Lets just start with the basics. Sanders are an important part of the process for just about any project that deals with wood. If you are staining furniture, refinishing wood floors, removing paint from old windows, sanding a dresser before you clean it all up to paint. No matter the situation, a sander is needed as part of the process.
Choosing a sander is hard with so many options, but I will first start of by saying, if you are considering buying a manual hand sander, then you are downright insane. These things are only good if you need to sand something for maybe 1 minute. Otherwise your hand will just start to cramp up and your spouse will never hear the end of it.
Another option is a belt sander. Belt sanders are awesome for certain purposes. They are typically freestanding and aren't usually carried around, so you can't really use them for smaller projects such as sanding furniture. However, for commercial purposes they are great. They do make portable ones, but typically you won't use these in most situations.
Another option is the finishing sander. But these are generally worthless until AFTER you have sanded down the bulk of the work. The name has the work "finishing" in it because it is for the final stage of the process before you go on to staining, painting, etc.
This leaves us with the handheld orbital sander (Not the floor ones). They are lightweight, easy to use, portable, and can do some serious damage to wood. Orbital sanders are great in any situation and can be used to sand just about everything. They are great for beginners and great for experts. They are an essential part of the woodworking process. Let's just say, you definitely need one before you go out and spend money on any other kind of sander.
Now lets get to the best orbital sander on the market.
I am talking about the Makita BO5041K:
This thing is a beast! And for the price you can't beat it.
- It's powerful, fast, and high performance.
- You can use this sander from simple DIY projects to home construction.
- It's got a small body and feels light but firm on your hands, which is not common of most orbital sanders.
- It has an adjustable speed for different sanding situations.
- It comes with durable rubber hands on both the front and the back, and it is known for its easy handling and smooth sanding performance.
- Not to mention it comes with a carrying case.
What more could you ask for?
I have worked with many sanders in my career, and I would recommend this one 100 times over.
For the money, this is by far the best orbital sander I have ever come across.
