Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander
4.2
5
42
47
Good buy
Goes on sale often for at least 50% off.
It's a solid unit, and I've used it for a few small jobs. Have found it to do a great job, and you can buy different grains of belts for it. The bagger seems to do a decent job, but still expect a fair amount of debris.
May 13, 2013
Great Tool
I used this tool for hours to sand solid stain off of my deck. I didn't have to adjust the belt at all. It was comfortable to use. I wouldn't recommend using it to try to get to bare wood on a deck when sanding solid stain or paint. Best of luck doing that with any tool. I even used a floor sander and I still couldn't get to bare wood. I used it to get red of 'the gloss' and flaky stuff. It worked great.
April 16, 2013
Surprisingly Good!
My final outdoor project of the year was building a deck on the back of the house. I elected to use treated 2x6's, but the only ones available were rather rough with quite a bit of tearout from the planer blades.
Having limited options at this point in the season, i thought I would try a belt sander to take out some of the roughness and the grade stamps that tend to be on the best side of the board.
I have had Craftsman belt sanders in the past which worked well and were durable, but don't really even consider Sears anymore when in the market for tools. Anyway, I don't currently have a belt sander, nor do I have an ongoing need for one, so the Mastercraft on sale for $49.99 seemed a cautiously good option.
Out of the box, it does not give the impression of a heavy duty tool. However, the belt release to change belts worked solidly and locked into place nicely. I appreciated the adjustable handle and did use it to make the job a little more confortable. The switch and lock were well placed and made the job easier. As was the variable speed control.
I ended up sanding 32 boards 2x6x16', in two sessions over about 6 hours. The sander did not slow down, heat up, or demonstrate any negative issues. The end result was very good, and was accomplished using only one of the included 40 grit belts.
I did finish off each board with my Makita orbital sander at 80 grit, and did not attempt a finer belt on the Mastercraft. Switching back and forth between the two sanders though, I did notice a higher quality feel to the Makita.
Possibly a heavier weight belt sander would have made the job a little faster. But the next step up would probably be an extra $100.
In conclusion, I am happy with my purchase of this sander and would recommend it to anyone for light to medium use. Buy it on sale, it is regularly half price.
October 28, 2012
Does a fast and excelent job
I bought this sander to sand a bathroom door that had been painted with a varathane finish on one side, at first i tried the regular orbital sanders and I saw right away I would have been at it for days,
but with this belt sander i got the job done in about 20 minutes. I repainted the door and hung it the same day.
When on sale this is realy a best buy, I could not recomend anything better for the price.
August 27, 2012
Good belt sander for the light use
Liked the one I bought for home so much I purchased a second one for the cottage. The shell is made of plastic but is remarkably durable. The handle adjusts to many positions and is a nice feature. Belt change is quick and easy and the belt tracker adjusts quickly. The slip on dust bag is in kind of a lousy spot, which can be annoying, however is easy to remove.
The adjustable speed is a nice feature and have been very pleased with this units performance.
August 16, 2012
Good Sander
Good deal if bought on sale. Makes quick work of sanding projects.
August 14, 2012
Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander
I like this belt sander because of its excellent value specially when on sale. I guess just like any other belt sander, a critical part of its operation is to keep the sanding belt properly aligned. When I first operated this belt sander following the instruction manual, I noticed that the sanding belt can still go out of alignment, and can cause sparks when the sanding belt comes into contact with a metal part of the sander itself. In this case, I realigned the sanding belt again using the adjustment knob. However, before turning the power tool on again, I rotated the pulley (or wheel) manually a few times to make sure that the sanding belt stays properly aligned, and I kept adjusting the alignment as needed until the sanding belt does not slide from its center or proper position. Keeping the sanding belt property aligned, this tool worked very well for my woodworking project.
December 29, 2011
Great Buy
Purchased when on sale for 49.99 and it's an excellent buy. Absolutely no complaints although only used it for a few hours. The belt slid off but was quickly recentered with a tuyrn of the knob. I would recommend this.
Thumbs up"
April 3, 2011
Does the job. Why pay more?
If you get this on sale, it's a great buy. I've had no problems. The belts are easy to install. Simple to operate. Does the job.
February 27, 2011
Outstanding value!
I bought this on sale for roughly half the regular price two years ago. I've done door installations, shed installations to several household projects where a finished edge was required before prep and painting, or to get that just-right clearance.
With minimal pressure it would strip old paint with ease and the coarser grit paper refused to clog, unless you really put the pressure down, which was an added bonus!
I knowingly have a solid 40 operating hours on my unit and it still performs flawlessly!
January 16, 2011
- More Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander Reviews
- Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander reviews (page 2)
- Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander reviews (page 3)
- Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander reviews (page 4)
- Mastercraft 3 x 21-in. Belt Sander reviews (page 5)
