Which random orbital sander?
Discussion
After years of making do with a 1/3 sheet sander, and doing a lot of hand sanding, I'm looking to set into the random orbital game.
Will only get 'heavy DIY use' maybe three day a year so doesn't really have to put up with daily use, but equally Ialso don't want to buy something substandard and be disappointed. Corded is preferable I think.
Specifically I need to sand a wooden floor I don't want to take it back to bare wood currently, so not looking to take a belt/drum sander too it!
Probably use it with abranet pads, unless any one else has other recommendations.
Will only get 'heavy DIY use' maybe three day a year so doesn't really have to put up with daily use, but equally Ialso don't want to buy something substandard and be disappointed. Corded is preferable I think.
Specifically I need to sand a wooden floor I don't want to take it back to bare wood currently, so not looking to take a belt/drum sander too it!
Probably use it with abranet pads, unless any one else has other recommendations.
Maybe, and it's a good thought. But equally hiring is faff, and pending reasonable health, it will get used steadily once or twice over the next 40 years.
Edit
Speedy hire list a Makita BO5030 for £32 for two days.
But it's 110v so add £16 for transformer hire too.
So thats £100 for two weekends.
Edit
Speedy hire list a Makita BO5030 for £32 for two days.
But it's 110v so add £16 for transformer hire too.
So thats £100 for two weekends.
Edited by dhutch on Sunday 6th April 11:23
I bought one of these
https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-m9204-125mm-elec...
It was terrible, the hook and loop (I was using genuine machita discs) was so weak that just spinning the machine up without putting it to work was enough to fling the sanding disc off.
Took it back to Screwfix, no problem returning it, and got one of these
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ero450-150mm-el...
The Erbauer is twice the weight of the Machita which helps if doing horizontal surfaces but not vertical ones. It also has a variable speed control.
The discs stick on like the proverblal.
I like Machita stuff and have a couple of their petrol garden machines but in this case I find the Erbauer to be better for my DIY use, I also have one of their belt sanders, also good
https://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-m9204-125mm-elec...
It was terrible, the hook and loop (I was using genuine machita discs) was so weak that just spinning the machine up without putting it to work was enough to fling the sanding disc off.
Took it back to Screwfix, no problem returning it, and got one of these
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ero450-150mm-el...
The Erbauer is twice the weight of the Machita which helps if doing horizontal surfaces but not vertical ones. It also has a variable speed control.
The discs stick on like the proverblal.
I like Machita stuff and have a couple of their petrol garden machines but in this case I find the Erbauer to be better for my DIY use, I also have one of their belt sanders, also good
I have a cordless Makita and a bigger wired 6" Metabo sander. The difference is night and day. The cordless is very handy for little jobs, and the 6" for larger jobs, as it (can) remove a lot more material a lot faster. If you're doing a floor, and don't want a floor sander, I'd suggest going for a corded 6".
I have the Abranet disks, which are very good when working with good quality wood, but if I'm removing anything more "dirty" like old finishes or a floor, I stick on the standard disks as they all get gummed up after a while.
I have the Abranet disks, which are very good when working with good quality wood, but if I'm removing anything more "dirty" like old finishes or a floor, I stick on the standard disks as they all get gummed up after a while.
Metric Max said:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-ero450-150mm-el...
The Erbauer is twice the weight of the Makita which helps if doing horizontal surfaces but not vertical ones. It also has a variable speed control.
The discs stick on like the proverbial.
The Erbauer is twice the weight of the Makita which helps if doing horizontal surfaces but not vertical ones. It also has a variable speed control.
The discs stick on like the proverbial.
_Jonesy_ said:
I bought an Erbauer corded one for occasional use and have been pleasantly surprised with it - feels well built, extraction works really well and the discs stick well. Used for sanding filler and also some woodworking projects and been fine so far
biggiles said:
I have a cordless Makita and a bigger wired 6" Metabo sander. The difference is night and day. The cordless is very handy for little jobs, and the 6" for larger jobs, as it (can) remove a lot more material a lot faster. If you're doing a floor, and don't want a floor sander, I'd suggest going for a corded 6".
Yeah the Erbauer ERO450 at £70 looks like the pick of screwfix's offerings. Nice 150mm unit, reasonably specs on paper.The Makita M-range can be a reasonable bet, but the M9204 is a 125mm unit so not surprised it smaller and less pokey.
I am sure the Makita BO6050J/2 is lovely, but its £300 (or £200 on ebay direct from japan)
Ditto the £300 Bosch GEX150 which along with the ERO450 gets good press on other sites too.
Metabo SEX450 also gets good press elsewhere and is the midpoint at £135 and hence tempting
https://www.toolden.co.uk/power-tools/sanders/meta...
Fair play about avoiding fillt expensive Abranet disks up with floor goop!
I've had a 'cheap' Bosch PEX220A 125mm palm sander for a number of years - tips from me would be 1) make sure it is a brand for which you can get spare parts easily; I have replaced the pad base a couple of times now after damaging the velcro (usually a result of cheap crap discs that don't stick well enough and fly off), and 2) look at dust extraction options, e.g. can you get an adaptor to connect to a vacuum in place of the standard filter/bag as if you using it on non wood (especially anything involving filler or plaster) then you'll want extraction.
chrisch77 said:
I've had a 'cheap' Bosch PEX220A 125mm palm sander for a number of years - tips from me would be 1) make sure it is a brand for which you can get spare parts easily; I have replaced the pad base a couple of times now after damaging the velcro (usually a result of cheap crap discs that don't stick well enough and fly off), and 2) look at dust extraction options, e.g. can you get an adaptor to connect to a vacuum in place of the standard filter/bag as if you using it on non wood (especially anything involving filler or plaster) then you'll want extraction.
Yeah, fair point on checking you can get a spare pad, although it appears you can for most and or they are a bit interchangable?https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-hard-version-sa...
I have also been looking at a 'shop vac' although i do also have a old DC04 I use for extraction.
The Maktia looks lovely, but I am not sure I can justify the cost, so it might be the Titan that wins it.
For a decent amount of the bad bit by the door, it can go outside even without extending the hose.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb774vac-1300w-1...
https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-vc2512l-240v-l-...
We've had a couple of these and they're good value:
https://www.rutlands.com/products/brushless-random...
https://www.rutlands.com/products/brushless-random...
This gave me over 200 throuble free hours stripping a car and still continues to do loads of household jobs:
https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dwe6423-gb-280w...
I've only had to replace the hook and loop pad - high quality Sia or Abranet abrasives are the key to pad life and general quality of outcome
https://www.toolstation.com/dewalt-dwe6423-gb-280w...
I've only had to replace the hook and loop pad - high quality Sia or Abranet abrasives are the key to pad life and general quality of outcome
Are you sure you want a random orbital sander for a floor? I've just sanded a floor and first tried using my 125mm mains RO sander, and decided it was going to take ages so bought one of these Makita 1/2 sheet sanders: https://www.ukplanettools.co.uk/makita-bo4900-2-1-...
Really impressed with the build quality, its properly heavy and reminds me of how tools used to be in the good old days! I managed to find a brand new 'damaged box' model for £120 quid, couldn't even really tell the box was damaged and it was perfect on the inside. Cheapest I've seen elsewhere is about £165 for the non-variable speed model (which mine is).
I bought a variety of grit paper on 10m rolls, just cut to length with scissors, clamp it on, and punch out the extraction holes with a screwdriver, seemed to be the cheapest way of doing it.
Really impressed with the build quality, its properly heavy and reminds me of how tools used to be in the good old days! I managed to find a brand new 'damaged box' model for £120 quid, couldn't even really tell the box was damaged and it was perfect on the inside. Cheapest I've seen elsewhere is about £165 for the non-variable speed model (which mine is).
I bought a variety of grit paper on 10m rolls, just cut to length with scissors, clamp it on, and punch out the extraction holes with a screwdriver, seemed to be the cheapest way of doing it.
Plus one for the Erbauer. ‘Semi-pro’ for three years killed my first - but it had done everything from hardwood floorboards to sharpening carpenters pencils - I bought an identical replacement the same day. I bought a replacement pad at some point which was cheap and generic. For my purposes (mainly wood) the trend discs are great and reasonably inexpensive. Hooking it up to a vacuum ‘sticks’ it to the surface you are sanding and means you don’t have to ‘push’ it into the surface. My box of sanders has six sanders in it - from a ‘powerfile’ to a 4” Makita belt. Since the Erbauer arrived, the rest have rarely left the box.
dhutch said:
Yeah, fair point on checking you can get a spare pad, although it appears you can for most and or they are a bit interchangable?
https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-hard-version-sa...
I have also been looking at a 'shop vac' although i do also have a old DC04 I use for extraction.
The Maktia looks lovely, but I am not sure I can justify the cost, so it might be the Titan that wins it.
For a decent amount of the bad bit by the door, it can go outside even without extending the hose.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb774vac-1300w-1...
https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-vc2512l-240v-l-...
On the vac' shopping, I've got a more expensive Titan which has power take off. That's quite handy for mains tools as the vac then starts / stops with the tool. It's coped well with abuse so far - lots of use hoovering out the gaps in the patio as I knock out old all the old pointing. Wet mode also came in useful when the carpenter found a hidden radiator pipe whilst fitting some new skirting one day...https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-hard-version-sa...
I have also been looking at a 'shop vac' although i do also have a old DC04 I use for extraction.
The Maktia looks lovely, but I am not sure I can justify the cost, so it might be the Titan that wins it.
For a decent amount of the bad bit by the door, it can go outside even without extending the hose.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb774vac-1300w-1...
https://www.howetools.co.uk/makita-vc2512l-240v-l-...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb776vac-1400w-3...
So with sanders, more money generally gets you:
- Better dust collection - with a decent vac, truly dustless sanding is possible.
- Quieter motor - but if using ear defenders, less of an issue.
- Less Vibration - top sanders will have 2-3M/S measurement and can be used all day without risk of injury. Cheaper sanders can be higher than 5M/S - the Erbauer linked earlier is scarily 8M/S which means you shouldn't use for more than 18 mins a time!!
SO ultimately, pay your money and take your choice. For doing floors, stick to 150mm as it's got a 44% bigger surface diameter than 125mm = quicker. If going budget, check the data sheet for the vibration rating. Nerve damage to fingers isn't nice and can become prevalent quickly if using a sander a lot.
You may also notice reference to "orbit". 5mm orbit is quite agressive, 3mm a good middle ground and <2mm for finer work.
Bosch tend to lead the market on vibration ratings - and reasonable value in the grand scheme of things (i.e. not Festool / Mirka money). I have used a 150mm GEX-150AVE for about 5 years now and it's solid.
The Rutlands (https://www.rutlands.com/products/brushless-random-orbital-sander?variant=48427094933811&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Rutlands+-+Multifeeds&utm_content=Brushless+Random+Orbital+Sander+-+125/150mm,+5.0mm+Orbit&gQT=1) and various other Mirka clones get good write ups. Seen them as low as £125 (Maxxt, Sealey).
The other thing to consider is how big a floor you a doing...it may be worth considering gear driven which will easily half the time on the job. Secondhand Festool Rotax 150's can be had for about £300 (RRP £650ish) and you will easily get your money back re-selling. My Rotax sanders are brilliant, but less ergonomic for more intricate stuff due to the bulk. Otherwise, Makita and Bosch also offer gear driven, but may be a bit specialist.
Make sure you work through the pads as well - start with a low grit and then work up in jumps of 20-40 grits. Also keep the vacuum on low (will improve the finish) and keep speed relative to the work. I normally stick around 4 out of 6 speeds for general sanding. Any higher and you get swirl marks, will wear pads out much quicker and ultimately ends up taking longer
- Better dust collection - with a decent vac, truly dustless sanding is possible.
- Quieter motor - but if using ear defenders, less of an issue.
- Less Vibration - top sanders will have 2-3M/S measurement and can be used all day without risk of injury. Cheaper sanders can be higher than 5M/S - the Erbauer linked earlier is scarily 8M/S which means you shouldn't use for more than 18 mins a time!!
SO ultimately, pay your money and take your choice. For doing floors, stick to 150mm as it's got a 44% bigger surface diameter than 125mm = quicker. If going budget, check the data sheet for the vibration rating. Nerve damage to fingers isn't nice and can become prevalent quickly if using a sander a lot.
You may also notice reference to "orbit". 5mm orbit is quite agressive, 3mm a good middle ground and <2mm for finer work.
Bosch tend to lead the market on vibration ratings - and reasonable value in the grand scheme of things (i.e. not Festool / Mirka money). I have used a 150mm GEX-150AVE for about 5 years now and it's solid.
The Rutlands (https://www.rutlands.com/products/brushless-random-orbital-sander?variant=48427094933811&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Rutlands+-+Multifeeds&utm_content=Brushless+Random+Orbital+Sander+-+125/150mm,+5.0mm+Orbit&gQT=1) and various other Mirka clones get good write ups. Seen them as low as £125 (Maxxt, Sealey).
The other thing to consider is how big a floor you a doing...it may be worth considering gear driven which will easily half the time on the job. Secondhand Festool Rotax 150's can be had for about £300 (RRP £650ish) and you will easily get your money back re-selling. My Rotax sanders are brilliant, but less ergonomic for more intricate stuff due to the bulk. Otherwise, Makita and Bosch also offer gear driven, but may be a bit specialist.
Make sure you work through the pads as well - start with a low grit and then work up in jumps of 20-40 grits. Also keep the vacuum on low (will improve the finish) and keep speed relative to the work. I normally stick around 4 out of 6 speeds for general sanding. Any higher and you get swirl marks, will wear pads out much quicker and ultimately ends up taking longer
Harpoon said:
On the vac' shopping, I've got a more expensive Titan which has power take off. That's quite handy for mains tools as the vac then starts / stops with the tool. It's coped well with abuse so far - lots of use hoovering out the gaps in the patio as I knock out old all the old pointing. Wet mode also came in useful when the carpenter found a hidden radiator pipe whilst fitting some new skirting one day...
https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb776vac-1400w-3...
Oh nice, the auto-start does sound good, I didnt know the power take-off machines did that.https://www.screwfix.com/p/titan-ttb776vac-1400w-3...
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