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I had a 5" Ryobi ROS for several years. More importantly, the results were outstanding. I am very hapy with my ROS's performance and price. I have only used two ROS in my shop. It leaves a silky smooth finish on my projects.
This is a comparison of those for fairness. After the bag developed a hole in it and the pad came loose several times, I needed a new ROS. I purchased the Bosch and could not believe the difference. The Bosch was so much easier to control, it didn't walk, and the vibration was far less.
I like how it feels in my hand, most RO sanders are too big on top- unfortunately, that's about the only good thing I can say about it. I own a lot of bosch tools, but I feel like I've been throwing money and parts at this thing since I bought it. And you can't replace the bearing without replacing the entire fan/spinning assembly. I chose this sander based on a top review from fine woodworking, and as a woodworker, cabinetmaker and finish carpenter, my sanders get a fair amount of use. The dust collector has never worked- I can sand all day, and barely anything makes it into the canister- my old dewalt with a cloth bag worked much better. I just replaced it with a makita, and the dust collection is superb. The other problem is durability- in just over a year, I've replaced the hook and loop pad three times, and now the bearing for the orbit action has gone out, and the pad wobbles instead of sanding flat, resulting in a poor finish , and lots of vibration and torque.
It is like the pad is cupped it also vibrates more than the Makita or Dewalt I have used. Not very happy with it. I bought 2 of these mainly for the name I had not used one before. The dust canister leaks like a seive.It is pretty much useless for dust collection and it is hard to get the latches to stay closed and it falls off sometimes. I won't buy this brand again. the sanding pad for some reason only cuts at the edge of the pad.
The on/off switch is easy to reach, the sander feels good in the hands, and the variable speed makes working with different woods possible. If you are looking for a good quality ROS that will give you above average results that is not going to break the bank then buy the Bosch 1295DVSK. One of those tools is the Bosch 1295DVSK Random Orbital Sander. The sander does have a slight wobble when you initially start it up - this could potentially damage a fine piece of wood. The sander also doesn't make good use of the center of the sandpaper with its "nickel-sized" hole and I could see it ripping out on corners but honestly, who would use a power tool like this to sand/round edges or corners and expect good results either on your work piece or your equipment. When I had decided to become a woodworking hobbyist, I spent about 6+ months doing nothing but review tools.
Although it has only been a few things I have built, I have used all the tools I purchased. I can tell already, with minimal use, that some of the negative things said in other reviews are true but then again so are most the positives. Don't be afraid to use a little elbow grease.But I digress.This tool has more positive than negative. If you use it frequently, buy the optional vacuum attachment and hook that up. My goal was simple: find quality tools that I could learn with, make decent furniture with, would last me at least a couple years while I learned, and most importantly would not break the bank.I am still learning, I don't have a couple years under my (or my tools) belt yet, and I have build a few projects (mostly shop items). Bosch does sell softer sanding pads that would help minimize this effect.
If you are doing this for a living or working in your shop 30+ hours a week then buy the Festool Rotex RO 150 FEQ.for $475 The dust "bag"/filter isn't all that it's cracked up to be but then again, there aren't many tools that have a great catch all dust bag - filter system.
Only sander that actually has great dust control that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars. THIS IS A GREAT ALTERNATIVE. Just keep the pleated filter clean with your air compressor and dump the dust after every project.The only better sander would be the festool ones with powered vac to match but I can't justify that for my shop.
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