I purchased this to replace two old faithful 25+ year-old Craftsman soldiers that died over the past six months. Pros: I like almost everything about this new one, lighter weight, smoother, MUCH quieter, and to a lesser extent, the variable speed and dust catcher. (I always run it full speed and never used the catcher). Belt tracking appears stable after a few initial adjustments with every belt replacement. Even with continuous sanding, it tracks well till the belt is worn out. Cons: Noticeably slower maximum belt speed than the two older ones I had, making the same job take longer. Applying more pressure slows it down much more than the old ones and I feel will likely reduce life expectancy. Summary: Will this last as long as my old sanders? Not likely in my opinion. Had Craftsman still offered the same identical models of sanders as my old ones I would have bought one of those in a minute. However, in today's market, in this price range, after first purchasing a couple competing sanders of other brands, I returned them for this one. The 8 amp version of this has a slightly higher maximum belt speed and for $30 more, I should have gone with it.
Sander is about one year old. Belt does not maintain tension. Belt tension lever is very difficult to loosen and tighten. Makes the sander useless. Looking for ideas to correct the problem.
I used this belt sander to builded the Formica reception desk .It was sanded very even surface and easily.
I recently bought and used the craftsman belt sander. My old one finally bit the dust. (1950 era machine). It was heavy and must have cost a fortune. All aluminum housing using all original patents, and with a steel case. I used the old case with the much lighter and balanced machine. All the power i’d need with extra handle positions. It’s very well designed. Thanks for the good value.
Paul