Ryobi 5" ROS - limited usability

[davethegolfer]

i have had the Ryobi RS280VS now for almost a year and i hate to say i would not recommend it to anyone in spite of it being an excellent performer. it comes with a pad designed for adhesive sanding discs that have 8 holes for dust control. you can't find these sanding discs at Home Depot, or anywhere else that I can find. HD carries the norton pads that have no holes for dust collection. HD sells a conversion disc for hook & loop that is worthless and after any extended usage, pulls of the sander.

Due to this i find myself using an inferior Craftsman because it has discs readily available, even though it is inferior mechanically to the Ryobi. Home Depot should not sell a tool that they do not support with needed accessories. At the stores I only get a shrug of the shoulders

[Deadhead]

You didn't get a PSA to H&L conversion disc included with the sander? I did in my 1-speed Ryobi 5", 8-hole ROS and it's been stuck on ever since (2 years).

[davethegolfer]

psa conversion disk

yes i got one and also bought a second one. mine both have eventually worked loose. They should offer an entire pad replacement fixture that is hook and loop.

[LarryG]

Grizzly has the 5", 8-hole PSA discs for $18.95 for a 50 pack. I would be surprised if Mirka (available thru amazon.com, among others) doesn't offer them, too, as they seem to make every possible combination.

Still, I understand your frustration. It's ridiculous to not be able to buy, locally, something as simple as a round piece of sandpaper with the right number of holes ... especially from the store that sold you the sander in the first place.

[Russianwolf]

try dusting off the pad then using some spray adhesive on your H&L converter disc. I did this to mine, and have used it so much that the H&L is seperating from the backing. The backing is still stuck to the pad.

[mschrank]

You can also get boxes of 100 for $30-40 at Woodworkers Supply

You're right about HD...but it doesn't surprise me

[MilDoc]

Yeah, I borrowed a Ryobi from a friend. Then went and bought a Ridgid.

[drumpriest]

I have the 1 speed Ryobi and the Bosch 1295. I like them both just fine. All of the hook and loop shoes eventually fail. Mostly from the heat of sanding.

[cwsmith]

I know exactly what you mean. I bought the same model, and really liked it. So much so, that I figured I was going to eventually wear it out. So, when Ridgid introduced their new line of tools (four years ago, already?), I bought the Ridgid 5-inch.

I still have both and they both work excellantly, but the Ryobi is a pain in the neck because of the "stick-on" hook & loop pad. It's just makes trying to change sanding discs a major inconvenience! The adhesive backing, over time, becomes less "sticky" than the H & L.

Home Depot does a very poor job of keeping any steady supply of things like sanding discs, blades, wheels, etc. I've got the Ryobi Corner Cat, but trying to get pads for it at my local HD is just about impossible. As mentioned by earlier posts, the 8-hole discs are available, at very good prices, from a variety of mail-order places. I've actually taken to buying holeless H & L discs and cutting them to fit the little Corner Cat. (Isn't it ashamed that Ryobi has an exclusive with HD?)

Buy yourself a couple of bulk packs of 8-hole PSA discs for the 280VS and you won't be sorry,

CWS

[dwolsten]

Get a Porter-Cable

I have a P-C 333VS and it's served me well. I honestly don't know why anyone ever bothers with PSA sanding discs; with H&L I can switch between different pads as I need, without having to throw away a barely-used pad just because I need to switch to a different grit.

Also, I don't have to worry too much about this 5-hole vs. 8-hole silliness, since the P-C sanding pads have channels in them so that you can use either. 5-hole is probably optimal, but 8-hole works fine too.

Lastly, I can get the P-C sanding discs at HD or Lowes any time, or from numerous other sources.

[Wood_workur]

I still have a P/C 1/4 sheet. Hasn't died, and works fine.