If you wandered by our home’s little boatworks and asked what our most used tool was, I’d probably have it in my hand. It’s a DeWalt 5″ random-orbit sander and because it is cordless, I may not even be in the shop when you find me using it.We started sanding decades ago and have never stopped, first by hand with bits of folded sandpaper and then with a square-sheet orbital sander. Along the way, we discovered that random-orbit sanders leave fewer visible scratches on our wood and fiberglass projects. For many years afterward, we used a single-speed Sears Craftsman random-orbit sander with a cord, knowing that it would wear out within the one-year warranty, and we’d return it for an exchange. We started switching to cordless tools as they became available, and five years ago we added the DeWalt 20V XR Max brushless random-orbit sander to our arsenal.The DeWalt has been a good fit, literally. When I first started using the sander, I felt it was a bit big in my medium-sized palm, but I don’t even notice the size now. I can use the sander with either hand, and switch frequently to avoid fatigue. The sander weighs 1.9 lbs—a good weight for applying the pressure to a horizontal work surface and yet light enough for working overhead. The battery or the dust port can be used as an alternate handhold, especially nice when just the right touch is needed on small or delicate workpieces. The sander stands 5.1″ tall, 7.1″ wide, and the kit came with a 3-amp-hour (Ah) battery. Sanding discs are the 5″-diameter hook-and-loop style.
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Since I have other DeWalt cordless tools, I think I know what I will add when my DeWalt corded sander finally gives up…. it has been a long time now, and it has suffered abuse. I’m not sure I can kill it.
I have a bag full of corded tools, not sure why I am holding on to them. The belt sander is still on a cord though, as well as the big circular saw that gets used when we’re butchering a lot of 2x4s for outbuildings.