Are RYOBI Sanders Any Good? Here’s What Users Say
When you’re looking to perform detail-oriented work on some manner of woodworking project, a sander is an excellent implement to have in your arsenal. Random orbit sanders, in particular, are great for quickly grinding out imperfections in wooden surfaces, leaving them smooth and uniform. There are sanders available from most major hardware brands, many of which are readily available from hardware chains like Home Depot.
What if, hypothetically, you wanted to get all of your sanding needs from a single brand? In this case, what if you only wanted Ryobi products for your woodworking needs? The good news is that, not only is there a variety of Ryobi sanders to help whip those rough surfaces into shape, but the vast majority of them are fairly well-liked by the woodworking public at large. Above all of these, the Ryobi Random Orbit Sander is both its highest-rated sanding tool and a best-seller at Home Depot.
Ryobi’s Random Orbit Sander is a best-seller at Home Depot
Out of the 24 different kinds of sanders that Ryobi manufactures and sells, the highest-rated, best-selling option is the ONE+ cordless 5-inch Random Orbit Sander. A cumulative 1,820 Ryobi users and Home Depot shoppers have given this implement a 4.6 out of 5 rating, the highest score out of all Ryobi sanders sold by the chain.
Utilizing one of Ryobi’s 18V ONE+ battery packs, this cordless sander rotates at 10,000 orbits per minute to buff and grind with a swirl-free finish. It’s got a hook-and-loop sanding pad to quickly remove and attach sandpaper sheets, as well as an onboard dust collection capsule to make cleanup a little easier.
The majority of user reviews collected by Home Depot and Ryobi are positive, with one user calling this sander a good little finishing sander that’s easy to control and good at collecting dust. Another user notes that, compared to a previous model of Ryobi sander, this orbital sander is much quieter in operation, which is a natural plus. One of the only things you need to know before you buy Ryobi’s Orbit sander is that it’s a bit power-hungry; both a positive and a negative review note that, even with a high-capacity ONE+ battery, this sander can only operate continuously for around 30 minutes.
Ryobi offers a variety of specialized sanders with varying degrees of positive feedback
As several users in a particular Reddit thread note, Ryobi’s random orbit sander is the best all-purpose sander in the majority of situations. One user owns a handful of different Ryobi sanders and still defaults to the random orbit for all but the most specific work. Another user who works as a finisher carpenter claims to have logged over 100 hours on their orbital sander alone.
All that said, Ryobi is no slouch in the sanding department. The brand manufactures sanders of most major types for different jobs and applications, including belt, orbital, palm sanders, and more. While not quite to the same extent as the random orbit, these sanders are all generally well-liked by Home Depot shoppers, with even the lowest-rated product having at least a 3.5 out of 5 user rating.
For example, the hefty and powerful Ryobi corded Portable Belt Sander has a 4.2 out of 5 rating based on 1,515 collected reviews. One user used it to sand down an entire back deck, while another used it to finish a small chicken coop, particularly appreciating the closeness of its edge for working in tight confines.
Another highly-rated Ryobi sander is the ONE+ Corner Cat Finish Sander, a sander with a pointed, triangular base for pointed sanding in small spots and cramped corners. This sander has a 4.4 out of 5 rating based on 1,355 user reviews. One user said that this sander is perfect for when you need pinpoint sanding that an orbit sander can’t handle, such as when they needed to clean up peeling paint under the eaves of their home.
