Belt Sander | 3 x 21 Inch | For Woodworking | Variable Speed | 9.0 Amp Motor | Soft Grip | 5-Year Warranty | SB8V2

This is a well made sander. I chose it because I don't trust the performance and durability of sanders that are under $90. Likewise, I don't think a high quality sander needs to be over $300. The Metabo has plenty of power and excellent variable speed control. Belt changes are easy and it has very accurate belt tracking adjustment. It's a good tool at a good price.

Metabo’s 3x21 belt sander is perfect in every way. Plenty of power, sturdy, not too heavy, and good handling ergonomics! I’m a retired professional woodworker & I bought this to replace an old Porter Cable sander that I couldn’t get parts for. Really a great choice! All of that in a cost effective package.

I have used this sander for 2 days now to sand a deck and it is a solid performer. The sander built sturdy and is heavier than I expected. I have been running it on the highest speed with 40 grit to remove old paint off a deck. There is enough power but I would prefer if it had a little more. The sander is easy to handle with good grips. The design allows you to sand flush into a corner which is a really nice feature. The dust collection is good and requires little extra cleanup. Changing sanding belts is simple and the belt tracking is working well and easy to adjust. One thing to note is that when I took it out of the box it appeared to have been used. There were some scratches in the paint and other marks indicating that a sanding belt had been run for short while. There were also signs of abrasion in the dust collection tube. So I called Amazon to report my find. They apologized and sent out a new sander the next day. To my surprise, the replacement sander had all the same scratches and wear marks. So, I can only assume that Metabo must do some quality check by running the sander for a short time with a belt. If this is so, I would suggest that they add some documentation to the customer indicating why the sander appears to have been used. I kept the original sander and returned the replacement.

This is a great value compared with other sanders spec for spec. I was going to buy another brand and settled on this sander because of the name reputation and overall feature benefit versus price. Hitachi has always been a good brand and the marriage of Metabo makes it that much better. This sander also has a great warranty. Out of the box, this proved to be a great tool. I won a lot of tools, so I am always trying to find a good balance of performance, quality and price. I enjoy the comfortable grip and ergonomics. I used it for nearly two hours right out of the box and found it very comfortable. I hooked up to my dust collector without any modification and away we went. The belt tracking was simple to adjust and keep in line. I like the variable speed adjustment and ease of access, the metal body is sturdy, but lightweight. A great value, solid warranty and great brand. Why spend more than $200 when you can have this one for much less.

I've used several belt sanders over the years, some expensive, some cheap. I was able to be productive with all of them. I put a 100 grit belt in this one and took it to a 14' pine 1x6 fresh from the lumberyard. It wandered and grabbed, making gouges everywhere. After a while I was able to hold it with great delicacy and move the sander in a circular pattern with a very light touch (that is, bearing most of the weight of the sander in my hands and arms), with the result that the board felt fairly smooth, even if still a bit wavy from all the gouging. I applied stain to the board and all the circular swirl marks were instantly revealed. I'll have to sand it all out and start over, but it won't be with this unit. It's going back. Many one-star reviews complain of a used product sold as new. If I had a reasonably working sander, I wouldn't care about that at all. I just can't see how anyone can get a result anywhere close to acceptable with this thing. The platen appears distorted where it attaches to the main body (screwed in too tight maybe?) and even if I could somehow fix that, the platen is also thick and stiff with a pronounced bow front to back, so that the only way to get it to be flat is to press it down on the work, which removes stock far too aggressively. There are other things to dislike about the design. It looks like it came from behind the Iron Curtain. The belt release lever is small and fiddly. The dust bag fits onto its chute using an odd clamp made of wire that is very uncomfortable to operate. No matter; I left the bag off and very little dust came out the chute anyway. It doesn't even lie flat to change belts. It is a very odd duck of a unit. On the plus side, it feels solidly built, and I was able to adjust the belt tracking quickly and easily. But if I can't get a decent surface, what's the point?

Great toll, powerful, but very heavy!

Let me start with saying I have had a fair amount of experience with Belt sanders. I have used them for over 50 years. I've had quite a few of them so I think I can rate one pretty well. I've had cheap ones and pretty good ones. Recently an old AGM one burned up on me, so, I thought I'd pick up a new one. I don't use them day in day out, (I have a wide belt sander, edge sanders, stationary belt sanders, disc sanders, oscillating spindle sanders, ETC, all to suggest that I have enough experience with sanding to know a bit of what I'm talking about. I have an old makita belt sander too, which is still in good shape, but I needed an extra one for a pretty big project. If this was the only belt sander I would have, I would have bought an old Porter Cable or maybe a new Fesstool, but it isn't. The design is not bad, looks to be durable. The dust collection is certainly better than my AGM was. The platen is "ok" and the old style platen with the graphite seems to be now giving way to the metal with the rubber back. Ok, fair enough. Right out of the box, putting a belt on and using it, I hated it. It doesn't seem very balanced and tends to easily grab and dig in on the belt side, (left). I played with it for awhile and found with a lot more effort and care, I COULD get it to perform marginally satisfactorily. I ALMOST returned it, but the only other option I'd consider was the Makita and that was double the price and I already had an older Makita, (though slightly larger at the 3x24 rather than the 3x21. For a beginnner, this would be a nightmare. 3X21 is a harder size to use, as there isn't much flat stable surface as even a 3x24. A 4x24 would be easier, (but heavier) for a beginner. A lot to using a belt sander is the sanding pattern. Don't just sand in the direction of the grain. At the beginning, on a slab, sand at an angle to the grain, just to flatten the work. Like sanding a floor, you have to go at angles. Once it is flattened, I use a bit lighter paper and work with the grain, but slide the sander at an angle. This sander easily tips, and even bounces. First time I've had such a bouncy sander. It DOES have enough power, adjustability, ease of changing belts, etc. just not very well balanced. You can make it work. Dial down the speed a bit at first. Also don't apply too much pressure on the sander. (always a mistake made by beginners), let the weight of the sander do it's work. Also, if you have an area that seems to need more sanding, don't concentrate much in that area, if it is a dipped area. just sand the whole piece, then look again. If it still needs sanding, you have to sand the whole piece again.

This belt sander replaces an old Ryobi that my brother in law forever altered by running over the power cord. The cord survived, but it bent the rear roller axle out of alignment and try as I did, it wouldn't ever again track well, and it recently started eating the cogged drive belts. Metabo uses ribbed drive belts that are less likely to shred. The Metabo is styled nicely, the dust collection bag works very well, and the belt tracks reliably with a good belt, requiring only minor infrequent adjustments. This thing is powerful. The dust bag is located inboard of a right hand trigger grip, which I find to be nicely tucked out of the way when sanding along uprights such as walls. I got a really good on-sale price, and I am very pleased with this purchase. Highly recommended.

Hasta ahorita la eh utilizado y no he tenido ningún problema a funcionado muy bien gracias a Dios bien

I have installed kitchen cabinets for over 35 years. Over that time I have tried and used many different belt sanders. We primarily use them to grind down wall fillers, kicks, and crowns. Anywhere that we have to conform our work pieces to match walls, floors, and ceilings. This sander is excellent for this purpose. It is lightweight, grips easily and comfortably with one hand, tracks well, and is powerful enough to grind through 3/4" stock with a 24 grit belt quite quickly and easily. The Porter Cables in this size are too heavy for one-handed operation and their micro belt sanders, although lightweight, don't have enough power. I use these everyday for a couple of hours and they will last me at least for one year. I think that for the price they are good value. I am on my sixth or seventh sander now because over the years I haven't found anything better.

Tienes que tomar en cuenta el peso de la maquina.... Por supuesto para este tamaño, debe ser pasada la herramienta.... Hace bien su trabajo, si guarda el polvo,,.. Está bien para lijado de superficies grandes... Para terminado fino... ni pensarlo

I have used this sander for several projects, and am very pleased with it's performance. This unit is lighter and less cumbersome to use than some other senders I have owned. Sanding belts are very easy to reload. This sander is constructed of all metal and seems very sturdy. I would definetly recommend this sander.

Es una buena lijadora, excelente potencia y la ventaja que es variable... es sólida, el motivo de las cuatro estrellas es por el juego de la lija, quiero decir que una vez puesta y echando a andar la máquina esta se mueve mucho, aunque ajustes con el accesorio... pero es buena compra..