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Why they quit making this sander is beyond me. I make Diamond Willow walking sticks and it does a great job in sanding the Diamonds smooth, making for a great looking stick. After 3 months of trying to find this,finaly got one. It does so many things in hard to reach places.
This tool also viberates back and forth, so you need to observe the grain of the wood, I expected it to be an orbital in movement. I found using them by hand was easier, because the disign of the tool positions the sanding attachment in a way of uncomfortable hand position on the tool. This product gets a D+. This product is ackward to use in tight areas. I do like the different attachment you can use. I need something comfortable for hours of sanding.
I am sanding a bannister. I had to reglue the velcro to the base because it came off within a few days of using the sander but other then that, It's worth the money. This tool is pretty good for what I used it for. The small attachments didn't work for me, but the larger base did and for such a small tool, it is pretty powerful.
With the amount of refurbishing and refinishing that I do, if the Dremel only lasts a year - I'll buy another - that's how impressed I am with it. I especially like the variable speed and the separate on/off switch. The Dremel is much quieter and doesn't have near the vibration. The contoured heads have been a blessing when repairing windows and the ornate trim around my doors - no more carving then sanding by hand. I bought the Dremel 6000-01 Contour Sanding Kit to replace a Sears Craftsman detail sander.
The included bag is great - it's nice to have everything in in one place. The hook and loop pads are a little pricey but are available every where and can be removed and replaced and they last longer. After a couple of years using the Sears, my hands just couldn't take the vibration any more - my hands would tingle for several minutes after shutting it off and it was loud. I have only used this sander for a month and am very impressed with it's performance. I was also having difficulty finding pads any where other than Sears ( adhesive type which had a tendency to fall off and once taken off could not be put back on).
I use WoodEpox ( epoxy wood replacement) a lot when repairing trim and missing wood in my early 1800's home and find that the Dremel does a fabulous job of removing excess and smoothing - I use the appropriate grit for the application.
I'd definitely recommend it until an alternative product becomes available. Nothing a bit of super glue couldn't fix, but it was a bit of hassle while sanding. The variable speed is a very nice feature that sets it apart from other detail sanders in its price range. The Dremel Countour Sander certainly isn't a professional grade tool, but for the price and features, it's not a bad deal. The price and features of the Dremel sounded appealing, despite some of the cautionary reviews warning of failure and poor quality.After a solid week of use, with steady sanding periods of at least an hour, I can't complain very much.
As long as you're not expecting miracles, and you're willing to work with the tool a bit, it does a great job at what it's intended for, and at least in my case, it's held up well to some heavy sanding (mostly metals) for fairly prolonged periods without faltering. The biggest complaint, which is a fairly minor one, is that the hook & loop surface on sanding pad (not sure of the proper name) separated from the foam pad. The tool did heat up a good deal, but never slowed down and certainly never failed. I had a project requiring a sander capable of reaching small areas, and spent a while deciding what to buy. The clasp mechanism that retains the contour shape or the sanding pad is a bit tricky, but after a few switches, it became fairly easy to use.
As mentioned in another Amazon review, the sanding bands are quite pricey, but normal sandpaper can easily be wrapped around the contours and used in place of the sanding bands, which I've been doing without trouble for the past week.On the whole, after a week and a half of fairly steady use, I'm not disappointed.
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