Best Belt Sander 2021: Reviews + Buying Guide

Those of you who are planning to do any sort of serious construction project (working on a house, making furniture, etc.) will want to seriously consider investing in the best belt sander.

These helpful tools are the absolute most important thing for ensuring that the wood that you are working with not only looks really good but that it is also perfectly smooth to the touch.

Of course, buying a good sander that meets your needs is easier said than done, which is why we are here to help you out. In this article, we will be taking a look at some really high-end sanders, which the ultimate view of finding the absolute best one.

If you don’t feel like reading all of our tool reviews, we will go ahead and say that the best belt sander is the Makita 9403 Belt Sander.

A Spotlight On Some of The Best Belt Sander 2021:

 

Makita 9403 Belt Sander

To start off our review list, we wanted to take a look at  Makita 9403 belt sander. Many of you who are reading this article will no doubt be familiar with Makita as they are a well-known tool company.

They are known for making high-quality, reliable tools, including the one that we are reviewing right now, which is the Makita 9403.  Like all Makita tools, this is a powerful, high-performance tool that also places a large emphasis on reliability.

This is a sander that you can use to get jobs done quickly for two reasons. Firstly, it has a very powerful motor that is able to output around 1,640 feet per minute. Secondly, it has a fairly wide 4-inch belt. When both of these features are combined, it makes for a very powerful sander.

A surprisingly good feature, but one that you wouldn’t necessarily put a huge emphasis on is the amount of noise (or lack thereof) that the Makita makes This is an extremely quiet belt sander, with a sound output of well under 100 decibels.

Since this is the first review on our list, we know that most of you don’t have a frame of reference for noise, but believe us when we tell you that this is an extremely quiet belt sander by any standard.

One thing that we will warn you about when it comes to this belt sander is that it is a fairly pricey tool, especially when compared to a lot of the other belt sanders that you will see pop up on this review list.

Is the price extremely unreasonable? Not at all; in fact, we would say that the Makita is actually reasonably priced when you consider just how well-made this tool is. Still, we did feel like it was worth it to mention the price since we know that not everyone is operating on the same budget.

Black & Decker 720W Belt Sander

Given what you have seen so far on our best belt sander review list, you might get the impression that all the belt sanders that are currently available are extremely expensive. However, that isn’t the case, and we aim to show you this with our next review on this list.

Anyone who has looked at the many different types of power tools on the market can tell you that a brand that is always good for budget purchases is Black+Decker. They always product extremely cost-effective tools and the Black+Decker Belt Sander is no exception to that trend. This is easily the most inexpensive belt sander that we will be reviewing as part of this list.

First off, we want to talk about exactly what sort of price you can expect to pay for this sander. At about $60, this is definitely not a belt sander that is going to be hurting your wallet.

Despite being inexpensive, it isn’t a bad belt sander in the slightest. It has a decent RPM output and it has some other very helpful features that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find on a cheaper belt sander, such as a dust blower that is built into the sander.

There are two issues with the Black+Decker belt sander that we need to talk about before we move onto the next review. Both have to do with the fact that this is an extremely cheap belt sander. The first issue is that much like most other tools from this brand, aren’t all that durable.

While they won’t break instantly when used or anything like that, it is worth noting that you aren’t likely to get anywhere near as much use out of this belt sander as you would out of a more expensive option.

Secondly, because the frame isn’t quite as solid as on some of the other options that we have reviewed, the sander does end up being a bit less stable than we would like. Despite these seeming like big issues, they really don’t do a ton to overshadow the reality that this is a decently made belt sander that is available at a good price.

Sealey SM750 Belt/Disc Sander

The next tool that we want to review on our best belt sander review list is quite special for the simple reason that it is the first entry on our list that combines two tools into one package.

While you may not know this, sanders actually come in two main types, orbital and belt sanders; the Sealey SM750 Belt/Disc Sander combines them both into one package, which makes it a must-review. What’s even more impressive is that even though this combines two different power tools into a single package, it is still remarkably affordable (it only costs around $120, which is about middle of the road as far as belt sanders go).

While it may be tempting to dismiss the Sealey as a gimmick belt sander, the reality is that this has more to offer than just its unique design. This is just a well-made power tool overall. For example, it has a very powerful motor that is rated at an impressive 250 watts.

This results in a total RPM output of around 3600, which is incredibly good for any power tool, let alone one that isn’t all that pricey like the Sealey. This is also an incredibly sturdy tool as well, so you can be precise when working.

Of course, given that we have not named this the overall best belt sander, you can probably guess that there are some issues with it that need to be mentioned. The most prominent issue, and the one that we think will most impact you out there, is the size the of the tool.

As the Sealey tries to essentially combine two different types of sanders into one package, it ends up being an extremely bulky tool. You better make sure that you have a lot of space in your work area for this particular tool before you buy.

Silverline 631320 Belt Sander

For the final review on our best belt sander article, we are going to be taking a look at the Silverline 631320 Belt Sander. For those of you who have been following along with our review list, you will note that we already reviewed one budget friendly option earlier, but we wanted to do one more.

The Silverline is another good option that manages to combine affordability with decent quality. While it has issues (one of which we will mention shortly), the reality is that this a good tool at a good price; it happens to be perfect for casual sanding needs.

One issue that we will mention regarding the Silverline belt sander is that, much like the other affordable sander that we reviewed, this one probably isn’t going to last you for as long as one of those $100-$200 options.

Belt Sander Buying Guide

In the second part of our article, we are going to be going over something that we think is very important, which is exploring exactly how and what you should be thinking about when it comes to buying belt sanders.

As you can probably tell from the existence of this review list at all, not all belt sanders alike; some are just much better options than others. The purpose of this article is to explore and figure out exactly what sets one belt sander apart from another. The idea is to help prospective buyers, such as yourself, to know what separates a good belt sander from a great one.

Durability and Stability

 

Even if you aren’t the most experienced sander out there, you probably don’t need to be told that sanding things down is a fairly heavy-duty job. It can be very rough, and it puts a ton of west and tear on both the tool itself and potentially the person using it.

It can quickly become an issue that results in sore muscles and a broken tool. Thankfully, this can be avoided with one simple trick. All you have to do is invest in a strong belt sander with a solid frame that is made out of a solid material like aluminum.

What does this do exactly? Well, it does two very important things. Firstly, a stronger frame means a more durable tool that you can get more use out of. For a true tool expert, nothing is quite as annoying as getting used to a tool, only to have it break on you when you need it the most. Secondly, the sturdier frame will allow you to better absorb the shock created by using the tool, which leads to it being a lot easier to control overall.

High Power Output

 

As you might expect, when you are looking for a belt sander, you want one that has a really high power output. The reason for this is simple, we all want to save time when doing big construction projects and there is no simpler way to save time then by investing in a belt sander that is quickly able to sand through whatever you put in front of it.

There are two factors that one needs to consider when it comes to buying a powerful belt sander. First off, you want to look at the overall power of the motor. Usually, this will be measured in amps, but you may sometimes see other numbers used depending on the type of belt sander. As you might guess, the higher the amps, the more power that you can expect.

The second thing to look for is the size (the width to be more specific) of the belt. As you might expect, a wider belt is able to sand down more material at once. While this isn’t always what you want (sometimes a smaller, more precise belt is preferred), it is undeniable that those of you wanting to get things done quickly will want a really wide belt on their sander.

Conclusion

 

If you still need to have some questions answered regarding what goes into finding the best belt sander that meets your needs, then you should go ahead and leave us a comment down below. We are sure that other reads will also love to see your question, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Like this guide? Then you’d definitely love our other guides on the best saw horses.