The brands here are all well known in the industry and in this comparison all of the belt sanders here are under $200. We start with the Dewalt DW433K belt sander. Here we have a well constructed professional grade belt sander with a high-power motor and the longest warranty in this comparison, at 3-years. Another great feature is the variable speed dial which is help for working with a variety of materials and surfaces. The low center of gravity also makes this unit easy to maneuver.

The Black & Decker BDSA100 is a combo sander which uses belt and disc sanding and is built on a tilting aluminum table. The Black & Decker can also be used for bevel sanding which makes this a true multifunction sanding tool. About the same price is the Makita 9901 which skips the luxuries for durability. The included accessories and technology are minimum. The focus here is on the tool being plain old reliable. The price gets you no flash.

Last in this comparison is the C. R. Lawrence is the value leader here and brings a lot to the table. More power than the Makita, with dust control, a long cord and a well-balanced design. The C. R. Lawrence has more power than the Makita and the Black & Decker and costs less.

Once you’re sure how much you’ll be using this sander and how much power you’ll need for the jobs, then you can consider whether you’ll need that 8-motor or the control and flexibility of a bevel-capable sander. No nonsense pros might lean toward the bare minimum sander but there’s a middle-ground sander here that also does a great job.