Customer Reviews

Makita 9920 8.8 Amp 3-Inch by 24-Inch Variable-Speed Belt Sander

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have had this sander for about 3 months now.. I am a 25 year self employed cabinet and furniture maker.. I have had and or used almost every belt sander known to man.. This is the best 3x24 belt sander I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and it is becoming apparent to me that it may be the best belt sander of any brand I have ever used. Hard to know the whole scoop until I see how long it will hold up. But in my experience Makita's generally do a pretty adequate all around job anyway. So it may just be the sander of sanders.

I normally wouldn't choose Makita as my number one choice, but after some serious shopping a few months ago it seemed the only way to go. This little machine has everything that counts and except for my one complaint it is missing nothing. Compare this to any other belt sander to see if the other one you're looking at has got everything is should have... Then buy this one, cause you won't find it.

This is an exceptional belt sander with only one flaw in my opinion.. I think the handle grip should have a little more tilt downward toward the back and not be such a flat a grip. It seems to cause my wrist to bend unnecessarily and I find it a bit tiring, noticed more when sanding on a higher table... My wrists aren't the greatest though, so you may not even notice it.

But besides that one "flaw"?? It is the best balanced belt sander I have ever used, It is compact in design. It has a low center of gravity. It sands flat with no dimples. It never, and I mean never goes off track. Put the belt on, adjust it once maybe, and don't touch it again until you change belts; amazing.

The bag is in the most logical place it can be, on the inside towards you, not hanging up in the air like some models which always irritated me anytime you did anything other than use the sander on materials that you lay flat on a table to sand. If you need to use it side ways, or in awkward positions or even not so awkward positions out on the job or in the shop, that design of bag is really quite stupid to have. There are a few models made by Makita that have that terrible bag location as well as other brands. But not this model 9920.. This is the bag of bags.. This Makita has a sturdy enough bag, that when full, it does not drop below the sanding surface and it never falls off. It doesn't sway in the wind either like the others I just mentioned. It stays firmly in place even when full without ever getting in the way. It is easy to empty as well. What more could you want.??

One of the very most important design details in my opinion for any belt sander is the ability of the belt to sand flush right up next to a wall. This one does it best. The motor housing is wisely and logically designed in far enough from the open belt side to let you put that baby right next to something with great precision... Can you tell I like this sander?

Yep,, lightweight, yet sturdy. Plenty of power, quiet, It is very quiet for any belt sander. It also comes with a 15' cord. What a great idea huh? Don't need to drag around an extension cord. To bad many other manufacturers don't see the simple genius in that longer cord. The variable speed works superiorly. This is a superior belt sander! $200 bucks,, or more, what a steal.... I am seriously considering buying another one because you know how it is, you find something you love and then they stop making it.. Problem is, it feels like this little baby will last this one man shop for 15 years.. I hope to retire by then and I bet this thing just may get me through my tinkering. I will let you know in 15 years....

Sincerely,,
Barry

Thank you Lord for the blessings.. Praise Yahaveh through in our Lord Jesus Christ

I just recently purchased the Makita 9920 3"X24" belt sander and have already begun to take a serious liking to it. I bought it to replace an old B&D Industrial 3X24 I'd had for years. It is just the right size and weight for most of the work I do and I prefer the 24's extra belt length to a 21".
For me, a larger 4X24 would just be too heavy and aggressive for use as an all around general-purpose sander. I am glad to see that Makita has taken the 1/2" of motor housing that used to overhang the right side of their old belt sanders, and moved it over to the left side where the drive belt is making it easier to sand up close to objects. I also like the new positioning of the dust bag. An adapter is available for attaching a vacuum to the dust port. The 9920 also makes much less noise than my old belt sander did.
The Makita's weight and power are just right for medium to heavier sanding jobs. A sanding frame is available for more delicate work. The body is compact with good balance and comfortable handles. The large trigger switch is easy on the fingers. The trigger lock and variable speed control dial are easy to get at. The belt release handle is large and easy to lift. Motor brushes are externally accessible for easy replacement. This tool performs very well, seems very well made and since I have experienced very good reliability from all of my other Makita tools, I feel confident that this tool will turn out to be no exception.

I have had this sander for about 3 months now.. I am a 25 year self employed cabinet and furniture maker.. I have had and or used almost every belt sander known to man.. This is the best 3x24 belt sander I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and it is becoming apparent to me that it may be the best belt sander of any brand I have ever used. Hard to know the whole scoop until I see how long it will hold up. But in my experience Makita's generally do a pretty adequate all around job anyway. So it may just be the sander of sanders.

I normally wouldn't choose Makita as my number one choice, but after some serious shopping a few months ago it seemed the only way to go. This little machine has everything that counts and except for my one complaint it is missing nothing. Compare this to any other belt sander to see if the other one you're looking at has got everything is should have... Then buy this one, cause you won't find it.

This is an exceptional belt sander with only one flaw in my opinion.. I think the handle grip should have a little more tilt downward toward the back and not be such a flat a grip. It seems to cause my wrist to bend unnecessarily and I find it a bit tiring, noticed more when sanding on a higher table... My wrists aren't the greatest though, so you may not even notice it.

But besides that one "flaw"?? It is the best balanced belt sander I have ever used, It is compact in design. It has a low center of gravity. It sands flat with no dimples. It never, and I mean never goes off track. Put the belt on, adjust it once maybe, and don't touch it again until you change belts; amazing.

The bag is in the most logical place it can be, on the inside towards you, not hanging up in the air like some models which always irritated me anytime you did anything other than use the sander on materials that you lay flat on a table to sand. If you need to use it side ways, or in awkward positions or even not so awkward positions out on the job or in the shop, that design of bag is really quite stupid to have. There are a few models made by Makita that have that terrible bag location as well as other brands. But not this model 9920.. This is the bag of bags.. This Makita has a sturdy enough bag, that when full, it does not drop below the sanding surface and it never falls off. It doesn't sway in the wind either like the others I just mentioned. It stays firmly in place even when full without ever getting in the way. It is easy to empty as well. What more could you want.??

One of the very most important design details in my opinion for any belt sander is the ability of the belt to sand flush right up next to a wall. This one does it best. The motor housing is wisely and logically designed in far enough from the open belt side to let you put that baby right next to something with great precision... Can you tell I like this sander?

Yep,, lightweight, yet sturdy. Plenty of power, quiet, It is very quiet for any belt sander. It also comes with a 15' cord. What a great idea huh? Don't need to drag around an extension cord. To bad many other manufacturers don't see the simple genius in that longer cord. The variable speed works superiorly. This is a superior belt sander! $200 bucks,, or more, what a steal.... I am seriously considering buying another one because you know how it is, you find something you love and then they stop making it.. Problem is, it feels like this little baby will last this one man shop for 15 years.. I hope to retire by then and I bet this thing just may get me through my tinkering. I will let you know in 15 years....

Sincerely,,
Barry

Thank you Lord for the blessings.. Praise Yahaveh through in our Lord Jesus Christ

The tool is an excellent sander. It was priced comparably with the smaller 21" sanders. The extra 3" of footprint is a significant upgrade from the more-standard 21"models. Machine work is of high quality and the sander has proved to be very durable. The dust catcher design is outstanding. It vacuums most all of the dust and is exceptionally easy to empty and clean.

I am a professional full time woodworker. I have 35 years experience behind a belt sander.

A good belt sander can make for fast smooth sanding in the right hands, or more fuel for the wood stove in the inexperienced ones.

The important consideration in choosing a belt sander is: what am I going to be using the tool for 90% of the time.
This tool by Makita 3 x 24 (9920) is best suited for this 90% use criteria.
Most of the time I am doing sanding of solid stock before assembly, as well as sanding assembled work.

NOTE: If your using this tool to sand floors or other large surfaces, this is not the sander. Purchase the appropriate sander.

This sander comes in 3 x (18)(21)and(24). The 24 is the best choice as it has a larger sole plate that makes it easier to sand flat. Also belts last longer. Note - Makita also makes a similar 4" wide model in this style. Belts are about 40% more for this extra inch.
Avoid this. If you really need a 4 x 24 then purchase the HD model by Makita. (11 amp)

Good Points of this sander include.
1) This belt sander tracks very well.
2) The cord length at 15 feet is an important because you don't always need a extension cord.
3) Light enough to use with one hand when needed. Light is less fatiguing with prolonged use.
4) Dust bag collects dust well enough.
5) Power is adequate for most work.
6) Made in Japan which has higher quality standards than most.

Over all. I think this is truely the best belt sander available on the market and will give you years of production.
With over 1000 hours behind all brands of belt sanders, I have the experience to know what I'm talking about.

There are lots of belt sander choices in 9920's price range. I seriously considered sanders with higher amp ratings from Porter-Cable and Bosch. Everything I read about Makita belt sanders, though, convinced me to look at this unit. I still am not sure why the 9920's 21" little brother, the Makita 9903 8.8 Amp 3-Inch-by-21-Inch Variable Speed Belt Sander with Cloth Dust Bag, costs more. It appears to be identical; excepting its shorter belt. I wondered (and still wonder why) the 9920 has so few reviews compared to the 9903. Now that I've seriously put the 9920 to the test, though, I don't care about the 9903.

Here's why: This "Made in Japan" masterpiece, at about 10.5 pounds, has the heft needed to grab stock but is light enough to sand vertical surfaces with ease. Its 8.8 amp motor is easy on ones hands and ears. It has plenty of get up and go but is incredibly smooth and relatively quiet. I used it for hours on end, stripping paint off 130 year old boards, with great results. The belts track true and last much longer than my experience with other belt sanders would have led me to believe.

The 9920 really showed it mettle, though, removing stock. Replacing windows on an old house can present lots of issues. Varying window opening sizes comes to mind. The Makita, though, makes short work of openings not quite big enough. For the most part, I simply left the boards in place in the opening. Sanding upside down and vertically was easy and effective. It's design allows one to operate the sander virtually flush against a right angle.

Obviously, there are dust collection issues in those situations but I would not expect otherwise. Overall, dust collection was good. The manual recommends an accessory vacuum to improve collection. I have no plans to purchase the vacuum, though, because because the Makita's dust collection met my expectations.

The 9920 is great sander. I have no second thoughts about this purchase. If you need a tough, strong belt sander, the 9920 is an excellent choice.

I have purchased numerous tools from Amazon. In most cases the ability to see others reviews strongly influences my tool purchases. I purchased the Makita 9920 3x24 belt sander after reading the reviews of dozens of belt sanders. I was not initially looking for a 3x24 inch sander but purchased it anyway because of the positive remarks.

I recently used it to sand rough cut 2x4 and 2x6 pine. I needed a sander to do a good enough finish job on the wood so that it could be stained. I used the sander for a few days sanding a few dozen boards with little rest in between. Since I did my sanding outdoors dust collection was not that important to me but the bag system seemed to do an adequate job. Also, the ability to align the belt with one simple knob was nice. After sanding numerous boards the sander did seem to generate alot of heat but it was never what I would call excessive. This sander worked flawlessly and I would definitely make this purchase again. The reviews of this sander on Amazon led me to another positive purchase.

I was originally going to buy a Poter Cable sander. Everyone said they are the best. I have used several different brands and the Makita just felt right. Using a belt sander is something that may involve several minutes of continuous use, so tool comfort is important. This sander tracks well, as another reviewer mentioned - it doesn't drift or make depressions in the wood. I have had mine for 3 years and it works as well as the day I got it. There is another plus: the flat top allows me to turn it upside down and put it in a jig to use as a bench sander - very handy. I did this for a couple of years before my father-in-law bought me a nice sander for this purpose.

This sander is very well constructed. It has great form and function and is well priced. Buy it! You will not be sorry.

Having read several Amazon reviews concerning disk sanders I selected this machine based on the good comments from far more knowlegeable wood workers. To say the least the process proved to be a good way to study something you don't know a great deal about.

The unit tracks well, easy to change belts, heavy enough to get the belt to the wood but light enough to manage, plenty of power and very effective at the task I bought it for.

The project entailed smoothing out ruff cut cedar boards to a manageable finish for a project. This was done with-in 6 hours (60 boards, two sides 4" X 5'-0") with results that I found acceptable. I would also recommend this sander, Thanks Amazon for your earlier reviews...they helped.

...with nice features - simple, not sexy - no frills. This is a powerful, quiet machine. Delightfully quiet. It has an effective, easily emptied dust bag. There's an easy-to-reach variable speed control. OK, there's that awkward trigger lock - So what? And let's not overlook the 8 - foot cord!

I've always used 3X21 sanders, but the extra few inches of the 3X24 belts add stability with no noticeable increase in unit weight.

I'm delighted.