Random Orbital Sanders

[LJM]

Hi,

I'm looking for a new sander. If I could justify the price, it would be a Mirka, so we'll put that aside. The Metabo sxe450 is well regarded, here and elsewhere, and is top of the list. However, I've been looking at the Makita Bo6050j dual action sander/polisher; any thoughts on that, direct experience, or other suggestions?

Thanks,

Lawrence

 

[petermillard]

That Makita looks to be the equivalent of a Festool Rotex i.e. it combines a regular random orbital mechanism with a gear-driven mode for more aggressive sanding, or polishing with the appropriate pad. The Metabo is simply a dual-orbit ROS i.e. it can be switched between (from memory) 3mm and 6mm orbits; I had the older version of the Metabo and it was absolutely brilliant for the money, until I got something better and had my expectations reset forever.

The downside of the Rotex-type (fine sanding, coarse sanding, polishing) machine is usually the weight, though the specs on that Makita suggest it isn't much heavier than the Metabo (2.6Kg vs 2.2Kg). The Rotex 150 is twice the weight, and the Mirka Deros is half the weight; a lot depends on how you plan to use it - if you're just sanding on the flat the weight won't matter much, but get to a wall or a ceiling and the difference will be huge...

HTH Pete

 

[LJM]

Thanks Peter, for the useful comments.

My one reservation of the Metabo is that at some point it was revised and lost 500g in weight; I can't help but wonder whether there's a loss of durability there. I take you point tough, about wight. It would be used mainly on the flat, so 99.9% on the time the extra weight of the Makita wouldn't be an issue.

I know the Makita is a relatively new model, replacing the long-standing BO6040, so reviews are thin on the ground; does anyone have experience of the older tool, or of equivalents such as the Festool or Bosch GEX150?

Thanks

 

[shed9]

The Bosch GEX 125-150 AVE seems to get good reviews and has interchangeable pads between 125 and 150mm. Orbit is 4mm, weight is 2.4kg, dust extraction seems to get the thumbs up and it appears to be one of those Bosch tools where the quality doesn't vary.

Geared drive sanders are great (I have an RO-150 and 90) but if you don't need this feature too much then the Bosch seems to be a possible contender.

 

[Wuffles]

The Metabo 450 is quite "tall" and potentially tippy. I have one, it's been great, but then you spoil yourself with one of the new Festy ETC EC sanders and you realise how much easier it "can be" with a lower centre of gravity. Same goes for the Mirka sanders I expect, not used one though. The Bosch appears to be "tall" too.

So bear that in mind.

I am now selling my Metabo to a mate who is entering the ROS market completely fresh.

 

[LJM]

This is the Bosch I'm talking about:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/power-tools/ ... 0wodAyADoA

It's equivalent to the Makita BO6050

 

[petermillard]

The Metabo 450 is quite "tall" and potentially tippy...

Yep, that's exactly what I found - it was the ergonomics of the Festool that replaced it that was so much better; I do a lot of sanding, so it made a big difference to me - if you don't do that much then it may not be such a big deal. I also found the method of changing orbits on my Metabo a bit clunky, though again, mine was an older version so it may have improved since then.

FWIW you can still get the older Festool ETS 150/5 for not much more than the price of that Makita.

This is the Bosch I'm talking about:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/power-tools/ ... 0wodAyADoA

It's equivalent to the Makita BO6050

I may be reading it wrongly, but that seems to be a different animal again. From their blurb...

"A truly multi-purpose 2 in 1 sander with 150mm disc offering a choice of either random with orbital action or orbital action alone...."

To me "random with orbital action" reads as a regular ROS, but "orbital action alone" sounds like just a spinning disc; might be worth checking that out, as a spinning disc sander is of limited use.

Also, what kind of sanding are you intending to be doing with your new tool? Do you need the very aggressive modes? I agree with Shed9 that the Rotex are brilliant sanders (I have the full set) but not without compromise; for me a simple 5mm orbit ROS will cover an awful lot of ground.

Cheers, Peter

 

[LJM]

I, gone for the Makita, having read good things about its predecessor (BO6040). The first job will be re-finishing a beach dining table; I'll report back on it's performance.

 

[MMUK]

You won't regret it. I've recently bought one myself and it's proved to be a damned good bit of kit so far.....

 

[Alexfn]

Im also lookin to buy one. Where have you bought yours? Ffx tools have much lower prices but the 240v is oos

 

[MMUK]

Im also lookin to buy one. Where have you bought yours? Ffx tools have much lower prices but the 240v is oos

Think I had the last 240v one they had last week :mrgreen:

 

[Dlyxover]

I bought a titan random orbital sander from screw fix 6 years ago or so, had to change the bearing last year but all work still.

It was £25 on after at the time tho.

 

[Mark A]

I bought a titan random orbital sander from screw fix 6 years ago or so, had to change the bearing last year but all work still.

It was £25 on after at the time tho.

I bought a Titan from Screwfix last week after my trusty Metabo died after six years. Took it back for a refund the next day as discs would stick to the velcro for about four seconds before flying off. Not cheap and nasty discs either - I tried a selection including Hermes and Norton.

I bought another Metabo for £45 delivered from Amazon. I'll buy a better sander in time but for it'll do me for now.

 

[LJM]

Finally got around to those jobs and can report it is an excellent machine; with the disks that came with it, an excellent satiny finish is easy. With abranet it's even easier, and cleaner. Ergonomics is a personal thing, but I find them excellent on this tool; many different ways to hold it and easily controllable with just a loose grip, or even one-handed. I've a little bosch palm sander which is far more onerous to use.

I've not used either a festool or the often recommended Metabo, so can not compare.

Best price I found was FFX, for the 110v.