I have posted about this in the powered hand tools section, but on the basis that many here will not see that post, I will ask my fellow metalworkers with more expertise than I have for their thoughts.
I recently purchased a Hitachi "Z" Series Random orbital sander from a thrift shop for the princely sum of $10. I presume that it is home handyman quality rather than serious or trade user quality, anyone able to confirm that? It has no model identifying plate, but appears to be a FSV-13Y, from what I can make out from he exploded view from this site
Hitachi FSV13Y parts breakdown on ToolPartsDirect.com
I was able to test run it before purchase, and it ran sweetly enough, and the speed control appears to work as it should, but the pressure pad which the sanding discs attach to is completely knackered, the foam almost completely crumbling away. I'm just wondering if genuine parts are the go , or is there a thriving aftermarket supplying these parts. I have no dust collection gear for this sander either. It seems that bags and perhaps an adaptor for a shop vacuum cleaner as well were and perhaps still are available, but a Sydney online parts supplier had the pressure pad at over $50, and a dust bag at over $40, but all the parts from that mob were way over the top in price. Are there other options, and what sort of sanding discs are best for general use, stick on ones, or velcro, and where might I find these at a fair price. Any advice gratefully received, thanks in advance,
Rob