Thread: Belt Sanders .... Again.

I know a few people who "save money" by buying from garage sales, auctions, etc and with the exception of an occasional "genuine bargain", bemoan the fact that "damn thing must have been abused or a cheap buy of the previous owner".
I work on the philosophy of buying the best quality, proven trade reliability tool that I can afford and so far it has proven to be the best strategy all round.
Let the moths out for some vitamin D and get a decent sander, you will not regret it.

Originally Posted by carves

... Is it worthwhile paying for 2016 models of new Makita, Hitachi or Bosch, in the "better" classes,

... or do I go back to hoping for a garage sale with an old something, thats not too knocked about ?

We've all heard the anecdotes of cheap versus quality power tools.

Like any population of things, for every 100 cheap tools X percentage will survive a beating and live a long life.
For every 100 quality tools Y percentage will survive a beating and live a long life.
Over about 100 tools Y will be greater than X but sometimes you can get lucky.
So you basically have to gamble on the values of X and Y.
If you are a tradie where time is money then you may have a different view point than a DIY operator.

About 2 decades ago I was not in a financial position to buy better quality tools so I ended up with a number of cheapies,
The Ozito angle grinder that I have "treated like a piece of $hi7 and don't care if it dies" is still going as is the Ozito percussion drill/jackhammer.
OTOH the biscuit cutter lasted about 2 years and the ROS developed a serious vibration problem after about 15 months.

In the last few decade I have tried to purchase better quality and all of these have lasted.
The Blue Bosch drill was worked so hard that at one point is started making a burn plastic smell.
I opened it up and found part of the case had softened and was rubbing up against the armature. I cut the offending piece away and it has continue to work for several years.

A better quality of power tool can be had at a garage sale where the chances are that a tool has not been maltreated too long or hard.

Bosch GBS 75A 75mm Belt Sander 220V NEW FOR Professional Woodworker | eBay

Bosch Belt Sander GBS 75 AE SET Professional Missing BAG | eBay

Get a Makita, even second hand, they're still made in Japan and some of the best you can get. I couldn't guess how many dining tables the one at work flattened before we bought a wide belt sander.

Tried a Hitachi once, it was so unbalanced it got returned within the hour.

For me the AEG sander be useless, my Makita gets used for all sorts of shaping things that it probably shouldn't do but having the belt exposed at the front is a must for me.
I went from a 90 dollar Ryobi to a 350 dollar Makita and it was worth every penny, I would like a bit higher belt speed but I guess torque is more important.

I got the Maktek (Makitas cheaper brand). Can't fault it. Have given it a fair flogging over the last five years.

The above posters have largely given you what you needed but I offer the following. If buying a even trade quality tool at a garage sale, at bargain price or not, make sure it has the parts & accessories you need and doesn't require new parts. A missing dustbag, worn sanding plate, platen or clutch can be expensive, time consuming and frustrating.

Originally Posted by dakotax3

The above posters have largely given you what you needed .......

heh heh .... the suggestion to buy, relatively expensive, trade tools, for occaisional home use in the shed ... has been duely noted ..

I thought I had given up the need to spend that much money when I stopped offsiding a chippy years ago.

All replies were appreciated tho ... The Hitachi balance issue especially.


Seems sad that with the proliferation of available sanders, that even when bypassing the obvious cheapies, and spending $200 ... a bloke still only gets a $60 cheapy, that exhibits the same faults a previous model had, three years earlier.

... still ... I guess the factory can be proud of its consistency in manufacturing ?? ..


One thing I was interested to know tho ... Is the new makita the quality it was ... or are they too, now, more interested in sales over reliability ??

Originally Posted by dakotax3

but I offer the following. If buying a even trade quality tool at a garage sale, at bargain price or not, make sure it has the parts & accessories you need and doesn't require new parts. A missing dustbag, worn sanding plate, platen or clutch can be expensive, time consuming and frustrating.

Agree totally ... Ive ignored a bunch at sales, that were obviously just relying on the brand sticker - to hold them together.



Anyways ... the dud has been refunded and the money got spent on a 4" maktec at gasweld ... wish me luck ..

...Stop shaking your heads you fellas ... Not all of us can pad the kitchen reno quote for Mrs Smith - to cover the cost of flash new tools ..

Wellll ... since the weather was lousy for serious jobs today,

... I unwrapped the maktec 941 and had a play.

Grabbed a 6ft x 8in x 3in ironbark plank I use for various tasks,

... and it now has a smooth work surface again, and less splinters everywhere else, for when I toss it up on the sawhorses.

Also cleaned up a coupla old table tops that had all the shellac or whatever, cracking and peeling.

At first I didnt think it was doing anything ... and then I realised the dust was actually going in the bag,

... just like a proper belt sander ..

Definitely not as powerful as the full pedigree Makita version but seems more than adequate for tinkering at home,

... time will tell I guess.

The supplied belt was a bit ordinary - as it bumped a bit at the join ... but putting an old Makita one I had lying around on it - seemed to solve that issue.

The supplied bracket for using it upside on a bench was a bonus ... will make it as handy as a bosch.

If it blows up anytime soon ... I'll let you'se know ..

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Get a Makita, even second hand, they're still made in Japan.

I saw last year the Makita small compound mitre saw is a lot cheaper than it used to be - now made in china and the quality or lack thereof is evident. So check carefully if looking at Makita.

AEG has a six year warranty. So I presume they must be doing something to improve the quality of the cheap orange tools or they will go broke.

Originally Posted by blouis79

I saw last year the Makita small compound mitre saw is a lot cheaper than it used to be - now made in china and the quality or lack thereof is evident. So check carefully if looking at Makita.

AEG has a six year warranty. So I presume they must be doing something to improve the quality of the cheap orange tools or they will go broke.

Probably just assuming no one keeps a receipt for six years. It would be nice if they did a different colour or even something saying trade quality, I know they have Maktec but some of the Makita branded stuff is of just as poor a quality.

Originally Posted by blouis79

I saw last year the Makita small compound mitre saw is a lot cheaper than it used to be - now made in china and the quality or lack thereof is evident. So check carefully if looking at Makita.

AFAIK, the belt sanders are still all Japanese

The 6 year guarantee by AEG doesn't require you to keep the receipt. You register the machine serial numbers on their website and upload a copy of the receipt; a couple of days later your item is registered.

Can I ask what went wrong with the sander? I ask because I have one and it has coped with many meters of redgum and merbau without any dramas. I've bought a few 18V cordless tools and the corded ROS and not had a problem with any of them either. Did the magic smoke escape or something mechanical choose to no longer be a team player?

I have worn out a few sanders over the years. None of then quality brands but they all died the same way. Bearings went due to grit and dust causing heat and melt down. Those dust bags are only for show so if you can use dust extraction they will live a lot longer.
Regards
John