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I am using it to finish kitchen cabinets and several doors. Great value for $25.00, works great and does a nice job.
Great design I thought. Even then it tears and falls out twice as fast as it used to us with my old sander. Yes the motor and reliability of this unit is fine, but the clamps that hold the sandpaper in place are simply awful. In the end I was forced to cut my paper into halves and to trim away excess length and width. 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.
Leave the excess in place and it gets tangled in the new clamps and does not lie flat. 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. All this trimming and cutting takes time and causes a tremendous amount of wasted paper. Do not buy this sander unless you get sandpaper for free. Unfortunately the paper fell out as soon as she started sanding. So I went out and bought some full sheets and cut them into my normal 1/3ds.
Bad decision. I always kept a few packages of the easier to use precut 1/3 sheets papers for less experienced people to use. Again the paper was too short to stay put. My guess is most of the reviewers who give this thing 4 stars do not have much experience using other sanders. 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. My daughter was able to load the paper into the new sander in seconds.
At first view, the new clamping design looks far easier to use then the old pinch system all my older sanders have used. 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.
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. product from China. 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. Both units appear identical (inside & out) except for color and point of manufacture. 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.
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. I think I'll risk it and go drop another 25 bucks - the same price it was in '84. I came to the website looking to see if B&D still made this puppy. My first house - total gut job. 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. 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.
Had one two months and it crapped out. Their belt sanders are about as sturdy as a styrofoam cup.
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.
I bought mine in '84, and have been diligently beating it to death ever since. Mine never let go of the paper, though.
I'll let you know in 2025 if it was worth it. Used the sander on everything.
Its not really a bearing at all, just a weird metal donut that started to melt the inside of the plastic case.
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