Recommend me a random orbit sander

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Co1

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I’ve got up to £100, what would you recommend? Not for industrial use, just hobby work but would like it to last a few years.

Also, this has probably been asked before but I can’t find a search function for the forum, is there one?
 
Co1":kqnc16ax said:
I’ve got up to £100, what would you recommend? Not for industrial use, just hobby work but would like it to last a few years.

Also, this has probably been asked before but I can’t find a search function for the forum, is there one?
Metabo SXE450
 
I've got this one https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb723sdr-125mm-random-orbit-sander-230-240v/5952r to be honest its great, I've sanded both wood and plaster with it and its performed very well indeed. I did get a pad saver for it as spares for erbauer are difficut to source, but you should a pad saver no matter what sander you get. the dust bag is ok but its much better when connected to a vac, its no way near a festool but its good considering the pricepoint.

matt
 
If you're looking to do a really high quality job bear the following in mind,

-you'll need to connect to some form of extraction, the little bags that attach to the back simply don't remove enough of the waste.

-for larger sanders, say 150mm in diameter or more, there's nothing more to worry about as far as extraction is concerned. But for smaller sanders, say 125mm and below, you may well have to reduce the level of suction with an extractor that can be dialled down. Too much suction on a small sander results in excessive pressure which can produce swirl marks.

-most sanders come with sanding pads that are a poor compromise, too hard for curved shapes but too soft for flat surfaces. To avoid dubbing over the edges on flat surfaces you need a sander that has replaceable hard or ultra hard pads.

-better a cheaper sander and excellent abrasives, than an expensive sander with bargain basement abrasives.
 
unfortunately, the options for hard pads are limited, and ultra hard pads are limited (to the best of my knowledge) to festool.
 
You may be right Marcros, in which case the only option is be careful that you never have more than about 10% of the pad hanging over the edge of the workpiece, and you keep the downward pressure light and always centred over solid wood.

A corner that's dubbed over at an angle just looks awful, or at least it does to me!
 
If you just plan on light sanding i really recommend the dewalt 125mm random orbital sander. Light and get a good finish, dust extraction great.

If i only had 100 to spend on an orbital sander id take a chance on the gmc
GMC 437712

Reason being it has two modes. Fixed and random. You don't normaly see that on a machine under £250. Fixed will remove material rapid. Look for videos on the festool rotex to explain the diffrent modes.

I have the makita with dual mode cant remember the price but defo over budget.

Note not to be confused with the metabo type duel mode machines that switch between a 3 and 5mm orbit.. Fixed orbit removes material as fast as a belt sander.
 
Co1":c7y2xnes said:
Thanks Matt, looks good. Any reason to spend more on makita, dewalt etc?

For me there was no need as I dont sand that much wood, i only really sand MDF and other man mades, anything with actual wood I plane or scrape.

Matt
 
Thanks all, some great advice there. Thanks for taking the time to explain that custard, I will be using extraction but it’s not variable so that is definitely worth bearing in mind.
 
The Metabo FSX 200 is cheap, and comes with a three year warranty (I paid less than £40 for mine).

The vibration can be uncomfortable after a while, but no worse than other sanders I've used in the same price bracket.

My only complaint is that my sander didn't come with a vacuum adapter, only a useless dust container so I had to buy the part separately for about £10.

Mark
 
Skeety":cb1q0j1c said:
Hi,

I have this DeWalt which has see a lot of use and sanded everything from plaster\filler right through to hardwoods. It's never let me down:

http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/s ... qaTIefLjMU

Jon.

+1

It's not heavy and comfortable to use and you can get replacement pads if needed. Walking through Chichester the other day there was a shopfitter finishing (another) coffee shop and he was using one of these and I would expect it to het a lot of use in this case

Misterfish
 
+1 on the dewalt DWE6423, I'm been really happy with mine, normal vac (henry) fits without the need for any adaptors which is handy. They do offer a quicklock adaptor but I've not found the need to get one. Recommend.

(Just as an aside the dewalt website for registration for the 3 year warranty is not https secured).
 
Found the dewalt model recommended for £60, so bought it! Thanks for all the help.
 
undergroundhunter":1xcanusa said:
I've got this one https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-erb723sdr-125mm-random-orbit-sander-230-240v/5952r to be honest its great, I've sanded both wood and plaster with it and its performed very well indeed. I did get a pad saver for it as spares for erbauer are difficut to source, but you should a pad saver no matter what sander you get. the dust bag is ok but its much better when connected to a vac, its no way near a festool but its good considering the pricepoint.

matt

Glad the OP found his sander.

I have the Erbauer above, which has been great- lasted for years. And recently transformed by connecting to the vac using a little £2 Triton univeral dust port rubber thing from Amazon. Worth getting.
 
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