Bench sander

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biskit

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I'm going to buy a bench top 6"x4" sander, can anyone tell me is the Axminster at £189. That much better than the Machine mart one at 20% off at £85.?? :?
 
biskit":11hc16mm said:
I'm going to buy a bench top 6"x4" sander, can anyone tell me is the Axminster at £189. That much better than the Machine mart one at 20% off at £85.?? :?

Don't know which particular 2 models you're comparing, but as a general rule anything that Axminster sell is almost certainly significantly better than whatever equivalent Machine-Mart sell. Although the 2 retailers may appear to service the same market, the philosophy behind them is quite different.
 
The Record and the MM look the same, Record being £50 more. The small Axminster has an 8" disc and a very bad review on their site. According to the reviewer probably better buying two Machine Mart versions.!!!!
 
I advise caution with any of these (Axi, Record, MM) - unless you are giving them very light duty, they are all seriously underpowered. Serious sanding slows them down and exacerbates wear / failure.

I am not a fan of Clarke generally, as their manufacturers are at the corner cutting end of the market, but if you are willing to pay a bit over Axminster money the Clarke CS6-9C is a good price for a 1hp machine. The sanding disk is 9" (not as good as 12" but a lot better than the small ones, and the belt table is a decent size, running a 6" by 48" belt. £250 including VAT but before discount, and a vastly superior machine to the hobby Axminster.
 
..get the record 12" disc sander..and if purchased at a "show" will be about £170....great piece of kit. Spent ages looking at disc / belt combos, but all the "smaller" ones did not look that good.
 
I have the record 12" disc sander too. It is good for the money I agree - which is why I said a 12" beats the little discs on the combo machines. Even this 12" is underpowered though. Sanders have a hard life and it is pointless in my experience buying the DIY market cheap ones.
 
I've got a much modified RP BDS250 and it's been pretty good although I have had to replace a few parts that broke.
A disc sander on its own would be a bit limiting for me but the combined B&D sander concept has been very useful.
Check out how easy it is to change the belts on any that you like the look of as some can be a right PITA. Also check the belt and disc sizes are commonly available.
 
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