Belt and Disc sander - recommendations?

[mpcpba]

Hi
I am a hobbyist woodturner and DIY woodworker.
Until now I've used an old B&D hand belt sander for stock removal sanding. This came with a backplate so it can be gripped in a vice with a mitre guide and doubles as a small 'bench' sander. However this is now expiring and I also find that I need more accuracy than this will offer with sanding right angle and mitred work.
I am thinking of adding a disc and belt sander / linisher to my kit. Mainly to assist with removing turned bowl tenons and generally so I can more easily achieve an accurate finish to work. I also want to try out segmented wood turning so I need to be able to be reasonably sure about sanding accurate mitre angles. I also don't want one with cheap plasticky fixings which will break after 3 months use either

Ideally I don't want to spend more than about £140 and there seems to be a lot of 150mm disc /100mm belt ones out there to choose from at that price including:

Record Power BDS 150. £139 ish. Seems underpowered at 250w? Some say that the mitre & table are rubbish. 5yr guarantee though
CoTech £99 + 10% off just now. 500watt. Clas Ohlson backed 2 yr guarantee. Seems a sensible option with some spares available too - but few reviews
Erbauer ERB707BTS. £99 from Screwfix. 500watt 2 yr guarentee.
Scheppach BTS 800. £139. 370watt. 2yr guarentee
Clarke CS4-6D. £100. Heard poor things about Clarke kit so not too keen

Any help or suggestions very much welcomed as although my usage will be quite light I'd rather not buy a piece of junk just to save £50. Currently favour the CoTech from Clas Ohlson.
Thanks in anticipation for any advice!

 

[DiscoStu]

I think you've pretty much found the same thing with different stickers on it. I actually bought the Clarke one when it was VAT free and paid about £75 at the time. It's fine. It's not a precision tool but does what I need it too. It's a little noisy but that tends to be the case when you buy cheap. My view was that a sander just didn't need to be that accurate and it's been fine. The mitre gauge is cheap but it works and I've found that you can set the rest at 90 degree without too much hassle. I think they are all pretty much the same?


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[Neil S]

I have the record bds150
The disc is too small really but I have recently converted to using the belt in vertical mode and it's been a huge improvement. Plus it's easier to change belts than discs. The thing that attracted me to the record was that the table is fixed on both sides where many others appear to only be fixed on one side.
HTH
-Neil

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[MikeJhn]

I recently bought one of these: http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Oscillatin ... GwodDP4IeQ although not a disc sander, I find it does everything I need plus some things I never knew I needed, the bobbins are excellent for sanding inside curves and because it oscillates means I can keep whatever I am sanding on the abrasive without fear of burning.

Mike

 

[RogerP]

I've had one of these for a few years and no complaints.
SIP 01946 500W 8" x 4" Belt & Disc Sander
http://tinyurl.com/zjemkl9

 

[mpcpba]

Update.
I went ahead and bought the Record Power BDS 150. I,am very satisfied with it and would recommend it. It is very solidly built and the belt tackles most things I have thrown at it with ease.
I have also bought a block of belt sander cleaner which is suprisingly effective at getting rid of resin patches which would otherwise swiftly reduce belt life - it actually works!
The disc sander works well and is fine for what I need although a larger disc would no doubt be found more useful by some. The curved end of the belt is also excellent for shaping or removing small nubs.
Overall very pleased I went for a proper bench unit