Makita BO5041KX

Average performance, expensive, terrible warranty – Bought this sander in late 2018. At 2.5 years old the motor burnt out after moderate use (timber work only). This sander was almost double the price of any others available, yet it has the shortest warranty of them all (including those 1/4 of the price). I purchased a replacement sander for $75, which I found is more powerful and generally feels better, plus has a 4 year warranty! I see ZERO reason to purchase this Makita sander over any of the competitors, it's worse in every way.

Best orbital in the shed – this was gotten as an alternative to a fixed speed 1/4 sheet orbital. Cleaning up plaster patches the 1/4 sheet makes a terrible mess, makes had work of the job and leaves the air thick with plaster dust - this machine has a collection system similar to the bo5041kx. The bo5041kx on half speed removes material quicker and easier than the 1/4 sheet and with hardly any mess and airborne dust. The use of the two handles also makes it easier to use overhead without blocking any airways.

Go for it - forget the green shed though, most others give you redeemable brownie points, mine came from Total Tools but I saw it later at Mitre10 a few bucks cheaper.

Great sander, seems expensive but once you use it you'll be glad you spent the money – I bought this for both wood and automotive work. I'd have to say it's excelled at both. Reasons I bought this are that: I don't want to use a noisy compressor. It's corded which means it's very easy to plug it into and connect the dust extraction port to my ALDI shop vacuum. I read it was low vibration and I can testify to that. Really happy with the purchase. When not usng vacuum dust extraction the dust catcher works better than any other sander I have used. Remember to keep emptying it because it fills up fairly quickly. When used with the correct grit sandpaper it gives a really good smooth uniform finish. For automotive work I had to turn the speed dial down to 1 (max is 5 ) to cope with my skill level. It worked really well taking back clear and base coat. I bought a soft interface pad for this and highly recommend one. Instructions also say it can be used as a buffer, I have yet to try that. In short if you are thinking about it buy it.

Excellent sander, great alternative to air powered – If you don't own a powerful air compressor to run a random orbital sander and can't justify the expense to purchase one then this neat product from Makita might be just the right tool for you. After struggling with a cheap mouse style sander doing some panel work I decided to step up my game and buy a cheap random orbital sander to speed up the process. After comparing a few different models in the hardware store I picked up the Makita and immediately sensed the huge increase in quality and ergonomics compared to its rivals on the shelves. It also came with a huge increase in price, double that of the next model I had my eye on however the Makita had me captivated and I took a chance on it. My gamble paid off moments after putting the Makita to use. It is smooth, quiet, easy to handle and removes material at a rapid pace. In fact its such a pleasure to use that I'm trying to come up with new projects just so I can experience that feeling of satisfaction again. The Makita comes in a hard shell carry case with an included selection of sanding pads. I went out and purchased additional pads from various other brands and they all fit and worked perfectly. The only flaw I have noticed is with the dust collection system being that it doesn't really seem to collect much dust. It does however reduce it from becoming airborne which was a problem with the cheap mouse sander I had used previously. For my application though, it hasn't been an issue.