I’ve been using a crappy random orbit sander from Walmart for the past 5 years. It works well enough, but as I’ve gotten a bit older, had a few more non-woodworking related injuries, etc, the excessive vibration is really starting to get to me. I know Festool is the gold standard in terms of dust control and likely vibration, but are there any other good options that aren’t $500-600?
I’m sitting here after sanding for an hour and a half or so and my hand is still tingling after 20 minutes. Clearly, I need to get a better sander, but I can’t justify spending $575 on a Festool sander right now. $50-150 would be more palatable, as long as it is a clear upgrade from my current setup.
Edit:Ended up getting this Makita sander . Huge upgrade, thanks for the suggestions!
In that price range I think just a better sander is your best bet. I have a Dewalt random orbital. The one with speed control. It’s definitely not as vibrational as some cheap ones, and it doesn’t give me too many problems, as I’ve got arthritis in my joints, specially my hands.
Side note, I do have the bigger festool sander and it’s a game changer for larger projects. I used it to take down a pop corn ceiling and it was awesome.