Ryobi EBS800 / EBS800V Belt

Ryobi belt sander – Power on switch just dies. Bought one 2 years ago but it just stopped working. Claimed on warranty and got same model in Jan 24. It too died after 28 days using it intermittently on domestic jobs. Now onto my 3rd and fingers crossed. Bunnings guy said “get a Makita as his has lasted 40 years” After now reading others reviews on this product probably best advice - save your time and don’t buy. Show details

Don’t purchase – As others have said, sand paper slips off belt during use. Also eats up battery life very quickly. Only getting 1 1/2 6foot fence palings done per battery use. Not worth the purchase.  Show details

rubbish – As others have stated, belt slides into edge of sander tearing belt apart. Only used to sand weatherboards and failed at the fifth one! Do not buy this! Now a 90klm round trip to take this back to bunnings, not happy Show details

Ryobi quality has gone downhill! – As other users say, this thing just freewheels under load. The belts are what was in the box, so presumably the right size. I bought this so I could leave my old reliable Ryobi mounted to a bench. The new one sat around for ages, now using it I see it's inferior, but kept it too long and the receipt is gone. The old one was great value for money and still a good workhorse, but this newer version is just rubbish. Very disappointing! Don't buy! Show details

We get what we paid for – Bought one today then read the negative reports after. If your dust collector fills and motor burns that’s your fault. It fills quickly because it stands very well. Recommend not to use the collector but fit it to a good shop vac. This also keeps the motor much cooler. If you want to tow a trailer of rocks, don’t be cheap go buy a V6 not a… Read more

4cylinder Morris Minor! You can actually tow with a Morris Minor if you go at it slowly. Am operating this quite happily knowing I paid only $139 and didn’t expect a Mercedes.

Diy friendly beltsander – Purchased this saw as i needed to do some heavy sanding around the house. This saw is quiet powerful and with the right belt tears off the material quiet quickly. Was used on some treated pine for an outdoor raised garden bed. I originally had the cordless version but that seems to chew through a 5ah battery very quickly so i purchased the corded version instead. Have not had any problems with ryobi tools when used for home renovations. Show details

useless- do not buy- typical ryobi rubbish – used this once, then put it away for over a year next time i went to use it the motor goes round but the belt wont- it seems ever ryobi tool i have ever brought has been a one use tool then throw it away

Ryobi made me hate belt sanders – I bought the Ryobi EBS800 several years ago. I bought it to replace a old fashioned unit made largely from metal. I've hated it since day one. I used it to sand Jarrah flooring. Anyone who knows anything about Jarrah is that old jarrah is incredibly hard. These floorboards are about 80 years old and they are hard as nails. So in context, I was… Read more

probably using a boy sander to do a man's job. The Ryobi didnt fare any better on easier jobs.

Some problems with it? Well the steel plate doesn't sit flat. I just bought a Makita cheapie and it does a lot better with sitting flat on the wood.

Also, the motor screams. I know that I could wear ear muffs but it sounds like bearings are grinding. I'm not sure if this cheapie has any bearings anyway, but the moment I switch it on, I want to turn it off.... fast.

Sanding is dirty, noisy, tough work. Often the operator is down on their knees if they are doing floors. You need all the help you can get from the machine and the Ryobi is a better anchor than a sander.

If you're thinking of buying a cheap belt sander like this one, get a random orbital

Absolute Disaster! – Not Fit for Purpose! This Idiot machine has Idiot Picture instructions & no matter how you set it up the belts wind off & chew the rollers. They might make some good products but this is not one of them. I now agree with other 1 star reviews, Not Worth the $$$ Update 28/9/18, So I went back to Bunnings & showed The Toolshop guy my issue, He… Read more

asked what I was doing, I said trying to Dress a forest slab of Bloodwood. He said Oh! you need the Makita 9924DB but its $400 and he has one 40 years old!! I bought it See my Review

Sandpaper continually slips – Awful product. I have nearly all the other Ryobi tools and they've been brilliant. This however is shocking. The paper continually slips and the tray for collecting sawdust is useless. This is only after one use. Also tried to return it to b&q and they wouldn't take it. Asked me if I was sure I knew how to use it!!  Show details

Not worth the money – Well if some of you got a week out of it you did well. 2 hours is all I managed to get out of mine, the damn thing got s hot that the front roller just melted and that was it. Yes the sanding sheet moves sideways and it doesn't matter how often you adjust it , it just keeps moving. Overall its useless to undo anything  Show details

Not even capable of domestic use – I bought one to sand the old paint off the weatherboard of my own house. The sandbelt moves sideways and had to put it back every 5 min. The motor started to smoke after 1 week and that was in winter! Got one exchange from bunnings, motor smoke again after 1 week! Warning every potential buyer roybi is a joke!! If you buy it with your trade… Read more

card you dont have any warranty and it will die 10 out of 10! You don't expect to use these cheapie in commercial you don't use them at home either, unless every of your job only last 5 min it may have a chance to survive.....

Died after about 20 hrs use – I bought this sander for a large jarrah bar top. It went ok but then started to smell like it was burning out and sounded like it was struggling. I used it in around 3-4 hr sessions so didn't over work it too much because I new it was a cheapy. Eventually after about 20 hrs of use the drive wheel seized up. I tried cleaning it out and lubing it up… Read more

be it was stuck and the motor wouldn't spin it.

I don't like to buy cheapish tools but couldn't warrant spending an extra $100 on the next best...I wish I had of.

You can't afford to but cheap crap.

18 Volt Belt Sander Gem !! – Robust 18 volt Belt Sander easy to manage with ergonomic handles. Battery life is exceptional, it goes forever !! Replacing belts are easy, with great adjustments for belt tracking. Reasonable weight even with the bigger 18 volt battery. Has plenty of 'grunt" to cover the bigger jobs, but can also be used for a light finish.  Show details

Total disappointment – Bought my Sander today with the intention to speed up my project of sanding my table tops. Within half an hour of use I found the paper sliding to one side, thought i had fitted the paper wrongly. I refitted two more sheets and it kept happening then realized that it was a fault of the machine by then i had already ruined three 3 sheets and… Read more

stalled my project. Immediately too it back to Bunnings. The guy at the tool shop was very cooperative he opened up a brand new piece of the shelf and it did something similar..so happily got a refund

Good value for money spent – Bought the Ryobi as it was not the cheapest but had some great features. Used it for 2 x 5 hour days, stripping paint off merbau decking. The belt tracked well and was easy to adjust, and stayed on track. Changed three belts. The detachable frame was great for keeping the timber flat. The dust collector does a great job, making site clean up a whole lot better.  Show details

I thought it was me – My old WORX sander died yesterday after quite a lot of hard work, I never had a moment of worry with it, but the brushes appear to be burnt out now. I thought the Ryobi would be a better option, rather than a cheaper unit. I have sanded one side of a 1800 x400 slab of hardwood, and used 5 sanding sheets. The sheets wander from side to side and… Read more

tear themselves apart on the frame. It would be nice to have the thing fail completely so I can take it back. I'm not sure how I'd go asking for my money back on the grounds it's not fit for service.

Belt slippage – I bought a 3x18" belt sander for my daughter's hobby enterprise & while the tool does a good job sanding, the belt slips left or right on the rollers, requiring frequent repositioning. Being a carpenter contractor whose tools are typically too heavy for most women, the lack of a tension-dial doesn't tighten the rollers against the belt to prevent slippage, something my heavy duty Skil & Black-Decker tools do.  Show details

A good performer and value for money – The sander is easy to use and works well. The detachable frame model stays flat and never digs in. I sanded several floors, well beyond "reasonable use". The dust collector sometimes fell off if I was careless. Something has now worn out inside. I have certainly had my money's worth!  Show details

Terrible – My first one went up in smoke after light use. Thought it was just bad luck so replaced it with another and it went poof too after light use. I think the dust collector pushes dust into the motor when it fills up. Just do not buy this rubbish, you have been warned.

It's bad itself – When buying the cheapest there was on the shelf, we expect low quality. But this is like below the belt low. The belt doesn't sit right so it cut the metal frame, which fell off pretty much. Hence the machine crippled itself. Often ripped the belt too. Then it smoked, and then it died. Green poop.

A crap machine – This is crap. The sand paper constantly slides. Have to constantly adjust, the slightest bit of pressure and slides again. It doesn't sand evenly it's just crap. Do not buy one. Buy a different brand. I have used a lot of sanders and will never buy another Ryobi.

piece of s*****! – first use of this piece of rubbish was hopeless. its a bad design, difficult to use and in no way worth buying . I wanted a decent belt sander for a spruce up of my front deck and after battling with the ryobi resorted to using my makita orbital sander which was more effective and friendly to use. i have used other ryobi products but this belt sander is very poor and not to be recommended

dreadful uneven sanding – This is my 2nd Ryobi sander in 13months, the first one had a tilted sanding plate, this one seemed ok but only just got around to using it on a big project - a coffee table. The uneven sanding looks terrible and I may have to sand by hand before I can finish the table top.I will be taking it back to bunnings tomorrow. I bought it because it was… Read more

lighter than the Makita I use in my woodwork group. I wont be using it on the other two tables I have to restore. Not happy at all and been using them for about 15 years

Great Fire Starter if that's what your after – I have brought a lot of Ryobi's tools, this one wasn't so good. I brought it to sand down my box trailer, getting ready to give it a fresh coat of paint.. Well, not even one side done and I heard a pop, then smoke came out of the unit. I ended up finishing that side with my ryobi One+ cordless sander, but then took the belt sander, and the Ryobi… Read more

One+ Grinder that also had issues, back to bunnings for a refund. Spoke with the hardware guy in the tool section, he recommended I try the AEC unit, as they didn't have any of the larger Makita units left. Will see how we go...

garbage – I just got back from bunnings after returning this product. I started to sand a small room to bring the floor back up to par. This was the worst tool for the job. Sure I could have hired the proper tool but I thought "I'll buy this ryobi so I can use it in the future also"... worst thought I've ever had. This tool is garbage. Prior to using a… Read more

belt sander I had no clue about what would make one good or one bad. I now know the bad. This tool.

The weight of the unit is so lopsided that you have to correct it by trying to put even pressure down as you sand. It really only sands near the motor wheel and a small area near the front wheel. The rest is a dead spot. Even if you put lots of down pressure the dead spot is still there. I don't know whether a spider monkey or an orangutan designed this thing but seriously this unit should be recalled. Just go to bunnings and see for yourself. You barely need to touch it on the opposite side of the motor and the unit falls over... meaning all the weight is on one side.

All the decent looking units appear to have the weight evenly distributed and above the belt so that the weight of the machine really does the work for you. As it should be with all power tools. One shouldn't have to apply heavy pressure on the thing in order for it to sand evenly. It's garbage. Ryobi clearly made this crap simply to enter the belt sander market but gave no thought whatsoever on what would make a good belt sander.

Cheap garbage! I'd rather glue sandpaper sheets to my rear end and drag my self around the room like a dog with itchy aggots. It would get a better finish!

Does an OK job – Borrowed one from a friend and loaded it with 40 and 80 grit paper to take off old varnish and stain from a table top. The rolling drums aren't properly round so vibrate, rumble and dig into the work. It doesn't sand a flat surface no matter how little pressure is applied! Requires correction with a random orbital sander afterwards creating more work.

Started smoking and sparking – Used for about 5 minutes before it started putting out plumes of electrical smoke and sparking inside the motor. The smoke was so toxic. I was sanding down a board and believe me I was careful not to put too much pressure on the machine, letting the sandpaper do all the work, but still failed. Got a refund. Next day was at Bunnings leaving… Read more

the car park when I saw a guy coming back in with the same sander. I stopped him and asked if it just died. He said it didn't last half an hour and was almost the exact same story as mine.

Don't buy unless you want to possibly start a fire.

Terrible – I Brought this sander at bunnings to sand back my deck 15 Mins later went up in smoke ill be returning it and wont be getting a replacement been told Makita are the go.

Great Machine BUT – This machine works extremely well, and overall did an excellent job in cleaning up an old 7' x 4' trailer that had it's share of rust. I found the product was easy to assemble, and with the variable speed much greater control over the device is available to the user. Putting on the belts was easy. On almost my first rearward movement with the… Read more

sander the electric cord was pulled into the mechanism and although it did not break the cord, it did some minor damage to the electrical casing. I would suggest that a stronger and longer less flexible lead from the motor for a greater distance e.g. 130mm would eliminate this problem.

I also found that at any speed and not under pressure the heat given off by the motor was very noticeable and in fact on a couple of occasions I needed to stop and let the motor cool somewhat as my hand could not stand the heat.

Being left handed did not help as using the machine right handed, only one or two fingers felt the heat, but left handed the back of the hand was exposed to this heat, and it was excessive.

Certainly a design fault in my view.

But again overall, this belt sander certainly beats a vibrating sander hands down. Powerful motor, excellent price, $99.00. Completed the job quickly. The power cord easily catches in the spinning assembly, especially when working in a rearward motion. The heat given off from the motor is excessive and can be felt easily by the operating hand.