I’m working on a new project for which a belt sander would be quite helpful but the old Hitachi is awful to work with. Unless you have a job where you want a big honkin belt sander with 36 grit belt to be more of a hand pwoer planer the Rotex is a much more useful tool. I very seldom use a portable belt sander anymore, I have a wide belt sander for smoothing glued up panels.
09-08-2016, 07:16 PM. Lately I have been reading up on Festool’s line of Rotex sanders. They are my go too sanders for the first few grits and they work fast. I have a rotex but frankly I prefer the regular 150 sanders.
The Festo 21″ x 3″ design is a perennial favourite, much copied & imitated, but never bettered and with double advantages of excellent, well designed sanding frames, tilting fences and inversion brackets & universally available belt sizes. Makita have generally less expensive, more modern tools with easily found belts, parts, accessories and repairs for a fraction of the price, from just about any hardware store in the country. Festo tools are rare, expensive, not necessarily uniformly suited to commonly available belt sizes, and extremely difficult to access repairs and parts availability.
belt sander vs rotex Related Question:
Which is better belt sander or orbital sander?
A belt sander is more effective for large materials, while the orbital sander is ideal for small spaces and pieces of furniture. A belt sander works effectively on flat surfaces, while an orbital sander can work with various angles.
What is better than a belt sander?
For fine sanding work or rounding edges, the orbital sander is the tool for the job. It has much more flexibility than a belt sander and works well around corners. It can fit into corners, too, although a random orbital sander might be the better choice.
Is a belt sander the same as a belt grinder?
The belt grinder belt speed typically runs double from what the belt speed of the belt of a belt sander is running at. Belts grinders you generally have multiple grinding points such as the platen and the second grinding point is the contact wheel.
What is the difference between a belt sander and a disc sander?
With a long straight surface, belt sanders can be vertical, horizontal or can have the option of both. Popular for the trade workshops, the belt sander is much bigger in size than the bobbin and disc sander. Its long flat surface makes it ideal for flattening and levelling long pieces of timber such as panelled doors.