makita 9910x

1. Posted: Dec 1 2007

   This small belt sander has been a very good investment. It is lightweight and comfortable to use. The dust collection is good with the bag and very good if hooked up to a shop vac. The belts are easy to change. I have been using this belt sander mainly for scribing kitchen cabinets and for this task it has been extremely usefull.

2. ( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 21 2007

   I purchased this sander to do some medium duty sanding/stripping on doors and woodwork. Overall, it was a tight little sander, very comfortable to hold and operate. The belts, like on the other Makita models, were easy to load and use. Material removal was decent, but the 5.6 A motor may be too small for the weekend wannabe contractor. The 5 belts that came with it were a good selling point, too. But after only an 45 min to an hour of use, the motor began to spark at high rpm and no load. White sparks were visible through the motor vent on the side, and there was a definite loss of motor torque. This went along with a popping sound coming from the sander (and my lights flickering in my house). I'm guessing the motor was shorting to the brushes at high speed. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in this tool and luckily was able to return it. I would opt for a higher amp motor and a different brand sander like I did.

3. Posted: Nov 3 2007

   I just spent 4 hours using this tool to smooth a glued up table top I'm making. I'm no expert in wood working and I was very pleased with this sander. It has good power and I had no trouble with belt tracking. The sander worked perfectly. Changing belts is very easy and precise alignment before use is not required. The dust catcher works very well.

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1. Posted: Jan 5 2007

   This is a decent-looking sander, but the drive belt between the motor and the belt broke after less than an hour of use. I removed the belt and saw that it's about 1/4" wide and about 1/16" thick, and is reinforced only by a few cloth strands. I called Makita at their customer service number and was politely told that I could take the sander 25 miles from my zip code to their nearest service center for warranty repair, or they would sell me a new belt for $3.30 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. Shipping for this 10-gram belt should be under $2; I think that handling charges should not be applied to warranty repairs. I ordered two belts for a total of $14 since I don't anticipate the next one lasting very long either, and I will think carefully before buying another Makita tool.

2. ( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jul 16 2005

   After selling a much larger makita belt sander and having a few other belt sanders I was in the market for a small light unit that was put together well . I have become aware of tool designs and what holds up and what does not and why . The methode to this madness is quite simple , I find a tool that has specs that fill my needs then I find the online tool parts breakdown and look into how the tool was designed and built . Yes I had options to spend more and get something designed more for the professional but I have other belt sanders that fit this description . I looked at the way this belt sander has all ball bearings throughout and especially the way the rear roller is supported . Many belt sanders have two bronze bushings pressed into cast metal frame which works well but all of the smaller belt sanders in this price range had one bearing and a half size drum roller and not all ball bearing construction , the 9910 has a unique design with the rear roller which is where most of the stress is supported at both ends by ball bearings and has an outside frame to carry one end . I got this sander and even though it is single speed in is not so fast you cannot control it and the dust collection was one of the strongest I have come across in any size belt sander , there is alot of suction and alot of force to the air entering the dust bag . It is all plastic which is not my idea of a solid tool but for it's size this does not seem to instill a weak flimsy tool , in fact it is very solid and works very well , it is quiet for a sander and light yet does a great job removing wood in an even fashion and the tracking system holds it's setting very well . I think it is a great tool , easy to use and of a design that if applied to larger sanders with metal frames would render a tool that is almost indestructable and long lived . The dust bag is rather small but then it is a small sander to begin with and a larger bag would hamper it's size but it is easy to remove and empty , after all I am not sanding floors with it .

3. ( 1 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jun 8 2004

   Just got the Makita 9910 3"x18" belt sander. First day, on my third sanding belt,alternating with my Fien Multimaster, it just flat out quit! The motor ran but no belt drive. I popped off the side cover, and saw a punky little drive belt in shreds. Talk about cheesy! While it was working, it was OK. Not very powerful for a belt sander, but for the size it is easy to handle. The dust bag is good. But that doesn't matter if it can't stand up to a little use.

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