RIKON Power Tools50-151 Belt with 5" Disc Sander, 1" x 30", Blue

There are few things that are very good about this tool.1. brush-less induction motor in metal case – means will last very long time.2. sealed ball bearings all over with carbon ABS wheels for belt suport3. every screw is machine threaded and in metal, not sheet metal in plastic like many4. solid alloy 95% of the tool with vibe protection caps for support5. separate dust ports for belt and disc that can be hooked up to vacuum cleaner6. heavy base with dust protected switch and vinyl cord based on braided wire7. extremely friendly to adjust support tables from aluminum alloy8. small footprint that can be stored anywhere9. fairly quiet – no need for hearing protection like most belt sandersI have many power tools; some older and some newer. This 1x30 is very much like Delta used to make them 30 years ago. RIKON does have some hit and some miss now and then, but this belt sander is just very cool and well designed machine. The safety is there – you can ask 90 year old to sharpen lawn mover blade or 9 year old to sharpen a pencil on this thing. You can get 1x30 belts and 5” replacement disc in many grades real cheap and good quality as well. I would most definitely recommend this sander to anybody that need to sharpen knives, work on home projects or do any crafts or hobbies involving removal of access material from things. Good value and quality here.update 11/23/2015sander working with no problems, tracking is very good, takes other manufacturer's belts perfectly, consistent and no vibrations, excellent tool

Although I gave this sander 5 stars, I really only wanted to give it 4 and 1/2. It was easy to assemble however the Platen on mine was not bent properly and was off (Vertically) by abut 1/8 inch so I had to take it apart and shim it. After set up and being concerned about it having enough power, I was pleasantly surprised that it has plenty. Pushed some hardwood into the belt with quite a bit of pressure and it did not bog down at all. I will let the abrasives do their job from here on in.Pros..Well made and solid.Plenty of power.Easy set up.Cons are...Bent PlatenTime consuming to change belts (2 knobs and 3 screws)All in all, I think it is worth the higher price over H.F. sanders and others which cost less and if I can find some finger screws it will make changing belts much easier. It's a keeper and will be fine for modifying and restoring knives and machetes especially when making handles.Edit 2/25/18 OK, I've been using this for awhile and on a couple projects that required me to change belts often as I reduced grit of the belts for finer sanding. I've found that it's easier to just remove the side cover and leave it off for faster belt changes. I am still very happy with this purchase and it's proven to be a real work horse.

I've had this for a few days and used it quite a bit since I got it. I have been largely grinding metal with it so far.Positives:- The overall quality is quite good.- It's quiet, no need for hearing protection. Doesn't wake up the family using it at night- Doesn't vibrate too much and the rubber feet keep it steady- Great size for an already crowded workbenchNegatives:- The dust cover holes were not tapped correctly for the included screws. Ended up having to go to a hardware store, grab a few machine screws and jam them in there to hold the dust cover.- Belt sander and grinder are controlled with one shared switch. If one is on, both are on. Slightly dangerous, but more just annoying to have the belt humming constantly when it's not being used- Adjustment of the belt sander table(left side of unit) is an inexact science. The disk grinder has degree measurements on the table(right side of unit), while the belt sander does not. I had to create a 135 degree block and wedge the table up against it to get it consistent with the grinder.- Switching belts requires you to loosen three screws and slide a plastic shield off. Not super difficult, but a bit time consuming.Would definitely buy it again. The only part that really annoyed me was the screws not fitting correctly.

The Rikon sander seems like a good compromise between function and cost. It arrived in a sturdy box with styrofoam packing and no damage. Some minor assembly was required, but the sanding belt and a sanding disc were already installed. The belt tracking was fine from the factory; no adjustment was needed.The included sandpaper is a bit course, probably 80 or 100 grit, so you might want to add a few higher grits to your order. I decided to remove the installed PSA sanding disc and add a Task Tools HLV2133 Peel and Stick To Hook and Loop Conversion Pad, which allows the disc to accept hook and loop sandpaper. I already have a 5 inch orbital sander, so the adapter lets me to use the same sandpaper and also makes it easy change grits. Peeling the PSA disc off the sander took a bit of effort and required some cleanup with mineral spirits. However, the Task Tools conversion pad went on easily and works fine with hook and loop paper that I already own.The dust collection system also works well for me. You need to switch your vacuum hose between the belt and disc collection ports. The sander comes with a small adapter that attaches to either port, so I just put the adapter on my vacuum hose and move it as needed.Overall, I’m very pleased with the purchase.