I absolutely love woodworking, but I also absolutely hate sanding. Standing there what seems to be hours of tedious sanding through the various grits with a dusk mask on, a fan to blow away the dust particles or a dust collector octopus hose attachment can be annoying, especially if you have an uncomfortable sander in your hands.
I currently have a Porter Cable 6" sander. It is a beast to handle. The cylindrical main body grip is uncomfortable and the ninety degree side handle is an aid to sanding large surfaces, but at times you have you have to take off the side handle to sand in tight spots, it simply gets in the way. The dust collector hood is inefficient and again you have an hose attachment hooked up to a dust collector that you have to drag around the shop. If you don't have the dust collector hooked up, be prepared to sand in dust cloud and get covered with fine dust particles. To make matters worst, this sander is heavy, sanding for long periods of time can be tedious.
I was looking at something that was compact, had a good center of gravity (unlike the 6" Porter Cable where the center of gravity is off set to the side along the main body), is powerful, and provide a good dust collection bag that actually works (and we all know that some sanders come with dust collection bags but are an after thought and really collect nothing but air). Most of my power tools are Dewalt (love the 20V hammer drill and driver set) so the credible factor goes way up with me looking at Dewalt tools to use. They are affordable, are good quality, and last a long time.
After reading through the Amazon reviews of the DWE6421K I decided to order one. When the sander arrived, I plugged it in and turned it on and the first thing I noticed was that there a lot of air coming out of the dust port. I own a Dewalt DW735 planer (love this tool also) and the dust port on the DW735 is so strong that all you have to do is hook it up to a dust collector and turn on the planer, there is no need to turn on the dust collector because of the force of the planer blows dust and chip particles right into the dust collector bag. The DWE6421K sander on the start up reminded me of the DW735 planer, there was a lot of air coming out of the dust port.
I hooked up a dust bag and went to sand down an old furniture piece with a old varnish on it, I thought for sure this would plug up and bog down the sander, I was pleasantly wrong. The sander did not slow down, I didn't have to push down so hard because the center of gravity was right over the main body. Even when I pushed down on the sander it hardly bogged down. With an 80 grit it took of the varnish with no problem. The thing that I noticed that there was very little or no dust coming out from under or the sides of the sander. I opened up the dust bag and noticed that the dust had been efficiently placed in the dust bag. I continued to sand my project from 80, 120, 150, and 220 grits and I noticed that the pig tail swirl marks were barely noticeable. I hand finished with 220 and 400 grit. When I sprayed the finish on, the project came out beautiful, and the Dewalt sander was a significant contributing factor to the great finish.
All I can say is Wow! what a great feeling, a powerful sander, that has a dust collection bag that actually works, is light, maneuverable, and is not fighting me along the way to sanding down a project. Throw in the fact that the sander is only $59.00 what a great deal. Take my word for it, I have been building fine furniture for thirty years (any Sam Maloof fans out there!) and any time I can find a tool that is efficient, affordable, easy on the body, and be subjected to the rigors of daily use, would be in my arsenal of tools on tackling those woodworking projects.
I give this sander my highest recommendation! I might actually enjoy sanding.....well, not really lol!
| Brand | DEWALT |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 10.38"L x 7.25"W x 6.18"H |
| Grit Type | Medium |
| Power Source | Corded |
| AC Adapter Current | 3 Amps |
| Grit Number | 1 |
| Manufacturer | DEWALT |
| Part Number | DWE6421K |
| Item Weight | 3.89 pounds |
| Item model number | DWE6421K |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Size | 5" |
| Color | Yellow |
| Style | Sander |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Measurement System | Metric |
| Included Components | Sander, Owners Manual, Dust Bag, Carrying Case (bag) |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 3 year limited warranty |
