2022 test12 productsPower Tools
Which Battery-powered Sanders Brand Wins?
We compared 12 battery-powered sanders options head to head. Bosch came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Bosch
Price shown in test: $129
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Budget pick
Bauer
Price shown in test: $35
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Weight | Noise | Material removed, 5 lb pressure | Material removed, 7.5 lb pressure | Dust collection | Air quality (small/large particles, 4 min) | Sandpaper grip strength | Tool vibration | Material removed, 10 lb pressure | Best material removal overall (across 5/7.5/10 lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bauer$35 | 1,044 g | 85.6 dB | 8 g | 14 g | collected approximately 100% of the wood dust it generated (one of 5 brands to do so), though a small amount escaped from a couple of areas of the sander | 6,600 small / 1,700 large; 5th best small-particle result overall | 2,468 g (about 5 lb) | 16 mm/s squared, one of the three best results in the video | not tested | not tested |
| 2Ryobi$45 | 1,086 g | 84 dB | 12 g, 50% more than the Bauer | 18 g | collected approximately 100% of the wood dust it generated (one of 5 brands to do so) | 5,600 small / 1,500 large; 3rd best small-particle result overall | 1,818 g | 29 mm/s squared, called out as one of the better-performing brands in this category | not tested | not tested |
| 3Craftsman$52 | 950 g (lightest of the brands covered to that point) | 82.7 dB (quietest of the brands covered to that point) | 14 g, tied for the most of any brand at this weight (with Kobalt and MechanicAnts) | only 10 g; required two hands to control and darted back and forth, which hurt its performance relative to the 5 lb test | dust bag came up 4 g short of the 14 g of wood actually removed (some dust escaped) | 8,200 small / 1,050 large, the most dust of any brand up to that point in testing | 3,516 g, the best of all 12 brands in this test | 60 mm/s squared | not tested | not tested |
| 4Black & Decker$60 for the battery, charger, and tool (tested with a 4-A battery rather than the included 1.5-A battery) | 890 g (lightest of the brands covered to that point) | 85.6 dB (tied with Bauer) | 8 g, tied with the Bauer | 20 g, the best result of any brand at 7.5 lb up to that point | dust bag left 2 g of dust outside the bag out of 8 g removed | 9,700 small / 1,250 large, the most dust of any brand up to that point in testing, surpassing the Craftsman | 2,964 g, 5th best of all 12 brands | 160 mm/s squared, by far the worst of any brand tested ('off the charts') | 18 g | 20 g, tied for 2nd best overall (with DeWalt) |
| 5Ridgid$65 | 1,320 g, the heaviest of the brands covered to that point | 91.4 dB, the loudest of the brands covered to that point | 8 g | 16 g | dust bag left 4 g of dust outside the bag out of 8 g removed | 6,400 small / 850 large; 4th best small-particle result overall | 3,226 g, 3rd best of all 12 brands | 116 mm/s squared, one of the worst results in the video | not tested | not tested |
| 6Kobalt$78 | 1,144 g | 79.9 dB, the quietest of the brands covered to that point (brushless motor) | 14 g, tied for the most of any brand at this weight (with Craftsman and MechanicAnts) | 18 g | only left 2 g of dust outside the bag out of 14 g removed, a strong ratio | 6,900 small / 1,050 large | 3,200 g, 4th best of all 12 brands | 30 mm/s squared, called out as one of the better-performing brands in this category | 22 g, the best result of any brand at any weight in the entire video | 22 g, the best of all 12 brands |
| 7MechanicAnts$90 for the battery, charger, and tool | 1,120 g | 80.5 dB | 14 g, tied for the most of any brand at this weight (with Craftsman and Kobalt) | 16 g | only caught 2 g of dust out of 14 g removed, leaving 12 g outside the bag, the worst dust-collection ratio of any brand | 7,400 small / 1,800 large | 1,916 g, gave up early, one of the weaker grip results | 38 mm/s squared (tied with Milwaukee) | 18 g | not tested |
| 8Makita$95 | 1,044 g (tied with Bauer) | 80 dB | 10 g | 10 g | dust bag left 2 g of dust outside the bag out of 10 g removed | 8,100 small / 1,950 large | 2,594 g | 19 mm/s squared, one of the three best results in the video (2nd place) | not tested | not tested |
| 9Milwaukee$99 | 1,114 g | 88.6 dB, fairly loud | 12 g | 18 g | collected approximately 100% of the wood dust it generated (one of 5 brands to do so) | 8,150 small / 1,100 large | 2,732 g, a little better than the Makita | 38 mm/s squared (tied with MechanicAnts) | 18 g | not tested |
| 10WORX$100 | 1,172 g | 77.9 dB, the quietest of all 12 brands | 6 g, the lowest of any brand | 14 g | dust bag left 2 g of dust outside the bag out of 6 g removed | 14,000 small / 4,750 large, by far the worst air-quality result of any brand in the video | 1,712 g, below average | 46 mm/s squared, about average | not tested | not tested |
| 11Bosch$129 | 1,090 g | 79.1 dB, relatively quiet | 10 g | 16 g | collected nearly all of the dust it generated (one of 5 brands to do so); the air particle count actually DROPPED from a baseline of 2,100 small/280 large to 1,600 small/160 large after 4 minutes of use, described as doing 'a far better job than all the other brands at collecting wood dust' | 1,600 small / 160 large, the best (lowest) of all 12 brands by a wide margin | 3,284 g, 2nd best of all 12 brands | 17 mm/s squared, one of the three best results in the video | not tested | not tested |
| 12DeWalt$149 | 876 g, the lightest of all 12 brands | 83.9 dB | 12 g | 18 g, 'really benefited from the extra weight' | collected approximately 100% of the wood dust it generated (one of 5 brands to do so) | 5,100 small / 750 large, the 2nd best small-particle result of all 12 brands, described as 'a distant second' behind the Bosch | 1,830 g, gave up a little early, one of the weaker grip results | 93 mm/s squared, one of the worse results in the video | 20 g, 2nd best result of any brand at any weight | 20 g, tied for 2nd best overall (with Black & Decker) |
How it was tested
- material removal rate on oak (Janka hardness 1,300) with 60-grit sandpaper at 5 lb, 7.5 lb, and 10 lb of downward pressure (grams of wood removed in 5 minutes)
- dust collection efficiency (grams captured in the dust bag versus grams of wood actually removed)
- air quality / airborne particle count (small and large wood particles per 0.1 cubic foot, measured 4 minutes into the 5 lb test)
- sandpaper hook-and-loop grip strength (grams of pull force to detach sandpaper after a 10 lb static load)
- tool handle vibration (mm/s squared)
- noise level (dB) and subjective ease of control / gyroscopic wobble
“The Bosch came out on top with an average finish at 2.4.”