Editorial Review
We like random orbital sanders for their power and versatility, and this DeWalt is a perfect example. Just smack a 60-grit hook-and-loop abrasive sheet on it, and you're ready to strip thick finishes, erase the dings and scratches from an old wood floor, refinish stairs or plane down a sticky door. But it's just as capable with a sheet of 220-grit affixed to it, gently removing any minute scratches and leaving a gorgeous, swirl-free, smooth finish.
The dust collection on this little sander is impressive, really drawing the lion's share of the dust through the eight holes and containing it in the cloth compartment. DeWalt's employed the Controlled Finishing System® here, so this sander has a user-replaceable disc between the pad and the sander that augments dust collection and controls pad speed when the sander's not in contact with a work surface. You'll know it needs replacing when the pad speed doesn't decrease when the sander's lifted off the workpiece. We did notice that when emptying the receptacle, some dust will cling to the fabric; just push on the spring inside the bag and give it a little tap to get it clean again. When connected to a shop vacuum, dust collection is superb.
This sander's really all a home do-it-yourselfer would need, because it has the stock-removal power of a belt sander and the finesse of a finish sander. It's quiet, hardworking and reliable, and we even like how it feels in hand. This is definitely a good bet.--Kris Jensen-Van Heste
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Customer Reviews
Love this sander! 
2007-05-13
Ease of use, dust bag, easy on/off of sanding discs are all great features.
I love this sander, it is unstoppable 2007-04-05
I love this sander. Next to my Bosch "Sawz-all" this is my favorite power tool. I have used it on prejects that range from sanding the body work on my race bike to sanding the plaster walls in our 1903 Craftsman house to sanding woodworking projects. This sander is built to last and can be used as hard as you want. The only comments I do have is 1) you need to be careful when remmoving the sandpaper from the hook and loop disc, it is best to pull the sandpaper off in a direction that is parallel to the surface of the pad, basically pulling the sandpaper back over itself. If you pull it off perpendicular to the surface of the pad, the hook and loop pad tends to pull apart. 2) The hook and loop pad tends to get chewed up if you are not careful about replacing worn sandpaper. But that said, after almost three years of hard use mine is still on it's first hook and loop pad and is now more like a 4.5inch sander than a 5inch sander.....time to replace it.
Great little sander for even bigger jobs 2007-03-23
I had the opportunity to use one of these sanders on a recent remodel job. I was surprised at how well the dustless bag actually collected sanded material. The random orbit works well on any grain pattern and the hookless sandpaper is very easy to use and convenient.
When I saw the price for one on Amazon, I was blown away. I ordered it immediately. It won't replace the need for a heavy-duty belt sander, but for finishing work this is one fine piece of equipment. I'll be using it a lot when I refinish our wood floors this summer.
Orbit Sander 
2007-01-15
I'm well pleased with the DeWalt D26451K Orbit Sander. Good adhesion of sandpaper and dust bag does not fall off like previous design. Recommend others to purchase.
Tough little sander 2006-10-13
before this unit, I had an off-brand $30 4" square pad sander that I used to polish the intake manifold on my car. It burned out after probably less than 40 hours of use.
I bought this sander as a replacement when I bought a house and decided to refinish the wood floors. I rented a drum sander to remove the bulk of the old finish, but I had to trace around the edge of all the rooms to remove the material. I bought this sander for $69 at Lowes and about 20 sheets of 40 grit paper, and this little sucker hummed away for hours and knocked out all the excess finish.
After about a week of walking over the exposed wood, painting walls, and moving scaffolding, I had to do a once-over on the wood to clean it up. I hit the whole floor (about 500 sq. ft.) with 60 grit, then did it again with 100 grit. This little sander cleaned it up beautifully, and I was surprised that it ran under heavy cyclic loading for about 5 hours without a hiccup. My knees didn't do as well.
I'm glad I bought it and expect that it will withstand many more hours of continued abuse.
NICE LITTLE SANDER 2008-07-08
I ORDERED THIS SANDER JULY 5 AND IT ARRIVED TODAY, JULY 8. I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO USE IT YET, BUT KNOWING DE-WALT TOOLS, I AM SURE I WON'T BE DISSAPOINTED WITH IT. THE PRICE FROM AMAZON DOT COM WAS GOOD AND THE DELIVERY, IN ONLY THREE DAYS WAS EXCELLANT. I ALSO ORDERED A BOX OF SANDING DISCS WITH THE SANDER. THE SHIPMENT ARRIVED VIA UPS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THANK YOU AMAZON DOT COM AND UPS. I'LL WRITE ANOTHER REVIEW OF THIS PRODUCT AFTER I HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO PUT IT TO USE ON A PROJECT. I OWN MANY DE-WALT POWER TOOLS, FROM A COMPRESSOR TO SEVERAL CORDLESS DRILLS AND A RECIPROCATING SAW AND I DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ANY OTHER BRAND. DE-WALT IS THE BEST.
Dewalt is the best 2008-03-13
DeWalt D26451K 3 Amp 5-Inch Random Orbit Sander with Cloth Dust Bag
One the best sanders I have ever owned and believe me it gets it used daily.
nice sander 2008-02-23
This sander worked well taking a few cabinets down to bare wood for refinishing. Works best horizontal sanding, a bit heavy for vertical work. Changing sanding discs is quick and easy. Especially like the shop vac port which made for very little dust.
What A Sander Should Be 2008-01-23
Yeah, this is the definately sander to own (or equivalently the PC brand, which is also good).
Aside from the effectiveness of the machine itself as a sander, I truly appreciate the instant ease of changing the sanding discs. Too many times I've changed from 60 grit to 100 grit to 180 grit and then need to go back to the 100 or 60 again. Presto chango! Just remove the current disc and use the old 100 disc again.
This sander is not wasteful like the quarter sheet sanders, where you only get one use from the paper, these sanding discs can be used and reused many, many times and always stay tight on the sander. The discs do not tear or crease when you remove them, there's no sticky mess or clamping gymnastics, the hook and loop attach lets you change and rechange discs instantly with ease-ease-ease. This aspect alone has revised my entire philosophy of machine sanding.
And those discs do last forever. So maybe they cost a bit more up front but you can save them and get every bit of use out of them by reusing and reusing and reusing them until they are totally depleted. Definately worth the extra cost which can also be moderated by buying in bulk from a discount supplier. I keep my used discs in a 5 1/4 floppy disk strorage box, fits perfectly and prevents curling.
One criticism of the unit though, the "rubber" base pad does not last forever, mine just plain disintergrated after about four years and I had to replace it for about $20. But even though I grumbled about that I'm still very keen on this sander.
Also, I have the older model with the plastic dust collector which I think was better than the cloth bag.
In short, its the best, and most cost effective, sanding investment I ever made and I should have bought one of these years before.
Wasteful and needlessly expensive 
2007-09-19
Compared to a 1/4 sheet sander, this "hook & loop" sander is an environmental and economic folly. The sandpaper costs around three times as much as standard sheet-cut paper, and the throw-away paper itself uses more material - one half of the 'hook and loop' fasteners. This sander will cost you a lot more to use than a comparable 1/4 sheet sander, and it will contribute needless extra waste to our already strained environment. I'm using a DeWalt D46221K which produces great results - and does a good job collecting its own dust - without the added financial and environmental burden.
That said, I'm sure this is another reliable and highly effective DeWalt product. It's just a shame to see palm sanders move towards greater environmental irresponsibility and pricier sandpaper.
