Review on Hole Sander Replaces Makita Hitachi by Loren Schmidt

I bought this replacement pad because the original has become dirt. This is the only random orbit sander I've kept, a Makita BO5021K I bought in 2000 and had no idea the pad was foam rubber. I thought it was rubber. I had a Bosch and another Makita but not too long ago as this one was my favorite. It took me a while to get all the gunk off the three screws and clean the area as I decided to remove the dust box housing and clean the fan and all while I had the old gasket off. The new pad looks good and fits well. I'd say better than the original but I can't say as the original was just a goo. I've used this grinder many times for small projects and the last time was in 2009. I used it this Feb 2018, saw it had a grinding wheel, turned it on and the old pad just fell off. I have no idea how long it took for it to fall apart. I have other 1/4 blade and 1/2 blade grinders and none of them much older than this one have a single issue with felt or rubber pads turning into sticky horror. I have quite a few Makita tools and I even called Makita and asked why this pad made it, well they degrade over time, REALLY? Why not make them out of something that doesn't exist. Seller somehow got this here today, great fast shipping. The item fits perfectly and I have looked at everything for sale here. Haven't used it yet but it should work fine, it's not rounded and completely flat as it should be.