I get tire of deal with my old skill 18 '' sander . I could never keep more than half the belt on its track . the bottom plate would also collapse on one side after awhile necessitate a screw driver pry job . with the right belt the Makita be a well behave mini-beast -lrb- loose the belt that come with the Makita and get yourself some of the premium Norton belt ... you 'll be glad you do -rrb- . as other 's have say , this thing track flawlessley after a couple of adjust turn on the side-dial . the belt stay on track even after change through various belt . the bottom plate assembly look durable . it have plenty of power and it suck up saw dust to the bag like a vacuum . I would venture to say it capture about 90 % of the saw dust . the long cord be great because it keep you knot-tie connection to you extention cord away from you project where it typically get hang up on corner . this thing be make I look for project I would not have even consider with my old sander .