Cordless sander recommendations?

[Bryan Hall]

I truly enjoy the results from my corded mirka sander, but there are times when cordless would be really valuable. I can't stand going back to my DeWalt. Does anyone have recommendations for a great cordless sander? Numerous battery platforms doesn't bother me.

[james manutes]

First place to check , options on the battery platforms you currently have . I would think Festool is pretty good .

[Jim Becker]

First place to check , options on the battery platforms you currently have . I would think Festool is pretty good .

I agree with this advice if you already have cordless tools...most folks typically stick with a particular brand, although there are always exceptions. The battery platform is honestly the most expensive part of going cordless if you have to buy different colored "duplicates" to have multiple brands in use.

[Dave Sabo]

First place to check , options on the battery platforms you currently have . I would think Festool is pretty good .

Normally I would agree, but not in this case. At least with the first part.

Here’s why: first off , Bryan doesn’t care if the sander operates on his current platform. Two, there aren’t usually multiple offerings within a battery platform for sanders. Especially at 18v. Lastly , DeWalt is one of the choices and he hates that so……..



Sure , Festool’s sanders are really good - on par or better than Mirka. They also have 3 cordless models to choose from which is a bonus. The drawback for many is their sander battery platform only runs those sanders. In this case though - that’s not really a problem.
https://www.protoolreviews.com/festo...anders-review/


Mirka has a cordless polisher that if you’re looking for a small 2” or less sander.
https://www.mirka.com/en/p/Mirka-AOS...ts/power-tools


Rikon has one too that my turner friends say is decent for bowl work.
https://www.rikontools.com/product/31-200

[Jason White]

I like my cordless Bosch a lot.

[Bobby Robbinett]

The new cordless Bosch that appears to be a Mirka clone is super nice. Probably the best sander not made by Festool or Mirka. If Festool came out with a cordless Rotex that would be my choice. Otherwise this Bosch is excellent and very comfortable. It looks like a pneumatic sander but it’s actually a cordless.

[Kevin Jenness]

What kind of sander are you looking for? I recently got a Milwaukee M12 rotary sander/polisher which is a nice light high speed unit for turning applications, but for finishing flat work I would probably be looking for a random orbital or possibly an orbital sander.

[Bryan Hall]

Bobby: are you talking about the Bosch GEX18v-5N? I haven't heard of that one before and will look into it a bit more.

Kevin: I'm definitely interested in a polisher, but that's not the point right now. I'm looking for a ROS for general flat surface finishing.

Dave is right. Battery platform has zero impact on my choice. I managed to track down a dewalt vs festool cordless sander review which spoke to the significant noise and vibration benefits of the festool. I also know festool tends to have excellent dust collection so I may try to track one of those down in person.

[Tom Bussey]

Okay I checked out both the 18 volt and the 12 volt Bosch sanders, any experience with either. I have both systems. Also anyone with experience with the Makita sander would be helpful. The Makita sander does appear to be top-heavy.

[Jim Becker]

Dave is right. Battery platform has zero impact on my choice. I managed to track down a dewalt vs festool cordless sander review which spoke to the significant noise and vibration benefits of the festool. I also know festool tends to have excellent dust collection so I may try to track one of those down in person.

Honestly, the reason I have the Festool sanders I do is because of the vibration and dust collection benefits. I haven't used the battery operated (or even current generation corded), but if they "kept with the program", they are likely work checking out. They can still be used with the extractor with the BT provisioned gear, too, even though there's no power cord.

[Dave Sabo]

Honestly, the reason I have the Festool sanders I do is because of the vibration and dust collection benefits. I haven't used the battery operated (or even current generation corded), but if they "kept with the program", they are likely work checking out. They can still be used with the extractor with the BT provisioned gear, too, even though there's no power cord.

They have , really good sanders in 3 pad configs. - the only real drawback (besides high price) is the batteries only fit the sanders. The bluetooth trigger is quite convenient, and though Makita has the same tech - it's not promoted and the sander is meh at best.

festool tends to have excellent dust collection so I may try to track one of those down in person.

You shouldn't have any trouble in Portland. There's a Woodcraft and a big machinery dealer down by the river near the airport. Barbo is the name I think.

Okay I checked out both the 18 volt and the 12 volt Bosch sanders, any experience with either. I have both systems. Also anyone with experience with the Makita sander would be helpful. The Makita sander does appear to be top-heavy.

I've got the bosch 12v and demoed the Makita 18v. No comparison in my view. Makita is a dog. It's only claim to fame was it was first to market in it's class, which makes no difference now.

The new cordless Bosch that appears to be a Mirka clone is super nice.

Which sander is that ? I haven't see anything closely related between brands. Mirka's only battery sander(s) are the small rotary polishers.

[Bryan Hall]

Well after checking in on a few reviews, that bosch does look pretty darn good. Just checked at Lowes up the street from me... military discount plus they are throwing in a free battery and charger so I'm fully set up for $116. I think I'll give it a shot and see if it's good enough.

Plus... the wife is thrilled to have a new cordless sander. She likes sanding, just doesn't like cords. I'm more than happy to set her up!

[Tom Bussey]

For clarification only. I have both the Bosch 12 and the 18 volt systems. I do not, nor I have held in my hand a Bosch battery powered sander. Replies from anyone having any experience with either would be helpful.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I've got the bosch 12v and demoed the Makita 18v. No comparison in my view. Makita is a dog.

Thanks!
You saved me some money finding out.
All my cordless is Makita & I'm going to be looking at a new 5" ROS in the future.
I had wondered how the Makita cordless was.

[Richard Coers]

I was looking at a 3" Rigid cordless belt sander that Home Depot has on sale. Had the idea it would be perfect for a quick touch or quick leveling of dovetails. I had to laugh reading the reviews. One guy complained about battery life when he started sanding his deck! No kidding it got hot and took a long time? I think as long as your expectations are realistic about battery life, any of them should work well.