The UK's bestOrbital Sanders2022 Review

The best orbital sander for professionals is the excellent DeWalt DWE6423. The comfortable grip, lack of vibration and dust collection bag work together to make this one of the best orbital sanders around.

One of the best-known power tool manufacturers around, DeWalt’s yellow pieces of kit are found on building sites and workshops around the world.

The 280 Watt variable speed motor spins up the 125 mm sanding pad to 8,000-12,000 orbits per minute (opm). This powerful orbital sander makes short work of sanding jobs and preparing surfaces for painting. Weighing in at less than 1.3 kg, it’s easy to handle but still feels good and solid.

The best thing about this orbital sander is the grip. The rubber overmoulding has been cleverly designed to fit your hand and reduce vibration as much as possible. This is a vital feature that turns an ordinary orbital sander into one of the best I’ve had a chance to test out.

The dust extraction port can be hooked up to your shop vac, but if you don’t choose this option then the included AirLock dust bag works a charm. Unlike cheap imitations, the dust collection system really works, and the dust bag holds plenty before it needs emptying.

If you’ve got any interest in DIY at all, you’ll know about Bosch. The German tool titans have been making some of the best orbital sanders, drills, and saws for more than 130 years. The PEX 220A random orbital sander is part of Bosch’s “green” line of DIY level tools. And you can pick up this excellent orbital sander from one of the best names for a bargain price.

The all-important part of any orbital sander is the grip, and you can tell Bosch have thought hard about ergonomics here. This Bosch sander is nice to hold, and the rubberised overmoulding is in all the right places for grip and vibration dampening.

The 220 Watt motor isn’t quite as meaty as the Makita, but it still spins the 125 mm sanding pad up to 24,000 opm. Not bad for an orbital sander that’s less than half the price. It is a single-speed power sander though, which might put some off, but it’s a good all-round speed for sanding. At 1.2 kg, it competes with the best random orbit sanders on the list and takes the standard hook-and-loop sanding pads you can find just about anywhere.

Now onto the feature that sets the PEX 220 apart from the competition- the dust filter. Rather than opting for a simple bag that fills with dust, Bosch have gone a step further. They’ve invented a dust collection box with internal filters that works quite well. Unfortunately, it has a rectangular port shape that won’t fit external dust extraction systems.

The Makita BO5031 is one of the best random orbit sanders from one of the world’s favourite Japanese tool brands.

Boasting an intelligent electronic constant speed control, the powerful 300 Watt motor powers the 125 mm pad up to 4,000 – 12,000 opm. This impressive range of speeds makes this orbital sander ideal for all sorts of tasks. This sander has the muscle to tackle any sanding job you throw its way.

I’ve always liked the build quality of Makita tools, and the BO5031 doesn’t let them down. At 1.3 kg, the orbital sander weighs enough to feel sturdy but not so much that it’ll tire you out quickly.

Another handy feature is the placement of the variable speed control wheel- with a little practice, you can change speed with your thumb during operation and avoid melting plastics when sanding them down.

The dust collection bag is small, but it works well enough to keep most of the dust from getting into the air. This is a well-built and powerful random orbital sander that will last for years if you treat it well.

Whether you’re a professional builder or a weekend DIYer, the name Makita is hard to miss. The Japanese tool masters have created a huge range of high-quality, innovative products, and the DBO180Z random orbital sander is a welcome addition to the brand.

Taking advantage of Makita’s excellent Lithium-ion Extreme Technology (LXT), they’ve put the power of 18V AC into a lightweight and sturdy little frame. This cordless sander is a bit heavier compared to the cordless DeWalt DCW210N-XJ. But it’s still incredibly easy to handle thanks to the clever grip shape and balance that allows for precision control.

The controls are well-positioned on the top of the orbital sander. There are just two soft buttons that control the three variable speeds and power off. It’s not got quite the sanding speeds compared to some cordless sanders though. However, 7,000, 9,500 and 11,000 opm are ideal for most sanding jobs.

The build quality on this random orbital sander is what you’d expect from one of the best names in the business. It’s built to last a long time, it’s not too loud during operation and the vibrations have been kept to a happy minimum. It’s easily one of the best random orbital sanders you can get. And if you’ve already invested in 18V batteries for other Makita cordless tools, this “naked” orbital sander is just the thing.

Another big name in Japanese tools, Ryobi is aimed squarely at the DIY market. Their ONE+ system of battery sharing means everything from your lawnmower to your air compressor runs on just one battery type.

In terms of build quality, the Ryobi R18ROS-0 might not compare with sanders like the DeWalt DWE6423. This Ryobi orbital sander definitely feels like more of a plastic tool, but it’s solid and should still last for ages. The rubber grips have a pleasant texture to them, and they work quite well at keeping the vibrations down.

Power-wise, the sanding head spins at a fixed speed of 22,000 opm. It’s a decent, fast rate but for the price you don’t get the luxury of variable speed control. Without a battery installed, the weight is kept down to just 1.1 kg and the little dust bag doesn’t get in the way and appears to do its job.

For Ryobi fans, this is one of the best orbital sanders around. They even include three different grit pads to get you going. Just make sure you’ve got a higher Amp hour battery to hand if you want to sand for more than a few minutes.

One of the biggest tool brands around, Germany’s Bosch have been producing quality professional and DIY-level tools for well over 100 years. The AdvancedOrbit 18 makes up part of Bosch’s “green” line of DIY tools. It has several features that make it one of the best budget random orbital sanders I’ve tried out so far.

The first thing you’ll notice about this orbital sander is the big front handle. At only 1.4 kg it’s not there to deal with extra weight, but it works well if you want to use another hand to keep things rock steady. I’m not convinced it’s necessary to be honest though.

Using Bosch’s Power For All system, you can plug in a range of different batteries. But you’ll have to get rid of the dust collection box if you want to fit a 6.0 Ah battery. The variable speed control powers up the orbital sander to a respectable 6,000 – 24,000 opm, and the previously mentioned filtered air box does a reasonable job.

Manchester-based homewares and DIY champions VonHaus have made it their business to come up with one of the best budget random orbital sanders you can get your hands on. And with a large, adjustable front grip, you can definitely get both hands involved in your next big job.

The budget orbital sander is powered by an impressive 430 Watt motor. You can spin 125 mm sanding discs from 6,000 up to 13,000 opm using the variable speed control tucked under the front grip. Weighing just under 2.8 kg it’s on the heavier side of things, but it’s not enough to be cumbersome or hard to control.

But it’s the ergonomic design that sets the VonHaus orbital sander apart from the competition. You can choose from three different rubberised grips depending on the job. There’s a lock-off switch to rest your trigger finger when you need to as well.

VonHaus have doubled down on the versatility stakes too. They’ve included nine sanding pads of three different grits, but also three polishing pads as well. This opens a whole new way to keep your car clean as well as your timber sanded.

Another decent budget orbital sander, the Jellas isn’t the best orbital sander in the world, but for the price, you can’t really complain. For the money you get six variable speeds and a comfortable overmoulded rubber grip that stretches back across the orbital sander for extra comfort.

The 240 Watt motor powers up the orbital sander to an adequate 13,000 opm and controls the surprisingly strong dust suction when in use. The grip isn’t difficult to hang on to, but you must make sure you don’t cover the exhaust vents with your palm to avoid overheating.

The three-metre cable is a welcome feature on this orbital sander, as are the 12 included sanding pads. It’s not the quietest sander and there’s a fair amount of vibration. But when you factor in the cost, it’s a DIY level sander that’s not designed to be run for extremely long periods of time.