oscillating sander

[jeff oldham]

I have been looking to get a benchtop oscillating sander,,i really like the ridged eb4424 but the reviews are really bad,,,they have 80 one star reviews,,although they also have a lot of positive reviews,,and 80 seems like a lot to me,,i was also looking at the grizzly t27412,,and it is about 30.00 dollars cheaper even if you include the freight,,,,can anyone tell me what they think about either one,,,and which one you would prefer,,,

[Frank Pratt]

I've had a Ridgid sander for at least 10 years and while not used every day, it's had lots of very heavy use for hours at a time. The platen has stayed square with the table and it's got plenty of power. It's not a pro level machine & doesn't claim to be, but for the cost, it's a very good machine & an excellent value.

Not sure where you're getting the reviews, but anywhere I've looked it seems to get about 4/5 stars

[Jim Becker]

There are a number of machines that are similar including the Ridgid, Ryobi, Grizzly, Triton, etc. they are all likely going to perform similarly for the class machine they are. I have the older Delta BOSS and it works fine for me, but lacks the option for an oscillating belt setup that can be handy for certain situations. Reviews are going to be what they are going to be for these machines for their price points...

[glenn bradley]

I wonder how many of the bad reviews were from people trying to make a $200, 40 pound, benchtop machine do the work of more expensive machine. I used my Ridgid for many years. The person it went to is still using it. One needs to read reviews carefully to see if the author is part of the problem or if the item is actually poorly suited. For example, if I tried to use a $100, plastic housed contractor saw in a cabinet shop I would probably be disappointed.

[Frank Pratt]

There are a number of machines that are similar including the Ridgid, Ryobi, Grizzly, Triton, etc. they are all likely going to perform similarly for the class machine they are. I have the older Delta BOSS and it works fine for me, but lacks the option for an oscillating belt setup that can be handy for certain situations. Reviews are going to be what they are going to be for these machines for their price points...

One does need to consider how it will be used. I actually rarely use the spindle function, maybe half a dozen times. Mostly it's the belt function and the drive spindle end for curved work.

[Alex Zeller]

I wonder how many of the bad reviews were from people trying to make a $200, 40 pound, benchtop machine do the work of more expensive machine. I used my Ridgid for many years. The person it went to is still using it. One needs to read reviews carefully to see if the author is part of the problem or if the item is actually poorly suited. For example, if I tried to use a $100, plastic housed contractor saw in a cabinet shop I would probably be disappointed.

That's the problem with a number of the reviews. People will give something 1 star because UPS thought it was 4th down and tried to punt the package. Then other people will rate it as a useful comment. Then you get the "professional" user who expects the $5 made in China tool to work better than the Snap On tool it's going to replace. Of course there's also the opposite group. They buy something, lightly use it once, feel that they know everything and would never buy anything but a perfect tool then rate it 5 stars.

[jeff oldham]

i think all of you have made good points,,and chances are you right,,,being completely honest,,,i do like the rigid the best,,i only wish they were a little cheaper,,,but then again,,,as the old sayings goes,,,if you want it,,don't let 30.00 dollars stand in the way,,lol

[Bob Hinden]

I got the Ridged (EB4424) a few weeks ago at Home Depot. Purchase experience was excellent, ordered it on line, used the app when I arrived at HD to tell them I was there, and they brought it out to my car.

The sander seems fine, no issues setting it up, and just started using it. I built a stand for it with casters and got some extra sanding supplies for it.

I had some doubts given some of the reviews, now that I have it, I think it's good value for the money. No regrets.

[Bob Potter]

I've had my Ridgid sander for at least 15 yrs with no problem. I did redo the dust collection which helped considerably.

Bob

[Orlando Gonzalez]

I also have the Ridgid OS for around 8 years and it has done everything I need it to do. I know it's not a top quality tool, and I don't expect it to be one. So I don't abuse it and try to do things it's not capable of doing.

[Eric Arnsdorff]

I bought the Ridgid earlier this year and it does a good job. As others have stated - It's not a high end machine but my expectations and use of it have been more than satisfied. It works well for a hobby woodworker like me that just needs to clean up a few things. I actually use it quite often.

@Bob - what did you do to the dust collection?

[John K Jordan]

I have been looking to get a benchtop oscillating sander,,i really like the ridged eb4424 but the reviews are really bad,,,they have 80 one star reviews,,although they also have a lot of positive reviews,,and 80 seems like a lot to me,,i was also looking at the grizzly t27412,,and it is about 30.00 dollars cheaper even if you include the freight,,,,can anyone tell me what they think about either one,,,and which one you would prefer,,,

I also bought that sander at least 15 years ago and it always has worked well for me. I have heard some complaints which makes me wonder if models made during a certain time period had some problems.

I also lucked into a deal when I walked into HD during a remodeling just as they put a bin of the sanding sleeves on sale - they were selling them at 90% off! I bought all of them, a lifetime supply. That has made it easier to put a new one on for a new job rather than try to push the last inch out of one. I think I use the belt more than the drums though.

JKJ