Question 1

What should you buy first for furniture and doors?

Accepted Answer

A 125 mm random-orbit sander is the broadest first powered choice for open furniture in the wood-sander comparison. The top pick is the Bosch PEX 220 A at about £48.49, 220 W and 240 V, with 4.5 from 4,335 amazon.co.uk reviews. A belt sander is faster on robust timber and can gouge or cut veneer. A sheet sander is slower on flat panels and reaches edges a round pad misses. The best value in that set is the BLACK+DECKER BEW220-GB at about £20.

Question 2

Are the belt sanders one kind of machine?

Accepted Answer

No. The eleven amazon.co.uk listings mix corded 76 × 533 mm handhelds, a belt-and-disc bench machine, a 13 mm power file, a mini bench sharpener and a narrow cordless belt sold without a battery. Handhelds and files sit about £45 to £64. The belt-and-disc is £159.99. The top pick for flat DIY stock removal is the Einhell TC-BS 8038 at about £48.94. The best value is the KATSU 900 W handheld at about £44.99. A usable corded machine should arrive with a BS 1363 plug.

Question 3

When does the cordless orbital comparison pay off?

Accepted Answer

The highest score is the DeWalt DCW210N-XJ, a 125 mm bare body at £111.00 with 4.7 from 2,065 reviews, and that price only makes sense if you already own DeWalt 18 V XR packs and a charger. Nine listings run from £29.99 to £111.00. No listing is a single top pick across kits and bare bodies. A cloth bag, or a 5.0 from one review, is not treated as proof of dust control. Nothing in the set was sanded in a laboratory.

Question 4

How do you choose between a sheet sander and an orbital sander?

Accepted Answer

A sheet sander is a rectangular finisher that reaches square edges and is usually slower at taking stock off. The top pick is the Einhell TC-OS 18/187 Li Solo at about £41, with 4.6 from 1,503 reviews. The battery and charger are extra. The best value is the corded Einhell TC-OS 1520 at about £26.97. The orbital comparison has no unqualified top pick. The highest score there is the Bosch PEX 220 A. Do not rank the sheet sanders by wattage.

Question 5

When is a wet stone grinder the better bench tool than a double grinder?

Accepted Answer

A double grinder here is a bench grinder for deburring, a rough bevel or rust. The top pick is the Einhell TC-BG 150 B at about £64.95, a K36 stone plus a wire brush. The best value is the TC-BG 150 at about £37.30 with K36 and K60 wheels. When the edge must stay cool, the Bucktool SCM-8101GB at about £138.99 runs a 250 mm wheel at a stated 95 rpm. The best value on that page is the Einhell TC-WD 200/150 at about £71.06.

Question 6

Why is there no top pick on the linisher or sanding-roller pages?

Accepted Answer

The six linishers, about £85.99 to £299.99, mix a full-size belt-and-disc, a 25 mm belt and a grinding-wheel combo, so one score cannot win every class. The six sanding rollers, £9.60 to £57.28, mix drill drums, a rotary set, a sheet drum and one corded Draper 90469 at about £57.28. Both pages leave the badge empty. Use belt width and table on a linisher, and drum diameter plus shank on a roller.

Question 7

Which cordless angle grinder if you already own batteries?

Accepted Answer

The cordless top pick is the bare DeWalt DCG407N-XJ at about £107.50, and only if you already run 18 V XR packs. The best value is the DCA ADSM06-125 kit at about £56.98. On the Worx page, the WX812 kit at about £144.49 is the top pick if you own no battery. The bare WX803.9 at about £81.41 is the best value if you already own 20 V packs. Higher rpm on a 76 mm disc is not more cutting power.

Question 8

What does an oscillating multi-tool replace?

Accepted Answer

It cuts, scrapes and sands through a short oscillation, for a door-frame undercut, a short grout run or a corner. It is a poor substitute for a floor sander. Eight amazon.co.uk listings run about £36.98 to £72. The highest score is the DeWalt DCS355N-XJ body at £72, and only if you already own 18 V XR batteries and a charger. Corded kits in the set are about £36.98 to £49.99. A higher wattage does not replace a blade that matches the material.

Question 9

What is a 150 mm orbital sander on this hub?

Accepted Answer

A 150 mm orbital sander here is a random-orbit palm sander with a round pad of about 150 mm. Twelve amazon.co.uk listings run from about £27.90 to about £179.99. The top pick is the ONEMANA R7303-4 at about £139.99, with a stated 5.0 mm orbit and a 230 V line. The best value is the TEENO T-PSC911 at about £36.09. That listing does not state an orbit. There was no lab test.

Question 10

Does the Bosch top pick include a battery?

Accepted Answer

A Bosch orbital sander here is either a random-orbit tool with a round pad or the GSS 18V-13 sheet tool. Eight listings run from about £48.49 to about £227.91. The top pick is the Bosch GEX 18V-125 with L-BOXX at about £145. It is a Professional 18 V 125 mm sander, and the battery is extra. The best value is the corded Bosch PEX 220 A at about £48.49.

Question 11

How do a grinding disc, a cutting disc and a flap disc differ?

Accepted Answer

A grinding disc is a thick wheel used on its face. A cutting disc is a thin wheel used on its edge. A flap disc is overlapping abrasive flaps. The grinding top pick is the Merryland 115 mm ten-pack at about £15.90. Twelve cutting discs run from about £2.41 to about £20.90. The top pick is the Starrett 12-pack at about £5.03. Twelve flap packs run from about £9.99 to about £32.99. The top pick is the PRETEC 12-pack at about £11.99.

Question 12

What should you check on a 230 mm metal cutting disc?

Accepted Answer

A 230 mm metal cutting disc is a cut-off wheel for a 9 inch angle grinder, usually with a 22.23 mm bore. Thickness here is about 1.9 mm or about 3 mm. Steel is not the same claim as stainless. Twelve listings run from about £2.41 to about £51.98. The top pick is the Bosch straight inox disc at about £4.59, for sheet, rebar, steel and stainless. The best value is the Bosch PRO metal disc at about £2.41, a 3 mm steel wheel not marked stainless.

Question 13

Is a diamond cup wheel the same as a diamond cutting disc?

Accepted Answer

A diamond cutting disc has a rim that cuts tile, brick or concrete. A diamond cup wheel has a face that grinds masonry flat. It does not cut. Twelve cutting discs run from about £6.98 to about £19.90. The top pick is the Bosch 115 mm ceramic disc at about £6.98. Eleven cups run from about £7.98 to about £18.99. The top pick is the SHDIATOOL 115 mm turbo row at about £18.99. The 230 mm page is separate, and its top pick is the Bosch EXPERT at about £84.43.

Question 14

Will an air sander run from a UK 13 A socket?

Accepted Answer

An air sander here is a compressor-driven hand tool, not a 230 V sander with a UK 13 A plug. Twelve listings run from about £23.88 to about £526.97. The top pick is the Draper Storm Force 150 mm at about £51.35. Draper states about 3 cfm. A UK review says a 5 cfm compressor could not hold speed. The air orbital page uses the same Draper as its top pick. The Festool LEX 3 77/2,5 is about £526.97 and has no star line.

Question 15

When do you want a drywall sander rather than a concrete sander?

Accepted Answer

A drywall sander here is usually a corded pole tool for skim, joints and ceilings. A concrete sander is a diamond-disc grinder for concrete, screed or thin adhesive. Eleven drywall listings run from about £62.99 to about £179.97. The top pick is the ZHJAN DMJF7238B at about £109.99. Six concrete listings run from about £77.99 to about £229.89. The top pick is the LengSuaa 2200 W at about £159.99. A UK review said about 30 square metres was too much for that handheld.

Question 16

What counts as a hand sander here?

Accepted Answer

A hand sander in this set is a manual block, a corded mouse or a pole kit. Eight listings run from about £7.05 to about £24.28. The top pick is the Stanley STHT0-05927 at about £13.24, a 230 × 80 mm clip block. The best value is the wolfcraft 8722000 at about £7.05. A corded mouse needs a BS 1363 lead. Edge sanders are a separate page: seven listings from about £16 to about £81. The top pick is the Ryobi ONE+ corner palm at about £44.99, a bare tool.

Question 17

Which page is for sheets, mesh and orbital discs?

Accepted Answer

Sheets, mesh and orbital discs are three pages. Six sandpaper packs run from about £3.25 to about £6.99. The top pick is the STEBRUAM wet-and-dry set at about £6.99. Eleven mesh listings run from about £4.82 to about £24.99. The top pick is the ProDec Advance 120 grit roll at about £4.99, and it is not a round disc. Eleven orbital disc packs run from about £6.99 to about £19.99. The top pick is the WORKPRO 125 mm 8-hole pack at about £11.89.

Question 18

How were these sanders compared?

Accepted Answer

Products Compared read amazon.co.uk listings for thirty-three sander comparisons. Prices are GBP shelf prices. Stars and review counts are the UK lines on those listings. Scores on the comparison pages are editorial readings of those listings, not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. If a listing omits an orbit, a bore or a maximum speed, that gap stays on the comparison page.

Comparisons

Belt sander

Cordless angle grinder

Cordless orbital sander

Double grinder

Linisher

Multi-tool

Orbital sander

Sanding roller

Sheet sander

Wet stone grinder

Wood sander

Worx angle grinder

125mm grinding discs

125mm metal cutting disc

150mm orbital sander

230mm diamond cutting disc

230mm metal cutting disc

Air orbital sander

Air sander

Belt and disc sander

Bosch orbital sander

Concrete sander

Cutting disc

Delta sander

Diamond cup wheel

Diamond cutting disc

Disc sander

Drywall sander

Edge sander

Flap disc

Flap discs 125

Grinding discs

Hand sander

Metabo orbital sander

Multi-sander

Pipe belt sander

Rasp disc

Sanding belt

Sanding mesh

Sandpaper

Sandpaper orbital sander

Sandpaper roll

Guides

Belt sander vs orbital sander: which to buy first

Belt sander price UK: handheld, bench or a hire day

Floor sander hire cost: one day, or buy a handheld

Common questions about sanders