Amazon.com Review

DeWalt's 5-inch random-orbit sander is a great tool for professional woodworkers and painters, as well as homeowners looking for a reliable sander for do-it-yourself projects. It has a 2 amp motor that provides 12,000 orbits per minute, with a 3/32 orbit diameter. Its controlled finishing system maintains consistent control over the pad speed, minimizing gouging at startup. We found that the sander removes material quickly and leaves a good finish. While it has less vibration than many sanders we've tried--thanks in part to DeWalt's dual-plane counterbalanced fan--we found that gripping the tool from the side rather than from the top seemed easier on the hands, and thought the top grip could get tiresome in extended-use situations. We liked the dust canister configuration on this tool, which uses a simple and effective twist-lock mechanism to prevent air pressure from popping the canister off the tool. The sealed switch prevents problems from dust contamination. The kit comes with the sander, a dust collector, a vacuum attachment, and a case. --Brian Trinen ... Read more

Features

• Accepts 5-inch 8-hole hook and loop paper
• 2-amp motor provides up to 12,000 orbits per minute
• Controlled Finishing System maintains controllable pad speed and minimizes gouging
• Dual plane counter balance fan
• Dust sealed switch for increased durability

Reviews (28)

A little rough around the edges
This sander really does work fine, it does the job it is designed to do. I do have a couple of complaints though. Firstly the dust bag is basically useless. Mine has broken twice and when it is in place it is largely ineffective. ( Actually though, I fail to see how a ssnder's dust bag can work without a vacuum, but anyway) and the other gripe is the power switch. Mine is in a dust protective booted cover, that I usually fail to properly toggle, so when I start to sand, it will turn off - or the worse case it turns back on when I am setting it down. I can say however, that this unit has held up through the years that I have owned it, dropped it, loaned it . . . So I have no question as to its durability. I cannot base it on any comparisons with other RO sanders, but I can say I have got my moneys worth over and over.

Lil' Yellow Bugger
What won't this little machine do? How about cook breakfast. As far as sanding I've done it all from finishing drywall, smoothing out old plaster walls, brought an old rusty flea market file cabinet back to life & even shined up the family grocery getter with a wool bonnet! Nice sealed switch, handy case & super convenient vacuum hook-up hiding in the dust bag. Buy it! If you have problems with this sander your probably not ready for power tools yet , get a rubber sanding block!

Very happy with this sander
I own the PSA variant of this sander and got this one for free. The result: my PSA sander is now collecting dust instead of generating it. This is a great sander from rough to finish work, and hook and loop has saved me a lot of time when I have had to change out paper on a regular basis, and the edges of the paper seem to hold up better than that on the self adheasive. Not only that, I have had a hard time finding 8 hole 5" PSA paper at the local hardware stores. My only complaint is that the dust bag doesn't collect much dust before a small cloud begins to form around the sander. I am now looking at going down to the local Dewalt repair shop and see if I can get the hook and loop base for my DW420.

Great sander for the money
Another great tool from Dewalt. Bought this tool 2 weeks ago and put it to the test immediately. I sanded over 20 cabinet doors, some sheetrock, and rusting metal in that time and everything came out flawless. The hook and loop style is great for quick changing of pads. The dust bag works poorly as with any other woodworking tool(as should be expected) and should be hooked up to a vacuum system. I like this model cause parts are meant to be replaced, which means this tool should last for a long time with some minor maintenance. It only has one speed but unless you are utterly devoted to sanding it should be all you need. The only thing I could see swirl marks was on the metal but not many people are going to use this to sand metal so it shouldn't matter. After the abuse this sander took in it's first 2 weeks with the results I achieved I know what brand of sanders I will get from now on.

palm sanders
my psa dewalt palm sanders have about 2000 hours on it and i love them ! My new hook and loop palm sander has about 100 hours and i am ready to throw away the hook and loop pad . Hook and loop costs about twice as much but lasts half as long as psa. Psa cuts a lot faster and costs a lot less. ... Read more

Features

• 4000 cycles per minute
• Direct drive motion - efficient vibration
• Designed for 1 or 2 hand use
• High impact housing for long life
• 6' heavy duty cord

Features

• Sands flush on three sides for improved functionality when sanding to vertical surfaces
• New ergonomic palm grip design provides optimal balance for comfort and control
• Full body soft grips maximize comfort and gripping power
• Built in dust collection for a cleaner work area
• Dust sealed switch protects internals and extends life of tool

Features

• Small diameter barrel grip for optimum comfort and control
• 2-mode switch for "random orbit" action (finish sanding) and "random orbit with forced rotation" action (aggressive sanding and polishing)
• Superior engineering and design reduces vibration by 20% and noise levels almost 2 to 1 over the competition
• Variable speed control dial (1,600 - 5,800 OPM; 180 - 670 RPM) for various applications
• Compact tool height (5-3/16") increases efficiency and maneuverability

Reviews (4)

Works for me, every day.
I think this is a much better machine for polishing cars - in the dual action mode - than any random orbital I've ever used. In the dual action mode there is enough movement between the pad and the paint to get work done while being safer and easier to control than my Makita 9227C polisher that I use when I have to cut fast. Also, by using the B06040 after my rotary polisher I've been able to remove all the swirl marks and produce a really terrific finish on all kinds of paint from really old lacquer to the most modern urethane.
So far, the machine has run like a champ every day for a couple of months with no trouble at all. I hope my experience is more indicative of the way this tool performs than is the experience of the other reviewers of this tool.

This is a follow up to my review: In the six months since I wrote that review this machine has only gotten a bit quieter. It hasn't been any trouble and I run it hard every day.

Follow-up on repairs
I have had this sander at Makita's regional service center (the second time) for over 4 weeks, and still no sander. They have told me that the parts needed to fix it are "on national back order" and were unable to provide any estimate of when I might have the sander back. I have already purchased a Porter Cable sander as its replacement. I have suggested to the Makita regional repair manager (in Chicago) that this kind of treatment was unacceptable, but with no results. I beleive that they should have replaced the sander with a new one after it failed the second time. It is unreasonable to expect me to pay for this sander, two trips to the service center, three long distance phone charges and a replacement sander so I can continue in business.

Follow-up after repairs
From my earlier review, you will recall that I had problems with the hook & loop sanding pad and the rotation mode of sanding. I received the unit back from the Columbus, Ohio regional service center (after more than twice the quoted repair time) and the rotation feature broke again within 30 seconds of my first use on some poplar trim. At this point I am quite dissatisfied with this product and Makita as well. This sander cost about twice what comparable products without the rotation plus random orbit mode cost, and it is essentially a very heavy, bulky and expensive 6" random orbit sander. The regional service center promises to get it right this time, but to be truthful, it was defective from the start. I attempted to contact Makita (in California) but met with only automated phone systems and a long distance bill. It will be the last tool I ever purchase from Makita for my small cabinet shop.

Great sander, but reliability in question
When I purchased the Makita B06040 sander a few months ago, I was initially quite pleased with it's performance. In the random orbit mode it is comperable to similar 6" models from other manufacturers, but in the random orbit plus rotary mode this thing could really remove material fast, without the swirl marks from a rotary only sander. After a few weeks of use, the "stop ring" which is engaged to produce the rotary motion with random orbit failed, and the sander is now random orbit only. In addition, use in the rotary mode on oak produced enough heat to literally melt the hook and loop fasteners on the sanding pad. The sander will only function if you start it with the paper engaged to the work piece (otherwise it just flies off like a 6" frizbee). I have returned it to the local Makita service center for repairs, but have not received it back yet. ... Read more