Customer Reviews for Bosch 3.4 Amp 1/2 in. Corded Electric Finishing Orbital Sander Kit with Vibration Control for 4.5 in. x 9 in. Sheets

First off, this sander works as advertise and is big, heavy, flat and powerful. I used it on a workbench to level the final top which is made of hard maple and cherry. It did exactly what was expected, albeit I hoped it was a "tad" more aggressive. It did take off product fast with 120 grit but I kind of thought it would be faster. Keep in mind that this might be my expectations of a product I never used. I normally use a palm orbital or a belt sander (if I'm feeling brave). But it is very flat and helped me to keep the top flat as well as the sides without worrying about creating indentations or waves that could easily happen when using a smaller palm orbital sander. And the dust collection is excellent! I use mine with a typical shop vac. Adding the paper is as easy as everyone says so another big plus and it does pull it tight. Is it worth the cost? well..... I still think it's a little high but I don't regret purchasing it. God bless!

I typically equate Bosch with quality, and with this sander you definitely get what you pay for. At under $400, this tool has some excellent functionality and gets the job done. A few of the pros include the clamping system for the sander sheets. It is able to get a good strong and tight hold on the sheets and keeps them in place. It is also really easy to change them out! The sheets are nice and large, which helps reduce sanding time, but did not seem oversized. If you've used other sanders, one of the first things that will stand out to you on this product is the reduced vibration. Out of the box, I used this thing for an extended period of time, and compared to some of the other sanders I've used, the fatigue element was drastically reduced. Also, to help between different jobs, there is a nifty variable speed option. Lastly, Bosche gives you the option of using the filter that comes with the product (which I thought was awesome,) or using an included adapter to connect directly into a vacuum to catch all the sanding debris.

I do a lot of woodworking. While I am not a professional I spend several hours a day after work in my well outfitted garage shop. I own about half a dozen sanders - mostly Random orbit and a few belt sanders for heavy stock removal. Almost all of my sanding is done on virgin wood as I am not a fan of refinishing old pieces. This sander is absolutely amazing. As a preface, I use this for fine finishing grits only (220 and up). When used properly, not a single scratch mark is present. Even with very expensive ROS sanders, I still need to do a little massaging by hand after a mineral spirits wipe-down to reveal any imperfections. I french polish a lot of pieces and a flawless sanding finish is absolutely required. This leaves the smoothest finish I have ever experienced. I would liken the finish left more toward a cabinet scraper than one left by abrasives. The sander is also a pleasure to operate. The variable speed is sensitive and actually works - unlike a lot of sanders I have used where it is just a polite suggestion and barely affects the oscillations. Loading the paper is always a hassle in pad sanders and frankly the reason I have avoided them until now. This system is exceptionally easy to use. Lock in the back and the front lever properly tensions the paper and locks it securely. It is very simple. The soft pad is great and works very well for sanding profiled edges. On a scale of 1 to 5, I would rate dust extraction a solid 3.5 with a vacuum, about a 2 without. I have use some much more expensive ROS sanders that handle dust a bit better, but this is acceptable. As advertised, the vibration is almost not existent. This makes things both comfortable and is a large part of why the sander leaves such a nice finish. I also noticed it doesn't "track" curly grain as much as others I have used. You won't believe the difference this makes over even the best random orbit sander. Attached is a picture of an end grain cutting board which is notoriously difficult to sand, and a beautiful piece of curly oak that as been French polished. This is 100% worth the investment if you are looking for a flawless finish with no rework

This is a great orbital sander! I have an older sander that shakes my hands so hard it makes my back hurt and my teeth rattle. The Bosch Orbit Sander seemed to sand just as fast as my old sander. It fits comfortably in my hand. It allows you to sand for hours without feeling the stress and fatigue from the vibrations. Putting the sandpaper on was really cool. It comes with a plastic loading template to make sure the sand paper goes on the sander properly. Just push the levers on each side to feed in the paper and it fits perfect every time. I worked on sanding the old red wood planks on my deck. My first run I did without the dust collector on the sander. A thin stream of dust shooting out of the dust collector hole was visible (see photo). I then put on the dust collector (see photo). I was impresses at how much it cut down the dust. After a few minutes of sanding I decided to empty the collector. It was filling up with sawdust. I found that impressive because I have other sanders that don’t seem to collect much sawdust in their sawdust catcher. My next round I hooked my shop vacuum to the sander (see photo). This was awesome! Even after sanding a plank for several minutes, there wasn’t any dust on the plank or in the air around me. The Bosch Orbit Sander even comes with a swivel adapter such that the hose from the vacuum never gets twisted. The Bosch Orbit Sander even had a vibration control dial on the side. There is a noticeable difference when I adjust the vibration control. This is nice for different coarseness of sandpaper as well as my ability to put weight on the sander. This will be perfect when I sand all the edges on my hardwood floors since the shop vacuum adaptor or dust collector canister, are a great way to cut down on the amount of dust that gets caught in the air. Bosch 3.4-Amp Half-Sheet Orbit Sander with Vibration Control is an amazing sander!!!

I've put around 30hrs on this sander. I really like the low vibration my hands experience and how taut the sandpaper is. The dust collector on this sander is also excellent.

The machine is a beast ! It's amazing how you can make your working day easier...but the dark side of this sander is in the handle vibration system Little bit of extra pressure and... plastic pieces will come out from the inside handle

I'm happy with the purchase so far. Project entails sanding hundreds of flooring planks one by one. Apart from having to change sandpaper often which has to do with the quality of the papers and not the machine it is holding up really well. I like in particular that it is not excessively loud, fels fairly ergonomic holding and does not vibrate too much.

Smooth running, no pigtails, easy paper attachment, great dust collection! Really nice sander. Little pricey, but no regrets!

Its an excellent sander. I have a custom wood workshop for making high end handmade kitchens. I swapped out all of my Festool sanders for Bosch and am very happy.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] This sander works great for final sanding with a finer grit. It won't quickly remove lots of material, it is a finishing sander. It's well built, has big sanding surface, it's easy to mount paper on it. Comes with a hole maker, so you can use any paper you want from any manufacturer. Sander is rather quiet and you can use it for hours without fatigue. Handle is well separated from the foot, so no vibration will be transferred to your wrist. Dust control is very good too. I always use a vac with it, never tried sanding with included dust bag.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I bought this sander 5 years ago for a big trim project, proved to be the best sheet sander I have ever used in my 40 years of woodworking! Love the ability to perforate sanding sheets for dust collection, dust canister performs better than any type I have dealt with and easy to empty. Paper locks tight on pad and frustration free. Made a great addition to my 30 plus Bosch tool collection, none of which would I trade for another brand! My coworkers have commented that the back of my truck looks like a Bosch ad, with good reason, they never let me down. Keep it up Bosch!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] i bought this sander to do work on my many projects. I have been very with the quietness and the sanding that I can do. Would buy a new one if I ever need one.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have it years ago best tool I ever bought I have others tools drills too

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I have owned this for over 3 years and this is my go to sander. I also own a festool sander but I live Bosch tools just for the reason that it has never let me down and I don’t need to buy any special items for it .

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I was in need of a router table and router and am I glad I got the Bosch set of each. They're amazing tools that help me get the job done!

It has a very soft backer pad, makes significantly less noise than another sander I've use. The decoupling is a big help - your arms dont go numb. Definitely the best hand sander I've ever used. I needed it after upgrading my jointer and planer to helical cutterheads so I could knock down the lines they leave. You need pretty good precision for that and this thing makes it fairly easy - though maybe a drum sander would have been more fool proof.

Awesome sander

Its cool

Great tool, sands well and easy to use. Paper change very easy and really pulls paper tight. Would recommend to anyone!

I don't understand why this isn't a more widely used sander. It's fantastic.

Product works well and does a good job. It uses 1/2 sheets of sandpaper, so it is very ease to control the outcome. The provided vacuum attachment works very well. The sander is parger than I expected, but still controllable.

Worth the money. A very tough tool. The paper holding mechanism is awesome.

This is a fine sander powerful, quiet, easy on the hands and to use, therefore makes sanding less of a task. But this sander is not the end all and needs work. The dust filter did not fasten well and fell off so many times the first use I threw it away. I hook up a shop vac and thank you for the attachments but on flat surfaces with 100% contact the sander starter to jump due to the high suction. There needs to be a suction control similar to the ring that covers a hole in the hose to relieve the excessive vacuum problem. The rear clamp red button could have been designed with more functionality to have a flat for pressing verse it now looks as if it should be pulled, it is minor but makes the difference of 5 stars verse 4.

Exactly what I was looking for. Quiet, clean and does the job. Great dust collection if hooked up to a shop vac. I highly recommend it.

I have several Bosch tools and love the others. This sander literally bounces on the wood when I'm sanding because of the vibration. I've tried alternate speeds. Am I missing something?

This is an excfdellent sander! Better than the Bosch 1/2 sheet sander I have used for almost 20 years!

Just what I needed for flattening out glued-up table tops.