best 1/4 sheet sander

Hi All,

Home Depot offers several 1/4 sheet sanders, each @ $50 -- Makita, DeWalt, Ridgid, Porter-Cable. Anyone have any reason to prefer one over another?

Thanx.

Dennis

Reply to
Dennis
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I have PC, for years they were the best I dont know if they are the same with the way everything is made in china now.

Reply to
m Ransley
50$, I paid 100 in 86. So its probably not USA made anymore.
Reply to
m Ransley

I know hte PC and DeWalt are good. 1/4 sheet are handy for small projects, but a random orbital sander will do the job in half the time.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I have a Makita - cost $20 on eBay (new), works fine.

Reply to
Travis Jordan

I guess this is a stupid question ( I know it's an ignorant one), but do people normally use the orbital on wood?

Reply to
Dennis

Are you really sure you want a 1/4 sheet sander? The random orbit sanders blow them away. Porter Cable is a good RO sander. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

I've had a deWalt for ever and like it. I've used PC's and they make a good one too. You will find that some, after longer use, cause tingling in your hands because of the vibration but that could be inherent of the animal. Which ever one you pick, I'd get one with a good dust collector or vac attachment -- this way you won't breathe too much dust in and your finish is more likely to be bumpfree.

Hope this helps - Remco

Reply to
remcow

Absolutely agree. They're faster, smoother and nearly dust free.

I disagree. The Porter Cable is a *terrific* sander. Hardly ever use my 1/4 sheet sander any more, way too slow. HTH

Joe

Reply to
Joe Bobst

Reply to
Dennis

That is all I use mine on. I have two. One with 180 grit, the other with

400 grit. Only reason to use a 1/4 sheet is for the inside of square corners. With a round sander you have to finish that part by hand.

Another advantage of the ROS is that it leave very small marks compared to a square sander. No matter how fine a grit you use, it is leaving very tiny scratches. They can be eliminated by use of scrapers or a finish plane.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

First, they're cheap enough that you can try them and sell them at a garage sale if they aren't to your liking. Second, some have minor distinctions that affect personal feel, so one that I like may not seem right to you.

That said I have the PC and use a DeWalt regularly and have never had a failure on either. The PC fits my hand perfectly, so I own that one. I've used the Makita and it too has never failed but it felt uncomfortable to me. I long ago broke three consecutive Ridgid circular saws and have never bought another product of theirs since. I have a DeWalt, a Ryobi and a 30-year-old Black and Decker circular saw that have never failed any more than brushes wearing out and the Ridgids got less use and still died.

FWIW, a 1/4 sheet palm sander never seems enough. You'll soon own an orbital, belt and maybe even a detail sander such as the B&D mouse just because you find a use for each. :)

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Cochran

They have different uses. I've got a a DeWalt orbital that seems to get less use than my PC palm, but it's dependent on the task. A lot of my sanding work is smaller areas/edges, or detail-oriented and an orbital either can't get into the area or is *too* fast. But when I had to remove chipped/peeling paint from soffits and fascia, the orbital was in use for three solid days. :)

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Cochran

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