Makita 9404/2 240V 100mm Belt Sander

This sander is the mack daddy and kingpin of all belt sanders. I'm currently renovating my house which was stuck in between the 30's and 70's. It previously took forever to get smooth flat walls and skirting boards. As the walls didn't need replastering; it was a case of filling and sanding....yawn!!! Bought this originally to sand the floors then decided to try it out on the walls...praise be, all hail to this bad boy sander. Prepped two rooms and a hallway got all the walls glass smooth and perfect in just 1 hour and 25 mins. I know this product was not designed for the purposes that i'm using it for but as I said it handle the job like it was nothing at all. It is quiet, it has variable speed, auto tracking to adjust the belt and it collect 90% of the dust. Word of warning though it is heavy if you're going to be using it in the same way I did. I'm a pretty hefty chap so for me it was not a major obstacle but my missus, how wanted to have a go, thought it was too heavy. I haven't used it on the floor as yet but I'm sure it will handle the task with ease seeing as sanding large flat surfaces is the kind of task it was designed for. I can't recommend this sander high enough...oh and make sure you hunt around for quality sanding belts with softer cloth backing as opposed to the cheap stiff cloth backing as it does make a huge difference to how this sander works. Softer cloth backed sanding belts are more flexible and will last longer.

It is a replacement for one I bought in 1992. It has to be heavy and rugged for sanding big surfaces such as table tops. I expect to get lots of work out of it. I don’t think a cheaper sander would be anything like so good. It was worth the higher cost.

I looked at lots of options before buying this and although the 9403 was available to collect at Screwfix, I waited for this. Why? well, this has a variable speed control which I used within the first few minutes and it can be used by resting on it's back (although I've not tried) which seemed like it would be useful.Pros: Firstly, power: this just does the job with no sign of struggling - there is a kind of majestic power to it. You don't need to push it down or ever feel like it needs to be doing more. Second, ergonomics; it's not light but that's a good thing and it's comfortable to use. Also: dust control seems to work really well.Cons: No case. Come on Makita for £258 you could have chucked even a basic one in. Second - and this is only if you're left handed or want to work left handed. The lock switch for the on button is fiddly because it's on the left side of the handle. A minor point I know.

very good belt sander works well and doesn't make too much dust compared to my older makita sander. only reason for 4 stars is because it has a few marks on it either from delivery or manufacture. they don't affect the function just cosmetic

Really cuts through well! Heavy but does the job well! Good build quality

Fantastic, confidence inspiring quality. I wouldn't say it's versatile but that's not what it's designed to do. What it can do is sand wood quickly with minimal effort and hardly any dust. The extraction deserves a big thumbs up, I couldn't believe the performance of the dust bag. Variable speed and the ability to move the sanding belt to the edge of the machine are also very useful features.

I'm quite a beginner so getting something this expensive was a bit of a leap of faith. I am utterly delighted with it and I have done a floor with it and have several more to do. It isn't the only sander I needed - I needed an orbital one too to deal with details and the unevenness of the wooden floor. I found the bag worked excellently which was a surprise compared to my orbital sander whose bag is useless. I tried to do too much with the 40-grit and made some scratches which were a bit of a nuisance to get out later. This sander is big and strong but it won't "eat up the floor" as some people warned me. I didn't need ear protectors for short runs but I recommend them for anything more. Also wear gloves because I once or twice managed to touch the sanding sheet and fortunately I had gloves on. Watch out for the cable because it is black and the rubber will mark your wood if you ever stand on it.

Bought this to use on floorboards, and initially I was really impressed with the sander. It removed a very dark wood stain from pine floorboards with ease.However, I found it would overheat very quickly - I tended to use a slower speed so that I did not overwork the unit (stock removal seemed just as effective), and it would have regular "breaks" so it wasn't run continuously, and it seemed to be okay, despite getting very hot - It did kept on working.When I used the sander again on the next day, after about 20 minutes usage, the sander started to smoke heavily from the motor housing (the top part of the unit). After letting the unit cool down and trying again, it instantly started to smoke.Either the unit I received was faulty, or this sander cannot be used for long periods of time (i.e. it is not a workhorse as mentioned in other reviews). Compared to my Bosch Professional random orbit sander, which has worked continuously non-stop without breaking a sweat, in the end I was quite disappointed with this sander, and expected more from a Makita, especially at the price. Returned for a refund and will look at a different brand.