Beverly's DIY Ideas: Makita BO5041K Review

No shop is really complete without a random orbit sander, but with so many different options out there to pick and choose from finding the right one can be a real hassle.

Every major tool manufacturer puts out a random orbit sander, and all of them promise that theirs is going to be the most powerful, the easiest to use, and the one capable of producing the most consistent results.

But, from our perspective, the Makita BO5041K random orbital sander is one of the best money can buy today. Perfect for professionals and amateurs alike, this is a powerful, capable, and flexible sander that will boost the finished quality of your woodworking projects by quite a bit.

Initial Impressions

Look, there just aren’t a lot of people – professional woodworkers and finish carpenters unlike that are ever going to describe ANY random orbital sander as “sexy”. This is much more of a workhorse kind of tool, one designed to remove a considerable amount of material in a hurry while making the job of the finish guy a lot easier.

But there’s just something about this random orbital sander from Makita that has us glowing about the overall design and aesthetic, and it sure isn’t that now all-too-familiar Makita blue paint job!

Beautifully designed and incredibly ergonomic, you’re going to really appreciate the foresight and thought that went on behind the scenes at Makita to make of this 5 inch random orbital sander one of the most frequently reached for tools in our arsenal when it comes time to rough sand or finish sand any of our woodworking projects.

Ambidextrous use is really easy, the extra “power handle” gives you total control even when you are using rough or grits of sandpaper, and the integrated dust collection system never really gets in the way no matter how you are handling this sanding instrument.

The same things cannot be said about a lot of the other industry-leading orbital sanders out there, and this attention to detail and design/utility is something that we are really happy about with this Makita.

Standout Features

As far as standout features are concerned, we were at least a little bit nervous about the way that the primary handle was configured right off the bat – but it quickly became one of our favorite things about the overall design of this sander, especially when used with the “pistol grip” power handle.

You’ll always be in complete control over this random orbital sander (even with tougher grits and when you kick it into high gear at 12,000 OPM), and a lot of that is because of the intelligent design of the primary handle and the way that the pistol grip works.

Combine all of this with a tremendously energy efficient operation and the dust collection system that we mentioned above that just flat out works (you’ll be amazed at how clean your work surface and work area is and how long you can go before you have to dump out the bag) and you have something really special here.

It’s also nice that this Makita random orbital sander accepts all traditional sanding pads designed for 5 inch random orbital sanders, instead of going with a proprietary venting system like some of the other popular sanders on the market do.

You won’t ever feel like you are pigeonholed into purchasing specific (and unnecessarily expensive) sanding pads when you go with the Makita BO5041K.

Pros

The power of the tool is variable, giving you the ability to flip between a range of 4000 to 12,000 OPM depending upon the type of sanding you’ll be doing
Standardized sanding pads will work right out of the box with the Makita BO5041K, saving you quite a bit of money and avoiding a lot of headache
The dust collection system keeps you and your workspace clean and the intelligently designed dual handle mechanism eliminates a lot of fatigue

Cons

The carrying case for the Makita BO5041K isn’t exactly the most intelligently designed and certainly isn’t large enough to hold any more than five extra sanding pads at any point in time
Like most other Makita tools, you’re going to have to pay a little bit more to take advantage of a premium tool that should last years longer than most others
Some have complained about the balance of this random orbital sander, but most have doubled back on their initial reviews to say that they handle takes a bit of getting used to but once that “get to know you” block of time has passed the Makita BO5041K is actually quite effortless to use

Who’s going to be able to get the most out of this tool?

Professional woodworkers, finish carpenters, boatbuilders, and serious enthusiasts are going to get the most out of this particular random orbital sander, but honestly this is a premium tool designed and engineered so well that most any one that needs a 5 inch random orbital sander will be able to get more than their money’s worth out of this equipment.

DIYers and homebuilders may not get quite as much utility out of this specific unit, and may blanch a little bit at dropping a little more than $100 on a woodworking tool that isn’t going to be a mainstay on their workbench, but we feel that Makita tools are worth the premium price tag.

Final Verdict

At the end of the day, there are plenty of different options out there to begin choose from when it comes time to invest in a random orbital sander, especially one as compact as this 5 inch unit.

And while there are certainly other options out there that are less expensive, you would be very hard pressed to find any random orbital sander that offers the kind of power, consistency, and intelligent design that this Makita BO5041K brings to the table.

It may not be the perfect random orbital sander out there (if a tool like that even exists), but it is certainly one of the best options available on the market today at any price point.

Source: http://www.toolerant.com/makita-bo5041k-review/