Ryobi EBS800

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

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.

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

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

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.