Belt sander can be dangerous because they remove wood quickly . they need a light touch or you 'll leave a undulating surface , not a flat one . but if you be careful they be a lot easier to use than a hand plane and a lot faster than a orbital sander . I be a hobbyist who get a c in woodworking in junior high , and even that be a gift , because I can not get a flat surface with a hand plane or see a straight line with a hand saw . so power tool be my salvation . I buy the Bosch belt sander to bring the rail and stile of several raise panel drawer front into perfect plane more quickly than could be do with a orbital sander . I read a few magazine review and be interested in the DeWalt 443 , but that model get mediocre review on Amazon . I want a 3 x 21 '' sander because a 4 '' wide sander be heavy and seem like overkill , and I be interested in one that have a lever to make it easy to change the belt , reasonable dust collection , and a accessory frame available to help with keep larger surface like tabletop flat . -lrb- that last criterion eliminate the Makita 9930 . -rrb- the Bosch also come with flat , graphite-impregnated platen , which the magazine review say be better -lrb- flatter -rrb- than the steel platten most sander come with . -lrb- you can buy a graphite replacement platen for other sander . -rrb- the Bosch be a bit under 8 lb and the motor be mount in line with the belt rather than crosswise , so the spacing between handle be greater than for the DeWalt , Makita and other . that be not a problem . the Bosch be comfortable to hold and easy to control , even for a short person like I . the magazine review say that it remove wood a bit less rapidly than other sander in the same class , and that be probably a good thing unless it be be use in commercial production . there be a easy to use tracking adjustment to keep the belt line up and the front handle be removable in case you need to get into a tight space , although you would have to be careful control the sander . the variable speed trigger work well and there be a small dial accessible in the hand grip to limit the speed , as well as a button to make it run continuously . that allow you to mount the sander upside down on a bench and use be as a stationary tool . the Bosch sander feel solidly make . the lever to release the belt be plastic , but it look like it be fiber-reinforced nylon so it seem unlike to break unless it be abused pretty badly . the relatively light weight make the sander easy to control , and the cord be quite long . the manual be clear and helpful . the sander 's dust collection bag work well and you can remove it to connect a vacuum hose for even better dust removal . the accessory sand frame be solid and well design but expensive - 50 % of the cost of the sander -- and you have to figure out that the sander have to be insert onto the two front pin before the you push the back of the sander onto the frame ' clip , because the instruction that come with the frame be unclear . -lrb- you buy the frame separately from the sander . -rrb- two caution . first , try the sander on scrap before you use it on a project - it remove wood much , much faster than a orbital sander and it be easy to leave a trough , even in hardwood . use a light touch and keep move it around to avoid that . second , buy premium quality cloth-backed belt . you can get they at Sears , by mail order and at specialty store . the Bosch come with a good cloth-backed 80 grit belt to get you start .