Replacing My Old Sanders Harbor Freight Sanders

Bauer 2.8 Amp, 5 in. Random Orbital Palm Sander
Bauer 2.8 Amp, 5 in. Random Orbital Palm Sander


I just ordered two of these. I needed two more random orbital sanders because changing sandpaper wears out the loops on the back of my sandpaper before the grit wears out. Price was one of the reasons I purchased this one. I can buy two of these for the price of one of the sanders I was considering and three in some cases. However, the big deal for me was the dust port. It's round and fits my existing system. I'm getting rid of sanders that either do not have a dust port or they have some weird shape that I can't hook up to my shop vac. Most of my corded tools are Hitachi, and I would have liked to have two more Hitachi sanders, but I have been sitting on a waiting list to get Hitachi sanders at a reasonable price for months. I usually buy refurbished. A coupon turned up for the Bauer sanders for $25, so I'm going to give them a try.

I also purchased one of these for $20. I have several hundred 1/4-Sheets of sandpaper leftover from a project that didn't use near as much paper as I bought. I want to use it up, and the 1/4-sheet sanders I have either do not have a dust collection port or have ports with weird shapes that I can't connect to my vac.


Bauer 2.2 Amp 1/4 Sheet Heavy Duty Palm Finishing Sander
Bauer 2.2 Amp 1/4 Sheet Heavy-Duty Palm Finishing Sander

I've used Harbor Freight sanders in the past that cost less than $10. The cost was so low that I could have done the project and thrown them in the trash and still come out ahead. The sandpaper was more expensive than the sander. I never had an issue with any Harbor Freight sander other than dust collection, which is why I am getting rid of them now. At one time I did all of my sandings outdoors and dust collection was not an issue.


 What do I use them for? Primarily I use these sanders for prepping wood for making toys. I use a lot of reclaimed wood and construction lumber. Most of this wood has dents, dings and other defects that need to be smoothed before I apply patterns and cut them on my scroll saw. If it is bad I start with 80 grit and work my way up to 220. This removes any milling marks dings or those nasty purple stamps and sprays paint that Home Depot loves to put on their cull lumber. The wood is smooth clean so the patterns stick well and it slides around the saw without hanging.


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