I used one of these sanders to remove heavy textured paint from the plaster walls of my 1890's Victorian in Maryland.This involved sanding every inch of a 3000 square foot house with heavy grit (60 grit) paper over a three month period.I estimate that I ran this unit for over 30 hours a week for the entire three months without a break.I still have it and it works fine.
The unit has a couple of problems that I noted over time:
1. The dust collector is cloth over a steel spring that tears where the cloth meets the hard plastic base of the dust collection bag.
2. The pad that accepts the hook-and-loop paper sometimes tears when removing the paper.This is easily replaced, but isn't cheap to do.
3. While the dust collector works pretty well (until it tears, that is), it is small and you have to stop work often to empty it.This is not a problem with the small jobs I use it on now, but it was annoying when I was sanding the walls.
4. Paper is costly and you will have to be careful of which brand you buy.There are some sanders with just 4 dust collection holes, while this one has I think 8, so you need to buy the paper that is right for the sander.They do sell it in 25 sheet packs, which cuts down on the cost.We used about 10 such packs, each costing about $10 to $15 at the big box store near us.
One final bit of advise: Always wear a resperator or face mask when sanding paint.Safety glasses are a must too.
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DEWALT D26451K 3 Amp 5 Inch Random Orbit Sander with Cloth Dust BagProduct Description: Featuring DeWalt's exclusive Controlled Finishing System (CFS), the D26451K random orbit sander delivers speed and precision for beautiful, smooth finished products. The CFS controls pad speed mechanically to minimize the unsightly gouging that can occur when you start up other sanders, while a reliable, 3.0 Amp motor provides 12,000 orbits per minute for swift results. A textured anti-slip top and convenient body grips make this tool easy to hold and control, and a dual-plane counter-balanced fan mechanically reduces vibration to help you protect your body and stay comfortable. And over the long haul, a dust-sealed switch that prevents contamination and 100-percent sealed ball-bearing construction help ensure durability.
This versatile orbit sander provides you with a 3/32-inch orbit diameter that's perfect for the progressive removal of material, and it accepts 5-inch, 8-hole hook & loop paper, which allows sanding discs to be switched back and forth quickly and easily. A high-capacity dust bag with built-in vacuum adapter lets you keep your work area clear with or without the use of a vacuum. This DeWalt High Performance Industrial Tool comes with a heavy-duty kit box.
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The belts were definitely superior to the more expensive ones I bought from a local store.Only a couple of them broke (at the seams) prematurely.
