Accessories

Satisfied amatuer koa woodworker
I had an old Craftsman belt sander before and it didn't have a dust bag. It made a mess all over my workshop. I've read in several magazines about dust bags on belt sanders and many of them don't do what they are supposed to do. I read the 15 reviews on the Amazon site and they all claim this Makita was the best. I am totally satisfied. It surely does an exceptional job at keeping the saw dust in the bag.

Great belt Sander
After owning a Black and Decker sander, the MAKITA sander was a welcomed relief. It sands quickly and evenly throughout any project. I can also clamp it in a vise for stationary work and the extra long cord is handy for larger projects. The belt STAYS tracked once its set. This a a great sander!

A nice one
I gave up on belt sanders years ago after several cheap ones gave me trouble to the point of tossing them. I've been using a power planer since, until my wife suprised me with a new fridge that was 1/4" too tall. The planer has a hard time getting in tight. I got the 9903 and took it out to the shop to fine tune and learn it's personality. I didn't need to; plugged it in, hit the trigger and it just tracked straight with the belt that was on it. It's a little heavy, but not so bad that I can't use it overhead. I'm used to a lot of dust with these things, but very little isn't trapped by the bag. A good buy out of the box.

Great sander
I bought this sander about a month ago and am very pleased with it. I bought the Dewalt about three years ago and am throwing it away to use the Makita. Belt tracks smoothly, dust collection is best I've ever seen on a belt sander. It's well balanced, lighter than the DeWalt and a great value for the price. The DeWalt didn't pick up dust well, belt wouldn't track right and dust collection bag kept falling off. I'm staying with Makita from now on.

Power and reliable tracking
I bought the 21" Makita 9903 Belt Sander after my old Skil 18" sander's on/off switch stopped working for the umpteenth time, and my other el-cheapo 21" belt sander was stolen (thank goodness for small favors).

I've used the sander now for a month to sand down 2x6 and 4x4 rough sawn surfaces on redwood and doug fir I've used for finishing a deck (railings, fascia, stair trim). Absolutely perfect tracking all the time, no matter how hot the belt gets, no matter how much pressure I apply, no matter how long I've used the belt. I start with a 50 or 80 grit, then shift directly to a 120 grit belt for final finishing. I've sanded approx. 20 4x6 16 ft boards, both sides and edges, plus another 10 4x4 8ft posts... all 4 sides, among other things this far.

Power galore and perfect belt tracking, simple adjustment to bring belt to edge if needed (and it stays there)... what more could a belt sander need to do? Changing belts is just as simple as with any other belt sander I've used over the years --- pull back on the clamping lever (it says open), slip belt on, close clamping lever... and let 'er rip.

I also very much like the flat 'top' which allows you to turn the sander over and sit it on it's 'top' to use the belt surface as the stationary member while holding the work piece by hand to shape edges, corners, etc. with much greater precision of cut (hand held piece, as opposed to holding the sander).

I also own a Makita sawzall (or whatever they're called) and have owned and used it extensively for several years (purchased in 1992? or '95? or somewhere in that time-frame). It's been extremely reliable, never any problem in the most demanding work I have thrown at it... so I decided to buy the Makita belt sander as well for the hoped for reliability and trouble-free use. Normally I opt for Dewalt power tools... still own and use my Dewalt Professional Radial Arm Saw that I bought in '75... never had a problem with it and I have used it extensively and in heavy work-loads over the years.... it's still as stong, steady, & precise as it was in '75. But, in the belt sander catagory, I didn't like the Dewalt design as much as the Makita (turning the sander over and using it as a stationary sander while holding the work piece by hand is a great feature).

I've used other 21" sanders borrowed from contractors from time to time, and though power was alway's great, the tracking deteriorated greatly with with the belt's use or the temperature/pressure I applied.

I couldn't be more satisfied.