Which orbital sander would you buy?

[PugetDude]

Anyone has a Makita sander?

Just tossed my 20 year old Makita RO in the trash last week; it died in a spectacular shower of sparks. It did work well for 20 years-just be prepared to replace the base plate every couple of years when it loses it's "gription".

Never really liked the dust bag on the Makita; it was hard to keep in place, seemed to vibrate off during extended sanding- my Milwaukee does a lot better job containing the dust.
But it may be heresy to even mention, the Bauer from HF is every bit as good as the Milwaukee, IMO - bought one to leave up at the cabin and have been favorably impressed. $29 with the inevitable coupon.

 

[Robinson1]

Ive used Makita, Dewalt, Porter Cable, Ridgid. They're all about the same performance wise. None will really impress you if you're trying to do production scale work. Definitely get corded unless you've got a pile of batteries and a couple fast chargers.

Skip the 1/4 sheet "palm" sanders entirely. They won't do anything that a random orbit cant do better and leave a sub par finish that WILL require hand sanding. The only plus they have is the ability to cut paper from full sheets.

 

[roadruiner]

variable speed is definetly nice

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you need to remove a lot of material fast, it is hard to beat a Bosch 1250DEVS. 6" pad (most others are 5"). Turbo mode for very agressive sanding. EXPEN$IVE

 

[tarbellb]

If $100 is your budget, the Makita is a good option.

But.... if you are doing any kind of serious sanding, or hate it as much as most people do consider the Bosch 1250DEVS as mentioned, or its updated version the GET75-6N.

For a smaller detail sander I really like the Bosch ROSVS20S, variable speed, easy to maneuver, wont hog off a corner detail.

Seriously, if you hate sanding buy the dual action Bosch, its a game changer.

 

[engineer2]

Skip the 1/4 sheet "palm" sanders entirely.

Someone on the planet HAS to make a decent quarter sheet sander. My older Bosch is about worn out and I'm in the market for something new. I love the convenience of just ripping a full sheet of sandpaper.
A minor drawback to the Bosch is having to replace the orbital bearing every year.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

I have an early 1/4 sheet DeWalt. It' the French design. B&D had bought the company. I'll be broken hearted when it dies. I use it 10x more than my Bosch RO. Much smoother. Between the DeWalt and a Makita 3x24 I've covered all my woodworking. The Porter Cable looks the same as my 1/4 sheet.

 

[Rabid Badger]

Just tossed my 20 year old Makita RO in the trash last week; it died in a spectacular shower of sparks. It did work well for 20 years-just be prepared to replace the base plate every couple of years when it loses it's "gription".

Never really liked the dust bag on the Makita; it was hard to keep in place, seemed to vibrate off during extended sanding- my Milwaukee does a lot better job containing the dust.
But it may be heresy to even mention, the Bauer from HF is every bit as good as the Milwaukee, IMO - bought one to leave up at the cabin and have been favorably impressed. $29 with the inevitable coupon.

You probably could have gotten parts for it.

 

[PugetDude]

You probably could have gotten parts for it.

It served me well and died a noble death. I gave it a proper burial.