( 6 reviews )
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Posted: 04-13-2008
I own 3 finish sanders a Makita, Skil & a Black & Decker! This Skil I put in the middle. It works well for me, does not vibrate badly as the B & D does, which is a hand killer! Its does a good job of removing material from my projects quickly. I do not have a problem with the dust removal system, but you do have to be a little careful punching holes in the paper as to not to mess up the rubber pad! Also, as with any sander. blow them out with compressed air from time to time to keep them clean and running well! The clamping mechanisim is a bit more difficult to use then my others, but haven't found one that is aggravation free yet! There have been no slippage problems!! The palm grip is nice and I found it easy to guide and move around. Really does a nice job on MDF and have had no problems on finer wood either. I like its heft, its a bit heavier then my Makita, which probably accounts for a faster removal rate of material. Like any other power tool, pay attention to what your doing and your project will turn out fine. This is a nice sander for the price and is certainly a step up from a B&D.
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Posted: 04-13-2008
I own 3 finish sanders a Makita, Skil & a Black & Decker! This Skil I put in the middle. It works well for me, it has less vibration then a Makita and certainly much better then the B&D I also have, which is a hand killer! Its does a good job of removing material from my projects quickly. The dust collection system is not as good as a Makita, doesn't take long before its blowing out here and there. The makita uses a bag and keeps dust to a minimum. Also the rubber pad is susceptable to damgage with the paper hole punch! So care is recommended here Also, as with any sander, blow them out with compressed air from time to time to keep them clean and running well! The clamping mechanisim is a bit more difficult to use then my others, but haven't found one that is aggravation free yet! There have been no slippage problems!! The palm grip is nice and I found it easy to guide and move around. Really does a nice job on MDF and have had no problems on finer wood either. I like its heft, its a bit heavier then my Makita, which probably accounts for a faster removal rate of material. Like any other power tool, pay attention to what your doing and your project will turn out fine. This is a nice sander for the price and is certainly a step up from a B&D and a smoother operator then a makita!
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Posted: 03-12-2007
I got this for Christmas 2005 as part of the Skil 5-piece 18v cordless set (Drill, Circular Saw, Sander, Jigsaw, Light and case) that was priced too low to resist. While every other tool in the set works as good as a set of this price range could, the sander was BY FAR the worst component. It died after 2 weeks of, on average, 30 mins of light use per day. SKil also refused to replace it under warranty, which also annoyed me greatly. As for performance, it was much louder and vibrated much more than a similar Black & Decker I also had. It was so loud, I'd occasionally switch to the B&D sander just to enjoy a slightly quieter sanding experience. Sanding quality: it seemed very...harsh. If you weren't careful and applied too much pressure, it would instantly dig a hole in the wood- even with 320 grit paper. The sander did an OK job of dust removal with the included dust port and canister, but clogged very easily, needed frequent emptying, and used a cheap plastic square to punch holes in the sandpaper. If you didn't dig the sandpaper shreds out of the holes with a knife, you would soon discover that they had completely blocked the dust removal holes, rendering them useless. Additionally, the sander's pad was a cheap, fragile textured foam rubber that is very easily damaged, especially if you miss the holes with the sandpaper hole punch block (easy to do, as the guide allows it to fit on more than one way), which affected the quality of your future sanding. All in all, while I was upset the thing died after 2 weeks, in retrospect, had I used it all this time just for the dust collection, I would have been sacrificing the quality of my work. Maybe I just got a bad one, but I wouldn't buy another. With tools, the cliche "you get what you pay for" is all too true.
