Thread: Opinions sought - Bosch GEX 185 Li random orbital sander

I would always use a sander with a vac hooked up. The vac hose is the bulky bit, and the power cable makes no difference. So I don't see a benefit to battery sander, only downsides.

(I don't do things offsite however)

Originally Posted by pippin88

I would always use a sander with a vac hooked up. The vac hose is the bulky bit, and the power cable makes no difference. So I don't see a benefit to battery sander, only downsides. ...

I have never used the Bosch GEX 185 Li ROS so can make no specific recommendation about the model.

However, I agree with Pippin's generic comments.

The advantages of attaching a vacuum to a sander are:

• greatly improved sanding speed,
• slightly improved sanding surface,
• greatly extended sandpaper life,
• almost total dust capture (98% ??)
• inconvenienced by that vacuum hose.

The advantages of attaching a dust bag to a sander are:

• slightly improved sanding speed,
• marginally improved sanding surface,
• slightly extended sandpaper life,
• disappointing total dust capture (60% ??)
• inconvenienced by slightly awkward configuration.

And the naked ROS is the base model.A ROS with a vacuum works so much better than the alternatives. You then must have to vacuum hose, so will will not notice the power lead. And you save the weight of the batteries.