|
This particular one was made in England.On first use it actually seemed better than the Skil. Based on reviews I bought this to replace a 15+ year old Skil that gave up. It didn't sound as stressed out when running, and it holds belt alignment better. When I opened the box, my first thought was that Makita had bought the 15-year-old design from Skil, there was actual metal in all the places there had been metal (like the belt release lever) and the appearance was oddly similar. At lease one thing was clearly improved, though, the drive roller is full belt width as opposed to the 1-1/2" drive roller the Skil had. I used three different belts and didn't even have to adjust the alignment. So far this looks like an excellent value.
On my old Wen sander I had to be constantly fiddling with the tracking control. It seems to be well made and has plenty of power. I am happy with this purchase. On the Makita I've never touched the tracking, it stays right on. It is single speed, but that is not a problem. The belt tracking is great. Not sure how the auto tracking works, but it is great. Those 5 sanding belts that come with the sander are a good touch also.
Bought for my son to use on a smaller floor sanding project. Worked good.
For the moron that complained about the belt grinding off the plastic.TRY READING THE DIRECTIONS. I would never compare the two as they are not "apples to apples" unlike many of the other novice users and reviewers here. Some reviewers seem to have little or no understanding of the word value. For the guys like me who use a belt sander on an occasional scribe job or butcher block table top etc.
The other sander did have a slightly larger motor and had adjustable speeds but it was nearly TWICE the price of this makita. Bought this sander in a discount section of a big box store for $54.00(new). There is in fact a screw on the side to adjust your tracking so that the belt won't do that. If you are trying to sand 1500 sq. With all that said, whether you paid a discount price like I did or bought it on amazon for around $65.00 this is a great VALUED sander.
Do us all a favor and take up sewing instead so we don't have to read your useless review.I'm a hobbyist and part time family helping wood worker. ft of flooring, YOU BOUGHT THE WRONG SANDER. I originally bought a belt sander for $100 bucks and a couple days later found this sander for almost half the price so I then returned the $100 sander. this is perfect. To the idiot that sent the review about the belts.THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A REVIEW ABOUT THE SANDER.
Get different belts for the sander if you don't like them you tool. Great tracking, good dust removal(better if you attach a vacuum), good weight, and can be laid on its back for sanding smaller pieces. Thank you to the rest of you reviewers who understand value and functionality.
I've had a couple of these units, and both of them had the belt break after six to eight months of use. You can get a new belt for twelve bucks, and it isn't hard to put in, but after a couple belts you get frustrated and annoyed. Spend the bucks for a better quality unit.
|
