Amazon Black Friday Deals

[ChemE75]

The ROS20 looks like the one i have. It works fine, but the dust collection is terrible in my opinion. Even when hooked up to a shopvac, it still leaves dust on the outside of the sander. I still use it, but am on the lookout for something better.

For the price on sale it’s attractive. But I might give the MaxXT a try, still on the fence. Just saw a makita that looks like good ergonomics priced about mid-way between these two so off to read some reviews!

I have come to enjoy improved dust collection. Most of my old tools had none. My old PC never had dust collection until they came out with an addon shroud that included a nice long hose that’s still in good shape over 20 yrs later. It works halfway decent considering it didn’t originally have anything. So whatever I end up with will be an improvement. A big thing for me is getting a good balance so sander doesn’t rock or jitter on the surface. It’s hard with the PC since so much weight is in the right angle motor that weighs down the back side and is a constant stress on my elbow.

 

[Echd]

Yup, torn as well since it looks like a good unit, with good features. My old P-C is a swirly pain that kills my elbow, it’s 35 yrs old so maybe bearings/counterweight have worn. I’m not a heavy user and it could go months without any usage, so I’m trying to be cost effective. I finally did a search for specific reviews on them. Some are saying it’s on a par or close with top tier units, a few find it their favorite, many appear to be British which is fine, other than being a European model, but one in the US did show a model overloading and stopping within a short period of use on what looked like some not very difficult sanding - they replaced it but out of box the replacement acted the same way - he was able to return it for a full refund but what if it was over a yr later? Probably stuck with it. Makes me wonder if it was a bad batch like delta’s table saw motor some yrs ago or is it indicative of the product line in general? It’s really hard to know. Also Bosch is generally known for good products but I’ve seen several reviews showing issues with the ROS20 with some doa or flaky speed control with one showing it only would turn on if it was set at 6, so this adds to the dilemma.

My main workhorse sander is a Bosch Get-65N, the 5" model. It's a good unit and has never given me any trouble but I wouldn't mind trying one of the 6 inchers in a different brand just for the mirka-style form factor, especially for tasks where a six inch sander is handiest.

That said, it's normally cheaper to wait until the sales end and get an open box one from amazon. As long as the unit works and isn't scuffed up, it probably is actually really just an opened unit- most stuff I buy that way still has factory packaging, and the amazon warehouse prices tend to be much lower than black friday pricing.

That said I'm not wanting to pay $200-300 for sanders with known issues (and the 3Ms have apparently had a lot of trouble too, which makes me wonder about parts commonality) when the bosch line are known performers in that range, or a festool can sometimes be found for not a lot more.

 

[ChemE75]

My main workhorse sander is a Bosch Get-65N, the 5" model. It's a good unit and has never given me any trouble but I wouldn't mind trying one of the 6 inchers in a different brand just for the mirka-style form factor, especially for tasks where a six inch sander is handiest.

That said, it's normally cheaper to wait until the sales end and get an open box one from amazon. As long as the unit works and isn't scuffed up, it probably is actually really just an opened unit- most stuff I buy that way still has factory packaging, and the amazon warehouse prices tend to be much lower than black friday pricing.

That said I'm not wanting to pay $200-300 for sanders with known issues (and the 3Ms have apparently had a lot of trouble too, which makes me wonder about parts commonality) when the bosch line are known performers in that range, or a festool can sometimes be found for not a lot more.

I can’t justify that level of pricing for a tool I don’t use on a weekly basis and often sits for months between projects. Yes, quality sanding is critical when needed, but it isn’t a biz or even a hobby biz situation cranking out projects. I don’t need a workhorse anymore. I just need a good home shop machine that does a good job, has decent ergonomics and is cost effective for a home shop. I noticed the MaxXT has no 3rd party replacement pads so that’s a risk that a generic won’t fit while Bosch, Makita and others have many options. I also checked out the 3m for comparison and their pad uses the standard 5/16 threads like my p-c. The MaxXT has the same arbor but has two flat sides and the psd has a raised ridge that matches so a 3m compatible or similar pad may not seat flush. I’ve decided against the MaxXT. It feels like a potential risk and to me, easy to find, low cost consumables like pads, plays a big part. I’ve never had hook & loop pads but I’ve heard they tend to wear out a lot faster than psa vinyl pads. So it was gonna be the Bosch… until the Makita bo5041 caught my eye - has a 3mm orbit so on the finer side, (but they call it a 1/8” large orbit for faster removal, makes me wonder how they view the 5mm orbits? While I’ve not seen any smaller than 2.5mm which isn’t exactly tiny compared to 3mm), a 3A motor so a bit more power than the Bosch ROS20 and has top, waist, and rear handle grip plus a rotatable/removable 2nd front/side handle - looks like it’s the winner. I’ve had good experience with makita in general, a 1/4 sheet sander from the 80s, I left with my daughter, not sure it still works, was a shop workhorse back in the day. After my second cordless nimh drill battery and charger died around ‘05, I got a Makita 18v li-ion drill/driver set and I’m still using the orig batteries, run time is less but still enough for my needs since I can swap and keep going while battery charges in 30 min. So Makita feels like a good choice. I checked out some 1-2 yr usage reviews that all seem very positive, only complaint is the pad Velcro tends to wear too quickly. For under $90, it seems like best option.

 

[Wilsoncb]

I got a Makita bo5041 in 2022. I think it’s a good all around sander. It will take a bit longer vs a 6” on big flat surfaces, but it works really well in almost every situation.

 

[Craptastic]

I'm a little torn on those maxxt sanders. They look like a clone of the 3ms, but there are/were a lot of reports of issues with them such as the motors burning out.

I have one and it's been great so far. I have heard the stories about motor burn out too but have been using mine for over a year now.

Actually just went and looked and I got mine in June of 2022.

 

[ChemE75]

I got a Makita bo5041 in 2022. I think it’s a good all around sander. It will take a bit longer vs a 6” on big flat surfaces, but it works really well in almost every situation.

Ya, it’s at top of my list now. Seems like best features and specs for the price point. My old p-c was originally 6” but I downsized to add the vac shroud - 5” has been fine, don’t do big stuff for home.

 

[ChemE75]

I have one and it's been great so far. I have heard the stories about motor burn out too but have been using mine for over a year now.

Actually just went and looked and I got mine in June of 2022.

Ya, it looks like a good sander, but eventually pad will wear out and for me $35 is kind of steep to get a replacement, at least that’s only one I saw on Amazon at present. Maybe you got lucky or the other guy got a lemon, either way I think I can do ok with a more well known option. Maybe 3rd party options will show up but for over $50 less, the Makita will do me just fine.

 

[Martin Roper]

Not exactly a tool, but this won a "Best of Year" from Project Farm on YT:

 

[Martin Roper]

 

[tvrgeek]

Great price for the clamps. Down to Harbor Freight price! ( Their dark blue/black clamps are just fine)

 

[ChemE75]

Great price for the clamps. Down to Harbor Freight price! ( Their dark blue/black clamps are just fine)

I was tempted but I don’t really need 12”, a few more 6” would be nice though. The HF I tried aren’t as robust as Bessy but do the job and haven’t had any fail. What I need is a couple 4’ 3/4” pipes and I’m having sticker shock. Over $3/ft! I paid roughly $1.50/ft about 3 yrs ago for 3/4 6’ galv.

 

[Jack A.]

Check the price on both black pipe and galvanized. Sometimes one is significantly more than the other.

 

[ChemE75]

Check the price on both black pipe and galvanized. Sometimes one is significantly more than the other.

Ya, I do. HD is odd - galv is same for either at 10’ but almost 2x at 4’. When I picked up the 6’ back in FL, it was actually less. Was gonna just get a 10’ and have it cut in half. But 2 4’ black pipe is cheaper and long enough so will be less awkward to handle. Haven’t found any place cheaper.

 

[oldtexasdog]

Anyone seen a good Black Friday deal on a benchtop thickness planer?

 

[demondeacon]

Anyone seen a good Black Friday deal on a benchtop thickness planer?

Check Rockler, they normally heavily discount the Dewalt 735 this time of year with free cart and table wings

 

[ChemE75]

Anyone seen a good Black Friday deal on a benchtop thickness planer?

I’d suggest checking a variety of dewalt retailers on the actual Black Friday. Sometimes I’ve noticed one day deals popping up on Friday that were not showing up early.

 

[Martin Roper]

These seem to go on sale every Christmas and the price keeps getting better. I got mine before it went brushless for $144. It's a great little tool.

I later bought the brushless impact to go with it and a Makita systainer.

 

[golfdad]

If you need clamps like the Besseys Ive gone to Harbor freight clamps. Just as good but the have a rubber grip which is easier to tighten when hands are aching. Also price Is very good.

 

[Henry W]

If you need clamps like the Besseys Ive gone to Harbor freight clamps. Just as good but the have a rubber grip which is easier to tighten when hands are aching. Also price Is very good.

You know I never thought about the fact that I need to wrap hockey tape or tennis grip material on these red handled clamps for grip, but not on the HF ones. Another reason to like the HF ones.

 

[thegator]

I would love to hear what you think about it. It’s on my wishlist for later

I've had one for over a year and like it