Recommend a small random orbital sander

[Jona]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a new RO sander for electric guitars. It doesn't need to be particularly heavy duty as I won't generally be removing a lot of material, but needs to leave an excellent finish.

The Festool RO90 looks nice but I can't justify £400 on a sander, and I already have a delta. So I'm looking at 125mm palm sanders around the £100 mark, e.g:

Makita BO5031
Bosch GEX-1AE
Hitachi SV13YA

Any opinions or preferences between these or other suggestions?

Thanks



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[MrDavidRoberts]

I seriously can't recommend any of those sanders, I went through this half a year ago thinking I will get by with a budget of 100.
I ordered several sanders, all went back... reason? I had used the Mirka deros before for some time and knew what a good sander looks and feels like,however I had stopped doing what I do as much and wanted to buy something cheaper.

If you want a nice lightweight machine, 100pounds sadly won't cut it..
Let me tell you a story:

I bought used deros and had it for about a year, the warranty just had ran out for it, and I listed it on ebay and sold it for 280 ( just the bare tool without anything else), I than ordered 4-5 different sanders around the 100price range over the course of a month and They were all Junk compared to what I had (Including 2 of your models you have listed there), I was getting so frustrated..

Than I saw the Deros had a really good price, and well I bought it again... But... I combined few discounts/cashback and I sold the systainer box it came with along with the booklets and everything else so I'm left with just a bare tool again.

If you were to do the same thing today as me:
You can get the sander here for 369 ,
https://www.angliatoolcentre.co.uk/mirk ... 42637.html

but... Use a 5% angliatoolcentre discount coupon code : 300CQ90
to bring it down to 350
Than go through Quidco where they have 6% cashback which brings it down to : 329
If you were to sell the systainer box ( it's a rebranded festool box -so quite valuable) with the rest of the bits you can get another 60pounds for it,
which brings it down to about 265-270

So for about 270 you get a brand new machine with 3years warranty.
Remember I sold mine which was USED heavily for 280?
They do hold their value very very well... and this is usually the way I think when I'm buying new tools, I research about them, and about their future resale values and if a good deal comes up I know I can use the thing and sell it for more or less the same money I had bought it...

 

[Bodgers]

How about:

viewtopic.php?t=103829&share_tid=103829&share_fid=14197&share_type=t

Metabo SXE400 80mm ROS

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[Alexfn]

Hi Jona

if you dont want to remove much material and spend around £100 i would recommend the Dewalt DWE6423, i own quite a few random orbital sanders and its my go to for light work as its got excellent dust extraction and is lightweight, using the right grit you will get a really good finish.

However if i was going to buy a new 125mm sander id be tempted to take a chance on the Makita M9204 at £45 quid from screwfix, you can register it with makita for a 3 year warranty.

(on the screwfix website it says 1 year but on the makia website all of the MT tool range is listed as having 3 years and a friend of mine registered his tool for the 3 year warranty without problem)

 

[skipdiver]

I bought this last year and for the money it's pretty good.


https://www.ffx.co.uk/tools/product/Met ... isc-Sander

 

[Jona]

Thank you all for the suggestions.

David I know that often cheaper tools are a false economy, but as in this case I don't need great versatility or heavy duty performance I'm inclined to see if the basic models are up to task. If not there is always the option of returning within a reasonable time, no harm done.

What is it that makes the very cheap options (i.e. Metabo FSX200, Makita M9204) half the cost of the ~£100 models? The only feature I can see obviously different is a lack of speed control. This makes me wary of the general quality though- what's the catch? Light weight is also definitely an advantage btw, as I'll e sanding curves etc.

 

[Bodgers]

The SXE400 has speed control.

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[Simou1]

Jona

The little Metabo FSX200 is a cracking little sander. I don't think you will be in the slightest bit disappointed with it. It is lightweight, has reasonable dust extraction, comes with a 3 year warranty and you can get OEM 125mm or other brand sanding discs just about anywhere. But it is single speed and this is where the price differential rears its ugly head as added specifications such as variable speed control and electronic brakes add cost. There is no catch with established brands and the low(ish) price reflects the fact that the manufacturing base has shifted Eastwards. Metabo source the sander in China as they couldn't make the carton in Germany for the selling price! Same with the others too, Makita et al.

It is all down to budget and what you want your sander to do but if you are sanding curves check out the hardness of the sanding pad of whichever sander you choose. As you move up the sander price band you can purchase optional soft or medium sanding pads which are much more flexible in following contours and curves. But, for around £35, the light one-handed Metabo FSX would be an ideal choice and is probably better than the oft derided Aldi/Lidl products which offer fantastic value for money and generous warranties but are only available on promotional weeks. Metabo, Makita, DeWalt and the Screwfix own brand sanders offer excellent value for money and cast iron warranties.

 

[Alexfn]

Factor in an adapter if you want to use the metabo with a dust extractor. Its an optional extra. It has a rectangular port otherwise.

 

[skipdiver]

Factor in an adapter if you want to use the metabo with a dust extractor. Its an optional extra. It has a rectangular port otherwise.

I just used a piece of piping from an old hoover that i softened in hot water and manipulated onto the sander outlet. I attach the extractor to that and bob's your uncle. It is a lovely little sander for the money.

 

[Noel]

Meanwhile back on planet earth...
All good suggestions for something reasonable. As it happens I needed a ROS a few months back. Ended up with the Makita BO5031 that you've listed, 70 quid or so at the time. Cracker of a wee sander, speed control, round dust port, quiet, little vibration and comfortable to use. So far I've been very happy with it. Much prefer 125mm size, especially for smaller areas but quite capable of tabletops etc. I regard a ROS as a finshing sander and within that context it would hard to wrong with the Makita. First Makita tool I've had. Gone off Bosch (blue) as quality seems to be going down hill a bit, judging by my last sander.

 

[MikeJhn]

Meanwhile back on planet earth...
.

=D> :lol:

Mike

 

[Jona]

Thanks all, I ended up ordering the Makita for £80 from Lawton HIS, added a load of discs to take it over £100 for free shipping. Cheers

 

[Noel]

Thanks all, I ended up ordering the Makita for £80 from Lawton HIS, added a load of discs to take it over £100 for free shipping. Cheers

As said they seem to be good little sanders, let us know how you get on with it once you've run it in. Thanks.