this sander have plenty of power for its size , and the vacuum bag actually suck up quite a bit of the dust without spray it right back in you face . track be decent and the fact that the right side and top be flat and ready to be clamp down to any available surface make it great for occasional bench sanding . what I do not like be how off-balance it be -- it really like to roll toward the leave on account of the motor 's weight and it be pretty hard to tell whether or not you be hold it level until it be too late . compound this problem with the fact that the optional sand shoe\/frame be both $ 114 extra and discontinued and you have get some pretty heavy con . I make my own frame out of 3\/4 '' mdf , but it be obviously pretty heavy and not especially durable . I also have a problem with the placement of the speed adjustment knob -- it get coated in dust almost instantly and become impossible to read without a shot of compress air . I worry about how long it will last before the potentiometer fizzle out . there seem to be a awful lot of review of belt sander from all manufacturer where customer complain about Amazon ship they a use unit as new . I too suspect this have happen to I upon open the box as mine be cover in what appear to be sawdust . a closer inspection however reveal that this be in fact just cardboard that have get sand by the belt as the unit be throw around during shipping . no harm , no foul . if you plan on do a lot of leveling , I would consider the DeWalt as you can pick up they frame just about anywhere . otherwise , there be quite a bit of bang for you buck here . it look boxy and awkward , but those bad look really add to the versatility of the machine . UPDATE : just talk to Makita on the phone and they confirm that the sand shoe accessory be no longer be make by anyone and they have no plan to design or produce a replacement model . Boo .