Last Updated on July 21, 2026 by Stewart
Sanding down woodwork is something than can be a pretty arduous task. Due to this, I thought it would be worthwhile to compile my thoughts on what the best electric sanders are.
As part of this test, I’ve factored in the price of the unit, as well as its overall performance. Only those that are deemed the best, in my opinion have made it onto this list. I have also made the list in such a way that there are electric sanders at different price points, based on the users intentions with them.
Bosch Professional Random Orbital Sander GEX 40-150
Aimed at those that carry out sanding tasks at home, as well as at work, the Bosch Professional GEX40-150 is a great electric sander. I’ll point out that this is the most expensive on the list, but it’s been designed to deal with pretty much any sanding task that you can think of.
One thing to consider with any orbital sander is how comfortable it is to hold, and I’m pleased to say that this feels excellent, especially when using it for prolonged periods of time. The handle at the front of the unit is a great way to ensure that you can apply even pressure on it, meaning that you’ll get a great sanding job each time you use it.
Another feature on this that I really like is the fact that there is a dust collection tool on it. This does a great job at collecting a large volume of dust from the sanding, making the final clean up a lot easier. This is hands down the best dust extraction I’ve used on a sander, and the mess was minimal from this.
With respect to the sanding, I of course tried this on wood, and the results were flawless. As is the case with a product in the Professional line up, it really does look as though a high experienced carpenter carried out the sanding work. The fact that it used 150mm diameter sanding discs means that you can cover a larger area in a shorter time frame.
The speed selection on it is very easy to use, and is great for more delicate surfaces that you want to take your time with. I was also pleasantly surprised to see you can use other brands of sanding discs as well. When doing so, I didn’t notice any increase in the vibration of the sander, so if you’ve got a preferred disc brand, feel free to use it on this.
You also get this in a high quality L-Boxx, meaning that the sander is kept safe and secure when not in use. It’s a pricey unit, but if you’re going to be doing a lot of sanding, then this is the option for you.
One thing to be aware of is that Amazon are selling the lower priced variant of this, the 34-150, but they’re using the product description and photos of the 40-150. Don’t fall into the trap like many others have.
- Housing with a decoupled sanding unit for consistent contact pressure, enabling high-quality surface results
Last update on 2026-10-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Makita B05041/2 Random Orbital Sander
Makita is a brand I really rate highly, having tried a lot of their products in the past, and always been very impressed with them. With that in mind, I thought I would try their electric, random orbital sander.
I’ll point out from the beginning that this is a third of the price of the Bosch listed above. However, you still get a lot of bang for your buck with this Makita sander.
With respect to the weight of the unit, it isn’t overly heavy at all, and much like the Bosch, it has a handle at the front of it for added ergonomics. An added benefit is that Makita have designed it in such a way that the handle at the front can be moved around should you need to sand in tight spots, but you’ll still have the extra handle for control and stability.
With respect to the sanding disc size, this takes 125mm diamtetr discs. You don’t get any pads within the box for this one, however, given that it’s just over £100, this isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. I did use a Makita brand disc which was just over £5. It stuck well to the sander, and it also gave a great finish on the wood during my testing.
It’s important to point out that you can have the best sander in the world, but if you choose a poor abrasive disc, you can still get a less than stellar finish. I was seriously impressed with the sanding abilities of this sander though. It did take a wee bit longer when compared to the Bosch, but it still carried out the work in a perfectly acceptable time. I also liked that I could easily change the speed of the motor, which was ideal for wood that was more sensitive, and only required a very light sanding.
I was also extremely happy with the dust extraction system. I believe that it used to be a hard box attachment that was used to collect the saw dust. In contrast, in the box with my sander, it was a cloth collection bag instead. Regardless, I still found this to be extremely effective in collecting pretty much all of the dust from the unit.
The power cable isn’t the longest, but this is nothing that an extension cable can’t fix. Given that the majority of households will have one of these anyway, (and even if not, they are relatively inexpensive), I wouldn’t class this as a deal breaker.
For those that want a high quality, corded sander at a very reasonable price, the Makita is the one for you.
Worx WX820 Cordless Multi Sander
I can appreciate that there are a lot of buyers that would like a cordless sander instead of a cordless one. I was very keen to see how the Worx brand would fare and picked up their WX820. In particular, I picked up the version that came with 1 2Ah batter and also a charger. However, as is the case with other Worx products, if you already have their batteries, it can be used in this Multi Sander.
Even though it had a battery attached to it, I still found it to be fairly lightweight, and also very easy to move around. This is ideal since Worx are touting this as an orbital sander, a finishing sander, a detailing sander, a contour sander and also a finger sander.
In short, this can carry out numerous different sanding jobs for you. I was really impressed with all of the attachments for this, in particular the finger sander which was great at getting into tight spots.
In terms of the results, regardless of the variant of sanding option I was using, it was a great finish I received from it. This is in part thanks to the great sanding discs included, but also down to the fact that it’s a powerful motor on the WX820, but it also has a variable speed control on it so that you can really dial it up or down depending on what you’re working on.
It can sometimes be the case that a battery powered tool can give lesser results than their corded equivalent, but this certainly wasn’t the case with the Worx. I’m overjoyed at how excellent it is.
Much like the Bosch and the Makita variants listed above, the WX820 also has a dust collection bag included in the carrying case which works well in getting as much as the dust as possible.
During my testing, I got just under 2 hours of sanding, which is ideal, and it didn’t take long to charge the battery either.
If you’re wanting a modestly priced, cordless sander from a high quality brand, then this offering from Worx is the one for you.
- 5 SANDERS IN 1: The WX820 Cordless Multi Sander does the job of an orbital sander, finishing sander, detail sander, contour and finger sander all in one compact package, all in a cordless 20V package.
Last update on 2026-10-14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.