So I just moved into a house (1850sqft) that I will need to replace or refinish 1/2 the drywall in the house. What are people's thoughts on drywall sanders? On the low end you can get a WEN for under 200, Makita cordeless for 700 (get 2 batteries), Planex easy for 750. Not sure if the Mirka Leros is available in the US. I typically tend towards wanting high quality tools, and I could sell the higher end units pretty simply if I don't see much value in keeping them. Let me know your thoughts/experience.
Drywall sander
- Thread starter jpmeunier
- Start date
Holzhacker
Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Messages
- 1,192
I guess it all depends on how good of a taper you are. I use an ets125 for drywall. However, I don't do 100-200+ sheet drywall jobs anymore either. Then I'd probably want a Planex.
AlexThePalex
Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2008
- Messages
- 7,808
An investment in any of the sanders you mention is a waste for a single house.
The high quality tools are always preferable because they are built do to actual work, and with a powerful motor and strong bearings they are meant to last for years for a professional user. But they cost a lot. A professional will see his investment back because he will use it on dosens of houses each year, for a couple of years. A home owner will not.
A cordless Makita? You will need to stop and change and charge batteries all the time. I could never live with that. There are so many better corded options available. Doesn't need to be the most expensive there is, like the Planex, other manufacturers also make them. Flex, Milwaukee, and apparently the Porter Cable 7800 is great value for the money.
- Stay away from the WEN. It's a sham. A penny spend on that WEN is a penny thrown in the bin. That particular sander is available all over the world from dosens of cheap no-name brands. It is just a cheap generic Chinese product that is only made to look like a drywall sander but isn't really functional. I know somebody who had one. For instance, the round head DOES NOT SPIN like a drywall sander is supposed to. It just vibrates like an orbital sander. And at a very low RPM for that. Also, it overheats after 15 minutes of use. And last but not least, it uses a proprietary type of paper that is nowhere to be found. The guy I know who had it threw it away after using it 2 times.
But want to work on your house and get a sander that works and doesn't cost a ton? Get an ETS 150, EC or not, and you can use that sander for your drywall and tons of other jobs.
The high quality tools are always preferable because they are built do to actual work, and with a powerful motor and strong bearings they are meant to last for years for a professional user. But they cost a lot. A professional will see his investment back because he will use it on dosens of houses each year, for a couple of years. A home owner will not.
A cordless Makita? You will need to stop and change and charge batteries all the time. I could never live with that. There are so many better corded options available. Doesn't need to be the most expensive there is, like the Planex, other manufacturers also make them. Flex, Milwaukee, and apparently the Porter Cable 7800 is great value for the money.
- Stay away from the WEN. It's a sham. A penny spend on that WEN is a penny thrown in the bin. That particular sander is available all over the world from dosens of cheap no-name brands. It is just a cheap generic Chinese product that is only made to look like a drywall sander but isn't really functional. I know somebody who had one. For instance, the round head DOES NOT SPIN like a drywall sander is supposed to. It just vibrates like an orbital sander. And at a very low RPM for that. Also, it overheats after 15 minutes of use. And last but not least, it uses a proprietary type of paper that is nowhere to be found. The guy I know who had it threw it away after using it 2 times.
But want to work on your house and get a sander that works and doesn't cost a ton? Get an ETS 150, EC or not, and you can use that sander for your drywall and tons of other jobs.
AlexThePalex
Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2008
- Messages
- 7,808
jpmeunier said:
It's a breeze. Perfectly suitable.
I do not do a lot of drywall work but I put an office in an attic area and recently built a few walls to create a bedroom in another attic space. I also took down popcorn ceiling in the entire house and had to patch up that drywall work. I also fixed a ceiling joint in a cathedral ceiling the professionals messed up. The only sander I used other than sanding blocks was also not powered, it is the festool hand sander that hooks to a vacuum. I am not that good a taper but drywall compound sands VERY easily. All the professionals I've seen used hand sanders (i.e. non powered).
If you do this a room at a time, I don't think you need a sander. If you tape the entire house, then sand, you may. It definitely gets old quickly.
If you do this a room at a time, I don't think you need a sander. If you tape the entire house, then sand, you may. It definitely gets old quickly.
I did metal studs and drywall for years and mud and tape a lot still for myself. I would be careful buying a planex right now unless you get a good deal on a used one. The new planex 2 that is getting released is going to hurt the sales of the Gen 1. The Mirka Leros is a very good sander and I was about to buy one until the festool released the news of the Planex 2. Im not in a hurry so now Im waiting to see what happens with the Planex 2 for the US.
As far as any cordless sander such as the Dewalt or Makita its completely useless and frankly a stupid Idea to make one "cordless" The second if not the main benefit of these power sanders is the dust collection so what is the benefit of having it be cordless if its still hooked to a DC with a hose? Until they magically figure out a way to have a cordless DC it makes no sense to have a cordless drywall sander. All it does it put more weight from the battery being on the sander and makes it more fatiguing for the persons arms and shoulders doing the sanding. Cordless tools are great and I own a ton of them but there are some that just dont make sense and drywall sander is one. If the job is big enough to justify breaking out a power sander then you need the dust collection. If its a small one room job they have already had a cordless version for years its called a pole sander. If you cant knock out a room with just a pole sander then the problem is with the taper.
As far as any cordless sander such as the Dewalt or Makita its completely useless and frankly a stupid Idea to make one "cordless" The second if not the main benefit of these power sanders is the dust collection so what is the benefit of having it be cordless if its still hooked to a DC with a hose? Until they magically figure out a way to have a cordless DC it makes no sense to have a cordless drywall sander. All it does it put more weight from the battery being on the sander and makes it more fatiguing for the persons arms and shoulders doing the sanding. Cordless tools are great and I own a ton of them but there are some that just dont make sense and drywall sander is one. If the job is big enough to justify breaking out a power sander then you need the dust collection. If its a small one room job they have already had a cordless version for years its called a pole sander. If you cant knock out a room with just a pole sander then the problem is with the taper.
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2016
- Messages
- 3,014
For a one off job why not just rent what you need? Since in the case of the OP this is a DIY you're still ahead of the game IF you plan your work and don't keep the tool for any longer than you need to.
Get all your areas ready for sanding, then get the tool and go to work. Evaluate beforehand what is more cost effective if you will have some down time between uses of the sander. Is it cheaper to return and rent again two or three days later or rent for a week (which can sometimes be only slightly more than a two day rental). Remember to factor in transportation time and expenses if there is any significant distance involved. Don't short yourself on consumables. Many rental places will let you take a bit more than you need and return unused consumables for credit when you return the tool. At least that is what my local rental place will does for me when I rent floor sanders.
Get all your areas ready for sanding, then get the tool and go to work. Evaluate beforehand what is more cost effective if you will have some down time between uses of the sander. Is it cheaper to return and rent again two or three days later or rent for a week (which can sometimes be only slightly more than a two day rental). Remember to factor in transportation time and expenses if there is any significant distance involved. Don't short yourself on consumables. Many rental places will let you take a bit more than you need and return unused consumables for credit when you return the tool. At least that is what my local rental place will does for me when I rent floor sanders.
I have a Wen Drywall sander. The interface pad is cheap, but it accepts the Festool sandpaper. It will get a bit warm after sometime, so you need to give it a break and turn it on when it cools off. I’m planning on running this thing to the legs fall off.Alex said:
Bugsysiegals
Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2016
- Messages
- 908
I bought a porter cable to finish some sheets in my living room without getting dust everywhere. While it did capture most of the dust, it did not work well for me.
Even though I kept it moving and in different directions, I found it made the walls uneven. I’d mud, sand, realize it took to much off in some areas, not enough in others, mud again, sand again, etc. This was my first time using this sander so maybe it’s lack of finesse but I wasn’t impressed and ended up using a sponge sanding block with shop vac held underneath. It certainly didn’t capture all the dust but allowed me to finish it smooth.
That said, I’m remodeling 2 bathrooms next and will have to sand overhead ... I will definitely be using the sander for these parts and perhaps I’ll have better luck this time ...
Even though I kept it moving and in different directions, I found it made the walls uneven. I’d mud, sand, realize it took to much off in some areas, not enough in others, mud again, sand again, etc. This was my first time using this sander so maybe it’s lack of finesse but I wasn’t impressed and ended up using a sponge sanding block with shop vac held underneath. It certainly didn’t capture all the dust but allowed me to finish it smooth.
That said, I’m remodeling 2 bathrooms next and will have to sand overhead ... I will definitely be using the sander for these parts and perhaps I’ll have better luck this time ...
The rotary sanders like the PC are much harder to control and uneven sanding and gouging is almost a given or at least very common. They require some practice. The mirka and the new festool coming use a RO motion which gives a much more controllable action and makes the process much easier even for the novice. I have always wondered why they didnt make one sooner but atleast its finally a reality.
the new planex and Mirka leros are the only ones that use an orbital motion which is much more user friendly and leave a better finish. That I know of. The gen 1 planex is rotary only. Heavily painted popcorn or texture is one area the orbital sanders might not accel at compared to the rotary sanders but I dont scrape popcorn. I find it better to just rip it down and re-drywall if there is heavy texture that has been painted multiple times. This is partly do to my location here in S. florida there are alot of low slope roofs and the attics are almost impossible to navigate. So drywall removal kills 2 birds so to speak. 1. popcorn removal and 2. I can address any insulation shortfalls while I have easy access.
leakyroof
Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2011
- Messages
- 2,499
. The incoming Planex is Random Orbit, and has LED lights for work illumination.mkasdin said:
While I’m used to the Rotary sanding of my first gen Planex, the sanding action of the new model is smooth and you don’t have to think about the rotation of your abrasive disc as much like you do with the Rotary( I got to try out a preproduction Planex last year, I was jealous within minutes of running it..... [tongue] [tongue] [tongue])
Can’t even justify selling and switching for the new version, but for softer surfaces where gouging is a worry , it should be even easier to work with.
I do agree that for rougher sanding , the rotary version might have the edge, but would need to try them side by side to see. After all, the EC sanders are powerful and small.... [cool] [cool]
