5" orbital sanders

I have a DeWalt ROS and it is not 1/10 the tool my Dynabrade pneumatic sander is. I’ll never go back to electric ROS. Maybe upgrade your compressor? Put it on the other side of a wall so you don’t have to listen to it? Mine would drive me crazy if it were in the shop with me!

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

I’ve had the same PC 6” ROS since 92. I had to replace the hook-N-loop disk a couple yrs back, it still gets regular use. I don’t know what to say about the new PC products but in my experience the older ones were built to last

-- I meant to do that!

I’ve had the DEWALT D26453K 5” var speed model for ~ 5 yrs. Other than having to fix the VS dial, it’s been great. One reason I got this model is it connects directly to my shop vac, no add on connector needed. Almost no dust gets away. If the Makita fits your dust collection, I’m sure it would be a good choice.

The electric sanders won’t do the heavy sanding an air model will. It depends on how you use a sander. I handplane or scrape all surfaces, so I only use the ROS for light duty stuff. On a few occasions I’ve used it for heavier material removal and it is slow compared to air.

I’ve also used my PC on metal, I also have a grinder for heavy metal removal. In both cases I prefer the electric versions unless you have a 50gal. 3 or 4 stage compressor the air can’t keep up with the electric tools.

-- I meant to do that!

A slightly cheaper option than a new compressor would be to fit a large holding tank in the line. The larger volume would stablize the system and mean that the compressor would have to kick in less frequently. You can use any old gas storage tank. The pressure would be sitting way less than actual storage capacity.

I recently bought a Bosch, forget what model # but it was about $60.
It has a nice dust collection system that works well with or without a vacuum.
I am pretty happy with it.

-- Joel, Encinitas, CA

I have a DeWalt ROS and it is not 1/10 the tool my Dynabrade pneumatic sander is. I ll never go back to electric ROS. Maybe upgrade your compressor? Put it on the other side of a wall so you don t have to listen to it? Mine would drive me crazy if it were in the shop with me!

- gfadvm

-- Deano

Deano, I see your point but my hands ache for days after using my DeWalt. The Dynabrade is much easier on my ageing hands, has much better dust collection (with Abranet discs), and just works for me. Best of luck in your quest.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm

Well, I don’t own one, and likely never will, but Festool sanders get awfully good reviews.
Next notch down in cost would likely be a larger air storage tank. That would reduce the frequency of compressor starts.
The sander I use is a Ridgid 5”. Been working well for 4 years and I really like how it hooks up to my shop vac. Don’t like the position or design of the on/off switch. Hard to switch with my arthritic hands. Why can’t they just stick to the nice simple toggle switch they used to have.

I have owned milwaukee, dewalt, ridgid and dynabrades. The dynabrade is far superior. From an economical standpoint with our cabinet shop, the dynabrade makes us money and in the long run is more cost effective then the electric sanders. The sanders provide better results faster and is unmatched by the electric sanders. We have experienced electric and DA sanders for full time work for quite a long time since we do this for a living and electric just does not compare.

I will say when I first got into DA, I bought one from HF to try out and it sucked bad. So not all DA sanders are equal by any means.

In our case it helps that our AC is located in a lean to outside of the shop.

-- .

my Souix 5” da is great, nice to hang on to, fairly quiet too. I could use a bigger compressor but, other things are ahead of that if I even really consider it. A larger tank will only drain slower before start up, the pump barely keeps up with the sander, so it would actually run longer filling up the tank. It’s a old 3hp Quincy with a 60 gallon tank, great compressor that still pumps up to specs, just not big enough for continuous running air tools.

-- Deano

I have Dewalt and Bosch 5” sanders that I reviewed earlier. For the price point, I have a strong preference for the Dewalt. Not sure if the higher end Bosch ones will give me a different opinion.

-- paxorion

I use a PC, Makita, De Walt and Rigid. (Hate changing paper…and, no I don’t have a router for each bit (-:> )
Why all different brands, you ask. All but the Rigid were picked up at sales/auctions.
I much prefer using the Rigid, regardless of the grit. It’s quieter, has less vibration and seems more aggressive.
The dust collection systems on ANY of my sanders are all POSs. I refuse to hook up my screaming shopvac.
I was given a pneumatic sander and haven’t used it yet. Not sure I want to. Might get spoiled.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

I would go with nakmuay’s idea. if you want electric I have the new B&D and it’s fine for what it’s asked to do.

I am looking at these:

http://www.wwgoa.com/article/new-low-vibration-high-quality-random-orbital-sander-from-bosch/