I bought one of these Makita sanders some years ago. I use it for finish work on the boat, and or various house projects, like the outdoor furniture. It does a wonderful job, is light weight, and easy to control. I have used it with paper from 80 grit (not often), 100, 180, and up. I blow it out once or twice a year, with the air gun, and have never had a problem with it. Using decent grades of paper, it leaves no swirl marks, and is always ready to go. If you need an easy to control, low cost and reliable palm sander I would suggest that you take a good look at this one. I have several other Makita tools, and have found them well worth the investment.

I was trying to decide between this and the Dewalt equivilent. In the end I went with this based on the Makita reputation and it was the only choice available at the time.The paint stripper I was using wasn't doing a good enough job so I bought this to help strip paint from a dresser and it's doing a great job. The dust bag collects quite a bit of dust but my apartment is still covered in the dust. I've had no problems with the dust bag falling off like the Dewalt reviews mention.My only complaint is that it can be a little tough to get sandpaper in. It could be because I've been using 40 and 50 grit sandpaper so far. This project is much easier than it would have been otherwise.

This finishing sander is a pleasure to use. I usually use a Dewalt 5" random orbit sander for finishing the face of my work pieces as it is very "error proof". However, I find a random orbit sander difficult to use on the edge of boards and in corners.pThe Makita sander fills in where my Dewalt is lacking. Don't get me wrong the Makita is a wonderful finishing sander for the face of boards too but I am not a gifted woodworker and enjoy the forgiveness of the random orbit sander.pThe only problem I have had is the plastic frame for the dust bag. The frame broke as I was replacing the dust bag. I don't know if it was cracked from the manufacturer or if I broke it. I am going to contact Makita and will let you know if their customer service is good or lacking.

I own six sanders of various types, mainly Bosch and Makita. But if I had to buy only one for general purpose use, this is the one I would choose. It has amazing power and can really remove wood when you want to, it is very light which makes it versatile and the price is super for what you get.
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br /Loading new paper is a little tricky at first and the design could be improved, but once you get the knack of it there is no problem. Also, the dust bag must be Makita's little joke since nobody would take the time to make it work. But, it looks pretty and keeps the air from blowing in your face.
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br /All in all, if you need a palm sander of this type, this one comes highly recommended.

This is the second Makita finishing sander I have owned. Wore the first one out after many hours of use. It is not for heavy duty sanding. Light weight and easy to handle, the square pad reaches into corners and places where orbital or belt sanders can't
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I have only a few Makita tools but have used these sanders for over 20 years, for long projects with very fine work like wooden boat repair. They keep running as long as they are cleaned with air. They are easy to use and leave few marks. I can't imagine a better quality power tool of any kind for the money. (The older models without dust bag do throw dust vigorously all over the place, but then there is no other place for it to go.)

I've owned one of these versatile palm sanders for several years and it tackles everything I ask of it. Despite its small size, it's good at both rough and finish sanding on open surfaces, but is light and maneuverable enough to get into tight spots for detailing. In fact, you can go right to hand-sanding after using this tool, as I've done on many occasions. Dust collection is pretty good, which is somewhat surprising because it takes quite awhile to get the bag even partly full. The only drawback is that this sander makes a lot of noise, emitting a high-pitched whine that can't be good for your hearing, but on every other point, it is well worth the relatively low price. I now have several power tools made by Makita and have been satisfied with them all.

I've just finished sanding an old oak door with my new little makita sander and I am impressed. I believe the material removal is about average, the unit has a very good 'quality' feel to it, and the dust collector seems to collect almost all of the dust created (I am sanding horizontally, don't know if that makes a difference or not right now.)

Picked one of these up at an estate auction and it is a fine tool to work with! Dust Collection isn't bad, never seen one that's 100% yet! Works fast and has not left any swirl marks on any of my projects! Its easy on the hand and does not vibrate like the BD I also own, which is a hand killer! The clamping mechanisim for the sand paper works fine, I've had no problems with slippage! All in all an excellent finish sander!

Works fine but not for those with carpel tunnel. Dust collection is near nill.

THE SPECS THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SANDER CALLED OUT A HOOK AND LOOP PAD. WHAT WE RECEIVED WAS A CLAMP ON PAD. WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE THE PAD THROUGH A LOCAL VENDOR AT AN ADDITIONAL EXPENSE. THIS IS A VERY GOOD SANDER DISPITE THE ERROR.