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Great value for $25.00, works great and does a nice job. I am using it to finish kitchen cabinets and several doors.
I always kept a few packages of the easier to use precut 1/3 sheets papers for less experienced people to use. Bad decision. Unfortunately the paper fell out as soon as she started sanding. Yes the motor and reliability of this unit is fine, but the clamps that hold the sandpaper in place are simply awful.
Again the paper was too short to stay put. At first view, the new clamping design looks far easier to use then the old pinch system all my older sanders have used. Problem is that base of the unit is a little too long and the nice new clamps simply can't get a good byte on normal 1/3 sheet paper.My teenage kids always had problems loading paper into the old (you need three hands to load the paper) pinch system, but once a piece of sandpaper was in place it held. This thing does a terrible job clamping the paper in place.Do not buy this thing unless you get sandpaper for free.When my old Black and Decker died after many years I decided to replace it with this updated model. All this trimming and cutting takes time and causes a tremendous amount of wasted paper. Great design I thought.
Upon examination it became clear that my expensive precut 1/3 sheets were just a little too short for the sander to get a byte on. So I went out and bought some full sheets and cut them into my normal 1/3ds.
Even then it tears and falls out twice as fast as it used to us with my old sander. My guess is most of the reviewers who give this thing 4 stars do not have much experience using other sanders.
In the end I was forced to cut my paper into halves and to trim away excess length and width. I myself save money by cutting my own 1/3 sheets from full sheets.When the old sander died mid project I ran out and bought this new one.
My daughter was able to load the paper into the new sander in seconds. Leave the excess in place and it gets tangled in the new clamps and does not lie flat.
Do not buy this sander unless you get sandpaper for free.
I was delighted to find a model similar to the one I had 20 years ago.
The motor runs but the pad doesn't vibrate. I have used a Model#FS350 Type1 (made in the U.K).(Blue case) for a number of years and the only problem experienced is a bad on/off switch. Another quality. I installed a jumper on the switch & it is still working. I purchased a Model#7448 (Black case - Made in China) to have as a backup and it broke down on the third time I used it. product from China. Both units appear identical (inside & out) except for color and point of manufacture.
Second house, much better, lots of woodwork and moldings, and a built-in wet bar all done in cherry.I built a 20 foot long work bench and LOTS of cabinets for the garage/workshop. You've got me a little worried.I've had good and bad experiences with B&D. Used the sander on everything. My first house - total gut job. I came to the website looking to see if B&D still made this puppy. I think I'll risk it and go drop another 25 bucks - the same price it was in '84. Mine never let go of the paper, though. What a piece of junk, huh.Yes, I would love to have kept more skin on my knuckles, but I do change the paper often, and those teeny little levers are a joke.
Had one two months and it crapped out. Its not really a bearing at all, just a weird metal donut that started to melt the inside of the plastic case. I bought mine in '84, and have been diligently beating it to death ever since. Their belt sanders are about as sturdy as a styrofoam cup. A couple of kid's furniture projects later, bookselves, desks and dollhouses - the thing started making a very loud rattling noise.Its the same top bearing issue mentioned before. And after only 20 years. I've got other sanders, but this one has the right weight, the right size and (until last week), the right level of invincibility I need from powertools. I'll let you know in 2025 if it was worth it.
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