Belt sander recommendations?

[wreckwriter]

My Makita belt sander has died. Looking for recommendations for heavy duty corded belt sander, quality and price are factors of course. Thanks!

edit- it was Makita, not Hitachi.

[Sawatzky]

I don't have on but if I could I would buy a Porter Cable. I have a Craftsman that I recommend for those on a budget, but I don't think you can buy a better sander than Porter Cable.

[Pappy]

I have the PC 352VS. 3x21 sander that I would recommend without hesitation. Heavy enough to work on horizontal surfaces with little to no effort but light enough to use on verticle areas. Metal bodied and one of the best balanced sanders I have ever used.

[wreckwriter]

Thanks guys, I'll certainly look at PC sanders.

[steve-u]

I see Amazon has a PC 360 12 amp 3X24 in their clearance sale for $145.80 after 10 percent off which is around $100 less then you see it at other places. I have not owned or used it but it may fit the heavy duty category. --- Steve

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

[JimD]

FWW did a review of 3x21 belt sanders. It used to be available free on their website, you may want to look. They liked the PC but did not rate it best. I think the DeWalt was rated as the best tool possibly tied with something else. The Ryobi was rated as the best buy. I got mine as a rebuilt from Cummins for about $70. I have been very pleased with it. It sands pretty quickly as FWW indicated, it is flat topped so you can turn it over and use it like a stationary sander easily, and the dust collection works well to get most of the dust. It is variable speed but I rarely use that feature.

Jim

[davidtu]

The link in the original post (above) is now at $161

Here is another link to the PC on Amazon, but it appears cheaper here $143 (no dust bag, didn't eval what it comes with)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013

[wreckwriter]

I checked both DeWalt and PC out, hands-on. I ended up going with the DeWalt. Seems very well made but haven't used it yet. Thanks for all the tips!

[Stormbringer]

I checked both DeWalt and PC out, hands-on. I ended up going with the DeWalt. Seems very well made but haven't used it yet. Thanks for all the tips!

Wreck,

I wish I got to you sooner. I believe the article mentioned above selected the inline Bosch as the best of the bunch and I'd have to concur. I'm a big fan of having the motor housed over the belt instead of to th side (PC, DeWalt, etc...) The even weight distribution just feels more comfortable IMHO.

I also have the DeWalt (purchased first and before reading the Amazon reviews) and I have to tell you that there is a design defect that has yet to have been addressed. The belt tracking is pure garbage. I really wanted to like this sander but the sloppy dust bag hookup/assembly, the two trips to the DeWalt service center, and the four brand new belts it shredded when it decided to track them into the motor housing makes me reach for this sander only when I need to hog out something. It's the heaviest of the bunch which make it great for aggressive sanding.

Read these so you know what to be on the lookout for.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...nDate&n=228013

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cus...nDate&n=228013

http://www.epinions.com/content_161592413828


If you think you may have a defective unit or are just not happy with the design in general, do yourself a favor and return it for this gem. They're the same price.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013


Good luck,
Greg

[germdoc]

I have a Bosch which I really love. Great for precision work, and IMHO the best choice for cabinetry. The PC is also a nice unit, but a little bigger and more awkward to use, though more powerful. A plus on the Bosch is the ability to clamp it to a workbench to use as a stationary sander (they also sell an accessory for this).

You can get one recond. on Amazon for ~$90-100.

[LarryG]

I have the Ryobi 3x21, a look-alike to the highly-regarded Bosch. Sells for $99 at HD. I always assumed the Ryobi was a knock-off of the Bosch but someone here told me it's actually the other way around, that the Ryobi came first.

I bought mine secondhand on eBay for forty-odd dollars after seeing David Marks use the exact same sander on "WoodWorks." I figured if the Ryobi was good enough for DJM, it was good enough for me. So far I've not used it for much other than rust removal on my arn tools, but so far so good ... the belt tracking works great, and like Greg says of the Bosch it balances very well.

[wreckwriter]

Well, I'm going to hope mine is one of the more troublefree ones... I've had very good luck with DeWalt tools so will try it out. The dust collection doesn't look too bad but I do agree that the tracking system doesn't seem great.

Dewalt also makes one of those stands. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...lance&n=228013
kinda pricey but might be useful. Will use the sander a while before I consider buying one...

[jwaterdawg]

wrecwriter,

PM and email sent.

I might be interested in buying your dead sander if you still have it.

[wreckwriter]

wrecwriter,

PM and email sent.

I might be interested in buying your dead sander if you still have it.

I replied to your email, I made an error in my original post; sander was a Makita, not Hitachi. In any case it was totally fused together, garbage man took it away.

[mojoel]

I've had really good luck with deWalt tools, and you'd see lots of yellow in my shop. When looking for a 3x21 belt sander recently I wanted to go with deWalt. After reading all the reviews at Amazon, I went with the Bosch. I haven't used it yet, but the design looks good, and the balance is better than any other belt sander I've used.