Bosch Random Orbit Sander PEX 300 AE (270 W, in case)

A very good product in my opinion. Has a fair amount of power, enough for most jobs in the home, is comfortable on the hands (vibration wise, in fact quite 'smooth'. I use industrial air driven sanders at work and the vibration can be awful, not the case with this sander), and the variable speed is very useful. I can't comment on the life of the Velcro pad as I have bought an intermediate pad which you put on and leave on the sander, and then the sanding discs attach to that, therefore extending the life of the pad on the machine (in fact it'll last almost forever). I suggest you do the same. The storage box is fine in my opinion, might not live up to life in a van, but is more than adequate for life in the shed. The dust collection box works well, but yes, it does fill up quite quickly- but its supposed to isn't it?! it is quite stiff to open, but again I would rather that than a sloppy fit, and I'm sure over a long life it'll ease somewhat so best to start off tight. Having said that when I use it in the house I'll connect the hoover and not use the box. All in all I think this is a great buy, and I am very happy with it.

Reliable, easy to use, and gives a clean finish I picked this up for general DIY jobs around the house, mainly sanding wood and painted surfaces, and it’s been a really solid bit of kit so far. Straight out of the box it feels well built without being too heavy, which makes it comfortable to use for longer sessions. The grip is good and the vibration is surprisingly low, so you don’t end up with numb hands after using it for a while. It’s got plenty of power for most jobs, and the variable speed control is useful when switching between rough sanding and finishing work. The finish it leaves is nice and even, especially on wood — it makes light work of things like doors, furniture, and general prep work before painting. The 125mm discs are easy to swap thanks to the hook-and-loop system, which saves a lot of messing about. Dust collection is decent but not perfect. It definitely reduces the mess, but I’d still recommend using it with a mask or extractor if you’re doing a bigger job. Its more suited to medium-sized tasks rather than heavy-duty work, but that’s exactly what it’s designed for anyway. Overall, a really good, no-fuss sander that does exactly what you need it to. Perfect for DIY use and occasional projects.

I had one of these vibrating sanders which never seemed to do the job efficiently so I decided to try an orbital one. This one was a reasonable price and it does a great job. It’s not as loud as my other one and takes paint and varnish off no problem. Comfortable to hold and easy to use. Only drawback is that the dust collector is very difficult to remove - I always have to get my husband to do it for me which is a pain. Otherwise I love it.

We’ve been using this sander while we’re renovating our Victorian house, and it has worked very well so far. On the walls it leaves a smooth, even finish, and on the wood of the doors it has been quick and consistent. It feels steady in the hand and the vibration is controlled enough to make longer sessions manageable. The dust collection isn’t perfect, but it does reduce the mess, which already helps when working indoors. The machine feels solid and the movement stays stable even when we need a bit more pressure. Overall, a reliable and easy-to-use sander that gives clean results on both walls and wood. A good choice if you want something straightforward that still delivers a neat, consistent finish.

This sander works really well when first used, it's easy to control and pretty powerful. Unfortunately, the sanding plate (bit that holds the discs of sandpaper in place) wears out ridiculously fast and needs replacing so that the discs don't just fly off. The filter box is also useless, it'll catch some dust but leaks like a sieve. So all in all, a good sander for the price but don't expect it to last

Great orbital sander. Using it to refurbush our 1930s house. The dust extraction filter system is less than useless and I predict was only designed as a baffler/muffler to get inside some noise restriction limit for domestic use. Because when hooked up to a vacumm extractor the noise increases lots! I did lots of research first into hooking it up a Henry vacuum cleaner. The dust outlet/exhast port has a 31mm diameter O-ring and measures 29mm in diameter. The port is round unlike the recommended Bosch adapter for other models of sander. Any universal stepped adapter or 3D printed adapter allows connection to the 36.5mm outer and 31.5mm inner diameter Henry tube. However I found even just holding the Henry hose in place, significantly reduced the expeled dust and was way better than with the standard filter system attached. But I recommend getting any universal stepped adapter and cutting to size.

Lots of people on here complaining about the disk coming off after 5 or 10 minutes which is true but in my experience the same goes for any random orbit sander. Best advice is to not remove the paper until you have done all your sanding with that particular grit because once you peel it off then that disk is never going back on. Also using a slightly lower speed can help and the tool remains effective. Don't lean too hard either or you will burn out the hoop and loop pad from the friction. Basically let the tool do the job. Luckily these disks are cheap and cheerful from Tool Station - around £1.30 for 10 - do NOT pay B&Q prices for sand paper. The pads can be kept for hand sanding as the paper always greatly outlasts the hook and loop. Some dust does go in the air as expected but I was really impressed with how much this collected! Build quality feels great, nice bit of weight to it, should last a good few years. This model also comes with a hard case which is handy.

Used this when making a garden bench, was very useful and far better than sanding by hand. Worked on the bench over several days, I am not one of these people who have table saws and numerous other bits of equipment. After I stopped for the day and put the tools away, I would notice my throat was a bit out of sorts. So I have put a face mask in a food bag and placed it inside the sander case. I would advise anyone buying a sander to wear a face mask to avoid inhaling the dust. I am afraid I never thought of this before but I don't intend to forget again. The sander did not obviously throw up a cloud of dust but my throat tells me to be more careful in future. SO WEAR A FACE MASK. KEEP A MASK IN THE SANDER CASE.