Ryobi Detail Sander

[Daibach]

I just bought the Ryobi Detail Sander DS1100 and it's going back tomorrow!

I have the Mastercraft Detail/Polishing Sander which works fine but I was getting tired of removing the five tiny screws to take off the full pad and screwing them back in to change to the detail tip.
With the Ryobi Detail Sander I thought I could alternate sanders as needed instead of alternating bases.

But when turned on it just vibrates.
When I realized it wasn't doing much I did 3 test patches on the same painted board, all for the same time and with same light pressure:
1. Holding it steady in one spot: slightly reduced a paint bump;
2. Moving it steadily back and forth: removed paint down to the bare wood;
3. Turning the motor off and moving it steadily back and forth the same amount as '2': exactly the same result as '2' !
That makes it an pretty expensive sanding stick.

I could only fine one reference to the sander on the forum and the poster liked it, so maybe mine is defective.
Anyone else got one?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

Seems most detail sanders do suck. Porter Cable detail sander gets the #1 slot in worst tool purchase in most polls. B&D Mouse/Craftsman is pretty bad as well. I am sure those GMC from Amazon aint all that either. I had 3 and gave them away, so I didnt get to try them out. I am sure others will chime in on the GMC.

Fein is the only detail sander that I have heard really good things about however it is quite a bit more $.

[crokett]

I have a Dremel detail sander that is decent. My only complaint is it impossible to find pads for it.

[Pappy]

Got one and agree that it is less than stellar. The only thing I ever use it for is final sanding in corners on bare wood.

Ranks right down there with the PC Profile Sander!

[gwyneth]

I am sure those GMC from Amazon aint all that either. I had 3 and gave them away, so I didnt get to try them out. I am sure others will chime in on the GMC.

I don't know what's considered good and what's considered bad in detail sanders, but my GMC seems like a triangular version of my Hitachi 1/4 sheet palm sander. Doesn't even seem as if the surface area is much smaller (can't remember how to calculate triangle's area, or I'd know exactly.) Power and speed seems about the same.

[cwsmith]

I purchased the Ryobi DS about four or five years ago and returned it the next day. Like you mentioned, it just vibrated and in my brief experience on that night, I couldn't get it to even remove a single layer of thin paint.

I returned it the next day and picked up the Ryobi Corner Cat, which for me anyway, was enough to do the job at hand. It proved to be a much better bargain and it's still going strong. The Corner Cat has got to be one of the best buys out there.

One of the things I didn't like about the DS1100 was that fiber pad that you had to attach the adhesive backed sanding triangles to. It never really seemed to adhere firmly and if you wanted to swap to another grit, the first piece would be ruined with the fibers stuck to the back. I figured the pad would eventually deteriorate beyond use.

I'm surprised that Ryobi has upgraded this particular tool or else done away with it. I doubt that it's a larger seller and there have been a number of complaints about it.

CWS

[Andrew Benedetto]

SPECS:
Input: 120 volts AC, 0.3 Amps

Speed: 12,000 spm

Motion: Oscillating

.............Sanding Arc: 3.0 mm ...........that says it all

[dkhoward]

Ditto on the Corner Cat. I got mine expressely for finish touchups in those hard to reach corners and such. Does exactly what I wanted out of it, otherwise the PC ROS gets the most use.

[Halverson]

Detail Sander same as Profile Sander??

Wanted to ask if the PC Detail Sander noted as being No. 1 worst tool is the same as the PC Profile Sander? I was thinking of buying one, for the various nooks and crannies that I find when I'm refinishing a desk or end table. The Profile sander with a bunch of different profiles to fit the profile of the wood sounded like a good choice, but now I'm not sure. Could someone please clarify. Thanks in advance.

[Andrew Benedetto]

I have the PC, and it is OK w. the diamond shaped H&L pad but the profiles just cut thru the stick-on paper so fast it is not useful. Maybe if the paper was better, it is sure expensive enough it might work.The paper exposes the rubber pads and or tear so fast it is just a waste of time. MBIL had the dremel which soon broke due to the plastic gears inside. If you open it it looks like a really cheap build.