These Are the Best Orbital Power Sanders—Cordless and Corded—Tested and Approved (2024)

The ROS20VSC is comfortable, sands fast, and has the best dust collection of the corded sanders we tested. Because its dust control is so good (owing to a rubber O-ring seal on the dust port, good airflow, and an airtight dust canister), less dust stays on the surface to get ground into the abrasive pad. That means the pad stays cleaner and lasts longer. Its speed control dial is behind the handle; you can get at it easily, but it’s possible to accidentally bump it out of position. The sanded surface it left was very nice—a hair less smooth than the Milwaukee 6034-21’s below but still of exceptional quality.

This little sander hits the sweet spot. It’s not as aggressive as the others, but it does sand well and with a high degree of control. Its dust pickup was surprisingly good for such an inexpensive and simple power tool. And this is more of an observation, but the power button is somewhat stiff. In all, we rate the P411 as a good fit for the frugal power-tool shopper.

At full speed, DeWalt’s DCW210D1 was the fastest and most aggressive sander we tested. Yet it still sands with very little jarring vibration. It’s also important to note that it did better than many other sanders at lower speeds—some exhibit more vibration and loss of effectiveness as you dial back their speed, but not this one. If you’re already invested in the company’s cordless system, this tool is a sensible addition. Even if you haven’t, it’s a great place to start because you get the sander, a charger, a battery, and a bag. And the company makes a wide range of equipment from drill and impact drivers to saws that work with the same battery.

DeWalt’s DWE6421 is a journeyman power tool—a good, solid, smoothly operating machine essentially identical in feel and sanding performance to the Craftsman below. Having noticed the similarities, we did some superficial disassembly of them both, removing their bases and the top housing covers. There may be something tucked deep inside the DeWalt to give it an edge in terms of durability, but it wasn’t obvious from above or below. Putting aside cosmetics of color and slightly different rubberized surfaces, these appear to be identical in sanding performance, start and stop speed, weight, and configuration.

Like the DeWalt DWE6421, the CMEW231 operates smoothly, leaving a well-sanded surface. It also appears, even under superficial disassembly and analysis, to be nearly identical to that sander. We can’t say they’re exactly the same mechanically, but it’s possible that the DWE6421 possesses heavy-duty components that this sander does not. But if you’ve already bought into the Craftsman ecosystem, you might prefer this sander.

You don’t have to muscle this sander to keep it in place, and it feels as if it floats over the board’s surface. However, the design of the dust canister and the way it sticks out over the rear of the tool is a bit cumbersome. Considering that this is a cordless sander, we would have liked if it were a bit more nimble. So the ideal application is smoothing out a table top or dealing with a rough spot on wood siding. It’s better for those purposes than, let’s say, than working inside a drawer. To be fair, however, if you opt out of the canister, you can easily hook up a hose from a shop vacuum to its outlet port.

The RS290G is a simple and solid sander, but its dust-control bag is not nearly as efficient as the airtight canisters on the Bosch or the Milwaukee. This isn’t to say that it does a poor job picking up dust, considering its competitors do it nearly flawlessly. This Ryobi sands with good speed and power and completed sanding its test areas in about the same amount of time as those others. In terms of the quality of sanded surface it produces, we’d say that it’s surprisingly good for the price.

The 6034-21 was the smoothest-running corded sander of the bunch, with a distinct lack of gyroscopic wobble and a pleasant vibration-free motion. Its dust control was good, but removing the dust lid from the canister was ridiculously difficult. Furthermore, it’s possible that the lid feels like it’s snapped on when it isn’t. You sand for a few minutes and find that the sander is a dusty mess, as is whatever you’re working on. Just be sure you have that lid attached properly, and you’ll be rewarded with a pleasant power tool that works smoothly and quickly, leaving a flawless surface.

This Ridgid orbital sander has a soft-start feature that brings the machine up to speed with a gentle ramp-up. Our only complaint is a small one: A tight fit between the dust-bag collar and the battery makes removing the bag somewhat difficult.

Metabo’s SV12SG was the only quarter-sheet (non-oscillating) orbital sander in the test. It’s a good power tool that transmitted very little vibration to our hand as it went about its work, somewhat slowly producing a reliably smooth surface without swirl marks. Its dust collection is quite good (if not as good as other corded models), but its dust port isn’t easily adaptable to a vacuum. On the other hand, it does have a major advantage in that you’ve got multiple options for its abrasive sheets. You can use the peel-and-stick kind, buy the pre-cut 5.5 x 4.5-inch sheets designed for such machines, or buy a roll of 4.5-inch-wide abrasive paper from which you cut pieces to fit the sander.

Porter-Cable’s sander is lightweight and capable, making it a good choice for ladder-based work; you should have no problem holding it overhead as you smooth scraped paint. But before going up that ladder, beware. It’s easy to think that the little plastic finger that locks the dust canister in place is engaged when it’s not. If you’re not paying attention, that can result in a dust spill that will make a mess out of you and the work area.