Customer Reviews

Makita BO4900V 2.9 Amp Variable Speed 1/2 Sheet Sander with Paper Dust Bag

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Easily the best 1/2 sheet sander out there... beautifully balanced, quiet, effortless to move, and with virtually no vibration... and the variable speed control is great. BUT... totally frustrating in that it comes WITHOUT the punch plate needed for the thru-the-pad dust collection system to work... 'had to hunt a week and drive the local dealer nuts until we located a punch plate from another model that works [#192523-3 for Model 9046]!!! Why Makita would make a truly great sander and not include the punch plate is beyond me. Order the sander AND the plate together... tried all the 1/2 sheets out there except Hitachi (couldn't find it) and this is THE BEST! Plus, only this and Hitachi offer variable speed on a 1/2 sheet.

I have used the Makita Model 9046 1/2 sheet sander for 4 years. It is almost identical to this model.

I had the opportunity to do a hands on evaluation of 1/2 sheet sanders. I liked the ruggedness Porter-Cable, the economy of the Milwaukee, and the feel of the Bosch, but the Makita is in a class of it's own.

At first it seemed a little heavy, but after I got use to it and let it work, it did a fantastic job. This 1/2 sheet sander oscillates much more than the others and does the job in half the time. It leaves the surface dead flat and is very kind to veneer.

It has vacuum pick-up holes in the paper/sander like a random orbital sander. If you hook it up to a vac the dust is minimal ( This may require a little tape around the outlet to fit your hose). The punch plate does not come with the sander. So unless you can find the special pre-punched paper, you need to order the plate from a Makita rep or make one.

I do not recommend starting with 80 grit paper. This sander can be very aggressive, so start with the finest grit that will do job.

Added January 2009
The bad news is that I recently ran out of the pre-punched Makita sandpaper and my local shop stop carrying it. Sometimes when I'm working on a small project, it's really nice to have the pre-punch hook & loop paper for fast/easy grit changes. The good news is that I did some investigating and discovered that the Festool ½ sheet hook & loop is interchangeable with the Makita. Of course the Festool paper is no bargain but it works great on my Makita sander and the dust control is awesome.

Eight years of intermittent use and it still runs great.

My application requires a minimum dust sanding system (house with air heating ducts). I could not find any vendor selling the vacuum hose and punch plate for the BO4900V sander so they were ordered directly from Makita. The sander was ordered from Amazon. When all parts arrived from the two vendors nothing fit. Called the the Makita Service Center and talked to Dalton who resolved the problem (one of the parts was was quickly replaced). The question was asked: why don't you include the punch plate with the sander? Answer: many customers don't need or use the punch plate and so it gets lost; this just adds to the price of the sander. This is a quality punch plate (1/2 lb steel), rugged, accurate, virtually indestructible and worth the price. Wait! There's more! The edge of the sanding pad has air holes to vacuum dust from the two long sides of the sander without the punch plate; but it's even better with holes in the sandpaper from the punch plate. I am now the proud owner of a great sanding system!

I had a heavy, old, half sheet Craftsman orbital sander that has served me very well over the years...it was hard to beat the job it was able to do, mainly because of it's weight, and the size of the sanding sheet it used. So when the gears in it finally gave up and it was unrepairable, I had to search for another to finish sanding the airplane I was building.

I searched the local stores for a large orbital sander but was unable to find any for less than $300. So, I tried a couple of smaller, lighter, brand name orbital sanders that I bought from the local Big Box stores, but they couldn't handle the size of the job...one of them broke the paper hold down mechanism, both of them too small, too light and too slow.

After a search online, I came across this Makita unit, and seeing the reviews on it on several other websites, and the price here on Amazon, I figured I'd give it a try.

What a difference! It did the job beautifully...fast, smooth and accurate. I have to admit that I did not use the filter or the vacuum cleaner attachment for a couple of reasons...in sanding a large object like the fuselage and wing strakes of my plane, the vacuum hose would get in the way, or the filter would fill up every five minutes with the primer and fiberglass dust I was removing. So, I sanded it outside and let the wind carry the dust away (sorry, neighbors <G>).

It surpassed my expectations, as I was able to finish my fuselage in less than three hours. Both the coarse and finish sanding! I had figured it was going to take me eight to ten hours, so I was way ahead.

Excellent product...the third Makita tool in my considerable collection of power tools (the other two Makitas are a saw and a drill)...and all three of them surpassed my expectations. Don't think I'll look at any other brand first for any future tools...or anywhere else but Amazon.com for the best prices!

It IS the best sander I've used so far. Quiet, balanced, does the job faster AND it's good looking. Doesn't come with a punch plate...$17+ shipping to order from Makita. Make your own with some dowels and a block of wood. Other than Makita not including that in the package, you won't be disappointed with this sander.

First, let me say that I have spent the last five years principally sanding wooden furniture and plywood cabinetry with a five-inch random-orbit sander and then finish-sanding by hand with a block. Then, more recently, I recalled that around twenty-five years ago, the 1/2 sheet finish sander was quite commonplace (I used Black & Decker and Makita models back then). A subsequent Internet search revealed that not too many 1/2 sheet "finish" sander models are currently on the market, apart from the Makita BO4900V model under present consideration and its Bosch equivalent. Ultimately, I chose the Makita model because its dust collection system seemed potentially more compatible with a vacuum hook-up. Others have commented that a compatible vacuum attachment is hard to find. But I have found that a five-foot Makita vacuum hose (Makita's no. 192278-0) attached to a Ridgid vacuum and hose with universal adapter works just fine. However, a new problem arises with regard to piercing dust-collection holes in the sanding sheets. I ordered the separate template (why it was not included in the box is beyond me) and found that the holes were too small (this was mentioned in a previous review), necessitating that I make enlarge them with a pencil or a punch pin. And even this does not create a completely satisfactory dust-collection system. Apart from this, it is necessary to really keep the sander moving fast in a back and forth fashion to operate this kind of sander successfully (think amplified block-sanding). This contrasts greatly with random-orbit sander technique, which requires a very slow approach (advancing the machine one inch per second) and a light touch. All in all, this is a worthwhile machine, as it does indeed leave a surface ready for finishing.

Really enjoy the heft of this sander and the variable speed option. No punch plate included, but not too difficult to make your own or use the included sheet of sandpaper as a template.

I bought this sander off of EBAY and it is very very smooth. It is as smooth as a Porter Cable 505 sander. The punch plate you can get from makita is not worth the price and the holes it makes are to small. The sand paper is not to be found from Makita. As far as the dust port being to small for most hose connections all you need is the FEIN step adpt # 921072K13 about $7-9 bucks depending where you get it from. The multi speed is great. No need to buy the Festool sander it is not any better then this Makita sander and it cost much more. The Bosch 1/2 sheet sander is good but I did feel some vibration while using it so I sold it to get the this Makita, Best multi speed sander I have used.The Porter Cable 505 sander which I do own is just as good but no multi speed or dust collection and made in Mexico now. The Makita is made in Japan.

I have been using the Metabo 1/2 sheet sander for years, and have a couple of them. I have always been very satisfied with them, but one day somebody dropped one off a ladder and offer to replace it. I had trouble finding the Metabo at a reasonable price, so I bought the new Makita. It is about as good as the Metabo in every regard except for the dust collection. Not having a punch plate does not bother me (I usually use a nail set,) but the dust port in the back is maybe a 1" pipe, and does not fit any standard dust collection vacuums (Fein, Porter Cable, Festool.) I've been told that I need to buy a special hose to tote around in order to attach to a vacuum, or maybe cob an adapter together out of vacuum parts. The reason I did not buy the Bosch (another good sander) was because I would have to buy an adaptor to make the rectangular exhaust round and able to hook up to dust collection. I figured that would get lost once or twice a year. Makita repeatedly says how easy it is to hook up to dust collection, but I fail to see that. The Metabo is expensive, but no adaptors are needed.

I admit I am a tool snob. I really enjoy buying and using the best tools available. This Makita is in a class of its own. I bought both the Makita and Festool FS2 E sander for testing with full intention of keeping the Festool and returning the Makita - but it worked out just the opposite.
Here are my findings after one month of using both.

Festool advantages:
*Longer cord. Festool 11.5 ft Makita 8 ft. Nice for moving around a large table top.
*Better hook-up to Festool vacs, but the Makita works great with the Fein adapter. (921072K13)
*A better and more robust paper hook-up for standard sandpaper, (non hookand loop) which was my favorite thing about the Festool. The Makita's works fine but the Festool's clamp seems stronger and will probably last longer too.
*Comes with a systanier.

Advantages for the Makita:
*MUCH smoother running -BIG surprise to me. I even called Festool and they told me to use the sander for 5-6 hours to break it in and it would smooth out. After 10 hours of use the Makita was still smoother and mush more comfortable to use.
*Flatter pad. The Makita came with a flatter sanding pad and that aided in keeping table tops flat. The Festool was not as flat and tended to jump around a lot when it encountered a non-flat surface.
*The Makita was much easier to control.
*The Makita was quieter when running at full speed.
*Better flatter finish when done sanding with the Makita.

For me the Makita did a better job of sanding with less vibration, was quieter and a pleasure to use. It also uses the same paper as the Festool, and was less than half the price. Just a great tool.