If you like raceing then the term eat my dust ought to ring a bell,However the dust I'm talking about has a tendency to leave a bad taste in your mouth.I consider myself someone who appreciates the feel of a well engineered powertool in my hand and at a first glance the Dewalt beltsander looks to be just that.It is a solid looking and feeling piece of garage furniture,however the dust was unbearable.The one I bought may have just unfortuanately been a defective unit as we all know this sometimes happens but if not then in my opinion the mechanism that switches the unit over to bagging dust is totally useless.A woodworker is aware of the inherit problems with dust while sanding but to be sprayed in the face by a dusty stream cannot be overlooked.The mechanism I mentioned allows the operator to shut off the dust collector If he wants to sand without the dust collector,my question is was this in the original design or was it later incorporated to keep dust out of your face.Defect or bad engineering I don't really know but just from my experience and from the looks of the overcomplicated dust collection system that does'nt work forces me to take a look at the bosch 1274 or porter cable 360.If anyone has success with this one please review as I must move on.

I bought this sander 5 months ago so I have put it through various sanding jobs from finish sanding to surfacing material off with 40 grit. First off, changing the belt is a snap. Pull up on a trigger and it releases nicely. The balance is great and allows a gouge free surface. (all belt sanders will go gouge crazy if you let them) The cord exits off the top of the machine and over your shoulder for a "snag free sanding experience". I allways had gouges from my last sander when the cord would pull back on the unit and cause a wheelie across the work! Only had dust blowing in my face once, and that was because the dust bag was full to the brim. Emptied the bag and problem was solved. Other than that the amount of dust depends on what you are sanding and the grit of the paper. Belt sanding is dusty work no matter what. Noise is not nearly as loud as most sanders I have heard either. The three wheel design really gets the center of gravity low so it handles great! I bought the kit version that comes with the blow moulded case that has plenty of room for extra belts and misc. hardware you want to store. Overall rating.......solid tool!!!!!!

The history: I have owned this belt sander for a little over a year. It was given to me as a birthday present, and I have used it maybe three times. The first use was in a fixer-upper house that I was painting and (obviously) fixing up. I used it in this house probably for about 3 hours total. The only other time I can remember using it clearly, was about a week ago on a small wooden bench that I am trying to build (new hobby). I may have used it here and there on other things, but this unit has probably less than 5 hours on it, and definately less than 10 hours on it.
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br /WORTH NOTING: I am a loyal DeWalt customer. I know many people will look at me cross eyed when they hear that- but I've had great luck with the tools that I've owned from them in the past 2-3 years, and I own MOSTLY yellow power tools. Their cordless drill and reciprocating saw are possibly my favorite, most used tools. I've tortured those two and they look and act brand new.
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br /The Good- This tool is AWESOME to use. I spoke to someone who loved the Porter Cable because it was easy to get into tight places if you removed the dust collection, was well balanced, etc. In my limited experience with the Porter Cable (you can see how often I've used belt sanders) I found the Dewalt design to be MUCH better. With its lower center of gravity and great balance, it is easy for me to maneuver- even going up vertical walls/doors, etc. It is heavy- but because of the balance it is heavy when it needs to be and easy to handle when it needs to be. If you are sanding something down on the floor, the weight pushes straight down and you just need to hold it steady to keep the sander from taking off like a race car. Very little if any downward force is required to use this tool in this fashion due to its being just heavy enough. And, as I mentioned, if you are going up a wall or door- the balance makes the tool seem not quite so heavy. I can pick it up and hold if flat to a wall for quite some time without any fatigue (maybe an hour before you start to notice). This machine is also PLENTY powerful enough, and can eat through wood like anything I've seen. 5 stars for usage characteristics in my book.
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br /The Bad- The dust collection port is not "great". I can see why people say it doesn't work, as it seems to work sometimes and not others. I have been thinking of buying the adapter (approx. $15) to hook this up to a shop vac for dust collection- but haven't gotten around to it. Again, I don't use this tool enough.
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br /A lot of reviews have stated that this machine eats belts. I haven't seen this to be the case at all- I've only bought 2 belts (different grits) for this machine, and after all the use (a WHOLE 5 hours or so) they are starting to frey a little on the sides. The freying is even though, and I would expect this from the heavy sanding that I've been doing. I think these belts could last 10-15 hours with cleaning. Maybe I'm lucky.
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br /Instructions- Maybe I'm not good at reading instructions, but I just find Dewalts instruction manuals to be lacking. In my experience with any of their tools, there is usually one or two key pieces of information that gets left out- or at least is hard to find. Once you figure out the missing piece, everything is great, but finding that piece can be frustrating, and sometimes you may not even realize that your problem is something due to a setting or feature of the tool. For instance, if you hadn't read the directions thoroughly, you may not have realized how the tracking works on this sander- and may not have even known that you needed to track it. Maybe a poor example....but I hope the point is there.
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br /The UGLY- My last project about a week ago was building a SMALL bench (small= almost doll sized). I had a small piece of wood that I needed to sand down. I was using this tool and everything was working fine. I put the piece down, went to do something else, came back, got setup to continue sanding again, pulled the trigger and....nothing. Yup, it was plugged in, yup the plug was working. I was shocked to be honest. No smell, no noises, nothing. Just a dead tool- that was running PERFECTLY when I stopped using it 5-10 minutes before.
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br /This was a friday night, so I had to wait until monday to call and get it fixed. I was actually shocked and miffed that I had killed a DeWalt tool under such little use (again- 5-10 hours!). I figured, no problem - It's still got the warranty.
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br /I called DeWalt and was advized of the nearest service center. I brought it in to the place and found out they no longer service DeWalt warranty items since about 3 months ago. They were nice enough to tell me the next closes place, who told me they couldn't repair it under warrant unless I had my purchase receipt. They were an "Authorized Repair Center" not a "Dewalt Repare Center". Who would keep their receipt for 3 years? They said it would probably be about $50 total to fix, and it is a $200 tool. I told them that I had read many reviews on here that showed this as being an ongoing problem, so I'd rather save the $50 if it's going to happen again- and put it towards another sander that won't break.
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br /I called Dewalt again and found that their closest Dewalt Service Center is about an hour and a half drive away. I can mail it in, and probably will- but the bottom line is that this is a no-warranty warranty. Sure, we'll replace it if it breaks- but it's going to be a lot of hassle for you!
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br /The Bottom Line- For use, this is a GREAT tool. However, it breaks down MUCH too fast. If you are going to spend $25-40/hr to sand something, just hire someone else to do it. I wish it had held up, since it did operate very well. It is, at least for me, a big hassle to go through the warranty. I like Dewalt tools a lot, but I would probably look elsewhere for a belt sander if I had to do it over again. I think this is a case, maybe, where the engineering of the tool was very good- but the manufacturing was lacking. Maybe it's a cheap switch they use? I don't know. Look at the Porter Cables, or the Bosch sanders.
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After reading all the ratings on this sander, I was skeptical as to whether I should buy it or not. Being an adventurous person, I bought it, used it, and I love it. Never had a bit of trouble with it, but would like to comment on some of the issues that were brought up by other users. I too, thought that there was a lot of dust when I first used it, but that's what sanders do. I was somewhat skeptic of the dust collection system until I opened it after a relatively short sanding session. WOW! It was almost full. The bag does fill up fast, and on larger jobs I will use the vacuum attachment. I was a little nervous about the belt tracking, because when I first started the sander, the belt looked like it was coming off. I followed the instructions, and never had any problems. Don't use cheap belts. I use 3M Purple belts and have never had any problems with it. Last of all, do not attempt to pick up the sander by its handle when it is plugged in. The unit is front heavy, and as you attempt to lift it, your finger will press the switch, and then @#!*%#. Either unplug it first, or lift it with both hands.

Update: February 3, 2007. This belt sander has finally failed after having for a couple of years. Sanding floors edges again and ran for about 2.5 hours non-stop. It got pretty hot and then a loud ratcheting sound came from the rear roller mechanism. I guess it finally let go.
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br /This is my second Dewalt tool. I've taken a liking to the yellow and black trademark. I was searching for a new belt sander and did some research and found this at the local home improvement chain. I needed a belt sander to take down some repaired hardwood flooring to the existing level and wanted something fairly compact with an equal amount of heft to aid with sanding. The Porter Cable units were too large and bulky for my preference. The dust collection unit is questionable in terms of how its secured. It seems to like to want to move off to the side almost causing it to pop off, but it hasn't happened yet. It does a decent job of collecting dust. I've also had no problems with belt tracking after using a variety of manufacturers' belts. The variable speed feature is a perk, but be warned that if you do not read the instructions carefully about the 10 percent decrease in applied voltage the motor will seem to want to die in the 1st speed setting. Its very sensitive to voltage requirements. I thought I had a defective unit until I switched to another outlet and it came back to life!
br /Dewalt has come out with an innovative design with the 3 rollers that actually seems to work well. I've gotten into some fairly tight spots with the front smaller diam. roller. The platten was pretty flat compared to some of the competitors products in the same class, which provided very satisfactory results when doing initial leveling of a repaired section on a hardwood floor. I'm usually a devoted customer of another power tool manufacturer (check my other reviews), but I'm very pleased with this purchase. A Very solid and capable piece of machinery.

I am a professional carpenter/cabinetmaker and I recently purchased the dewalt 433k for work. I used to favor porter cable sanders until I saw this sander at a home improvement store and compared it to other brands. I chose the dewalt for its 3 wheel system for getting into tight spaces, the cord being located on top, multi-position handle, variable speed and large kit box. When I used the sander it preformed beautifully.brOne note though, when I purchased new belts by porter cable, they didn't track well and would tear up on me. The dewalt belts I then purchased worked flawlessly ( later in comparing the belts the PC belts have a thinner backing then the dewalt which leaves me to believe the paper on the pc belts stretch easier and causes the tracking to go off and tear the belts.)

Well what can I say? I like most of the Dewalt line of tools, but if they made the rest of their tools like this one, they would go out of business quick! The tracking was eratic,vacuum dust control doesn't work at all-(unless you hook a shop vac).
br /And for the real clincher---the back drive wheel shaft started wobbling and vibrating after about three hours of total run time.
br /I checked for a loose bearing or bolt but the wheel wouldn't move by hand, no play at all, which shows that the run-out was caused by the axle shaft bending-most probably due to poor metal quality. Took it back and got a porter cable 352vs--which so far has performed great after many hours of use.

The sander performed well and met most of my expectations. However, the dust collection boot tended to slip off its mounting easily and required frequent reattachment. And the dust collection capability for coarse sanding is inadquate, leaving most of the sawdust on the floor beneath the sander. But, I didn't buy the sander for its dust collection capability. One trouble spot is the tracking adjustment. The mechanism seems to jam and once the tracking screw is tightened, it can't be released without forcing the roller back into position. Frequent applications of WD-40 seem to be helping. Otherwise, I am happy with the sander.

Bought one on Sunday. Within 15 minutes of use it had eaten 4 belts. One jammed, took 30 minutes to clear. I read and re-read the instructions on tracking adjustments. Pretty simple it seemed, but it didn't work. No matter what, the belts migrated into the housing and were damaged in short order. Took it back the next day.

this sander is the cloud on my sunny day. I've owned Three I know. cool look. will not last for more than a week of heavy use. buy a porter cable. the first one died in an hour. the second finished the job. Three days and then sat for a few months. first week it came out. dead. replace it. still under warranty. next one dies 2 days later. don't buy unless you will only sand with it maybe 30 hours of your life. or you like needless trips to the store.

I bought one of these. What a piece of junk. But it's the best looking piece of junk I've ever purchased. And it comes with a real nice case. Regular belts did not last more than 60 seconds. The expensive ones lasted a bit longer. I'm just a hobbyist, not using it for construction. I tried an expensive belt on a flat piece of plywood to see if it would tear those up too. It did. Adjusting the tracking knob just stretches the belt on one side. If you're rich, buy this thing and throw the sander away and keep the cool case. I returned it.

I would strongly recommend no one buy this tool! The first one I got wouldn't track at all so back it went. The second one tracked much better, but the rear berings started sounding like a washing machine with rocks in it...back it went. The third and final one tracked so so, but it ended up not spinning (belt would not move) when you pressed the trigger. Back it went and I will now try the Porter Cable 360 VS or 362 VS.brAfter this experience I doubt I will try any of their other tools.

This is one sander that can/do.If you want a hefty sander, one that sands flat, one that works as advertised, one that will give you results better than you wanted or expected then this is for you! It's hefty but it helps with control and staying flat. This sander has power to spare, I used 80grit on some oak and pine after using a router/surfacing jig to get out the rigids (my other cheapy sander burned out,got my money out of it tho')and it took no time compared to my other one. The weight helps to counter the power of the sander which will take off if you don't work with it. Let the sander do the sanding...that's what this baby does, no need to push down at all, if you do...OOPS now you'll know why. But the design, balance, weight and power all work with each other as long as you stay over it and let it do it's thing. The dust collection is something else, be prepared to get dusty. Read it's going to be fixed in later models, how much later? Fix the dust problem and it's an easy 5!:)

I was a bit skeptical after ordering one of these, as I'd read the reviews of people claiming that it eats belts.
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br /My personal expirence is that this sander is balanced beautifully. It's got power, it's got an excellent dust system, and it chews right through the wood exactly as I hoped it would.
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br /I went to the store and got two kinds of the same grit (80) belts. One was cheap, the other was much higher quality. Both were bidirectional belts. One was flush-joined, the others weren't.
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br /The flush-joined belts have lasted very well. They track beautifully. They're more expensive, but they work reliably.
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br /The other, cheaper belts have tracking nightmares. I believe it's due to the way the belt is made. The joint is not flush, and leave a raised diagonal line across the belt. This seems to be the reason the belt is mistracking. With _very_ careful manipulation of the tracking adjustment _while_ sanding, I was able to keep one of these cheap belts going for about fifteen minutes before it hit the housing and was chewed to pieces.
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br /The metal housing is wonderful. The weight is great. Using this sander on flush doors is a workout! I can't hardly wait until next spring when I use it on my deck before I stain it. (Just moved into a house last winter)
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br /This is a great tool, and an even better toy. It's a hefty piece of equipment. It did get pretty warm after an hour of solid use in 90 degree heat, but I didn't burn myself changing belts or anything.
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br /Highly recommended.

I purchased this as a recond. tool trying to save some money. I was surprised at the weight of the sander but that was not a problem. The first problem I had was that the belt got stuck. Upon further investigation I found that the rear roller had melted and stuck to the belt which the stuck on the flat part of the sander. I cleaned this up and purchased a new belt. A couple days later I was using the sander again. The motor was slowing down so I emptied the dust collector and continued using the sander. Then it started smoking and it caught on fire. I quickly threw it on the floor and the fire went out. I took it to the service center and told him that it caught on fire. I was then asked where was the fire. How should I know when I saw fire I got rid of it as soon as possible. I then asked if it would be repaired or replaced and I was told repaired. Now come on it was on fire it should be replaced. My old Makita which was stolen would run and run and never caught on fire. Not sure if this will be my last dewalt product but I will look at other options next time.

I give this sander a zero stars but the case 5 stars. The sanding belts don't track, be prepared to buy lots of belts, it eats them. The dust collection doesnt work at all. I bought this at a home center and actually returned the first one and exchanged it for another Dewalt, giving them the benefit of the doubt. Same results "JUNK". Save your money or buy a Porter Cable or Makita.

I picked one up at the local home center. After using it for a half hour of sanding it died. When I pulled the trigger it would start then come to a halt in a few seconds. Checked the belt to make sure it hadn't seized up. My only guess is that it was a switch problem.
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br /Back to the home center and exchanged it for a Porter-Cable.

I was so excited about this sander. Unfortunately after using it for less than one day it was eating belts, the tracking adjustment did not work. It spewed dust despite frequently emptying the bag and was a huge disappointment. When I called Dewalt they had me take it to the local Dewalt store for return and said a new sander would be shipped to me. The service person said they would only repair it, not return it. I called Dewalt customer service then the store manager who finally agreed to replace it with a new sander. It arrived and the preliminary test seems hopeful.

I bought this sander based on a Fine Woodworking review. Ususally they get it right, but not this time. I bought the sanding frame kit. The frame itself works well, but the stand can not be used with the dust collector and the frame doesn't fit in the stand well. The case that comes with the kit holds all of the pieces and is enormous and of little use to me because of its size.
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br /The sander is good ergonomically, I used it comfortably for about 6 hours straight while sanding a hardwood floor. However, the dust collection was poor to begin with and stopped working entirely after less than an hour. Apparently the plastic dust impeller broke, based on my visual inspection. I also knocked the dust bag off several times, as described by others. The design is just not up to snuff in my opinion.
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br /The other positive is that DeWalt will take it back for the first 90 days, so I'm sending mine back.
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When I received my sander, I tried using it right away. It immediately ate a belt. What I didn't know is that the belt adjustment screw was missing. After checking out the manual I realized what my problem was. I called DeWalt and they sent me an adjustment screw right away. I've now used it quite a bit and have had no further problem with it. I did buy the dust collector attachment and use is every time I use the sander. I recommend it highly.

The Dewalt DW433K 3"x21" belt sander has a design that sets it apart from typical belt sanders. The most significant feature is that it has 3 rollers. The single front roller of the typical belt sander has been replaced by a pair of smaller rollers. The top roller has raised flange on the side nearest the motor. This is to discourage the belt from wandering off the rollers and chewing up itself and the side of the belt sander. In my experience, this feature works well. The sander manual warns the user not to install the belt so it overlaps the flange. It takes a few moments to do this because it is hard to see that end of the top roller.
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br /The control that centers the belt on the rollers is still necessary and it is like that of typical belt sanders. It is a metal stem with a plastic knob that changes the orientation of the assembly that holds the front rollers as it is screwed in and out. The sander came with a belt on it. When I turned it on, the belt came off toward the side away from the motor, which did no permanent harm. However, when I turned the plastic knob to adjust it, the control did nothing. The stem felt as if there was no pressure on it and the roller assembly did not move. The belt still came off when the sander was turned on. As I fiddled with this for awhile, I heard a click as if something had come unstuck. Then the control began to operate and the belt stayed on. The control has worked ever since.
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br /The belt is not released by the usual stiff lever that most belt sanders have. There is a circular knob on the side of the planer with a raised handle. It applies and releases the belt tension. I find it easier to operate that the typical lever release.
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br /The belt speed is set by a dial built into the back of the handle. Since the sander must be moved around as it is running, I prefer this design to one that controls speed by how far the trigger is pressed. Gripping the handle with a "pistol grip" does not disturb the setting of this dial. This sander sands more rapidly than my old 4 inch Sears belt sanders. The lowest speed setting of "1" is fast enough for pine lumber. The dust ejection spout has an interesting warning on it: "Collected sanding dust from sanding surface coatings (polyurethane, linseed oil, etc.) can self-ignite in the sander dust bag or elsewhere and cause fire Reduce risk. Empty bag frequently and strictly follow sander manual and coating manufacturer's instructions."
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br /I (and my bathroom scale) estimate that the sander weights about 11 pounds. I find it not too bad to pick up off the floor with one hand and heavy enough so I don't have to press down on it when sanding. The sander has the feel of a well made piece of mechanical equipment. It reminds me of feel of the better types of stationary sanding stations. ( The DeWalt website advertises a "sanding frame" accessory to convert the sander to a stationary sanding station. I have not tried this accessory.)
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br /The cord on this tool exits from the top of the sander. I find this helpful since I am conscious of where the cord is going. Several times, in using sanders where the cord exits from the back of the sander, I've moved the sander backwards, caught the cord under the belt and snapped it off. The cord itself has a rubbery instead of stiff plastic feel and it remains flexible in cool temperatures. ( The low 40's is all I can vouch for, here in southern NM.)
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br /The sander has a dust collector that is a stiff enclosure rather than a flexible bag. (There are no disposable filters in this enclosure.) To use the sander without the dust collector, you can remove the collector and turn a lever on the planer body that shuts off the dust ejection spout to it. This is a nice feature, since the collector itself is nuisance, like the dust collectors on most sanders. The designers apparently tried to make it hard to accidentally knock the collector off. There is a sliding mechanism that attempts to lock the collector inlet into the body of the planer. The collector also clips to the body of the planer. The inlet of the collector is made of a durable hard rubber instead of plastic. This is good because the collector is easily knocked off. The design only makes it hard to put it back on. Typical advertising photos of this planer do not reveal that the bottom face of the dust collector almost touches the surface being sanded. This does not interfere with normal sanding, but when I set the sander down on a cluttered work table, the collector often lands on some object that knocks it loose.
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br /The dust collector spout on the sander's body is roughly rectangular. The DeWalt website advertises an adapter to connect the planer to a dust collection hose. This adapter is not included in the kit.
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br /Belt sanders are designed to sand surfaces that are already substantially flat and the pad of the sander does the sanding rather than the rollers. If you are a naughty woodworker who sands with the rollers, you should consider the fact that the design of this planer may not suit you. The lower front roller had a slightly raised central section about 2.25 inches wide that helps keep the belt centered. With the dust collector mounted, you would have a hard time using the rear roller. I, myself, don't try to use the rollers for sanding.
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br /I dislike tool cases that require the contents to be precisely positioned before the case will close. The case is of average difficulty to use (i.e. I have average dislike for it.) To put the sander in the case, the dust collector must be removed. You must learn exactly how the sander sits in the case. There is ample room for the tool's power cord.
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br /I rate this sander as four out of five stars to indicate that it is an above average belt sander.

Reading all the negative reviews and I originally decided purchasing the sander would be more trouble than it was worth. I looked at quite a few others but in the end, they each had something I couldn't live with. I decided to take the risk and hoped I wouldn't regret it.
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br /It was the right choice. This is an excellent piece of equipment. I've used it on concrete, hardwood and softwoods alike with out any problems. It churns through projects with out slowing down.
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br /I'll agree the dust collector isn't the best, but with the amount of material it's going through, only a vaccume dust collector could solve the problem. Besides, I've never seen a dust collector on any piece of equipment catch everything.
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br /I may have gotten lucky, but it's worth the money.

Even with 80 grit paper this machine takes wood down fast relatively effortlessly. It requires some strength to keep it wandering. My only real complaint is the bag is useless and the dust just goes everywhere other than the dust bag. Wear a mask!

This belt sander , with its vertiable speed is one of the best sanders I have ever used. And with its sanding frame it makes into stationary belt sander easily and quickly.