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I had seen this sander at the Porter Cable booth at the local woodworking show and finally broke down and bought one through Amazon. Being from Porter Cable I suspect it will be tough to wear out as well. It does get pretty warm after several minutes, but this is a minor gripe. A full-sized belt sander was ruled out due to its bulk and aggressiveness. I bought this sander when I was halfway through a boat-building project earlier this year.
For cleaning up large areas I would still use a full-sized belt or random-orbital sander, but for the small stuff in tight areas this thing is unbeatable. We used a combination of power and hand planers for fairing the framework, but had concerns about hitting metal fasteners buried in the woodwork. I have not been disappointed. Highly recommended. It has plenty of power and did everything we asked of it, but its small size was nice for fine work and when I had to lie on my back and clean up some stuff under the deck.
Of course it's going to get hot your hands on top of the sander as apposed to in front of or behind the motor and heat rises. I'm glad I paid the $100.00 I did for it. I recommend this sander for the proffesional carpenter that knows what he's doing just because of it's size it may not be suitable for first time users or unskilled home owners this is a pro grade tool and should be handled as such. I saw this sander in the display at my local Lowe's and just had to have it. It will pay for itself tomarrow then after that it's all profit.
I've been a carpenter for over 25 years and know a good tool when I see one. I don't have girly man hands so this is not uncomfortable. As far as the thickness of the top grip go's if it's to big for your little hands this might not be the sander for you. I took it out of the box as soon as I got home and put it to use.
The sander is small, has a narrower belt than other sanders, and can be controlled with one hand making this a great sander for delicate jobs that might require controlled material removal. This is a great sander for certain jobs. If you have large panels to sand, buy a 3" or 4" belt sander. I did notice it becoming hot quick but my belt ran true once adjusted. I purchased the sander on a whim. I recently used it to sand flush 1/8" plywood glued as a back to a cabinent. This won't replace your random orbit sanders either, but it has proven a very useful tool for certain jobs that other sanders can't perform. I've used it to sand end grain boards that stuck out a little farther than desired.
Lowes everyday price is now $99.99 and I go there anyway (not an employee). Thanks. However, the many comments about overheating and track adjusting has convinced me to do more research and most likely pay a little more and be happy.
The flush side of the sander allowed me to sand right up to the backsplash and remove the old glue from the top. I opened the box, switched belts and was sanding in under a minute. This is the perfect jobsite/small shop sander that payed for itself with two jobs and the included case is great for hauling the sander and extra belts. Holding the sander upside down at eye level, removing 1/2" from an oak rail was a breeze with this sander. This sander arrived on my doorstep just hours before I started a project re-laminating a vanity counter top. The next job had me sanding the bottom rail of an above the fridge cabinet that the home owner wanted modified without taking it off the wall. With a larger sander, this would have been a real task.
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