Customer Reviews

Black & Decker 7558 1/3-Sheet Finishing Sander

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've had my B&D 7448 for a bit over 4 years. I use it a lot and use it hard. I'm impatient so I push tools hard instead of letting things take their normal course.
I've never had a problem with the paper coming out, ever. In fact, on mine it's very tight and clamps quite hard.
I wish the levers were larger.
I'd like it to be quieter - however I can't hear the sander when the vac. is running anyway and one SHOULD use hearing protection when using power tools. Like the pros on TV do :-)
As far as "how it's made", mine finally got VERY loud and ran slow and erraticly - I found the upper "brearing" is a plain sleave. The other sealed ball bearings are perfect, but the top "bushing" by the brushes is shot to heck. It's gone. Yeah, I push, but for a few cents per unit, a ball bearing here would make it quieter and make the whole unit last longer over-all.
So, out I go looking for a bearing and I'll have my favorite sander running again. (I'm a top mechanic and specialize in electrical systems - and this is the most simple power tool I've ever opened!)
It's light, easy to use and the next best sander costs over twice as much, so I can replace a couple of bearings in 10 years and still have a cheaper sander .... Takes about 5 minutes to disassemble the sander and replace the bearing - takes longer to go get the bearing.

I sometimes fail to remember that one gets what they pay for and this sander was no exception to that rule. I saw the 'price' and the 'intent' of this tool right off the bat. The price was right in that it was practically free compared to its nearest competitor! Unfortunately, the competitor sander had a lot more 'intent', and consequently... higher quality, durability and reliability in mind during the design and manufacturing process. My new Porter Cable 550 will probably end-up in my Great Grandchildren's hands in serviceable condition, and I am not a Grandpa yet!

After taking this sander out of its box, and putting it to use, it soon became clear that I could not keep sandpaper on it. As a result of its Billion RPM orbital action, it kept tearing off along the securing clamps on either end of the sander. I tried about every little trick I could think of before tossing this tool into the "lesson-learned pile" of other bargain-priced power tools in my shop. You know, the ones too worthless to really use, and too valuable to throw away? Don't end up spending your money twice on the same sort of tool. GO GET A PORTER CABLE, OR EQUIVALENT!!! If you want the Black and Decker Sander above, send me an email and you can have mine for the cost of shipping!

Handy Dan

I own two of these, and they both have given up the ghost. This is the first bad review of a tool that I've given here[...], But I feel that the truth should be known. First of all, this thing takes way to long time to sand down anything. Either it eats the paper too fast, or like on my second one, the clamps were not strong enough, and the paper kept falling off. Not to mention that this thing is louder than my table saw.It's been a few years since mine died, and I've come to learn one undisputable fact. If you buy a low cost tool, you'll get poor results. What upsets me is that Black and Decker knows what kind of tool this is, but they still continue to make it the same way. No improvements at all. When I compare this to what I have now, they'll never get my money again. Don't put good money after bad. If you can't afford a high dollar sander, Ryobi has got a dandy little sander at an affordable price, and it's a heck of a lot better than this one. Buy anybody's but this one, you'll be glad you did. Sorry, Black and Decker, But I call it as I see it.

I have spent countless hours and reams of sandpaper using this sander for at least 8 years and it's still going strong (used mostly on softwood). It is powerful enough using 60 grit paper to take down dowel ends, round edges and level uneven wood height (even end grain). After 60 grit, I use 100, 150 and finally 220 grit for a perfect finish. The 1/3 sheet size gives the unit a stable footing on the work. The unit is made for two hands but you can use one hand comfortably especially with fine grits. Paper changes are pretty fast but could be easier if they made the lock levers a little bigger. The best way I found to get the paper on easier is to clamp and crease one edge first, flip the paper around, clamp the other end then attach the first pre-creased edge.

Be warned that you can expect dust to go all over the place using this unit. It is best used outdoors or like I do, with the garage door open and a fan blowing out over the work. If I do replace it, it will be to upgrade to a 1/2 sheet sander with a dust bag (at four times the price!!).

I have used a Model#FS350 Type1 (made in the U.K.)(Blue case) for a number of years and the only problem experienced is a bad on/off switch. I installed a jumper on the switch & it is still working. I purchased a Model#7448 (Black case - Made in China) to have as a backup and it broke down on the third time I used it. The motor runs but the pad doesn't vibrate. Another quality? product from China!!! Both units appear identical (inside & out) except for color and point of manufacture.

The paper will not stay on! I repeat. The paper will not stay on. Spend more and get a product that does what it was intended to do. This product does not!

I wonder if there's something wrong with the clamps on a batch of these. We bought this a couple years ago and never really used it much. Just started trying to use it in earnest this evening and I will add my "paper falls off" woes to the group.

I tried about ten times with a number of different types of sandpaper - it seems that the clamps tighten down when you pull up on the lever, but in order to lock the levers into place they "relax" just a little bit and the paper doesn't hold in place well. Just a tiny bit of sideways motion and yep, paper starts to slide right off...

Sounds like they've had this model forever - maybe it's time the old B&D spent some money on R&D and upgraded their product a little bit.

Looks like it goes on the garage sale pile and it's time to try out another...

I had this sander for three years but I have not used it much as there was not much need for it. Lately, I purchased Porter Cable palm sander, which I liked to use a lot. For comparison I used Black and Decker. Wow, B&D is very noisy, vibrates so much that it is basically killing my hands. My hands were tickling after few minutes of usage. I paid 20 USD for B&D sander compared to 45 USD for Porter Cable one. In my opinion 25 USD investment in PC is a better choice. B&D will be retired after not much use at all. Surely it does the job but discomfort and noise make this sander not worth buying it even for twenty bucks.

I also purchased random-orbit sander from Porter Cable (I cannot recommend it though - see my other review) and it is heavier than palm sander, less vibrating, quiter etc. It is a pleasure to use random-orbit sander (sanding ceilings is tough due to its weight). If you can live with more expensive sanding discs, I would recommend 8 hole random-orbit sander.

Reviewer above mentionned that he had his B&D sander for 15 years. Maybe so but he paid probably more than it costs now meaning that it had better quality components than today's model. The drop in price is not magic but usually means that manufacturer was able to cut some corners by putting inferior components or by cutting labor expenses (China instead of USA).

I've had this sander for so long I can't remember when I bought it (must have been late 80's). While it's still going it needs a new rubber pad and bearing, so for me it's just going to be cheaper to get a new one. I've never had a problem with the paper releases as someone else mentioned, nor do I think it rips the sandpaper all that often. Most of the time when a paper rips a hole it's because I've tried to go over a sharp edge. It would be nice to have a variable speed, but I've lived without it this long...

Very reliable and dependable tool.

Great value for $25.00, works great and does a nice job. I am using it to finish kitchen cabinets and several doors.