I use random orbit sanders A LOT to sand exposed rafters, beams etc. on site and have been pretty disappointed with how long they last. The hook and loop on my Bosch 5″ sanders wears out very quickly, and the plastic on the back of the pad strips out, causing the bolt to loosen and the pad to fly off. I tried switching to Rigid 6″ for the lifetime replacement parts, but they wear out just as fast and I have found their warranty department to be less than timely. I now have a site full of sanders in various states of falling apart. Has anyone else who uses random orbit sanders in heavy use had better luck with anything else?
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Palm type ROS don't seem to last long, Festool may be an exception. I have a PC 7335 but it takes two hands. Very nice HD sander.
http://www.toolmarts.com/pc_7335.html
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
It sounds as if you need a belt sander or at least, one of the dual mode random orbit sanders. Look at the Festool Rotex and the Bosch Model 1250DEVS.
my $0.02
The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there, and the battlefield is the heart of man.
- Fyodor Dostoyevski
I find the Festool RO palm sanders to be underpowered. But their Rotex sanders are great. Check it out:
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=7&prodid=571536
I've been using the DW 5" 8-hole units for years. I carry extra pads and parts, and I have three, two of which are normally working at any one time.
Never tried another brand, as I am too heavily invested in DW for now.
They work OK, not great.
you only get one chance to do it right the first time
do you have air? national detroit brand da is used in body shops day in,day out.if one lasted only ten years it would be a exception,i still have the one i bought in 73,looks rough but still sands like a new one. lots lighter than elec but does take about 8-10 cfm of air. i have used mine alot with a old crapsman comp. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
Thanks for the feedback.
I've looked at the Festool but that a lot of money for a sander, and if that one didn't last ten times as long and sand ten times better I'd feel ripped off.
I've got a couple of belts, but they don't do what I need to do most of the time.
We have one pneumatic in our shop, and it works very well. I guess the main reason we haven't brought it out to the site is noise. It makes a terrible high pitched whine,and it is only orbital, not random orbit. That makes a huge difference when you've got miles of wood to sand. If there is a pneumatic Random Orbit maybe I need to get a couple of those.
Bosch parts are readily available locally, but the price adds up, as does the time spent on this. Maybe I'll just convince the architects and owners that rust stains and boot prints are "natural."
The higher price for the Festool may be cheaper in the long run rather than running through the numerous other sanders that fall apart, assuming the Festool is reliable, which history seems to support. And their support service is great.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
My Festool 6" ETS 150/3 (finish sander) along with the CT22 "almost" makes sanding fun. No more mask or respirator and the vacuum is fairly quiet. Best of all no more dust. Their vacuum system is unbeatable for how well it works. Granted it is damn spendy but over time what are your lungs worth? Bonus is the sander is variable speed and the vacuum is also variable. Huge selection of grits and yes they cost more too but seem to last longer. Can save a few $ when you buy the "combo" package. Festool has a huge list of options for most of its tools as well. Don't bother looking for deals, they are trade priced.
Bob Marino has a great online site at http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/ he is one of the best people to deal with that I have found on the net. Very personable.
http://www.festoolusa.com
Jim
this is the da i'm talking about http://www.tooltopia.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8266 you will notice that it has a q in it's #,that stands for quiet,now nobodys going to be sleeping in the same room but it's not a high pitch sound.
with this tool it is a random orbit ,then there is a little lock ring you can switch it to and it becomes just a orbit/grinder mode.larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
ahinothwest
I have had great service from my Mikita's (B5010's) I bought them because fine wood working's test said they were fastest and the quietest with the least vibration..
But they have been extremely durable, somedays running non stop. One time I replaced the hook and loop pad on one of them and now I have a switch that is working more like a momentary switch than an on off switch. I'll pop it apart first to see if it's just jammed up with sawdust before I go get a replacement switch..
I'll be willing to bet that I've got close to 5000 hours on each of them.
I have the Makita B5021K and like it better than the shorter handled random orbital sanders. It seems to be holding up well, but doesn't have all that much time on the clock. http://www.amazon.com/Makita-BO5021K-Random-Sander-Variable/dp/B00004YOKD
Are you finish sanding, rough sanding, both?
The stair and cabinet shop where I worked used half-sheet Porter Cables for quite a bit of work. They are extremely durable and leave a nice finish, paper is cheap, too. They're also time effective for large surfaces. I don't know if they are true random orbit, though. Big disadvantage in my book, no dust collection at all.
Might be worth checking out.
We had some five inch air powered random orbits, Dynabrade, I believe. Great sanders. We used them in the boatyard as well. Don't know about the air consumption though.
Festool's have a three year warrantee.
- Kit
I can't personally say anything about their longevity, but Dynabrade makes a fairly full line of pneumatics. Woodworkers Supply carries a few of them.
http://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=919-736&search=Dynabrade
Thanks people.
It seems like the two best options are pnumatic or Festool. I have loved every Festool tool I have used, so that's probably what I should do. I'll just need a stick to bite down on when they bill me.
I like the longer bodied grinder style that makita nd pc makes, but they size and wieght are an issue when sandin overhead and in tight spaces.
Just curious, anyone else been dissapointed with the Bosch maodels? They work great, but they just don't seem to last. Is it just me or has Bosch started to slip in quality? I bought an expensive Bosch table saw and a cheap Ryobi at around the same time for general site use. I got the Ryobi to have one I didn't feel bad about abusing, and it was worked way harder than the Bosch. Guess which one I still use and which one collects dust in the shop.
ahinorthwest,
Seriously try the Mikita.. Faster, smoother, quieter and extremely durable.
and yes I have a Bosch belt sander which is in the shop on a regular basis to fix various problems.. Major disappointment considering I bought it on advice.
I bought the Bosch 6" dual action sander a year ago when my old bosch went toes up. It is terrible in the dual action mode; the thing will not sit flat. So I'm buying the Festool soon, but if you're gonna buy the Festool, itbetter be before Apr 1, because they are increasing prices then, adding another $30 onto it.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
i'm keep telling everyone when they get tired of spending 500.00 for a saw go get a ryobi for 1/2 the price. welcome to the ryobi club,nothing you want to tell your friends about but here on the i-net no one knows,thats why we don't use our real names... larry [yeah right name ,but i'm not giving my last]if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
alwaysoverbudget.
You can have my Ryobi sander. What a P.O.S.
Frenchy
I have a ryobi belt sander that my brother gave me about 17 years ago, you can not kill the damn thing!
When he gave it to me I didn't have a belt sander so I thought what the hell, beats what I got. Still have it and use it regularly.
Doug
Doug U
The one I bought a few years ago is a real POS Most of the Royobi stuff you buy at Home Depot etc. is really low grade stuff..
I don't question that some of the newer ones are not as good.
I also received a ryobi plunge router of the same vintage, plunge mechanism was krapola but the tool had good power, used it for my router table. That one got stolen so I will never know how long it would have lasted!
There are junk and good in every brand, just never know when it will hit. And yea, some brands will have more clunkers then others.
Doug
If this was the 3+hp Ryobi plunge router, I bought one late eighties, stuck it under my router table, and it's been there since. Miles of molding and too many rail/stile/raised panel doors to count. It's started a high pitch whine lately, though, so I'm gonna start to look for a replacement, but close to 20 years isn't bad. The shaper does more of the heavy stuff now, though.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
This it?
View Image"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Invictus, by Henley.
Nick
That looks like it. Not worth a damn as a plunge but plenty of power for the router table.
I used the hell out of mine before someone saw it in the back of my unlocked truck and felt the need to relieve me of it.
Doug
I bought 2 Milwaukee cordless drills, two Bosch, and a Ryobi a couple of years ago. The only on that still works is the Ryobi. New, the other tools are better, but I have been very impressed with how long my Ryobi stuff lasts.
Have you used the new Ryobi L-Ion? I'm considering buying this, as the batteries are interchangeable with by Ni-Cad 18V. Maybe I'll post this question as a new thread, if I would just get dumped on for owning Ryobi.
You guys with your fancy
high priced "Foreign" Tools.