I am a contractor who recently started my own business and have been buying a lot of tools. I used the Porter Cable belt sander before and loved it but figured DeWalt was great brand so I bought this sander. In as few words as possible; I hate it! I mean I really do not like using it and here's why:
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br /Cons
br /-Belt tracking doesn't work and I am constantly watching it instead of my work to make sure the belt doesn't work its way to one side and shred itself. I have had many belts get shredded and as a result damaged the wood I was sanding.
br /-Dust collector is poorly attached; bag falls off too easily causing dust to blow everywhere in a matter of seconds.
br /-Dust collection system gets clogged and I find I have to constantly blow it clean with a compressor.
br /-Comes in a ridiculously HUGE case. It's great if you bought the stand with it (unlike me) since there's room for it. It's so big I also keep a palm sander, 2 8" quick clamps and a lot of extra belts (you'll need them).
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br /Pros
br /-The only pro I can think of is that it looks cool.
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br /Ben

I am a general contractor doing remodel/restoration work on old buildings. I also do cabinets and have dabbled in wooden boat restoration. I have been at it over 30 years and have had a lot of belt sanders.
br /I have enough ambivalence toward this chunky little sander that I felt the need to share my thoughts. I bought this machine when it first came out to replace my ancient Makita 3"x24" which I used for job site sanding, often vertical. It still works but the sleeve bearings howl for oil at inopportune times.
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br /The DeWalt DW433 design allows for nearly the same size platen with a smaller belt. However, although the DeWalt is physically smaller it is way heavier making it a chore to control in vertical position. The extra weight does make horizontal sanding easier but I generally use a 4" machine for flat work. I have a Makita 9403 4"x24" which I really like, I feel the wider belt is less likely to leave gouges; and it weighs about the same as the DeWalt.
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br /On the plus side the DeWalt is compact and powerful. It has many well thought out details. I have never had any problems with quality. If anything it is too powerful for 3"x21" belts. The machine is very sensitive to the type of belts used and it eats thru belts very quickly. Cheap belts will stretch and have you grinding through the chassis. Even good quality belts don't last long and I suspect the power, weight and the tight radius the belt travels over the front rollers shortens their life. Belt tracking is sensitive for the same reasons.
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br /Dust collection is problematic. I have found the canister to be nearly useless for the kind of heavy stock removal I usually do with a belt sander. In addition the "break away" design of the dust collector attachment, detaches itself with the slightest bump spraying dust in your face. A couple of nylon ties fixed that problem. I purchased the vacuum adaptor which works well when hooked up to a shopvac but if you are using a coarse belt for heavy stock removal or if you shred a belt (fairly common) you will need to have compressed air handy to clean out the clogs.
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br /This would be a great sander for flat work in the shop hooked to a vacuum. There is a stand which converts it to a vertical sander which would be handy. It would be good for metal work with fine belts and the variable speed; and it can be had at a deep discount. But out on my job sites where vertical work is usually part of the mix it is too heavy and too fussy with belts. Maybe I will try the Bosch 1274.
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This thing did so well that I am motivated to give a review.My plight: I made an end grain cutting board (chop block) 15x24 to be put in cabinets that i built. I used all scrap hardwood from a lumber yard for free, so that was nice. In anycase, I glued hundreds of pieces of wood i chopped into pieces into strips and glued those together. In anycase, the top and bottom were random terrain up to 1/4". I brought it to a lumber yard to see if they could plane it down--which they said 'no way'--not endgrain. They said they could send it through their sander, which would take hours and cost me well over 150$. Pfft.Enter the dewalt.angelic chorus After that I invested in this pig (i use pig endearingly) the walls came crumbling down. I got this with 12 belts thinking the hardwood would take its toll--but heck no. ONE 50 grit belt took care of the entire monster. I couldn't believe it. Its also a tank, and look at that back wheel! i'm thinking of putting on rims and maybe a sound system. awww yah!Anyway, as my first belt sander--it is extremely powerful, built like a tank, and eats through hardwood like I do this cheesecake.

After using DeWalt tools for years it was natural to prefer that brand when looking for a belt sander, but that was a mistake. While the look and features of this unit make it seem like a great choice, the build quality lacks and will disappoint any serious user. I purchased one and took it home, but the belt tracking adjustment was not assembled properly at the factory, so I took it back. The salesman and I checked 4 others before we found one that worked correctly. But the story didn't end there. I've only put about 3 hours on this tool and it has now melted a motor. Any more than about 15 minutes of use within an hour period, and it will overheat, loose RPM then fry. I tried letting it cool when I noticed it was getting warm (all you'll feel from the outside), but it still seized up and the story ended. I want my money back. This is a terrible tool for anyone needing more than an occassional use. A shame since it's as expensive as all the competition DeWalt is supposed to have top notch products.

Had 3 of these....they where all problems. The first one lasted 2 weeks when the maib drive wheel broke. the next two broke to many belts....I used 3m belts and it didnt matter after 5 min the belt would break. I couldn't afford to keep replacing belts so after the 3rd unit I bought the portercable 352vs. I still have the same belt on it. The Dewalt feels solid and weighs a ton but is the worst tool I have ever owned.
br /DW

I am a woodworker and took a chance on DeWalt instead of Porter Cable. Not again. I have used this for only a few times, mainly because it sat unused for two months waiting for internal plastic replacement parts which broke. Yesterday, after only 15 minutes of medium use, it literally caught on fire and the motor burnt up. I am off to purchase a PC.

I bought this model about two years ago. I should have sent it back. The dust collector doesn't work well and falls off. The most annoying thing is the belt tracking. It simply doesn't work. The belt keeps working off the sander, no matter which brand of belt I use. I just want to take it to a Dewalt store and throw it through the window. The reason I'm on today is that I'm throwing the Dewalt away and buying a Bosch or Porter Cable. I've been a DeWalt fan over 20 years and I'm not buying anything else with the Dewalt label. Don't waste your money

I purchased this sander afer reading several reviews, mostly negative reviews at that but had hoped they had made some changes, this is of course a Dewalt product.
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br /This sander was intended to sand all of the decking and framework of a 2,000 foot outside deck, this is a big job!
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br /Much to my dismay, I experienced the same as others, after 3-4 hors of work, I too experienced tracking problems, overheating and a couple of times I relly did think it was burnt up and had concerns of it catching fire. Too, the belt would get eaten up and removing traces of the belt was difficult at best to remove from within the body of the sander due to tight clearances. This ate belts so fast, it was unbelievable.
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br /I purchased this at lowes, the next best was a porter cable 3 x 21 at 250.00, so I went to home depot to see what they had, not much there either. I decided to stop at a local used tool store before returning this to Lowes for the PC, fortunatly, this used tool store had a PC 362 4 x 21 with a price tag of 129.00. I bartered the guy down to 100.00 and walked out with this monstrosity that was built like a tank that I didn't know that much about and returned the 200.00 Dewalt sander.
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br /I got to the project and put on some 40 grit paper and darn if I thought this was going to take me for a ride, it removed stock so faast and so smooth. Sometimes you don't know what you have until you have something else, this is no different. The difference between the two is like night and day and can't believe that Dewalt makes such a junk tool.
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br /The PC is built like a tank and highly recommend this. This is not a tool that I will use everyday, but this tool is so well built you can buy used and save yourself alot of money and know it will last you a lifetime even if you do use it everyday.
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br /Dewalt needs to take this sander out of their product line, as a Dewalt man, I am very, very dissapointed in this product of theirs and it gives a negative light on a rather good product line.
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I bought this sander at the local store and bought some porter cable sanding belts along with it. I got home and put one of the belts on, without looking at the direction. About 5 minutes later the belt started sreading apart. Not knowing what just happened, i threw another belt on there. This time, looking only at the installing a new belt part of the directions. Make a long story short, I went through about 4 belts doing this before my friend showed be that you had to track the belt. I tracked it with a new belt but the belt would not stay on the rollers. Extremely angered, I went to the store and bought some 3M belts, cost about as much as the porter cable ones, and brought them home to try out. I put the first belt on there, and tracked it. This time it stayed on. In fact, that same belt is still on my sander, but I need to replace it. I've used it so much that the paper is becoming smooth. pMoral of the story: Never give up, and never buy porter cable sand balts, they are pieces of ****.pThe dust collection works as well as they advertise and I have yet to have a problem with it since the new belts. I recommend this to anyone looking to buy a sander. I haven't tried any other sander, but from the experience I am getting from this one, I'd buy another dewalt if this one ever breaks.

But I am a serious homeowner (the kind of person who goes to real supply houses and talks to real tradespeople - rather than the guys at HomeDespot). If you're a contractor, trust what the contractors say. If you're a homeowner, read on...
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br /I look at a belt sander as a consumable purchase, so for me it was a function of doing the jobs I need done before it cooks. If you do enough heavy work with it, eventually you will kill it. With that disclaimer, here's my 2 bits on this. I bought one re-conditioned and without the case.
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br /I have had no problem with either dust collection or belt tracking and have probably run it for the equivalent of about 40 hours doing heavy (36 grit) stripping. The beast gets hot and eventually your arms get tired, but I have not hurt it yet. Was it worth the money vs. stripping by another means? Absolutely. If I needed to do it again, would I buy the same tool? Absolutely.
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br /I like the three wheel design and adjustable handle. And, as mentioned in another review - it does look cool.