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Too, the belt would get eaten up and removing traces of the belt was difficult at best to remove from within the body of the sander due to tight clearances. I decided to stop at a local used tool store before returning this to Lowes for the PC, fortunatly, this used tool store had a PC 362 4 x 21 with a price tag of 129.00.
Sometimes you don't know what you have until you have something else, this is no different.
I bartered the guy down to 100.00 and walked out with this monstrosity that was built like a tank that I didn't know that much about and returned the 200.00 Dewalt sander.I got to the project and put on some 40 grit paper and darn if I thought this was going to take me for a ride, it removed stock so faast and so smooth. This is not a tool that I will use everyday, but this tool is so well built you can buy used and save yourself alot of money and know it will last you a lifetime even if you do use it everyday.Dewalt needs to take this sander out of their product line, as a Dewalt man, I am very, very dissapointed in this product of theirs and it gives a negative light on a rather good product line.
I purchased this sander afer reading several reviews, mostly negative reviews at that but had hoped they had made some changes, this is of course a Dewalt product.This sander was intended to sand all of the decking and framework of a 2,000 foot outside deck, this is a big job.Much to my dismay, I experienced the same as others, after 3-4 hors of work, I too experienced tracking problems, overheating and a couple of times I relly did think it was burnt up and had concerns of it catching fire. This ate belts so fast, it was unbelievable.I purchased this at lowes, the next best was a porter cable 3 x 21 at 250.00, so I went to home depot to see what they had, not much there either.
The difference between the two is like night and day and can't believe that Dewalt makes such a junk tool.The PC is built like a tank and highly recommend this.
The belt keeps working off the sander, no matter which brand of belt I use. The most annoying thing is the belt tracking. The reason I'm on today is that I'm throwing the Dewalt away and buying a Bosch or Porter Cable. I should have sent it back. Don't waste your money It simply doesn't work.
I've been a DeWalt fan over 20 years and I'm not buying anything else with the Dewalt label. I bought this model about two years ago. The dust collector doesn't work well and falls off. I just want to take it to a Dewalt store and throw it through the window.
A shame since it's as expensive as all the competition & DeWalt is supposed to have top notch products. Any more than about 15 minutes of use within an hour period, and it will overheat, loose RPM then fry. But the story didn't end there. I want my money back. While the look and features of this unit make it seem like a great choice, the build quality lacks and will disappoint any serious user.
This is a terrible tool for anyone needing more than an occassional use. I've only put about 3 hours on this tool and it has now melted a motor. I purchased one and took it home, but the belt tracking adjustment was not assembled properly at the factory, so I took it back. After using DeWalt tools for years it was natural to prefer that brand when looking for a belt sander, but that was a mistake. The salesman and I checked 4 others before we found one that worked correctly.
I tried letting it cool when I noticed it was getting warm (all you'll feel from the outside), but it still seized up and the story ended.
I bought this machine when it first came out to replace my ancient Makita 3"x24" which I used for job site sanding, often vertical. Even good quality belts don't last long and I suspect the power, weight and the tight radius the belt travels over the front rollers shortens their life. There is a stand which converts it to a vertical sander which would be handy. It has many well thought out details. The machine is very sensitive to the type of belts used and it eats thru belts very quickly. It still works but the sleeve bearings howl for oil at inopportune times. I have a Makita 9403 4"x24" which I really like, I feel the wider belt is less likely to leave gouges; and it weighs about the same as the DeWalt.On the plus side the DeWalt is compact and powerful. A couple of nylon ties fixed that problem.
I also do cabinets and have dabbled in wooden boat restoration. Cheap belts will stretch and have you grinding through the chassis. Belt tracking is sensitive for the same reasons.Dust collection is problematic. I purchased the vacuum adaptor which works well when hooked up to a shopvac but if you are using a coarse belt for heavy stock removal or if you shred a belt (fairly common) you will need to have compressed air handy to clean out the clogs. This would be a great sander for flat work in the shop hooked to a vacuum. I have found the canister to be nearly useless for the kind of heavy stock removal I usually do with a belt sander.
However, although the DeWalt is physically smaller it is way heavier making it a chore to control in vertical position. It would be good for metal work with fine belts and the variable speed; and it can be had at a deep discount. I have never had any problems with quality. I have been at it over 30 years and have had a lot of belt sanders.I have enough ambivalence toward this chunky little sander that I felt the need to share my thoughts. The DeWalt DW433 design allows for nearly the same size platen with a smaller belt.
If anything it is too powerful for 3"x21" belts. Maybe I will try the Bosch 1274. But out on my job sites where vertical work is usually part of the mix it is too heavy and too fussy with belts. I am a general contractor doing remodel/restoration work on old buildings. The extra weight does make horizontal sanding easier but I generally use a 4" machine for flat work.
In addition the "break away" design of the dust collector attachment, detaches itself with the slightest bump spraying dust in your face.
I am off to purchase a PC. I have used this for only a few times, mainly because it sat unused for two months waiting for internal plastic replacement parts which broke. I am a woodworker and took a chance on DeWalt instead of Porter Cable. Not again. Yesterday, after only 15 minutes of medium use, it literally caught on fire and the motor burnt up.
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