I’ve been using a crappy random orbit sander from Walmart for the past 5 years. It works well enough, but as I’ve gotten a bit older, had a few more non-woodworking related injuries, etc, the excessive vibration is really starting to get to me. I know Festool is the gold standard in terms of dust control and likely vibration, but are there any other good options that aren’t $500-600?
I’m sitting here after sanding for an hour and a half or so and my hand is still tingling after 20 minutes. Clearly, I need to get a better sander, but I can’t justify spending $575 on a Festool sander right now. $50-150 would be more palatable, as long as it is a clear upgrade from my current setup.
Edit:Ended up getting this Makita sander . Huge upgrade, thanks for the suggestions!
In that price range I think just a better sander is your best bet. I have a Dewalt random orbital. The one with speed control. It’s definitely not as vibrational as some cheap ones, and it doesn’t give me too many problems, as I’ve got arthritis in my joints, specially my hands.
Side note, I do have the bigger festool sander and it’s a game changer for larger projects. I used it to take down a pop corn ceiling and it was awesome.
Thanks! I’ve definitely heard great things about the Festool sanders, but I just bought a house a few months ago, and I have a ton of other things that I could spend that money on right now. Eventually, I’d like to get a Festool sander, a Domino, and a Sawstop, I just can’t justify spending that kind of money right now when I have tools that work. I don’t have arthritis in my hands (at least not yet), but it runs in my family and I have started to notice some residual pain after sanding for long periods of time. My current sander cost me around $20, so it was definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel when I bought it. Combine the pain with the fact that it’s starting to not turn on consistently, it’s definitely time for a new one. I’m fine with an incremental upgrade until I stop hemorrhaging money on this house and can justify dropping some cash on a Festool.
Any thoughts on Dewalt vs Makita or Bosch? The ones I’ve seen are all in the $60-120 range. Most of the reviews I’ve seen are on Reddit, and all the subs are still private
I’ve got a Bosch one, and it’s been quite comfortable the handful of times I’ve needed it.
So I agree. You don’t need a festool. Hell I don’t even actually own one. I subcontract for a guy who bought one for me to use on a job and I have used it 3 times. It’s very fancy.
I think you just need a decent sander tbh. I don’t really have an opinion on the brands, but I’m partial to makita. It’s cause the guy who brought me up, taught me shit, used them. That’s it. And Japan is known for its circuits so that can’t hurt I guess lol.
I have the Dewalt sander cause i didn’t need a battery, like my drills, and it was probly cheaper. Any of the Marita, Dewalt, Milwaukee etc stuff is great.
I’m slowly fixing up my house I got 5 years ago too. And before that me and my pops gutted a little house and re did it for him over a few years. Super worthwhile process, especially if it’s just for you to live in.
I’m partial to Makita as well. I have their plunge router and really liked the compound sliding miter saw I had a chance to use a while ago. I ended up getting a DeWalt compound sliding miter saw on sale, and it’s good as well. I don’t have anything against DeWalt, I have a job site table saw from them that’s been a workhorse for me.
That said, seems like most people here have had good experiences with Makita, DeWalt, and Bosch in this price range, so doesn’t seem like I can go wrong with any of them. I’ll probably give in to my bias and get Makita
Yea, ive probably used them all by now, ans they are all pretty much on the same footing. Different feel, that’s all. They all do the job very well. It really does come down to bias lol. I wish you well on your awesome endeavor. Its a process, but you’ll sleep good at night (Hopefully). cheers!
Thanks!
I have a couple inexpensive Bosch and would highly recommend. I have other non-orbital Makita’s and also recommend.
In Festool price range I’d personally recommend a Metabo Turbotec. Although I’ve never used a Festool, and if you are investing in their system might make more sense.
I can only speak to the DeWalt, but I’ve got the cordless one, and have used it for several batteries at a time, and it’s been pretty decent on the hands, as long as you let it do the work.
I have the 5" Makita and have no complaints. I get numb hands when doing repetitive actions and have never had a problem with that tool.
I actually have a couple of silicone trivets (honeycombed) that I use for both anti-slip pads and to hold the sander. It does a surprisingly good job of damping the vibrations from my DeWalt ROS. I’m referring to something like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Trivets-Multipurpose-Non-Slip-Resistant/dp/B091H8BSMG/
Edit to add that I think there are also vibration -dampening gloves, though I don’t know how effective they are.
Interesting idea, thanks!
I like the Makita random orbit sander that I have. The corded version is in that price range. It does a pretty decent job of catching the dust in that tiny bag but I still wear a mask.
In addition to the other recommendations, you might also consider some vibration dampening gloves. I don’t know how well they work, but I’ve heard others recommend them.
