A random orbital sander is an essential item in every woodworking shop. Sure, you can get by with sanding blocks. Or you can go to the other end of the spectrum with Festool and Mirka. But the average woodworker is going be satisfied with a mid-tier brand.
Why I bought a new orbital sander
I started with sanding blocks. Actually, I just used sandpaper until I realized a sanding block was better. But it was incredibly tiring. My first power sander was a corded Black and Decker. I think it was one of the original orbital sanders that came out before random orbital sanders were developed. It had a square pad and you attached the sandpaper by folding it over two of the edges and clamping under a spring-loaded bar. Total pain in the ass.
Later, I graduated to a Ryobi cordless version. It performed better, but after burning out the motors in two of them I decided to migrate all of my cordless tools to Dewalt. And that’s how I landed on the Dewalt 20V Max Random Orbital Sander.
The Good Stuff
- It’s smoother. With each generation of sanding technology, sanders vibrate a little less. It still leaves my hand tingling, but it’s better than the Ryobi, which was better than the Black and Decker.
- It’s quieter. Similarly, sanders are getting quieter. I still use hearing protection, but I can get away without it when using this Dewalt at lower speeds.
- It’s more durable. I don’t track sanding hours, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got more hours on this Dewalt now than I had on both of my previous Ryobi units combined. I’ve also dropped it a couple of times and it’s still going strong!
The Bad Stuff
- The dust collection bag is lame. This is true of all handheld sanders, not just the Dewalt. The bag fills up quickly and when it does, you’ll notice reduced sanding performance. To address this, I got an adapter to connect a vacuum. It enabled better sanding performance, longer sanding sessions, and I think the cooling effect will lengthen the life of the motor.
Conclusion
The Dewalt 20V Max Orbital Sander is a no-brainer if you’re already in the Dewalt ecosystem and a fine choice even if it’s your first cordless tool. It’s relatively smooth and quiet, and very durable in my admittedly non-scientific tests. If you purchase this sander, remember to pick up the adapter so you can hook it up to a vacuum.
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Finally, I only recommend products that I use on a regular basis and have proved their worthiness over time. Check out the Product Reviews page to see more.
