Makita 9911 5.6 Amp 3 Inch by 18 Inch Variable Speed Belt Sander with Cloth Dust Bag

Customer Reviews

effective, light, and reliable

2003-12-17
I wanted a belt sander for quickly removing a lot of wood, but I also wanted it to be light enough to use vertically or overhead if necessary. Belt changes are easy and it is not too noisy. The dust port does clog easily unless you connect it to a shop vac. I would get the fixed speed version of this sander for a few dollars less since most only use a belt sander for aggressive sanding.

Excellent midlevel performer

2003-09-09
Was terribly disappointed at first - A clip fell out on the belt's first rotation. After an hour take-apart, the clip was back in place, and I set out to strip old paint off of a window. I was very impressed. This little unit had some claw, but not too much that I wouldn't use it for some pretty fine work. Held it aloft for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and never felt the weight. Also didn't see any sawdust because it was all in the bag! The plastic case could be stronger, but then there would have to be other compromises, like weight or price. This sander strikes a fantastic balance for the do-it-yourselver.

Light, effective sander

2003-04-01
I've not used my sander very much yet, but I've been happy with it so far. I like the light weight design and variable speed.

Chews on the wood well.....

2003-03-16
I bought this sander for my small shop because of the price and size. It comes with a nice belt and collects the dust well. I have connected it to my fien vaccuum which works great. No problems with the belt tracking even out of the box...plug and go. You will make some noise with this but the power on it is good for what I need. Not to heavy yet powerful enough to remove material. For medium work I recommend this sander to anyone. I have read the reviews and reseached and must agree after buying and using it to make our bedside and coffee table

After a lot of research . . . this is the one!

2001-10-02
I researched a lot of belt sanders before deciding on this unit. I checked out various sanders at my local Home Depot and talked with some local contractors.I narrowed down my choice to this or the Porter-Cable. In the end I decided on the Makita for the following reasons:1. The Porter-Cable is simply too heavy. I use this sander in the vertical as well as horizontal positions. It is heavy enough to be substantial and has a powerful motor, but is still easy enough to use with one hand in many different positions.2. The dust collector is in a very unobtrusive location compared to the Porter-Cable, in addition it really works. There really isn't much dust produced when using this sander.3. The flat back allows it to be clamped to a table and used as a parts sander. The variable speed control really comes in handy here.4. Price wasn't a big concern for me, I was going to buy the sander that fit my needs. For someone who needs a medium duty belt sander that will be used in a variety of job I recommend this one highly! Some other larger/smaller units may be better at specific jobs, but this one is really a jack of all trades.5. The motor is good, not a monster, but powerful and able to sustain heavy sanding for long periods of time without excessive heat. In addition, the brushes can be easily replaced.6. Belt tracking mechanism worked flawlessly. One person in one of the reviews here complained about belt tracking. If you adjust the belt carefully it stays on track for a looong time. Maybe that person had a defective unit, or more likely, a belt that wasn't perfectly square. There is no way a non square belt will track correctly no matter how much you adjust the tracking screw.Congratulation to Makita on a job well done!

When a ROS Isn't Quite Enough

2007-11-28
I recently picked this up for $79 on clearance at The Borg and am thrilled with it. I already have a large heavy duty belt sander, but I rarely use the monster because it is so aggressive and heavy. However, there are times when a random orbit sander is just too slow for the job at hand. With this little Makita I have excellent control and reasonably aggressive removal rates. Mine was Made in England, though I'm not sure if they all are. The belt tracking is automatic. Just slip the belt on and go. The balance is just right. A very nicely engineered tool which I'm glad to have in the collection.

Lightweight and Comfortable

2007-04-14
This belt sander really does the trick. The ergonomic placement of the handles is absolutely perfect, which provide superb control. Say goodbye to those gouges caused by the rollers and edges of the belt. This sander is light enough that it could be used on walls and even ceilings. The dust collection bag works better than I could have imagined. The belt stays in place and does not require any adjusting. That makes this one very easy to use. I was pleased to find out how quiet this sander is compared to others I have used in the past.
I would highly recommend this sander over other sanders in the 3-inch class.

makita 9911

2004-06-06
I like makita products but was disappointed when it just stopped working after about 5 hours total of use. I didn't force iteither. The switch was on high nearly all the time so I don't see why the variable switch might have become defective.

steve

No regrets with this sander!!! 2004-05-04
It has been almost a year since I purchased this sander and I must say that it impresses me more every time I use it. It's light, powerful, relatively quiet, with good belt tracking. And as other reviewers have pointed out, the dust collection is outstanding, even when using the supplied dust bag. Most recently, I used this sander to edge new hardwood floors and even went so far as to use it for the initial sanding of almost 200 s.f. of oak flooring, using 50 grit belts. Although I did break down and purchase a 4"x24" Porter Cable (a Makita 4"x24" was not available locally) to complete the remainder of the floor, the Makita performed flawlessly, even under heavy pressure. It simply would not stall, regardless of the pressure applied. Another good feature of this sander is its compact design which allows you to get into tight quarters. I was able to sand completely flush to the right side of the sander and to within approximately two inches of the front. The 4"x24" Porter Cable would get to about 1/4" on the side and 6" in front. I highly recommend this sander! It's one of those rare tools that leaves you wanting nothing more, because it would be almost impossible to improve. Real quality at a fair price. I just wish I could say the same for the 4"x24" Porter Cable.

Don't get this sander 2004-02-22
I used this sander for less than 2 hours and the belt stopped revolving. The drive belt broke. The other thing that happened with this sander is the first belt of sand paper started to cut a groove in the plastic housing of the machine itself.