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- Sanders help you create smooth, evenly finished surfaces without the drudgery of working with a piece of handheld sandpaper.
- Not all sanding jobs call for the same sanders, though, so carefully consider the projects at hand before committing to one.
- We found the best sanders across multiple tool categories to help you tackle any and all sanding with maximum efficiency.
- Whether you need a random orbit sander, a belt sander, a file sander, a manual sander, a detail sander, or a wall sander, we have a pick for you.
One of the best pieces of furniture my wife and I ever bought was a massive table for which we paid about $210. I say about because I'm estimating the number of orbital sander pads we went through in restoring the thing. Also, there were a couple dollars for a half can of stain. Ready for a quick story?
Back in 2011, we bought our first house, a lovely ranch nestled in the foothills of Glendale, California. As it happens, that same year Borders, the bookstore chain, was going defunct. We stopped by the Glendale location shortly before it closed, intrigued by the "Everything Must Go" sale. There, in the middle of the nearly empty store sat a huge wooden table strewn with random DVDs and books. When we asked the manager if the table itself was for sale, he took a look at it and said sure, naming $200 as the price.
The table was covered in scratches, graffiti, and had gum stuck all over it, but it was also a rock-solid behemoth of a piece of furniture - we have fit 14 people around it for dinner. We loaded it into a friend's truck, drove it home, and I set to work. After an entire afternoon spent working on the table with my trusty random orbital sander, all scratches, gouges, pen and pencil, and of course all gum had been removed, as had the honey-colored lacquer covering the wood. Next, I applied two coats of a dark ebony stain and then waited 48 hours for the stain to dry.
In all honesty, the finished table would probably sell for a good $2,000 or more at a place like Pottery Barn. So I'd say the approximate $210 investment and the hours of elbow grease were well worth it.
Without a sander, I can't even imagine how long the process would have taken. Frankly, I probably wouldn't have even considered the restoration possible. With a good sander, however, you can breathe new life into everything from cabinets to cribs, desks to dressers, fences, flooring, and so much more. But not all sanders were created for the same projects, and in fact, using the wrong sander for a given application can prove more deleterious than beneficial. So choose wisely! Or just read on, because I've tried to make this all pretty straightforward for you.
Here are the best sanders you can buy:
- Best random orbit sander: DeWalt DWE6423K Variable Speed Random Orbit Sander
- Best belt sander: Makita 9403 4 inches by 24 inches Belt Sander
- Best file sander: Milwaukee Bandfile with Paddle Switch
- Best detail sander: Black+Decker Mouse 1.2 Amp Detail Sander
- Best manual sander: Aouker HS85180 Hand Sander
- Best drywall sander: PORTER-CABLE 7800 Drywall Sander
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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