air sanders

[ponch37300]

I am looking to get some air sanders for a project. Looking at a DA and also a straight line sander. I've been doing some research and seems like dynabrade and hutchins are pretty good models? What about snap on, mac, matco sanders, who makes them and are they any good? I thought about looking on craigslist, any tips on what to look for in a used sander? Can they be repaired easily if something is wrong with them? Thanks for any advice you can share with a newb on buying a quality sander.

 

[84scrambler]

I have used Dynabrades DA for light duty use and like it a lot. They are a little more costly but the end product seems to be of good quality. I have also used a straight air grinder by Dynabrade for heavy use (robotic controlled polishing system) and so far it is holding up really well.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

can't go wrong with either of them. the hutchins are real nice and built nice and made in the usa. hutchins is a bit tricky to rebuild, the dynabrade is simple to rebuild.

 

[selohssa]

Both are a good choice. I prefer Hutchins but I like my Dynabrade very much too. I also like my Blue point D/A, It has lasted 17 years without a rebuild.

 

[ponch37300]

Thanks for the info guys. You confirmed what I have read about hutchins and dynabrade but I didn't find to many of them for sale used. A couple on ebay but not much on craigslist. I did see some snap on sanders for sale used, does anyone know if they are re badged by someone and if they are any good? Also is there any other brands I that I should be considering? Thanks again for the advice.

 

[ZRX61]

I've had a IR DA for about 20 years, works perfectly.

 

[Skyline]

I have one of the Snap-on Air Sanders for sale right now on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270569373398&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I have one of these myself, and it is great for heavy duty work. It can shift from Random Orbital to Rotary. I would not use one of these for fine work, but they are perfect for that first attanck of larger areas of body filler, or for stripping paint. It is extremely powerful, yet very lightweight. I used mine to strip the hull of my boat which had about a dozen layers of paint, and had it going non-stop for many, many hours at a time. Worked great. I really don't know why Snap-on discontinued this model, it's a great tool, and seems to be VERY popular at bodyshops. Even if you don't buy this one from me, I would really recommend this model sander.

 

[Monte]

National Detroit

www.nationaldetroit.com

 

[crewchief888]

I've had a IR DA for about 20 years, works perfectly.

mines probably 20 years old too,
pad sander is a central tool, close to 30 years old
stick sander was a hutchins, worked great while i had it, but someone else liked it more than i did
i dont use sanders too much, most of my bodywork requires a sledgehammer.