Review on 🛠️ Enhanced Variable Speed Sander - Makita BO4900V by Melvin Goerge

Just got my Makita from Revain, delivered to my door in 2 days sweet! It is indeed made in Japan and appears to be of premium quality. I remember the day it meant it was crap but now it's in the past! So far, so good. All in all, this seems to be an amazing product. Haven't used this device yet but will update my review later. In the meantime I will consider 2 questions. The first concerns the complaint that Makita did not provide a template. While welcome, note that this Makita offers the possibility of vacuum holes on the surface of the sandpaper compared to the competition (Bosch)! And like Bosch, there are holes on the edges of the mounting block that will collect dust if you don't poke through the sandpaper. Therefore, people complain that Makita has an additional feature that is not fully supported. It's still extra! The Makita hammer drill is available from Ace Tools online store for $15 with the part number mentioned in another review. Honestly, it's not difficult to do it yourself. It can be as simple as drawing circles on the back of standard sandpaper with the included sandpaper and using a razor blade to cut a cross into those circles. And it is obvious that with a little effort you can find better solutions than even a sold template. Work with disposable paper bags to collect dust. I'll definitely be making the vacuum connection with the grinder, which shouldn't be too difficult given the cast aluminum hose fitting. But for quick small jobs, I think the Bosch reusable filter system is much better. So far I see this as the main consideration when making a purchasing decision between these two products. UPDATE (10/21/2012): After much use, I've pretty much confirmed my initial comments. This is a high quality large half sandpaper sander similar to a hand sander. Without punching holes, it collects dust from the side deflectors. If you choose to bleed holes in the sandpaper, dust collection will be better, but it will not be a significant advance. However, this is a good option. The clamps and hold button work great. The biggest shortcoming, in my opinion, is the lack of a reusable dust bag that comes with the Bosch device. But overall I prefer this Makita!