If you are a woodworker or a carpenter, then you have surely used an orbital sander or at-least heard about it. In case you have not heard about a random orbital sander, let me explain. A random orbital sander is used to smooth out rough surfaces with sandpaper attachments. Let’s look at some of the best random orbital sander for home and professional use.
Best Random Orbital Sander In India
Bosch GEX 125-1 AE Random Orbit Sander
Bosch, being one of the popular brands of tools in India, has the Bosch GEX 125-1 random orbital sander in the market. In my experience, this provided a complete sanding experience. It has all the main features of an orbital sander.
The build quality of this sander is top-notch, and the sander is very lightweight.
Bosch has thought the design well and the sander comes with a rubber grip at the top which helps to grab the sander well in our hands.
I am using this sander for last 4 months, and it has given me excellent results.
You can use 5 inch pad here with sanding paper which will do an excellent job.
This random orbital sander comes with a dust filter that collects all the dust formed during the sanding process. In my experience, it worked really well, and the amount of dust left around was minimal.
Due to sturdy design and plastics used. I have dropped this sander multiple times, and it has never failed.
The cord length is adequate to work with in any place in your workshop. The sander makes really little noise, and the oscillations of the sanding pad are good, and it does the job well.
It was able to smoothen all the surfaces that I tried to stand with it. The sanding pad at the bottom comes with holes which are the suction for the dust that is formed during sanding.
You need to use velcro sandpapers matching the holes in the sanding pad.
Pros:
- Excellent build quality
- Good rubber grip
- Lightweight design
- Sanding pad breaks helps to prevent damage to workplace
- Finest finish can be achieved using random orbital motion
- Velcro sandpaper design helps to hold the paper strong to the pad.
- Variable speed selection can be used based on surfaces that you are sanding.
Cons:
- Vibrations can be felt through the handle.
- price is a bit on the higher side.
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DEWALT DWE6421 280Watt 125mm Random Orbit Palm Sander
Dewalt is known for power tools in western countries. They are the sub brand of Stanley, and they make some of the best tools on the market.
They have a variety of power tools that can make your job easy. This model, the Dewalt DWE6421, is one of my favorite random orbital sanders that I have used.
It comes with a 280 Watt,12000 orbits per minute motor which is powerful enough for your sanding needs. Comparing to the Bosch model that we reviewed previously.
This one has lower vibrations in the handle.
The grip that it provided was excellent, and the rubber used is soft, which reduced hand pain and can be used for longer sessions. The dust extraction could have been better. The Bosch model performed well in this case.
This sander produced less noise and the sander was lightweight, causing less fatigue to hands.
Dewalt DWE6421 comes with an on-off switch which is well-placed at the top part of the handle and can be easily accessed.
On trying this sander, I noticed that it gave a clean sanding in a faster rate. The motor is really powerful to handle some hard jobs as well.
Pros:
- Lightweight design for less hand fatigue
- Good finish on sanding
- Low vibration system which helps for longer session work.
- 280 Watts motor with 12000 orbits make hard sanding jobs easy.
- Textured grip helps in holding the sander stable.
- Hook and loop paper for stable sandpaper fixing.
- 2 Years warranty
Cons:
- Dust collection needs to be improved.
- Cord length is little but low for long range jobs.
- The dust collection section capacity is less.
- Speed selection is not available.
Makita MT M9202B Random Orbital Sander
Makita is a Japanese brand that is known for making power tools. They make some of the best tools available on the market. The technology that their tools use is advanced.
This is a very lightweight and well-built sander. It has a 240W motor with 12000 orbits per minute sanding. This also uses 5-inch pads that are commonly available in the market.
In my usage, I noticed that it performs well in sanding tasks and the sound is very less compared to other sanders.
The rubber grip at the handle is excellent for holding the sander without slipping while doing sanding work.
This sander being priced less is missing with some of the main features that we had discussed in the Orbital sander buyer’s guide above.
It is not having a dust collection system, which will make it hard to use when there is a lot of dust around while sanding.
Especially when you sand wood and concrete, you must need a dust collection system else you will have health issues later.
Pros:
- Light weight design and robust construction.
- Easy to use On/Off switch
- Powerful motor for any type of sanding tasks.
- 12000 orbits per minute makes sanding work smooth and easy.
- Long 2 meter cable for easy work.
Cons:
- No dust collection system
- Variable speed adjustment is not available.
Bosch Orbit Sander GEX 150 AC
This is another model from Bosch which is a professional level sander. Being on the pricier segment, this solves all the problems of sanders that we have discussed before.
It comes with multi handle support which helps to keep the sander stable in your hand even if you are working on a ceiling or on a wall.
Due to lightweight design and multiple handle support, this orbital sander makes any type of jobs look easy.
The dust collections system of this sander is excellent and the amount of dust collected is great.
The dust collection chamber is big to store large quantities of dust so that less dust will be running around the work place.
Bosch GEX 150 AC comes with a 340 W motor which produces up to 24000 orbits per minute. This is surely for professional grade performance.
You can use a 6-inch sandpaper here, which will help to complete your jobs easily and in less time.
It comes with a variable speed adjustment that could be handy based on the material that you are sanding.
In my experience with the sander, it gave the best results on all the surfaces that I tried it on. The amount of dust around was less compared to other sanders that had dust collection feature.
This sander is so powerful that it can make your task very easy. The vibrations that I felt were very less, and the grip was excellent. Hand fatigue was really less.
Pros:
- 340W powerful motor
- 6 Inch sanding pad can be used
- 24000 Orbits per minute
- Hook and Loop fastening for sandpaper.
- Good handle grip
- Light weight design
- Large dust collection chamber
Cons:
- High price
- Limited availability
What are Random Orbital Sanders?
What is an Orbital palm sander?
Orbital palm sanders are tools that you can use for smoothening surfaces like Wood, Concrete and metal. These are mostly used by carpenters and woodworkers.
If you are doing wood work, and you need a great finish for your work, you can use a random orbital sander for smoothening the surface and giving it a nice finish.
Why you need an Orbital palm Sander?
In olden days for smoothening rough wood surfaces we used sandpapers in different grit based on the roughness and scrape the surface to make it smooth.
We still can do it and this process is being still applied in different purposes. But doing a sanding job by hand is cumbersome and it takes lot of effort.
In case you have small surface area then it’s fine to do sanding with hands, but in case your surface area is large then sanding the surface is time-consuming and a hectic job.
Here an orbital sander will do wonders. It can easily sand a large area in a fast and effective way. This saves a lot of time and reduces effort.
People prefer orbital sander for the finish that they get on their jobs.
What’s the difference between an Orbital sander and a Random Orbital palm sander?
People who are planning to buy an orbital sander will have this question in their mind. We can get both Orbital and Random orbital sanders in the market. So what’s the difference.
In case of an orbital sander as the name suggest it rotates the pad in circular motion only and this produces swirl marks in shiny surfaces.
In case of a Random Orbital sander, it has circular as well as up and down motion, which makes the pad moves in oval and circular rotations as well. This helps in avoiding swirl marks in any surface and provide much better sanding experience.
Can you polish with a Random orbital palm sander?
In case you are looking to polish your car or furniture with a random orbital sander, you can with the use of a specific type of foam or wool pad. You can polish your vehicles or your furniture without any issues.
Orbital vs Palm Sander: Which is Right for You?
Both similar but an orbital sander is user in large industries, but a palm sander comes handy when you do DIY and small wood work.
In case you are looking for a sander then you should get a Palm sander which is really handy to use.
What is better orbital or sheet sander?
This is one of the questions people have in case they are new to this field. Sheet sanders use cut pieces of sanding sheets that you get as a role in any hardware shop.
You can cut those sheets into many pieces matching the sanding pad dimensions and use it.
In case of a Random orbital sander, the sanding sheets are pre-cut in circles matching the dimensions of the sanding pad attached to the orbital sander.
What is Sandpaper grit?
For sanding purpose we use sandpaper, and they come in various grit. Grit of a sandpaper can be described as the roughness of the sanding material used in its surface.
If you are sanding a very rough surface of wood or steel, then you may need to remove a lot of material from the surface. For this, you should use a high grit sandpaper.
In case the surface you are going to sand is smooth already, and you just need to make it perfect, then you need a low grit sandpaper.
Sandpaper grits
So a sandpaper comes in different grit which is mentioned below. Higher the number, lower the roughness of the paper
- 20 grit
- 40 grit
- 60 grit
- 80,100 and 120 grit
This type of grits are basically used in Wood working purposes.
There are higher levels of sandpapers like 800 and 1000 grit which can be used for sensitive level of sanding. Sandpapers can be classified as
- Micro Grit
- Macro Grit
The use of sandpaper should be done based on the job that you are doing.
Buyers Guide
Orbital sander design and build
So design being one of the important factors to consider while buying an orbital sander, you should consider how it fits your hand.
As you are buying a palm sander, you it should be handy enough to hold in your palm. Also weight matters here. In case if the palm sander is heavy then it will be hard to work with.
Build quality in the sense you will be working in your workshop and there are chances that you may drop things. Incase the sander falls on the floor which could happen often it should be durable enough to not break.
Dust extraction feature
Dust extraction is a feature that all orbital sanders should have. While sanding, there is a lot of dust and powdered materials coming out of the surface. It spreads in the area and make it look bad.
The particles are very minute, and it can cause getting into your nose and respiratory system and cause allergies and breathing issues. It is suggested to wear a mask while using an orbital sander.
A sander with dust extraction make things better as it will pull away the dust and the particles produced during sanding and store it into a bin. This really is a feature that all sanders should have.
Thoughts on Random Orbital Sander
In case you are looking to do some wood work and want to make the finish of your work look good, then you definitely need a random orbital sander.
This tool will make your work so easy and simple. The effectiveness of sanding achieved in an orbital sander is hard to be done by hand sanding.
Also, random orbital sanders in long term use could help to reduce hand and body fatigue as well. Being a pricey tool, in case you are looking for regular wood work or any construction work then you should invest in an orbital sander.
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