Reliable disk/belt sanders under $200 - ARE there any?

[Frederick Skelly]

Hi guys,
I'm a bit frustrated. I've been looking for a combo 4" wide belt sander plus a 6-8" disk, for under $200. Seems like every one of them, including the General, have 25%-50% negative reviews. When you filter out the outliers, complaints mainly center on them being noticably underpowered 1/3 hp ish) or various failures within a year or so and the difficulty in getting service/parts. And when I read the warranties, they are abyssmal - send the tool at your expense and we'll fix it months later when we get parts.

You obviously get what you pay for with power tools. It would be convenient to have one of these for occasional use if I found something for under $200. But I can't justify spending $500 or more to get a JET, etc for the kind of work I do. I just won't use it enough.

So just in case I missed something, I thought I'd ask the community - Have any of you found a reliable, occasional-use machine for under $200?

Thanks for you help,
Fred

[Jerry Wright]

Yes. Ryobi 6" disk, 4x36" belt sander. I have had one for at least 10 years. Built like a small tank. Heavy, but noisy due to it's induction motor. Still available on Amazon as well as at HD to name few for about $120. I use it occasionally and like it.

[Nick Decker]

Yes. Ryobi 6" disk, 4x36" belt sander. I have had one for at least 10 years. Built like a small tank. Heavy, but noisy due to it's induction motor. Still available on Amazon as well as at HD to name few for about $120. I use it occasionally and like it.

I've had the Wen version of that sander for a couple of years. No problems, although I did rig up an adjustable thingie under the table for the disc, for times when squareness is critical. The factory clamp/adjuster was a joke. I do, though, only use it occasionally.

[Jim Becker]

When I was going to buy something like this, I did look at units of that size, but decided they wouldn't be a great choice for longer term use because so many of them are very lightly constructed. I opted for a "typical" 6"x48" + 12" disk combo and it's the singular tool in my shop that came from Grizzly because the price was right and the reviews were decent. I don't use it much, but it works as advertised. 95% of the time that I have employed it, it was for the belt sander.

Dust collection can be a challenge for ALL of these machines because of truly "non standard" connection challenges and large, exposed areas where fine dust is generated. Nature of the beast...

[Bruce Page]

Over the years I've had both a Craftsman and a Delta 4X6 combo sander and both were disappointing. I found a decent used 6X12 Delta on Craigslist for ~$400, IIRC. Sander Score & Rehab (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?13017-Sander-Score-amp-Rehab)
Dust collection is actually quite good on this machine using a shop vac. The 12" delta gets used much more often in my shop than the little ones ever did but I can go weeks without turning it on. YMMV

[Dick Brown]

I have the 10" disc, 6x48 belt Shop Fox and it gets used a lot. I do about as much metal work as wood. Disc is great for rounding corners, cleaning up slag after cutting, etc. Belt is great for removing mill slag from flat stock. Pencil dull? Chuck it in your cordless drill and sharpen it on belt or disc in 1 second flat. Twist drill bits dull? Go to the disc with fine paper. I have a Drill Dr. but haven't used it in years. All these things and more plus woodworking chores. May not use it the most time wise but it is one of the most often used tools in my shop.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys. It helps to hear your experiences with this stuff.
Much appreciated!
Fred

[Jim Finn]

I have owned a Ryobi 4" wide stationary belt sander and it worked well. I wanted a 6" sander so I bought a Harbor Freight 6"x48" stationary belt sander and it works very well. Dust collection is tricky but the belt tracking is great. I do not use the disc sander it comes with. This sander is the most used equipment in my shop.

[Frederick Skelly]

I have owned a Ryobi 4" wide stationary belt sander and it worked well. I wanted a 6" sander so I bought a Harbor Freight 6"x48" stationary belt sander and it works very well. Dust collection is tricky but the belt tracking is great. I do not use the disc sander it comes with. This sander is the most used equipment in my shop.

Thanks Jim. I hadn't looked at that particular HF model - when you filter the outliers, it looks like it's mostly viewed as a reasonable hobbyist machine. I'm not big on HF, but I'll go find a store and have a look.

The Ryobi that you and several of the guys mentioned has several clones, including the Rikon. The Rikon warranty is pretty reasonable. It appears I don't have to ship it back at my expense if it fails and it lasts 5 years.

Still thinkin about it...
Fred

Edit: I just stumbled onto Rikon's 6" combo, the 50122. Looks like those go for in the vicinity of $300. Hmmmm.

[Patrick Curry]

This is one of those times where it makes sense to buy the HF machines.
Id be surprised if any of the brands at or less than your $200 budget have a design or construction advantage.

[Curt Harms]

I have a Grizzly 6" X 48" belt sander with 9" (I think)disc. It has a table that can be moved from belt to disk. I found myself not using the disc so moved the table to the belt and removed the disc. For dust collection I use an HVAC boot screwed to a piece of plywood. I can't move the belt from vertical to horizontal due to the dust collection cobble job but I live with it.

[David Pascoe]

I have the Delta Shopmaster 4 x 36" used daily in a commercial operation for 7 years with no problem. It is NOT a heavy duty machine and I treat it accordingly. If you use it hard and really mash down on it, you'll burn up the motor or break the plastic drive gear (found out the hard way). I don't find the disk part to be of much value since using the guide table just gets in the way. By making sure I don't overload it, this machine has served me well. Always use good sandpaper and don't try to make clogged up paper do the job. That is probably what wrecks most sanders. ALSO, bargain sandpaper isn't worth the price we pay for it. Spend the $$ and get top brand stuff like ceramic, G2, Norton, or 3M. It will last much longer and not temp you to mash the workpiece onto the bed because it isn't cutting.

I have noticed that there are a lot of Delta knock-offs, all priced around $165. If you want an inexpensive flatbed, you need to treat it accordingly. If you are trying to resize a piece of wood with it, be advised that none of them are designed to carry such high loads and you'll have failures. Note also that no one makes hobbyist size sanders in industrial quality, so you really don't have any choice.

[Frederick Skelly]

Patrick, Curt, David - thank you!

"Note also that no one makes hobbyist size sanders in industrial quality, so you really don't have any choice." Yeah, David - that's what I was concluding when I started this thread. I was hoping I was just missing something, but it seems to be the reality up to about $300. I've still gotta go find an HF store, but barring something unforeseen this is starting to look like "buy the Rikon" to get the decent 5 yr warranty (seems to be the only difference between all of these). I already have one of their bandsaws and a low speed grinder.

Thanks again to all of you who responded to try to help. I appreciate it!

Fred

[Curt Harms]

I don't think you're going to beat this much for a new machine.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/rikon-4-x-36-belt-disc-sander-model-50-112

On sale for $119.99

https://woodcraft-production-weblinc.netdna-ssl.com/product_images/rikon-4-x-36-belt-disc-sander-model-50-112/5843c9ee69702d0253001373/zoom.jpg?c=1480837614

[Frederick Skelly]

I don't think you're going to beat this much for a new machine.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/rikon-4-x-36-belt-disc-sander-model-50-112

On sale for $119.99

https://woodcraft-production-weblinc.netdna-ssl.com/product_images/rikon-4-x-36-belt-disc-sander-model-50-112/5843c9ee69702d0253001373/zoom.jpg?c=1480837614

You're reading my mind Curt. That's what I've decided to do. Thanks for flagging it to me.
Fred