An orbital sander is an indispensable ability tool. You can use it to strip pigment or sand the gloss off a painted surface then that a new glaze sticks more readily to it. Plus it will strip rust, make clean upward flea market place furniture, remove a splintered edge from a slice of woods, and take the burr off a piece of freshly cutting metal. Of course, i of the jobs it excels at is smoothing wood to set up it for a clear finish. Knowing how useful this tool is, we gathered a range of both cordless and corded orbital power sanders and tested them in an try to help you find the correct i. Read on for buying communication, our reviews of the best, and tips on using and maintaining your sander.
The All-time Power Sanders
Know Your Sander
Most of our test sanders are random-orbit types with a round pad measuring 5 or 6 inches across. Random orbit means the pad spins and oscillates in, but that, a random orbital motion. This reduces the chances of leaving swirl marks on the surface and allows you to move the sander both with and across the grain. We too tested an orbital sander with a square pad (also called a quarter-sheet sander). These tools sand with a consequent orbital motion and work more than slowly than random-orbit types. But the square pad allows them to sand into corners.
Another divergence betwixt these is that the random-orbit diversity accept sandpaper discs that attach to their bases with hooks and loops. Orbital sanders utilise peel-and-stick sandpaper that comes precut or that you lot cut to fit, or yous adhere an abrasive canvas to the tool with the clamps on the sander's sides. Both types of sanders have a purse that volition capture almost of the dust the tool produces. For more thorough dust command, use a sander that has a round frazzle port to facilitate hooking up to a hose on a store vacuum.
Battery-Powered Versus Corded
We evaluated both battery-powered sanders (called cordless) and corded models. At the start of the exam, nosotros wondered if the battery would cause a cordless sander to be too heavy. Merely when nosotros weighed the two types of tools, we establish they weigh almost the aforementioned, once you factor in the string's heft. Select a cordless sander if you spend a lot of fourth dimension on job sites and already accept lots of cordless tool piece of work going on. Cordless tools are handy and more than mobile when you lot're climbing a ladder or a scaffold considering you don't take to contend with the weight of a cord hanging down.
Select a corded tool if you spend long sanding sessions at a bench, especially if you can plug the sander directly into an outlet without an extension string. In these cases, cord drag isn't an upshot and there isn't a pressing need for mobility. A skillful example of this is when you lot sand a furniture. You just need to work your style down through each grit, slowly perfecting the sanded surface.
How We Exam
To put these tools through the paces, we drew rectangles on pieces of oak and maple, plywood, and softwood and sanded each rectangle with an lxxx-grit disc. Adjacent, we emptied the dust container or bag to check the volume of grit the sander collected. Nosotros also carefully wiped down the work surface to get a sense of how much dust the sander missed. As nosotros worked, we assessed the sander'southward vibration and whether it produced an unpleasant gyroscopic result when we lifted it off the examination board. Nosotros examined the sanded surface under bright light to run into whether the tools left swirl marks.
Whatsoever of the sanders in this examination volition serve a homeowner. Professional-course models such as the sanders from Makita, DeWalt, Bosch, and Metabo-HPT vibrate less and are more durable. For homeowner-duty power tools that requite nearly a professional person level of functioning, come across the reviews of the Ryobi sanders and the Craftsman. As well note that a less expensive tool equipped with a loftier-quality abrasive sheet will evidence more than adequate for most uses around the business firm.
Supply chain problems are causing some of our sanders to come and go out of stock pretty speedily. All the same, there are other options that we tin recommend. We oasis't tested these three sanders, but they're in stock, and similar models to these have performed well in our past tests.
BEST CORDED
Bosch ROS20VSC Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: iii.v lb
The ROS20VSC is comfortable, sands fast, and has the best dust drove of the corded sanders we tested. Because its dust control is so practiced (owing to a prophylactic O-ring seal on the dust port, skillful airflow, and an airtight grit canister), less grit stays on the surface to get ground into the abrasive pad. That means the pad stays cleaner and lasts longer. Its speed control dial is backside the handle; you can get at it easily, just information technology's possible to accidentally bump information technology out of position. The sanded surface it left was very nice—a hair less smooth than the Milwaukee 6034-21'southward below but notwithstanding of exceptional quality.
BEST CORDLESS
DeWalt DCW210D1 Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 3.iv lb
• Battery: 5.0 Ah, 20 V
At full speed, DeWalt's DCW210D1 was the fastest and nigh aggressive sander we tested. Still it still sands with very petty jarring vibration. It's also important to note that it did improve than many other sanders at lower speeds—some exhibit more vibration and loss of effectiveness as y'all dial back their speed, just not this one. If you're already invested in the company's cordless organization, this tool is a sensible add-on. Even if you lot're not, information technology's a great place to start since you get the sander, a charger, a battery, and a pocketbook. And the company makes a wide range of equipment from drill and affect drivers to saws that work with the same bombardment.
AGGRESSIVE & EFFECTIVE
Makita XOB01T Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 3.8 lb
• Bombardment: 5.0 Ah, 18 V
The Makita XOB01T seemed to sand equally fast as the DeWalt above, which is surprising given that its top speed is one,000 rpm less than its yellow competitor. Even with the big battery, information technology felt well-balanced, and its dust pickup is adept. Downsides? The sander does has a powerful gyroscopic activity that requires a slight frontwards bias to continue information technology sanding on track. One time you get used to that, you're proficient to go.
(The cost in a higher place is for the whole kit, two batteries, charger, and case included. If you're afterward the tool past itself, look hither.)
Best VALUE
Ryobi P411 Orbital Sander
• Weight: four.ii lb
• Battery: 4.0 Ah, 18 Five
This little sander hits the sweetness spot. It's not as ambitious as the others, but it does sand well and with a high caste of control. Its dust pickup was surprisingly good for such an inexpensive and simple ability tool. And this is more of an ascertainment, but the ability push button is somewhat stiff. In all, we rate the P411 as a good fit for the frugal power-tool shopper.
Most Versatile
DeWalt DWE6421 Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 2.9 lb
DeWalt's DWE6421 is a journeyman power tool—a good, solid, smoothly operating machine essentially identical in feel and sanding performance to the Craftsman below. Having noticed the similarities, we did some superficial disassembly of them both, removing their bases and the top housing covers. In that location may be something tucked deep inside the DeWalt to requite it an edge in terms of durability, only it wasn't obvious from above or below. Putting aside cosmetics of colour and slightly different rubberized surfaces, these appear to exist identical in sanding performance, showtime and finish speed, weight, and configuration.
Almost PRO-QUALITY
Ryobi RS290G Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 4 lb
The RS290G is a simple and solid sander, just its grit-command handbag is not nearly as efficient as the closed canisters on the Bosch or the Milwaukee. This isn't to say that it does a poor job picking up grit, considering its competitors practise it most flawlessly. This Ryobi sands with good speed and power and completed sanding its test areas in most the same corporeality of time every bit those others. In terms of the quality of sanded surface it produces, we'd say that it's surprisingly good for the toll.
Smoothest
Milwaukee 6034-21 Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 3.5 lb
The 6034-21 was the smoothest-running corded sander of the bunch, with a distinct lack of gyroscopic wobble and a pleasant vibration-free motion. Its grit control was good, simply removing the dust lid from the canister was ridiculously difficult. Furthermore, it'due south possible that the lid feels like information technology's snapped on when it isn't. You sand for a few minutes and notice that the sander is a dusty mess, equally is whatever you're working on. Just be certain you lot have that lid attached properly, and you'll exist rewarded with a pleasant power tool that works smoothly and quickly, leaving a flawless surface.
Best FOR WIDE SURFACES
Milwaukee 2648-xx Orbital Sander
• Weight: four.ii lb
• Battery: 3.0 Ah, 18 V
You don't have to muscle this sander to keep it in place, and it feels every bit if it floats over the board's surface. However, the design of the dust canister and the manner it sticks out over the rear of the tool is a bit cumbersome—specially considering that this is a cordless sander, we would have liked if information technology were a scrap more than nimble. So the ideal application is smoothing out a table tiptop or dealing with a crude spot on wood siding. It's better there, let's say, than working inside a drawer. To be fair, however, if you lot opt out of the canister, you lot can easily hook up a hose from a shop vacuum to its outlet port.
Best at Sanding Into Corners
Metabo-HPT SV12SG Orbital Sander
• Weight: two.five lb
Metabo'due south SV12SG was the only quarter-sheet (non-oscillating) orbital sander in the test. It's a expert power tool that transmitted very footling vibration to our hand as information technology went about its work, somewhat slowly producing a reliably smooth surface without swirl marks. Its dust collection is quite proficient (if not as skillful as other corded models), simply its dust port isn't easily adaptable to a vacuum. On the other hand, information technology does take a major advantage in that y'all've got multiple options for its annoying sheets. You lot tin use the peel-and-stick kind, buy the pre-cut v.five x four.5-inch sheets designed for such machines, or purchase a roll of 4.5-inch-wide abrasive paper from which you cut pieces to fit the sander.
Good All-around Cordless
Ridgid R8606B Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: 4.8 lb
• Bombardment: half-dozen.0 Ah, 18 Five
This Ridgid orbital sander has a soft-get-go characteristic that brings the machine up to speed with a gentle ramp-upward. Our but complaint is a small-scale one: A tight fit betwixt the dust-bag collar and the bombardment makes removing the purse somewhat difficult.
Lightweight
Black & Decker BDCRO20C Orbital Sander
• Weight: 2.8 lb
• Battery: one.five Ah, 20 Five
It'due south not pro-duty, but the BDCRO20C is a good trivial sander for the price and very lite. For modest weekend fix-upwards jobs, there's no question it will piece of work well, particularly when y'all're sanding less-demanding materials similar white pino. While it's a practiced idea to wear a mask with any sander, it's necessary here—it has fairly ineffective dust collection.
Ideal for Craftsman Fans
Craftsman CMEW231 Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: two.ix lb
Like the DeWalt DWE6421, the CMEW231 operates smoothly, leaving a well-sanded surface. It also appears, fifty-fifty under superficial disassembly and analysis, to be nearly identical to that sander. We tin't say they're exactly the same mechanically, but information technology's possible that the DWE6421 possesses heavy-duty components that this sander does not. Simply if y'all've already bought into the Craftsman ecosystem, yous might prefer this sander.
All-time ON A LADDER
Porter-Cable PCCW205B Random Orbital Sander
• Weight: iii.0 lb
• Battery: i.five Ah, twenty V
Porter-Cable's sander is lightweight and capable, making it a expert choice for ladder-based work; you should have no trouble property it overhead as you lot smooth scraped paint. Only before going up that ladder, beware. It's easy to call up that the fiddling plastic finger that locks the dust canister in identify is engaged when it's not. If you're not paying attention, that tin can effect in a dust spill that will make a mess out of yous and the piece of work surface area.
MAINTAINING YOUR SANDER AND YOURSELF
Sanders don't need a lot of care, but they do demand some. The best thing you can do for it is to blow the grit out of it using compressed air (or a tin can of compressed air purchased at an role supply shop) or use a shop vacuum and work over its exterior, peculiarly its air vents.
At present protect yourself, particularly your lungs: Wearable a dust mask when sanding. Better models take a foam strip to help the mask brand a better seal to your confront. They may besides have a vent that reduces moisture buildup under the mask.
Clean up equally you work to forbid large piles of talc-like dust from accumulating. And when you're washed sanding and ready to take a break, either brush or vacuum yourself off before going inside the house or other clean area. It's also a good idea to wearable an old shirt, coveralls, or a shop apron and go out that in the sanding area, rather than bringing dust into the house. Having a floor mat outside the shop is great, as well. Remember what your mom said: Wipe your anxiety (or take your work shoes off)! This cuts down on tracked dirt, which is more simply a nuisance. Remnants of sanding grit on shoe soles tin scratch finished floors, and tracked-in grit can course an eye-watering or throat-scratching irritant equally it spreads throughout the house.
When it comes to using a sander, it's pretty uncomplicated, and there are merely these central rules:
- Motion the sander slowly and steadily over the piece of work surface. Racing dorsum and along is difficult on the tool and whatever you're sanding.
- Don't skip more than 1 form of grit every bit you move from coarse to shine. You can go from 100 grit to 150 (skipping 120), but don't go from 100 grit to 220 grit. It doesn't hurt to movement through each size of dust, from coarse to smoothest, but for all just the finest of piece of work, it's not necessary.
- Vacuum the surface make clean with a shop vacuum and a castor attachment when you're done with each level of grit. This removes any trapped particles hiding on the surface. For piece of furniture-grade finishing, wipe the surface make clean with a tack cloth (a glutinous piece of cloth used to option up dust; it's sold in the pigment aisle) before proceeding to the side by side dust.
- Don't tip the sander near the edges considering it will round them off. Of course, if you lot prefer a slightly rounded corner, that tin can exist a adept affair. For example, paint sticks meliorate to a gently rounded corner than to a sharp 1.
Roy Berendsohn Senior Home Editor Roy Berendsohn has worked for more 25 years at Pop Mechanics, where he has written on carpentry, masonry, painting, plumbing, electrical, woodworking, blacksmithing, welding, lawn care, chainsaw utilise, and outdoor ability equipment.
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