Great power, lightweight, exceptional balance makes this tool a complete pleasure to use. It is difficult to find anything to complain about. I spent a good month reading, testing and talking to others in my trade before I bought this machine. In my house-restoration endeavors I required a machine I could use in any position on a variety of materials and that had the ability to remove material quickly and accurately. Bosch must have spent a lot of time talking to users to come up with this one. I only have about 100 hours on this machine but it feels like it will last forever. If I had to say something negative it would be the position of the bag. It rides high and sometimes gets in the way. However in thinking about it -- it would be even more in the way anyplace else. I own a lot of machines. This is the overall best.

I bought my Bosch 4x24 about three years ago when they first introduced the magnesium frame and adjustable handle. I've used it to sand three rooms of old floors as I remodel an old house. I immediately noticed that it was very capable when putting on coarse belts without having the motor slow. It has been a great performer sanding table tops flat as I stray from my remodeling to have some woodworking fun. pIt has an adjustable gate at the back of the belt that helps to fine tune the dust collection, which is very impressive. I have had some problems when coarse sanding soft, gummy materials that have caused the dust port to clog, but it was very easy to clean. It is much quieter than my previous two belt sanders: a Craftsman and a Black Decker. This was my first Bosch tool, but since then I bought their detail sander, recipricating saw, and have the 6" Random Orbital on order. I am always recomending Bosch tools when some one wants to purchase a very powerful and high quality professional power tool.

I bought the 1276DVS a year ago after one reviewer said this was easily his favorite tool of all, more than his favorite saw or drill.pAfter a year of heavy use I definitely agree with him. The 1276 is so powerful I could drive it to work if it had a steering wheel.pThe most useful thing I can say about it is this: I build decks, usually out of recycled plastic/wood composites. A very tough material that is normally quite difficult to sand. With the 1276DVS I can put on a 36 or 40 grit belt and grind away almost as if I was using a planer. High speed and low maintenance. I actually find myself looking for excuses to use it more often. Bravo!

I've owned a Bosch 1276DVS 4" x 24" Dustless Variable Speed Belt Sander since 2001, and have used it countless times. It has never failed to perform as expected. It's well balanced (front to back and side-to-side), so the platen stays flat on the wood without tipping. With rough belts, you really have to hold on with both hands, or this powerful tool will pull away from you. The adjustable front handle is a nice feature.
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br /It couldn't be easier to change belts -- pull up the locking lever, slip the old belt off, put the new one on, push the locking lever down. When belts don't track properly, the tracking adjusting screw is easy to turn and effective. Once a belt is on-track, which is easy to do, it usually stays put. Although the dust-bag sometimes gets into your sight-line or hits something above the thing you're sanding, there is no perfect dust bag that I've seen. As with any belt sander (I have several), a tremendous amount of dust is produced, and the bag doesn't get it all. Wear a respirator when using any belt sander. I also wear ear-plugs, even though this unit isn't particularly loud for a belt sander, and use it outside if the job permits.
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br /The electronic speed control is easy to see and use, and it works flawlessly. The sander has a high-quality 10' flexible rubber electric cord, not one of those stiff plastic ones. Any 4" belt sander would be too heavy to use overhead, and difficult to control when using vertically. In other words, it's best (if possible) to use it facing down. This is a first rate tool, and I'd get the same one again.
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br /July 2007 update. The sander stopped working. Turns out it was a defective speed control. I bought a new control through toolpartsdirect dot com, and the sander works like new again.

I own four different beltsanders thats used in furniture building. Bosch 4 x 24 is by far the heaviest of them all,
br /but also the one thats remove the most material. It takes a
br /strong person to run and dont even think of using this machine
br /on overhead or on sidewall job. Machine also gets very hot after
br /an hours work and hot air outlet is on wrong side of machine if
br /you are right handed. The dust bag is a problem, always in the way. But I know no better sander for heavy work.

My sander arrived with the "o" ring broken. It seals the dust bag. I used masking tape and A rubber band on it as the dust came out the area rapidly. The "o" ring is so thin that I anticipate replacing this part A lot. Other than that the sander works fine. I also own A porter Cable 362 belt sander. I like the dust bag system on the PC better

After researching options to replace an old Craftsman 3"x21" belt sander which I never could get to work properly, I decided on the Bosch 4"x24" 1276DVS.
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br /My first experience with the new tool was flattening and removing the stain from an old walnut tabletop in preparation for refinishing.
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br /The balance, weight, variable speed and adjustable front control handle made this a very simple job. All I had to do was guide it back and forth across the tabletop (no downward pressure required by me) and in a few minutes the old finish was removed and the top was dead-flat. I never would have gotten those results with my old Craftsman.
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br /Since then I have used it for several glued-up panel flattening operations, and some face frame joint smoothing and the results have been the same.
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br /I must also note that I am usually skeptical about 'dustless' claims. I have several sanders which advertise that they are dustless, but my experience is that the dust collection capabilities on these tools are almost useless.
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br /This sander, however, blew me away with it's dust pickup capability. After sanding on the tabletop, even with all my dust collection devices in the shop, I expected the normal cloud of sawdust in the air. I was very pleased that there was virtually NO AIRBORNE SAWDUST visible after sanding, and not much fine stuff settled out over the next hour either. This unit litterally bagged all the sawdust it generated!
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br /I'm very pleased and would recommend this unit to anyone.
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My Bosch 4" DVS belt sander is smooth, powerful and has a low center of gravity for easy handling. It is adjustable for grip and speed and does a good job on anything I've used it for. It's a little heavy for overhead or in-place work but my 3x21 Bosch fills in that gap. This is THE belt sander for the professional woodworker.

If you are planning to own one, be sure to check your physical strength. You'll need strong arms and a good rest to handle this baby, in fact, it's a monster. It weighs a ton, and has power that can hurt your arms for the rest of the day. What I like about this machine is it's power with variable speeds, the ease of the belt change and adjusting. Also the adjustable left-front handle makes it more comfortable. The weight of the machine keeps stabilizing the operation, but the down side is you can't really use it for over your head job. If I need to do that, I would grab a lighter one. One real draw back of the design is the dust bag location. It is placed on the wrong side! and it might get in your way if you are doing a critical sanding. My conclusion, It'a a nice, powerful horse at a reasonable price. It would be even nicer if the carrying case is provided. Thank You Bosch.

This is my favorite tool! I have abused this sander for the past 3 years and it keeps on humm'in. It is so smooth, powerful, lightweight, and easy to handle. pIf your a professional woodworker like me or woodworking is your hobby this is the ONLY belt sander to have. It's the quietest belt sander I've ever used. pI always recomend Bosch tools when some one wants to purchase a very powerful and high quality professional power tool. Bosch tools have never let me down. Keep up the good work Bosch!!

This is the cadillac of belt sanders. It is the most versitle machine I have used. It's excellent for smoothing material that has been joined and lightweight enough for scribing base and cabinets. The adjustible front handle lets you use this sander in any comfortable position, and the dust bag gets almost every particle of dust.

I use this sander mostly to flatten panels and to
br /dress surfaced lumber, and it is *excellent*.
br /It removes material very quickly, and will
br /pull 50 grit on the fastest speed with no bogging down. I
br /use the optional sanding frame, and a vacuum hose, so the
br /bag placement is not an issue for me. Using the sanding frame,
br /you can get to 120 grit finish very quickly. Just a touch with
br /the finish sander using 180 or 220 and you're good to go.
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br /This beast is heavy. Unless you're Arnold Schwarzenegger
br /I wouldn't consider using this on vertical surfaces. On
br /horizontal surfaces, gravity is your friend, and the weight
br /of the machine does the work.
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br /I have a lot of tools. Most are good, a few are crappy,
br /a few are excellent. With this sander, every time I use it,
br /I congratulate myself again for coughing up the $$$ and buying it.
br /It has saved me enough time compared to my other belt
br /sander to have paid for itself.

I bought this sander about 5-6 years ago, and have used it several times a year without any problems. It's a pretty burly tool, and I don't have a bench with holddowns, and that limits its usefulness for me. Because of its power, this tool must be used two-handed to have any semblance of control over it, and that means the work must be clamped. The sander is aggressive enough that you must keep it in constant motion to keep from digging a rut in the wood. This, however, is as should be expected for such a big tool. I have used it to successfully flatten joined-up panels too wide for my planer, and have obtained a good result using a diagonal sanding technique and winding sticks.
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br /The tracking is generally very good unless you are applying a lot of uneven pressure or drag across the belt. The dust collection is pretty good compared to other "tools with a bag" that I own. If you buy it you might consider buying some very fine (220 grit, if possible) belts to increase its versatility.
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br /If you're into refinishing your deck, floor or other home remodeling projects, I think you will be pleased with this tool.

Nice and heavy - so it does the work for you. Works great on Corian and hardwoods. UGLY looking - but very powerful and easy to change/adjust belts.
br /When I opened the box I thought this thing look heinous - but it's a real swan as far as ergonomics and use.

Just an FYI - I just talked to a local tools supplier who told me the Bosch tool can also be used upside down like a bench model but the P.C. cannot. He tells me the Bosch is one the very few units you can do this with.

I use sanders in flooring to quick level subfloors. On average I use it about once every 3 weeks for 2-3 hours. For the first few months of owning this sander, it worked like a champ. However the forward balance handle kept coming off during the job and finally lost the hardware holding it together. If that wasn't enough then the wearplate burned off. I called the factory and they took care of this no charge. Within 3 months of use this one burned off again. I don't consider this abnormal use and called them again. They told me this is normal and I would need to replace the part myself at my cost. Not expensive but downtime on the tool if needed. Maybe design a heavier duty plate. It's the best belt sander so far but I'm still lookin.

The Bosch sander is a very effective wood removal tool. One must use extreme care to avoid removing too much wood. The dust bag is more effective than others that I have used. One drawback that I have found is that the switch is extremely tight and requires a concerted effort to hold it on. I prefer to hold it on instead of locking it on because of better control. All in all a good machine.

I've not had it very long, but it seems very well-made and does the job. I haven't yet used it, but the attachment to hold the sander upside down promises to greatly add to its versatility and will temporarily hold me over until I can afford a floor standing belt sander. The fence attachment has been back-ordered, but also seems to be a good option. The sander comes with one 80 grit belt. Some have complained about its weight, but I don't find it too much. One does need to be very careful not to take off too much material. This sander seems to be one very good addition to an arsenal of sanders of various types one needs for various projects and I surely recommend it. I seriously considered getting the 4" Porter Cable version, but the reviews tipped me towards this Bosch sander.

This one is for industrial use and big jobs. Definitely not for cabinetry or intricate work. It is just too heavy and clumsy for small work. For big jobs with alot of eating away to do, this is the most comfortable sander out there.pPROSp** Powerfulp** ComfortablepCONSp** Clumsy, dont use for small jobs.p** Expensivep** Heavy, so dont use for lateral and overhead work. (use a 3x21)

I've used belt sanders for several years to help with my home improvement tasks. My current project is refinishing all of the pine wood paneling boards in my den. Luckily, I can take each tongue groove board of the wall individually and bring a bunch at a time down to my basement workshop. Before I bought the Bosch 1276DVS (4x24) I was using the Bosch 1274DVS (3x21) belt sander to remove the old finish. With the 1276DVS, I can now strip 4 paneling boards in the time it took me to do 1 using the 3x21 sander. By the way, some of the boards are cupped a bit and the 1276DVS is very effective at flattening the boards too.
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br /The 1276DVS is a great sander and I'm amazed at the power that 12.5A can give you. It's awesome. Yes, it is heavy but that's exactly what you need when doing hosizontal sanding. Use the 3x21 if your sanding work entails overhead or vertical work. I did replace the cork/steel platen with a graphite one and the belt does run noticably cooler. Since I always connect my sanders to a shop vacuum, the bags are never used so I can't comment on whether they work or not.
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br /All in all I'm exceptionally pleased with the 1276DVS in every aspect. One thing I did notice is that the belt alignment mechanism is a bit sensitive in terms of positioning the belt exactly. It could just be that I need more experience with the sander. Would I buy the Bosch 1276DVS again - absolutely yes.

Great sander. A little heavy for non flat work. Belt is easy to replace.

Seems well build and performs well. If you want to use this sander to remove large amounts of material from wood projects that you can not take to a stationary sander (as opposed to sanding a deck/floor) you may want to consider an 5" orbital sander with 60 grit paper instead. This sander will do the job quicker, but if you get distracted it will gage the work. That is what it does, removes a lot of material quickly. But if you are careful it will do that job just fine as well... a circular motion helps. Dust collection with a hose is reasonable. Some dust will stay on the surface being sanded, but not in the air.
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br /One minor annoyance. I wish the speed control were on the trigger instead of on a separate dial.

Cant say enough good things about this sander--I LOVE it.pBosch tools have never let me down. Keep up the good work Bosch!!

Workhorse my foot. Nuts! Phooey! The front roller felt touchy from the get-go, and production was disappointing. It didn't take long to break down... maybe 8-10 hours. I went back to my smaller 1985 machine while the Bosch was at the authorized shop. Came back still touchy, unable to stay in adjustment --with even pressure, with any brand of belt at any stage of belt life. But not broken enough to send back again. Probably never will be, because this lemon is getting further and further back on the rack, and the warranty's worn to near nothing. They make a great sabre saw, but I sure wish I'd gone Porter Cable on this sander. Actually, I'll have to pretty soon. Better dig up that warranty info in the morning and try again. grrr.

What review? I never received the product! Seller's error in listing the item became my disappointment. Lots of apology but no satisfactory offer to remedy. Not happy with the whole process. Amazon's lack of awareness in this whole aborted transaction leads me to believe there is no one that actually reads the emails. Even after my initial complaint to Amazon at the time, I continue to receive offers of accessories for an item I never owned and now this, asking for my review of the product. How do I rate an item I never received?
br / It all amounts to a loss of confidence with the Amazon (lack of) service. Oh it's well enough when the retailer follows through but there is little to be done or take action for something like this when a customer contracts in good faith based upon Amazon's reputation and then finds out there is a lot of head-burying when things don't go right.
br /I'm fairly disgusted and will never forget your participation in what amounts to a colossal demonstration of negative customer advertising.

After reading all the reviews, and talking to fellow woodworkers, I thought the 1276 was the right tool to do the heavy duty panel leveling I needed. I got exactly one day of use out of it, when it quit dead! There I was in the middle of a job, on a weekend, had to go to home depot and buy the Porter Cable after all.
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br /Disappointed: Mike

Not a huge fan of the belt sander in general (prefer scrapers) I decided to buy one of these about two months ago. Most of the time I have had it, it just sat around the tool cabinet. Well after about one hour of use the machine just stopped working. Nothing, nada, zilch... not even funny sounds. I now have to take my very expensive paper weight and ship it to the serivce center capable of fixing it in the next state. I am NOT HAPPY.pI was a big fan of Bosch until now. I own two 1617 routers, a barrel grip jig saw, sliding compound mitre saw, random orbit sander and planer from them. This may be my last purchase.pFor guys like me that have little time to pursue their hobby, this is a big inconvience.