Makita | Orbital Sander BO6050J

Brilliant sander. Best I’ve used.

Certainly has the power and great control. Take note of the power though, this machine is not for small items but rather broader surfaces

Velcro pad disintegrated on day one after about45 mins sanding

For a long time, I was fascinated with Festool’s innovative Rotex sander. The catch is, not many of us have over R10k to drop for even their smallest machine. Whilst down the line it may prove to be a more than worthwhile investment, the initial pinch to the pocket is more like a strike on the thumb when missing the nail, twice… With a 4 pound.
From the get go I must stress that this machine (and those similar) are not toys. With your average random orbit sander drawing a mere 250W, this monster is pulling 750W, that’s one whole horse, just for sanding. Combined with the gearbox mechanism its feels like you are sitting behind the wheel of a 3 speed 5.0L V8 after driving a Prius.
Despite this host of power at the machines disposal it remains easy to control and manoeuvre, when used correctly. It’s not design for those small project where you are trying to hold the undersized work piece with one hand and sander in the other trying to get a nice smooth finish. One of two things will happen; either you’ll be fetching your delicate construction from the other side of the workshop, or you will receive a free power file on all fingernails and spend the weeks ahead regretting your decision.
Having read numerous reviews, watched numerous reviews and used the RO150 the general consensus is that the Makita is just as good as his green competitor and not as fussy.