10 Worthy Belt Sander Reviews – Get The Job Done Right In 2024

If you’re looking for a high-powered handheld belt sander…

Look no further.

Powered by a powerful 12-amp motor, this belt sander carries the quality and power of an industrial belt sander.

The design features a main handle and auxiliary handle, and the belt design and guard make it easy to sand flush up to vertical surfaces.

The sander comes with a 100-grit sandpaper belt, along with a dust bag making it an easy plug and play sander ready to go from the box.

In testing, we found it easy to use. While not the lightest belt sander we tested, we found it glided well along the surfaces we were sanding and to keep in line for a perfect sanding.

The Porter-Cable sander comes with a variable speed knob along its main handle, making it easy to switch speeds during use. We also liked the nifty swivel feature on the dust collection bag, which helps you get it out of the way if you need a better view of your work area.

As with most modern belt sanders, it comes with a quick release lever, making it easy to switch out the grit.

In the workshop, we underestimated its power and found ourselves damaging a piece of soft-wood so it's not for the faint-hearted. When used correctly, for the right job, with the right grit it's the perfect sander.

This sander can handle any job.

Just make sure it’s properly set up for it.

Check out the user manual, here.

Specifications Sheet

• 12-amp motor
• 16 pounds
• 17 x 11 x 8 inches
• Dust collection bag
• Powerful, multi-use sander
• Three year warranty, one year free service guarantee

A powerful sander from one of the powerhouses of power-tools. From Makita's newest hardware range, the 9403 Belt Sander is rated one of the quietest belt sanders in its class.

In testing, it certainly proved itself. A quiet option for those looking to protect those ears. Don’t be fooled though, still wear those ear-muffs. Safety first!

Our first thoughts when unboxing this Makita sander was the quality of construction and design. While a standard option for the home workshop, it appears sturdy and industrial grade.

In testing, we found it not only looked industrial grade but had one of the fastest speeds we encountered.

The cloth bag catcher was a fantastic inclusion, however better suited for smaller jobs. For larger jobs we found the attachment to work with certain sizes of vacuum attachments, however, this depends on your workshop set up and kit.

The Makita was also the first in testing we encountered that came with packs of different grit, giving you a nice starter pack to get used to your new sander and to bolster your home toolkit.

We found the large grip at the front of the machine to be fantastic and well molded. It provided great comfort and easy control over the sander in operation.

For full details, take a peek at the user manual.

Specification Sheet

• 11-amp motor
• 15.92 pounds
• 13.9 x 5.5 x 8.3 inches
• Quietest in its class
• 2 Year Warranty

This classic belt sander carries the industrial look. It's matte black chassis almost makes it look like a heavy-duty excavator. Unlike an excavator, this belt sander from Tacklife is lightweight and easy to use and handle.

Once we took it out of the box, we were stoked to see it came with two screw clamps, allowing us to easily affix it to a table and use it as a sand platform to finish and shape some small projects.

We found the waste to be manageable, with an attached dust box and vacuum adapter provided. The belt rotates fast and was easy to maneuver. Its lightweight construction made the belt sander feel as if it were gliding across the wood surface.

The switch has a handy lock-in position, allowing you to sand without gripping tight over the trigger. We were wary of this mode however and preferred to keep holding the trigger to allow us to remain in complete control of the belt sander.

The Tacklife Belt Sander comes with six-speed settings, allowing you to be more flexible with your usage and operation of the sander. It also has a long 9.8 ft power cable, making it easy to set up with no hazardous tight cables across your workshop.

We found that replacing the sandpaper was nice and easy, with a quick release latch making it as plug and play friendly as possible.

The user manual can be found online.

Specification Sheet

• 3 x 18 inch
• 5-Amp motor
• 14 feet per second
• Dust box attachment
• Vacuum adapter
• Variable speed settings
• 2 Year Warranty

Looking for more than just a belt sander?

This option from WEN is a 2-in1 belt and disc sander. This sander is a sturdily built machine, made from cast iron. This isn’t just for that solid feel, it’s integral in removing heavy vibrations.

Like most modern belt sanders, this dual sander features an easy release level for changes to sandpaper grit. This is a more heavy-duty belt sander than your everyday handheld machine.

This is more suited for your workshop. Attach it to a workbench and have two different sanding options out of one machine. The sander can plug into a dust collector, meaning easy cleaning and reduced mess.

The disc sander comes with a spacious table space, along with a miter gauge, which is removable if you need to take advantage of the whole space.

Safety is also key with the belt sander, with an extended blade guard meaning protection from foreign objects getting trapped in the belt.

While the WEN 2-in-1 is a more heavy duty sander option and more for your budding workstation, it won't handle heavier loads. In testing, we found the sander to lose power after we introduced it to some more intensive workloads, that we would expect from an industrial sander.

Still, a fantastic option for those who are space conscious and need to do some small bits and pieces and require a more solid solution.

The user manual is available from the WEN website.

Specification Sheet

• Heavy-duty cast iron base
• Two in one! Belt sander and disc sander!
• Plugs into a dust collector
• Safety features and belt guard.
• 39.1 pounds
• 22 x 11 x 12.5 inches
• Two Year Warranty

Another sander from one of the world’s largest hardware manufacturers, the SB8V2 from Hitachi is another high-quality sander option for your home workshop.

The Hitachi boasts user-friendly design features and technology to get the best out of your sander. One of our favorite features in testing is the elastomer grip surface on the two handles, which made it comfortable to hold and gave us the best grip on the machine.

The Hitachi comes with a tracking window, giving you great visibility of the surface you’re sanding. It also comes with a mounted dust collection bag, helping you keep your work area nice and clean.

We were impressed with the variable speed dial, giving us a diversity of applications and ensuring we could complete our job efficiently and correctly without compromising quality.

We were impressed at how light the SB8V2 sander was. We found it was efficient in removing paint from our test wood stock and our test deck.

We found the Hitachi to be robust and has a solid construction. The dust bag size is great and catches most of the waste during a typical woodworking session. We were also impressed with the speed of the belt, which we found met the promises from the manufacturers.

The owners manual can be found here.

Specification Sheet

• 9-amp motor
• 9.5 pounds
• 14.2 x 9.2 x 8.3 inches
• Soft elastomer grip surface on main and auxiliary handles
• Tracking window
• Dust collection bag
• 5 Year Warranty

Next up is this high-tech option from SKIL. It’s great for those requiring a professional machine with high performance and top tech, but keeping it nice and simple to use.

This 6-amp sander comes with pressure control technology, letting you know when you've applied too much pressure on the surface you’re sanding. In testing, we found it to be accurate and warned us before we found ourselves making unwanted indentions in our sanding surfaces.

The sander is also designed to keep itself relatively centered and on track. We noticed this made a big difference when it came to finishing our projects accurately.

We liked the dust canister which is completely clear, meaning no guessing when you have to empty it.

Replacing the sandpaper was simple with a simple lever release. The sander is also relatively light, making maneuvering the device nice and easy.

The manufacturer also provides a handy one-year warranty and a copy of the owners manual available free, from their website. .

Specification Sheet

• 7.5 pounds
• 6.6 x 13.8 x 6.5 inches
• Translucent dust catcher
• Pressure control technology
• Auto track system
• One year warranty.

If you are looking for a more permanent fixture and solution, this two in one option from WEN could be the sander you are looking for.

The 6515 is a sturdy and solid sander solution, with a belt sander and sanding disc option available. While not a good solution for those looking to sand floors or decks, if you need a belt sander and disc sander in your workshop, you can’t go past the WEN two in one solution.

The base is a sturdy cast iron, which means it doesn't move too much with operation and remains steady. We particularly liked the two separate dust ports, allowing you to have more efficient vacuuming efficiency.

The sander comes with a miter gauge, 80 grit sanding disc, and 100 grit sanding belt. You can also bevel both the disc and belt tables, allowing you to angle your stock when sanding away.

In testing we found this sander to be sufficient for most wood sanding needs, but for those looking to sharpen your knives, this isn’t the right sander for you.

This sander is perfect for someone after a stationary sanding solution, conducting light woodwork. If you are looking for something more heavy duty, something more industrial is what you are after.

Check out the user manual.

Specifications Sheet

• 16 pounds
• 2.3 amp motor
• 14.5 x 8.8 x 15.8 inch
• Sturdy cast iron base
• Disc sander and belt sander in one
• Two vacuum ports
• Miter gauge included

It might look like a chainsaw, but don’t be fooled. This heavy-duty belt sander from Astro is an industrial solution for your home workshop.

Upon opening, we were impressed to see this sander came equipped with three different grit sandpaper, allowing us to get right into the groove and begin our testing.

A different shape to the conventional belt sanders in testing, this belt sander from Astro is more suited for metal work. In our workshop, we found some pieces of metal that had been welded together to test the sander on. We found the Astro fantastic in cleaning up the spot welds and in preparing metal for metal works.

The sander’s arm is completely adjustable, making it easy to sand away at those tight hard to reach spaces in your metal project. The speed of the belt is adjustable and can go up to 16,000 RPM.

Our main concern with the size and unique shape of this sander is its harder to handle and operate, however, we found it to be surprisingly light for a sander of its class. The handle features a non-slip grip, that lived up to its name in testing.

One core difference with this sander is you do need an air compressor to operate it. It’s an air belt sander, meaning the actual device itself is nice and light; however, you do need to connect it to the compressor which acts as it's motor.

Make sure to be cautious when purchasing a compressor for this sander, as a sub-par or lower quality compressor could compromise its quality and performance.

Specification Sheet

• Air belt sander
• 2.1 pounds
• 15.5 x 3.5 x 2 inches
• Comes with three different grits
• Adjustable arm
• Easy release belt change
• Adjustable speed

Another hand-held sander option, this time from hardware specialists Black and Decker. A great addition to your home workshop, it features a 7-amp motor and dust collection bag for easy cleanup.

In testing, we found this to be a great sander for those looking to undertake small easy jobs around the house and for small pieces of stock. It has a handy small front roller, which allowed us to reach small corners with ease!

The sander comes with an easy release of the sandpaper grit, along with a retractable handle, with three positions to enhance your control over the sander.

It doesn't have a variable speed setting, which rules out its effectiveness for more hardcore sanding jobs. We found it relatively adequate for standard home jobs, like removing paint from the deck, removing top layers of wood, or giving the stock a basic finish.

Grab the manual, here.

Specifications Sheet

• 7 amp motor
• 6.5 pounds
• 15.2 x 6.3 x 6.3 inches
• Dust collection bag
• Easy release sandpaper grit

Probably one of the most attractive looking sanders we had the pleasure of reviewing, the Random Orbit Sander is another great option for those looking for great performance in their home workshop or for DIY projects.

This sander features a range of high-tech features you’d expect in a top of the line industrial sander, but for the comfort of your home toolkit. While not a belt sander, this disc/orbital sander definitely achieves most of the goals you’d look for in your home sander.

The kit comes with 12 discs of sandpaper, with two different grits for a different application. In testing, we very much enjoyed the rubberized palm and grip design, which improved control and comfort when using the sander.

The sander also comes with an inbuilt dust collector, ergonomically designed which we felt helped with getting the sander into tight and enclosed spaces.

We also liked the sander's variable six-speed control, giving us control over the speed and helped us with the different tasks we were undertaking with the sander.

The sander was light, making it easy to take around the house and complete your little DIY tasks and home improvement projects!

Specifications Sheet

• 3-amp motor
• 3.4 pounds
• 10.1 x 6.6 x 4.9 inches
• Six-speed variable control
• Rubber ergonomic grip
• Dust collection Box