2.4 Amp Corded 5 in. Random Orbital Sander

I really enjoyed this sander the first three or four times of use. My most recent project was a bed (medium-sized project) and 5 minutes in, the disc flew off. After inspection, it appears a glue or adhesive had melted, causing the issue. I expected much better construction from Black & Decker. Very disappointing - I would not recommend this product for anything other than very small projects.

This 2.4 Amp Corded 5 in. Random Orbital Sander delivery a great job for the price paid. I love the lock mechanism so i don't have to squeeze it constantly while working which saves me from lots of pain. The dust collection container works well collects most of the dust and it prevents huge mess around. Overall i am really happy with this little machine.

Got this sander for my wife who swears it's the most cruel orbital sander she's ever used and she's used up many sanders over the years. It's pressure sensitive, you push the top of the sander to make it run. There is no variable speed. The amount of force required to keep the sander running and the huge size of the handle make it a hand cramping nightmare to use. I'm 6' tall with larger hands and find it difficult to use, not sure how she operated it at all. It sands well, catches dust okay but really needs a vac hooked up to it. Standard hook and loop sandpaper adheres well. Good instructions.

I was looking forward to receiving this sander as I don’t own one (my wife has two and holds this fact over me whenever I want to use one). Now I can do some sanding without having to ask permission… Here are some specifics about the sander I noticed. 1. This sander feels good in the hand. It is easy to hold onto and move. 2. It has good weight to it (it feels solid) without being too heavy. I feel like I could sand with this for hours without getting tired. 3. The motor is strong and even pushing harder than usual, I could not get it to stop rotating. 4. It seems to do a better job of sanding than my wife’s older orbital sander does (also a Black and Decker). Maybe it’s because that one is a few years old but I think this is just a better machine. 5. It comes with one disk which is attached with the hook and loop system. This makes changing disks easy. 6. The dust collection works (sort of). I noticed there was about the same amount in the bag as out of the bag but some collection is better than none. 7. The one thing I am not a fan of is the switch. It is easy to turn on but therein lies the problem. It took some getting used to for me to pick up the sander without starting it because my hand naturally gravitates to the top of the sander. 8. The locking mechanism for the switch is good and works to lock it on or off. It’s just awkward to hold the sander in one hand (well enough to keep it from going out of control) and engage the locking mechanism. The position of the lock just doesn’t make sense. If I’m holding the sander; the lock is near the bottom of my palm near my wrist. It is very awkward to try and lock it. I think they either need to move the lock to the side where someone’s thumb would be or to the front. Or scrap it altogether and just go with a rocker/toggle on/off switch. I even checked the instruction manual and website to see if I was holding it wrong… They have a picture with someone using two hands to lock it in. One handed operation would be better.

I found this to be is a compact, but effective sander. For instance, using the 120 grit paper that was supplied with the tool, it worked quickly (under 15 seconds) to remove spots of long-ago dried paint from soft pine wood, while leaving no telltale swirl marks or gouging of the wood. I like the fact that the sander will self-actuate (when the lock switch is set to “off”) simply by pressing down slightly on the top of the handle – a motion that is very natural to the hand-sanding process. To prevent accidentally starting the unit, it can be placed in the “lock” position when the sander is off (or just unplugged). And although it can also be set to lock in the “on” position (for extended periods of sanding without pressing the head down), the machine needs to be running to do this. I found it awkward to reach the “lock” switch with one hand while holding the running (vibrating) sander with the other. For a machine with a design like this one, I’m not sure why there is a “lock” to hold it in the “on” position -- the tool is automatically activated by slightly pressing and holding down on the handle of the sander, and since you need to hold the tool by the handle regardless of whether it is locked on or not, what's the point of locking it? The tool fit comfortably in the palm of my hand, and did a good job of insulating my hand/arm from the vibrating action of the tool, The fact that it has a nearly 7-foot power cord, means you can tackle larger objects without running out of room to sand or needing an extension cord. Also, not having the added weight of a battery, means it is both lightweight to operate and save for the occasional need to change sandpaper, can run non-stop. 5” sanding discs are affixed to the sanding pad using the “hook and loop” (Velcro-style) technology, and I found them very easy to attach and remove. The disc stayed firmly in place on the pad when sanding. The tool came with one 120 grit disc – nice for getting you started if you didn’t have any at home or you left the store forgetting to buy some; but wouldn’t it be better to have 3-grits available (fine, medium and course) when you’re setting out to use the tool for the first time? I know I wouldn’t mind paying a few cents more to cover the cost of this little "extra." Sometimes it’s the little things that help to spur brand loyalty. I like the fact that the tool includes a small dust collection bag, which seemed reasonably effective at capturing sawdust. The bag both attaches and disengages very easily (push and turn to attach, turn and pull to detach), and it remains firmly in place despite a good amount of sander vibration. Unlike some competitive models, the collection bag lacks a separate opening to empty the contents, meaning that sawdust must be emptied the way it came in -- through the narrow bag air inlet (see picture). As I write this, I have not yet accumulated enough debris in the collection bag, to comment whether it is difficult to empty a full bag; but intuitively, emptying a large amount of content through a narrow passageway seems a chore, particularly if the contents are damp or clumping together. The 2-year warranty appearing in the user manual, does not state any specific exclusions for reasonable “wear and tear.” If the tool has failed due to material or workmanship, it offers a simplified process of exchanging a tool for a repair or replacement. Perhaps this is an example of a good product warranty. Despite the fact that this model does not offer the ability to set the speed or the action of the vibration, it does an effective job -- as good as, or better than higher priced random orbit sanders. Overall, this is a nice random orbit sander – it’s effective at doing what it’s built to do, and reasonably priced – so I would be happy to recommend it to a friend.

I have one of my own and liked it so much that I purchased another one as a gift to my daughter.

Great little sander.