Handheld Sanders Review

The features to look for in your hand sander depend on how and how often you use it. If you may only use your sander a few times a year, shop by price and you'll do OK.

If you use it often, say several times a month you will want to look for other criteria than price alone. Look for a good long cord that is sturdy enough to withstand lots of use. Check to see what size and shape of sandpaper is required - can you find refills locally or will you need to order every sheet? Brands do matter so you want a reputable Brand.

In our experience we started out with Black and Decker: cheap sanders that lasted pretty long but developed problems pretty quick under heavy use. We went through four of them in the first year and then looked for something better. They were not intended for the workload we gave them.

We had other Ridgid equipment that worked well so we bought Ridgid Quarter Sheet sanders and they lasted better than the B&D sanders but developed the same problems over time. One developed a severe vibration when one of the corner "legs" broke off. Those legs distribute the pressure evenly so with each revolution of the motor it gave a kick and felt like it was pulling against the direction of sanding. It made the work harder on my old hands.

I took the Ridgid sanders in for service at the local Ridgid Factory Authorized service Center and was more than extremely disappointed when they charged me $10 just to look at them, did no repairs at all and didn't even examine one of the sanders I left there. When I contacted Ridgid about this experience I was told that they do not train or certify their service center people, they just sign up people who offer to do the work. I had a very hard time dealing with the people at their service center, very ignorant guys who told me there was nothing at all wrong with the sanders I brought in and that I wasn't "pushing down hard enough". Umm, the reason you buy a finishing sander is to let it do the work. You should never need to "push down" on the sander, just guide it.

The last two sanders I bought were Bosch and they are still working just fine. They cost slightly more but are worth every cent. The difference was clearly noticeable both in handling and results. They worked faster and easier with less effort than any other sanders I had used. The results were smoother surfaces in less time. All the sanders I bought used ¼ sheet for refills which made using lots of sandpaper more economical than using a sander with proprietary sheets. Bosch does make their own sheets with holes for dust removal which is an excellent feature, but for my workshop plain sheets were fine.

Recommendations: For heavy use and years of service I highly recommend the Bosch 1/4-Sheet Palm-Grip Finishing Sander. Rockler also offers the DeWalt D26441K Finishing Sander, which I can only rate as "Probably very good" based on the scroll saw, saw blades, angle grinder and cut-off disks I have used with their brand. They make good reliable equipment. Porter-Cable is another workhorse brand that I have used but not bought (they were going to be my next choice if the Bosch sander had been disappointing.) I have Porter-Cable routers and they are top of the line. The local cabinet factory uses Porter-Cable sanders and they give the highest praise for that brand. I used to buy my laminates from them and they loaned me a Porter-Cable 330 Sander while I was waiting for my Bosch to arrive.

The bottom line is the bottom line: You get what you pay for, so assess your needs and spend accordingly. There is a big difference in performance and it is related to the motor quality and RPM rating. The extra money goes into a better overall piece of equipment that will last far longer and make you happy to use it.

Because I have described my own experiences with various brands of equipment on this page, the FTC requires me to also tell you that I am affiliated with Rockler and if you follow a link I have published to go to the Rockler site and buy a product, I may receive a small commission that neither increases nor decreases your cost. The FTC does not require me to mention that the tools I reviewed here were bought and paid for with my own money at full price because at the time, I was engaged in a business that required a way to sand and sand and sand, lots of wood, literally tons of wood. Since I learned something that others might find useful I built this page to let others know what they get when they buy each brand if they have similar experiences to those I had myself. If someone finds this information useful, I am happy.
-Nancy Ocasio/Premio Game Tables (ret.)