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Best random orbital sander that's not Festool? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I've been using a crappy random orbit sander from Walmart for the past 5 years. It works well enough, but as I've gotten a bit older, had a few more non-woodworking related injuries, etc, the excessive vibration is really starting to get to me. I know Festool is the gold standard in terms of dust control and likely vibration, but are there any other good options that aren't $500-600?

I'm sitting here after sanding for an hour and a half or so and my hand is still tingling after 20 minutes. Clearly, I need to get a better sander, but I can't justify spending $575 on a Festool sander right now. $50-150 would be more palatable, as long as it is a clear upgrade from my current setup.

Edit:Ended up getting this Makita sander . Huge upgrade, thanks for the suggestions!

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[–] jasparagus 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I actually have a couple of silicone trivets (honeycombed) that I use for both anti-slip pads and to hold the sander. It does a surprisingly good job of damping the vibrations from my DeWalt ROS. I'm referring to something like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Trivets-Multipurpose-Non-Slip-Resistant/dp/B091H8BSMG/

Edit to add that I think there are also vibration -dampening gloves, though I don't know how effective they are.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Interesting idea, thanks!