Top Cordless Orbital Sanders for Smooth Sanding Experience.

A Comprehensive Guide to Battery Powered Sanders: Comparing Brands and Performance

Sanders are vital tools for many woodworking and construction projects. They are used for a variety of purposes, such as smoothing rough surfaces, removing paint, and shaping wood. Among the different types of sanders, random orbital sanders are the most popular due to their versatility and ease of use. While most of the power tools available on the market today are battery-powered, battery-powered sanders are still relatively new. This guide will examine the various battery-powered sanders available, compare them, and help you make an informed decision on which one to choose for your upcoming projects.

Introduction

This guide is based on a video uploaded by Engineer775 on their YouTube channel. The video compares the performance of five different brands of battery-powered sanders: Bauer, Ryobi, Craftsman, Black and Decker, Ridgid, and Cobalt. The video tests these sanders on several parameters such as:

1. The amount of wood removed in a specific time frame.
2. The grip on sandpaper.
3. Dust collection efficiency.
4. Vibration levels.

For the purpose of this guide, we’ll discuss the various brands and their features, and summarize the findings of the video to tell you which brand performed best.

Bauer

Bauer offers one of the most economical options in the battery-powered sander category. Priced at just $35, it comes with a three-millimeter orbit and a heavy-duty motor that is guaranteed for 90 days. The sander is capable of 10,000 orbits per minute and has an industrial fan-cooled motor with sealed bearings. It features onboard dust collection, which helps keep the workspace clean. The Bauer sanders are made in China.

In the video, the Bauer sander removed 8 grams of wood in four minutes from a piece of oak with a Janka hardness rating of 1300. The dust count was reasonably low at 6,600 small and 1,700 large particles per 0.1 cubic feet. The dust bag collected most of the dust, but a small amount of escaped from a few areas of the sander.

Ryobi

The Ryobi brand is priced at $45, only $10 more than the Bauer brand. It comes with a 10,000 orbits per minute speed setting and onboard dust collection. It also has up to 40 minutes of use with a four-amp hour battery and a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. The Palm grip design increases user comfort during extended use, and the Ryobi uses hook and loop accessory fastening.

In the video, Ryobi removed 12 grams of wood in four minutes from the sample piece compared to Bauer’s 8 grams. It had a lower dust count of 5,600 small and 1,500 large particles per 0.1 cubic feet. The sanding disc spun smoothly with little to no vibration. Ryobi showed impressive performance when compared to its lower-priced counterpart, the Bauer.

Craftsman

The Craftsman brand, priced at $52, offers a three-year limited warranty, 10,000 orbits per minute, a high-performance dust collection system, and a low profile, and lightweight design.

Craftsman isn’t just the lightest of the sanders mentioned; it’s the lightest yet of the brands examined in the video at 950 grams. It produced the most dust yet, 8,200 small and 1,050 large particles per 0.1 cubic feet. The Dust collection system design performance was impressive, but it was the most squirrelly brand and required a lot of supervision and user input. Craftsman removed 14 grams, with the dust bag coming up 4 grams short on the wood dust.

Black and Decker

The Black and Decker brand comes at a price of $65 and comes equipped with a 1.5 amp hour battery along with a battery charger and the tool itself. It offers up to 11,000 orbits per minute, uses a hook and loop accessory fastening system and a palm grip design, making it easy to use for an extended time. Its compact design is also convenient to maneuver into tighter spaces.

According to the video, the Black and Decker produced the most dust yet in just four minutes of use: 9,700 small and 1,250 large particles per 0.1 cubic feet. However, the dust collection system fell short where the sanding disc was spinning clockwise at a high speed, spewing out dust and leaving two grams of it outside the bag. The fast-spinning sanding disc threw the sandpaper off in places requiring additional waste in sanding paper to finish the job.

Ridgid

The Ridgid brand came in at a price of $78 and offered variable speeds, dust collection, and soft start and brake pads to prevent gouges on work surfaces. The Ridgid brand comes with a lifetime warranty and up to 60 minutes of run time and at a variable speed of 7,000 to 11,000 rpm.

The video demonstrated that Ridgid’s dust collection efficiency was below average, with its dust collection bag, starting at 68 grams and gathering only four grams of dust. Although producing the least amount of noise at 82.7 decibels, compared to the other brands, the Ridgid was the most squirrelly and required a lot of supervision and guidance from its user. It removed 8 grams of wood but left 4 grams of dust outside the dust bag.

Cobalt

The Cobalt brand was the last one tested. Priced at $130, it is the most expensive brand among those tested in the video. It is equipped with a brushless motor, which is deemed to improve battery life and longevity. This sander provides up to 11,000 orbits per minute, a low-vibration system, and a run time of up to 3.6 times longer than most sanders in the market.

The Cobalt brand is much quieter than the Ridgid brand at 79.9 decibels. The Cobalt sander creates the least amount of dust and mops the dust efficiently with its onboard dust collection system, which is a critical feature that is sometimes overlooked in sanders. It also produced the least amount of vibration, making it easy to use for an extended time, but it is relatively heavier than some other brands. At the highest setting of 6, the Cobalt brand dug 16 grams of wood out of the test oak piece, twice the nearest competitor, the Ryobi.

Conclusion

After thoroughly testing the various brands of battery-powered sanders, the Cobalt brand comes out on top with the best performance. Its onboard dust collection, low-vibration system, and brushless motor make it a good investment for those willing to spend more on the tool. The Craftsman brand is a close second, with a highly efficient dust collection system. At $35, the Bauer brand got the job done, although it produced a slightly higher amount of dust. The Black and Decker brand is a noisy and inefficient tool, with its dust collection system falling short but gets the job completed. The Ryobi brand was impressive and comes close with its performance and overall package, while the Ridgid brand produced the least amount of dust but was the most squirrelly and required a lot of supervision.

In conclusion, it’s pertinent to research your needs carefully and make an informed decision based on factors such as your budget, project scale, and sander features, such as dust collection, performance, and weight. You could learn so much more about tools, tips, and tricks from YouTube channels such as Engineer775, where they help to break down the complexities of power tools and make it simpler for even a beginner to understand.