hand held belt sander?

[Roger Benton]

Time for a new one, any recommendations? I need a good one, it will be used heavily. Thanks,

-Roger

[Cary Falk]

I have a 3x18 and a 4x24 Makita and like both of them. They are well blanaced. They have a low center of gravity. They have a flat top so I can turn them upside down and so some free hand sanding

[Bob Genovesi]

I have a Porter Cable 3 X 21 VS unit and really like the way it performs. I've has it for 10 years and every time I depress the trigger it works as expected....

[Ed Labadie]

Milwaukee.

FYI, it's not for the weak, it's big, heavy, and will hog material.

Ed

[David Christopher]

porter cable 3 X 24.. it will last longer than you

[Quinn McCarthy]

I have a bosch 4x24. It is the bigger sander.

the 1276dvs

It is an awesome sander. It will take some major material off. I bet it is 8 years old and all I have done is replace the bag, brushes, and platen. It is really well balnced. I had a makita 4x24 that I didn't like. I didn't like the way it felt. It would hog some material too. I really like the fact that it is variable speed which is nice when you are sanding plywood. It also has flat top for inverted work and on the right side of the sander you can sand right up close to areas of differnet height. The handle is also adjustable.

HTH

Quinn

[Don Selke]

I have both the PC 3 X21 & 4 X24 belt sanders here in the shop. They have been in use for about 10 years. Have replaced the bags and brushes only once.
I do have to admit that I very seldome use them now that I have a drum sander and Festool RAS. I do my primary sanding on the drum sander and my finish sanding with the Festool RAS sanders. At 69 years of age, the belt sanders are hard on the back, arms and wrists.

[Jim Foster]

I have a PC 4x24. The PC will certainly outlast me, but the versatililty of a flat top is worth considering. There has been a couple times when I wished I could clamp it to a table and use it upside down.

[Michael Wildt]

I have a Bosch 3x21 1274dvs, it is a nice machine. I take the small hose of the Festool and connect it directly to the vacuum. That basically take all the dust.

[Bill White]

Betcha the new PC stuff ain't what the good OLD PC stuff is.
Bill

[John Callahan]

.......... it will be used heavily

How and where? A 3 x 21 is probably good all around size. For large, broad flat surfaces I'd prefer a 4 x 24. For scribing it's tough to beat Porter Cable's 371 (2 1/2 x 14). In a 3 x21 I like PC's 352VS with a caveat. It's heavier than most which is an advantage on on horizontal surfaces. On vertical/overhead surfaces the weight along with the swinging bag quickly become a liability. If you had a lot of overhead/vertical work I'd look at the Bosch 1274DVS. In a 4x24 I like the PC362VS and the Bosch 1276 DVS. No experience with the Makitas. My PC's have served me well- I'd choose 'em again. The ergonomics and bag setups vary among brands; the best bet is to get your hands on them and see what feels best to you.

[Karl Brogger]

Betcha the new PC stuff ain't what the good OLD PC stuff is.
Bill

Ain't that the truth.

Porter Cable 504. I can't say anything bad about it other than its weight, and that it is no longer produced. It may sound expensive being the few new ones that I've found are $1200, but in reality it is the cheapest belt sander ever made short of a free one. They pop up on ebay from time to time, and you can find one once in a while if you search Craigslist nationwide.

[John Bush]

I inherited a Milwaukee 4 x 24 and it is a workhorse. It has tons of power- I used 60 grit belts to smooth out several hundred bdft of fir beams for kid safe playground stuff, then 100, then 150, and it got warm but never let down. My arms gave out before the sander did. I went thru a couple dozen belts after I figured out it is much faster and less tedious to put on a fresh belt than trying to eek out the last bit of grit from a worn out belt--kind of like chewing gum. I looked them up and MRSP is ~$550 and online somewhere was $399.

[Frank Drew]

IMO, one of the greatest power tool accessories ever is the sanding frame for hand held belt sanders. Not all brands offer them, but I'd definitely make one a priority. It can turn a powerful yet sometimes clumsy and risky machine into a precision tool, virtually eliminating the risk of dig-ins.

I had a very good AEG 3"x24" with one, but I don't know the current status of that brand.

[Lee Schierer]

Before you buy whichever unit you decide upon, check the belt size and insure yourself it is a common size belt available from a number of manufacturers.