My wife and I have been working on a cabinet refinishing project in our kitchen, and in an effort to keep costs down on random orbital sander disks, I have been trying to use a quarter sheet sander.

I started out with an old Makita quarter sheet sander that was loaned to me back in 1995, and the fellow that loaned it to me disappeared (coworker, quit his job, I never had is number, he never dropped back by to get the sander...). So I am trying to use this Makita, and all it can do is throw the pad the paper mounts to off every 3 or 4 minutes of sanding. This simply will not do...

After many good experiences with Ryobi tools, I went to HD to pick up a S652DX Quarter Sheet Sander, came home, and put it to use. My observations of the sander so far have been..

#1. With 80 grit sandpaper, this thing eats through old finishes like a Japanese guy at the Nathans Hot Dog eating contest.
#2. Vibration sent back through the handle and to the users hand is an absolute minimum. FAR less than my Skil Orbital, the Makita, or even my Ryobi Corner cat.
#3. Dust collection works amazingly well.
#4. It is incredibly quiet...
#5. The little black plastic pad that is the Iron Maiden for the sandpaper works very well for putting the right size holes in the right places on the paper.

Now for the downside...
It seems to be a bit bowed, concave, but all the sanders I have used are when new. The outside edges of the sandpaper wear first, and fast. I know this will change with time, but it is ANNOYING.

All in all, I think Ryobi did a fantastic job with yet another tool. I really wish their tools would garner the respect they deserve among the hobbyist crowd, but it seems that there are a good number of folks that believe spending more money on a similar tool because of a particular case color or what not will buy a better tool.

Well, my cabinet doors will beg to differ on that matter. The finish is coming off fast, and the wood underneath looks great!