Bosch - ROS10 random orbit sander (Rating: 4)
I purchased this sander at Busy Bee Tools for 49.99 on sale. I thought that was a pretty good deal at the time, and I felt Bosch had a solid reputation.
I had bought this sander in late summer of 2009 before attending college. We had a few at the kitchen shop I worked in, and it was my favourite over the DeWalt sanders. They had about 15-20 DeWalt ROS' in a milk crate for parts, but nobody ever spent any time to condense the broken pieces into working sanders, so it goes.
I have used this sander daily for about 16 months, and in the most recent 8 months, just off and on, like your average do it yourselfer. I really like the dust collecting canister on the back. Unlike some other sanders, this one actually traps a fair amount of dust. You can see dust shooting everywhere into the air as you sand, but the container fills up quite fast. It has a pleated filter which holds quite a bit of dust. Comfortable grip, and the on/off button is in just the right place. I used to have a Ridgid at my work station and I'd always turn it off by accident because of the location of the switch, quite annoying. I think Bosch could add about 2 or 3 feet to the cord though, sometimes I'm working on a piece and the cord is just too short, and I have to get an extension cord.
Although I am satisfied with my purchase on a whole, I am rather disappointed at the longevity of the hook and loop pad. Just a few weeks ago, I noticed the hooks had become quite worn, and certain brands of sandpaper disc would fly right off, and others would stay on.. not sure what that's all about, so I considered replacing the pad. I guess that's not so bad, after all the use (2-3 years) I've gotten out of the sander.
and so I went to Bosch parts website to look up a replacement pad, and there's a few options. I was surprised and impressed, Bosch has a very extensive range of accessories for their tools. They have 4 different backing pads for the sander, ranging from "extra soft" to "hard for aggressive sanding of flat surfaces", in both hook and loop and PSA. Well, I didn't opt to buy these from America, couldn't find a retailer in Canada… so I took a trip to Home Depot.
Boy, was I ever in for a disappointment. I thought because they carry Bosch tools they might carry accessories. I asked a fellow that worked there and he directed me towards Diablo brand pressure sensitive adhesive hook and loop pad. He says, just peel the back off, and stick it to your sander, and you'll have new pad.
Well. I should have thought about that for a second. There's no way a 5 dollar piece of velcro is going to fix my sander, and it didn't. I stuck that pad on, and after sanding 1 board, it peeled right back off, full of sanding dust.
I think it's worth it to stick with your brands accessories. They have a really nice vacuum hose that connects to the back of the sander that I would totally snatch up if they sold it at home depot.
http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=VAC009
I give this sander 4 out of 5 stars, for being a cheap, durable product I could actually rely on. I will definitely investigate another Bosch sander in the future, perhaps one of those 6" ones with the forward handle.
OR, if the stars align in my favour, I would spring for the MIRKA CEROS. For now though, and for what I have used this sander for (work and hobby) I would say the Bosch ROS10 has the biggest bang for it's low buck.
I purchased this sander at Busy Bee Tools for 49.99 on sale. I thought that was a pretty good deal at the time, and I felt Bosch had a solid reputation.
I had bought this sander in late summer of 2009 before attending college. We had a few at the kitchen shop I worked in, and it was my favourite over the DeWalt sanders. They had about 15-20 DeWalt ROS' in a milk crate for parts, but nobody ever spent any time to condense the broken pieces into working sanders, so it goes.
I have used this sander daily for about 16 months, and in the most recent 8 months, just off and on, like your average do it yourselfer. I really like the dust collecting canister on the back. Unlike some other sanders, this one actually traps a fair amount of dust. You can see dust shooting everywhere into the air as you sand, but the container fills up quite fast. It has a pleated filter which holds quite a bit of dust. Comfortable grip, and the on/off button is in just the right place. I used to have a Ridgid at my work station and I'd always turn it off by accident because of the location of the switch, quite annoying. I think Bosch could add about 2 or 3 feet to the cord though, sometimes I'm working on a piece and the cord is just too short, and I have to get an extension cord.
Although I am satisfied with my purchase on a whole, I am rather disappointed at the longevity of the hook and loop pad. Just a few weeks ago, I noticed the hooks had become quite worn, and certain brands of sandpaper disc would fly right off, and others would stay on.. not sure what that's all about, so I considered replacing the pad. I guess that's not so bad, after all the use (2-3 years) I've gotten out of the sander.
and so I went to Bosch parts website to look up a replacement pad, and there's a few options. I was surprised and impressed, Bosch has a very extensive range of accessories for their tools. They have 4 different backing pads for the sander, ranging from "extra soft" to "hard for aggressive sanding of flat surfaces", in both hook and loop and PSA. Well, I didn't opt to buy these from America, couldn't find a retailer in Canada… so I took a trip to Home Depot.
Boy, was I ever in for a disappointment. I thought because they carry Bosch tools they might carry accessories. I asked a fellow that worked there and he directed me towards Diablo brand pressure sensitive adhesive hook and loop pad. He says, just peel the back off, and stick it to your sander, and you'll have new pad.
Well. I should have thought about that for a second. There's no way a 5 dollar piece of velcro is going to fix my sander, and it didn't. I stuck that pad on, and after sanding 1 board, it peeled right back off, full of sanding dust.
I think it's worth it to stick with your brands accessories. They have a really nice vacuum hose that connects to the back of the sander that I would totally snatch up if they sold it at home depot.
http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=VAC009
I give this sander 4 out of 5 stars, for being a cheap, durable product I could actually rely on. I will definitely investigate another Bosch sander in the future, perhaps one of those 6" ones with the forward handle.
OR, if the stars align in my favour, I would spring for the MIRKA CEROS. For now though, and for what I have used this sander for (work and hobby) I would say the Bosch ROS10 has the biggest bang for it's low buck.
