Makita DBO180Z 18V Li-Ion LXT Sander - Batteries and Charger Not Included

Product Information

This can be repositioned in one of twelve directions in accordance with your use, and in all positions, the dust port protrudes. It’s also not clear why you should need a screwdriver to reposition this – it seems a simple friction toggle would have been much easier and more practical. Makita sell a range of accessories including hook-and-loop type abrasive discs (sandpaper), sponge pads, felt pads and wool pads for polishing, a dust box, paper filter bags and various batteries and chargers. It’s a shame the kit comes with only one 120-grit sandpaper disc – I would have liked to have seen a selection of different grits provided, and perhaps 2 or 3 of the common ones. We used the sanders on a range of different types of wood, including some with large surface areas, and others with hard-to-reach sections. We also used them with different sandpaper grades to evaluate how each one performs. All of the sanders were used for long enough to be able to assess their ergonomics, including weight and dimensions. The WX820 comes with a microfilter dust box and gives you plenty of control thanks to six different speed options. It’s not as powerful as a corded sander, but the battery means you can use it anywhere and is interchangeable with other Worx Powershare tools. A 120-grit sanding disc will remove paint on wood and leave a smooth finish. (Image credit: Garry Martin) A pro orbit sander for DIYers and plenty of accessories

Although this is a tool aimed at experienced DIYers and professionals, its simple operation means it can also be used successfully by beginners. Like any other cordless tool using a common battery platform, use of the BL series batteries in this kit opens up a huge range of other tools available as “bare” units without batteries and chargers for those who already have them. Equally, this sander as a “bare” unit could be the ideal addition for someone that has already invested in another tool as a kit version. Disc sander: A disc sander is probably what most people think a random orbital sander is. The key difference is that they do spin in a fixed motion, much like the wheel on a car. They typically require two-handed operation and, like belt sanders, are better for tougher jobs where lots of material needs removing. The fixed motion means you need to be careful not to leave visible circle marks behind.Bosch offers a comfortable contoured shape with a soft grip and an easy-to-use toggle switch. The dust box is small but you can optionally attach the PSM 100 A to a vacuum cleaner for even less dirt. The triangular pointed shape of the sanding plate means you can get into corners and the plate can be rotated to extend its lifespan. Unlike many detail sanders, there’s a second section to the sanding plate for when more surface area is needed. Battery life was also surprisingly good. The kit is supplied with two 5.0ah Makita BL1850B Li-Ion LXT Batteries and a DC18RC 14.4V to 18V Li-Ion Charger. As the charger is capable of charging a BL1850B battery in 45 minutes, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll run out of battery power assuming you have mains electricity for the charger to operate. Random orbital sander: If you can only afford one sander, a random orbital is the most versatile. They are typically circular, but not exclusively, and although it might look like they simply rotate the sanding disc, they actually move it around in an unpredictable pattern to avoid scratch marks. Their size and ease-of-use make them suitable for a wide range of sanding tasks.

As mentioned above, there are typically four kinds of sander. Some are more versatile and can be used for multiple jobs, while others are more specialist. Below is a short summary of the main types and how they differ from each other.

Support

On the downside, the cable isn’t very long and if you want to save yourself some bother make sure to buy pre-pierced sanding sheets as the provided punch plate isn’t great. Sanding creates a lot of dust so it’s a good idea to look for a sander with good dust collection as not all sanders come with this feature. Typically it will come in the form of a built-in dust compartment but some can even be attached to a vacuum cleaner tube for better extraction. As is typical for this type of sander, the BO4556 is compact and lightweight with single-speed operation. It’s easy to use thanks to its toggle switch and soft non-slip elastomer grip, and even has an effective dust bag which isn’t a given for affordable finishing sanders. What’s more, you can make use of regular sheets of sanding paper via the simple clamp system. Once you’ve decided which type of sander you need, there are a few things to look out for before making your final choice. Detail sanders: In many ways, a detail sander is a type of finishing sander. Typically, they have a triangular shape with curved sides, and this makes them less suitable for larger areas. They are, however, ideal for precise tasks like edges or harder to reach places.

The Makita DBO180 cordless 125mm random orbit sander is ideal for fine finish sanding (Image credit: Garry Martin) Good build quality and good dust bag performance If there is power available then a corded sander makes life simpler in many ways as you don’t need to worry about charging batteries or replacing them when they are old. You just need to deal with a cable potentially getting in the way. How much do I need to spend? The Makita DBO180Z has been developed as Makita's first cordless random orbit sander powered by 18V Li-ion batteries. It has a compact design with short height and lower center of gravity for better maneuverability. Ergonomically best possible grip design for comfortable handling. Excellent performance as powerful AC model gives high productivity. MAKITA DBO180Z FEATURES Speaking of the dust bag, it performed well which surprised me. I expected there to be much more dust in the air and around the tool when using the bag but it was actually not substantially different when attached to an extractor. Finishing sander: A finishing sander, as you might expect, is the one you need to put the finishing touches on a job. They come in different shapes and sizes which means you will sometimes see them described as palm sanders, and are ideal for working on flat areas before adding products like oil, wax and paint.The design is taller than corded sanders and you have to factor in the weight of the battery, which also gets in the way of the grip a fair bit, but it’s easy to use and offers three different speed settings giving you good control. A maximum speed of 11,000opm (orbits per minute) isn’t particularly high but the DBO180Z makes up for it somewhat with a large 2.8mm orbit diameter. Dust extraction is above average and the machine is quiet in operation.