I received this sander as a free bonus for buying the new Hitachi router. Since I didn't really "need" it and it was basically free for me, I can't complain about the price I paid. However, if I were to pay the price listed here I would be pretty mad. Here's why:
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br /Though the sander comes out of the box looking and feeling like a quality machine, I quickly noticed that the one sheet of sandpaper included was of the peel and stick variety (and it already had the dust-collection holes punched in it). I thought this was odd since this sander has the standard paper clamps so you can cut your own 1/4 sheets and attach them without sticky backing. Then it hit me. Though this sander is rated as having one of the most efficient dust collection systems on the market, dust collection only works if the holes are punched through the sandpaper, and the only way to do that effectively is with a sandpaper punch plate made for that particular sander. The kicker is that no such punch plate is included...it is listed as an accessory in the owner's manual.
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br /So, armed with the part number I searched high and low on Amazon and everywhere else I could think of on the web and couldn't find the punch plate. I eventually called Hitachi who gave me an 800 number to call and order the plate. The price of the plate is over $11 and they want $8 more to ship it. For a flat piece of plastic with nibs on it!
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br /After using the sander with the one included sheet of pre-punched sandpaper I can say that this little machine is well built and fairly agressive for a finish sander. It is comfortable in the hand, and has a quality feel to it.
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br /In the end, I hate to bash this tool because of the punch plate issue, but how good is a sander with an excellent dust collection system that you cannot use unless you spend another $19 on a punchplate that should be included in the first place?

I purchased at $44 and soon found out the punch plate is not included. It's a rip, and Hitachi should be forced to suck the pipe for trying to bleed more money from their own consumers. It's not a good way to build brand loyalty. Nevertheless they'll not get a punch plate sale from me I simply punched out the holes in my sheet paper with a small piece of aluminum tubing. The sander itself is a pretty good quality unit. Slightly heavier than my Skil but a bit more aggressive. The grip takes a bit to get used to, but seems normal to me now. My advise, check similar priced sanders and purchase one with a punch plate included.

The sander looks like it is well built but the dust bag that is supplied with it is no good. The zipper will not stay ziped and I thought I could get it started the sew it at the start but it will open anywhere along the length of it after it is ziped. I agree with the previous review also that I should be able to punch the holes without spending $19 more.
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I recieved this sander with another order as a free gift. This is enough to generally give one pause. However I am pleasantly surprised. Sheet sanders I have used in the past and the old Makita that I have had for years are not the pinnacle of sander technology but this one is fairly smooth running and I found that the shoe plate supplied with my Makita fits this sander for punching holes in the paper. It has much less vibration than the old Makita and seems to work well. Time will tell. This is the first Hitachi product I have owned.

Hitachi states this sander "includes the most efficient dust collection system in its class." This may be true but not without the punch plate or a home built punch system. It isn't a system unless all the parts are there. Unlike another sander I have, the dust collection holes aren't cut to the outside for use with non-holed sandpaper.
br /I did use the sander for a project and it worked well but obviously the residual mess was an issue. The sander will now sit unused until I obtain or make a punch system.

Perhaps Hitachi listens to its customers, because the Sanding Sheet Punch plate was included with mine, purchased from Amazon in Feb '07.
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br /It is a nice random orbit sander and I like that it takes standard sanding sheets.

I bought the Hitachi SV12SG in March 2007. Contrary to the experience of several earlier reviewers, I received a sturdy metal punch plate. The good news: It sands. The bad news: 1/4 of a standard sheet of sandpaper will not quite reach the clamps. So, unless you plan to use adhesive-backed sandpaper, take a pass on this baby. Or, use my plan of using it in tandem with a Porter-Cable sander, which will handle the slightly undersized sheet that will be left after I cut an over-sized one for the Hitachi. Another fix might be to replace the pad with a thinner one, but that's a job for Hitachi, not the purchaser.
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br /Other observations: The dust collection system works well, although the bag is pretty chintzy. The On/Off slide switch is well-positioned--but it doesn't have much of a surface to push on and mine is so stiff that it's difficult to work with the intended finger-flick; I have had to turn the running sander around and push the switch with my free hand. Perhaps the switch will loosen up with more use.

I actually used this sander extensively last night to sand down some rough wall texture. I didn't have any problems at all with the sander, and am very happy with the purchase.
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br /My sander did come with the punch plate, which is needed to make holes in the sander so that the bag will catch the dust.
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br /I also found that it is the perfect size to get 4 separate pieces of sand paper for use with the sander out of a single large piece of sand paper.

This was a great tool and a good transaction overall. I used this while painting my bathroom and it worked great.

I really don't know how many stars to give this sander. I'm sure that it does work awesome. However, when I purchased this item, I was told that the punch plate was included- it wasn't. I have emailed amazon twice about this issue, and have received no reply. So as far as the tool, I don't know. As far as the customer service for Amazon, I give them 0-1 stars.