5" vs. 6" ROS advice

[Rich Engelhardt]

I picked up a Ridgid 6" a few years back to scuff sand the hardwood floors of a rental house.
They were in decent shape and didn't need sanded all the way down to bare wood.

I've since used it on smaller tasks.

The other sander I have is a DeWalt 5" single speed. I like to use the 5" because it's nimbler and doesn't seem to add that much time. The DeWalt is near its end of life however and I'm looking at what I can replace it with.

[John Kananis]

Patrick, for the type of work you mention (small cabinets, tables and smaller protects), I'd invest in a decent hand plane and a card scraper. Nicer finish, less work, no dust, no electrons and no sandpaper to buy.

[Prashun Patel]

You sound like me in terms of project types. I have never missed a larger sander. I have a 5”. If anything, there are way more times I need a smaller sander for concave parts like bowls .

If you have to hog off a ton of material with a sander I would suggest there are more efficient methods such as planes, a planer or even a belt sander (for say cutting boards).

The biggest bang for buck on sanding efficiency is not pad size but paper quality and changing it often. At least for me.

[Mike Henderson]

I'm the same. I bought a 6" sander but almost always use my 5" sanders. They better fit the work I do.

Mike

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I keep well stocked with all the fine grits for my 5" Rotex. I polish rosewoods to 15000 with Micro Mesh.
I keep course stuff for the 6".

[james manutes]

Another "I've" got both here . There are situations where one is preferred over the other , so the flexibility is great . I'll admit that ordering 2 sizes of paper is a bummer , but - oh well .

[Patrick Varley]

Again, thanks for all the input. Decided to go with a 6" knowing that I'd keep a 5" around for some things.

Probably not a popular option here, but I'm a gambling man and took a flyer on a 6" Deros clone. I had seen Peter Millard review one and seemed like it was worth a shot (https://youtu.be/jelEm54OLQw). I have to say that on initial unboxing and initial testing, I was surprised (in a good way) on the build quality and performance. Ultimately I know the real issue might be longevity but I picked up an extended warranty. Worst case, the thing dies after a year and I end up with a gift card for something else (after using this thing, I'd probably consider biting the bullet and just getting the Deros).