Skil 7300 01 Octo 1 Amp Detail Sander with Dust Canister, 8 Detail Attachments, and 32 Piece Set of Abrasives

Customer Reviews

Octo Sander

2007-06-28
I received the sander on June 12. It had a defective part (the Velcro backing came off of a part of it). I called Skil. They said they would ship out a new part. I called today, June 28. They told me the part is backordered for yet another 10 days. I find this outrageous for a name branded item. Until the Velcro came off, the sander worked OK, other than the dust cannister which opened up several times.

Worth every penny

2007-04-27
Just got this sander today and am using it to sand a garden bench. It's a great little machine. I have several other sanders but none can get into the tight places like this one. It saved me from having to disassemble the bench down to the last slat. Great time saver!!

the crafty person's dream machine

2007-04-03
This sander in size weight and functionality as a sight to see. My mother at 67 years old has the problems of arthritis and lupus so being and an outdoors woman that can't be in the sun it is a requirement that anything she uses can be handle quickly efficiently so as to make her projects soar in a very short time. She has never been happier with a product and with it's own dust bag and attachments to do all of her birdhouses and such has her planning on more projects since it saves her so much time. Thank you amazon for you and your companies that work with you for bringing a little extra joy and ease to our lives

Great detail sander!

2007-03-26
I can put a smooth finish on any surface with the many attachments included with this sander. Especially like the flex attachment because it conforms to any surface shape. The sander is easy to hold and the attachments can be changed in seconds. The dust cannister keeps my work surface clean. I would recommend this for the many sanding jobs around the house.

The 1-day sander

2008-06-21
In need of a detail sander, the Skil Octo was an interesting choice. It has multiple attachments that offer the potential of great benefit. To its credit, the Octo is inexpensive, likely to handle some jobs adequately, and comes with a carrying case/bag. In my experience its shortcoming include the following. The tool and attachments are poorly constructed. After the first day of using the Skil Octo it was noted that components holding the velcro and the velcro itself were dangling from or had fallen off the tool and attachments, respectively. The dust canister appears to be for cosmetic purposes only, and many DIY are likely to find the complexity of adding and removing of the attachment support plate to be a deal breaker. Seldom have many of use using this tool found the seemingly simply task of pushing a button and removing/adding a plate/accessory so time-consuming and challenging.

It is within the realm of possibility that the unit purchased by this reviewer contained faulty components and that he and others working on the project were in the minority of those who may report to having no difficulty with the attachment support plate. However, speaking only from personal experience I believe that Skil's attempt to build a quality tool capable multi-tasking fell terrible short.

Overall very good but there is a common problem.

2008-03-08
I have used this little sander for everything from wide panels to small, delicate boxes. The versatility is a strong point and I have put many of the attachments to use.
The dust collection canister on the back falls off on a pretty regular basis and it really doesn't catch much of the dust in the first place. This is kind of incovenient but really isn't that big of a deal.
HOWEVER, Given the fact that this sander is designed to be versatile, they really should have made the hook & loop (Velcro) base more durable. During the first couple paper changes, the panel that is on the sander started pulling away from the body. Even being careful not to tear at it the panel eventually came off. I have glued it back on about 3 times now and I think I may only be able to do that one or two more times before the material will be too far gone to fix. This is a design flaw that Skil should look into because it makes a great product less than ideal.

Octo 1 Sander

2008-02-11
Works well, collects dust just as advertised. No better or worse than any other sander I have used.

Good, but not great

2007-08-15
I bought this sander based on the reviews read here. I wasn't looking for a heavy duty sander, just something to sand down putty used to patch some holes in the walls before I painted. While the sander worked well, the velco did tear off after I removed the first sheet of sand paper (I, too, used super glue to stick it back on) but for me, the biggest issue is the dust collection bag. It collects a fair amount of the sander shavings, but once you remove it to dump it out, it is really difficult to put back on. I had to remove the backing (which is attached with screws) to get the bag back on tightly. This seems poorly designed and adds too much time to my projects.

Efficient Little Sander

2007-07-07
After spending the past week sanding the railing of a very large redwood deck (a project I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy!)and using a variety of other big name brand sanders, I am completely sold on this little Skil Sander. I traded off, using a Craftsman Palm Sander, a Porter Cable Profile Sander, and a Black & Decker Belt Sander not wanting to burn out the motor on any of the tools during this quite large job. Belive it or not, none of the other sanders did as well as the Skil. It didn't fail me no matter the difficult angle or tight nooks and crannys. I used almost all of the attachments and all worked extremely well.
When I first purchased this sander my husband rolled his eyes thinking it was a girly tool. By the end of our first day of sanding he was reaching for the Skil as often as I. The velcro did come loose after tearing several of the sanding sheets off, but after a little super glue it worked great.
I would recommend this tool for any project, large or small.