lower end line, and Dewalt would be higher end. It's probably just continuing with the plan.

[fRED mCnEILL]

A couple of years ago I picked up a used Festool RO150 and the corresponding vacumn,It had been used to sand a boat so I imagine it had a pretty good workout. Previous to that I had a 3" belt sander, a PC 4" belt sander, a 6" Bosch RO and a 5" PC RO.None of those 5 sanders has been used since I got the Festool. Its a 6" and a little heavy but the fast work it makes of heavy sanding and the ability to get a very fine finish trumps that. I recently built a Malloof rocker which requires a lot of heavy sanding after sculpting and continues right up to 1000 grit for finishing and it handles all of it well. I have a small one man manufacturing business and use this sander almost daily. It never leaves the workbench. And, as stated, the dust collection is very good. My wife would comment that she couldn't see to the end of the shop when I was sanding and now I never wear a mask. I'm not a Festool fanatic but this sander (and the domino I also own) are just damn fine tools.

[Patrick Curry]

Well, I stopped by a hardware store that carried The Festool line yesterday. I tried the RO150 with their vac. The dust collection was everything it was billed to be and I loved the auto on/off feature.

Maybe i was feeling tight in the wallet, or perhaps more accurately my wallet has been out enough this month (tis the season) and so I decided it wasn't a good purchase decision for me. As for the sanding itself, it did well and the vibrations were low.

Then today while at Home Depot picking up supplies I just decided to toss a 5" Ridgid into the cart. The selection was poor but I needed a sander. The Ridgid lifetime warranty did it for me. I did drag the display one up to the pro desk to plug in just to make sure it wasn't going to rattle my arm off once I got home and put it to use. It works well enough to keep it running. Haven't used it enough to say it's $300 worse than the Festol.

Maybe I'll step up to a Festol or Ceros later.