Customer Reviews:
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 Wow! A powerful sander with case and 5yr warranty accepts self adhesive paper., July 15, 2008
By WoodHog
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I'm the pickiest handy dude on this planet.
I read the positive and negative reviews and chose to buy this sander anyway.
I do not regret buying this sander. Other major brand sanders I compared are 1.7Amp 1.6Amp 2.0Amp 2.4Amp
Heres my honest review. Enjoy.
This sander is made with high quality materials and has a comfortable rubber grip and runs quiet and smooth.
This sander has a 12' long all rubber power cord and lots of power. It removed wood very fast for a finishing sander 14000 orbits and 1/16" orbit diameter.
Being a more powerful sander I needed to grip it a little more than my other bagless sander yet needed less downward pressure to actually sand.
A very minor issue....The rear paper clamp lever contacts the rectangular dust chute if the paper clamp lever is perfectly centered. My sample sandpaper installed in approx one minute.
There was no issue with sandpaper coming loose or tearing.
Helpful tip...
Buy good quality sandpaper and throw out old brittle junk sandpaper.
Even better news people. The cardboard box says....It accepts self adhesive paper. Yea!
The cloth dust bag has a round coil spring shaped wire inside so the bag don't hang flat. It captures sawdust well and twist locks on and does not fall off like earlier designs on other cheap sanders.
Even better news people. The cardboard box says intregated vacuum ports for 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" attatchments. Yea!
This is a superb sander combined with a hard plastic case for the money spent and the 5 yr warranty cant be beat.
30 of 33 people found the above review helpful.
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"Best in Class!", February 21, 2008
By David
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I have been a wood worker for 30 years and decided to try out the new 1/4 Sheet Sander that Milwaukee recently added to their line. I am amazed by how good this sander feels in your hand, Milwaukee obviously put a lot of thought in the grip. It has everything that you would like in a 1/4 sheet sander --- soft start, plenty of power, vacuum ports, pad cushioning and break. Do yourself a favor and try one of these sanders out, you will not be disappointed!
21 of 21 people found the above review helpful.
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 poor design, April 9, 2008
By DW (CT)
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The rear clamp for the sandpaper interfers with the dust collector so that it is very difficult to change the paper. The front clamp is so tight that it takes a good effort to clamp the paper to the pad.
16 of 16 people found the above review helpful.
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 Poor documentation, March 20, 2008
By Casual hobbiest (Roswell, Ga United States)
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I bought this sander and read the manual on how to load the sandpaper. It seems that if you remove the plastic off of the sandpaper clamps and then understand that the handles are actually lift bars to open the sandpaper clamps, then you will be able to load the sandpaper easily and you will be very happy with this sander. The documentation must have been written by a technical writer and not someone that actually used the product. Otherwise it seems to be a great sander. Just what the doctor ordered.
9 of 11 people found the above review helpful.
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That was easy, December 7, 2008
By David Schinkai
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I own this sander. I have worked on wooden boats, fiberglass boats, homes, furniture, etc. since 1988. I have used many different sanders, needless to say. This thing is a beauty. The supposed difficulty changing paper is no problem. Put the sandpaper in the rear clamp first, pushing down on the lever as you feed the paper in. Do the front the same way. A time saver is to load 3 sheets at the same time, then just rip off the spent sheet and you are good to go.
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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Clamping problems, June 27, 2008
By melvin100 (Scottsdale, AZ)
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My new rating is one star.
Update- After using this sander several times, I found the clamp giving me the same problem another reviewer had - the clamp would not hold the paper while sanding. I called Milwaukee service and they told me to use two sheets of sand paper. Though not the answer I wanted to hear, I tried that, which made it difficult to load the paper, and the paper fell off while sanding. This is going back to Amazon. There is obviously an engineering/mfg defect with this model.
This 1/4 sheet palm sander works easily and powerfully. For those having problems clamping the paper, hats off to Brad (other reviewer) who noticed that there are plastic guards that come off the clamp allowing easier insertion. Additionally, potential buyers should know that this is a kit - it comes in a hard plastic case with three 1/4 sheets of sandpaper as well as a hole punch. The marketing guys at Milwaukee tool should improve their product description to give all this info. so that Amazon/Milwaukee doesn't have to sell these at a substantially lower price than their competitors', and this is a Milwaukee with a five year warranty.
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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 Just one drawback, March 1, 2008
By Chef John (Lakeland, FL)
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This a great little 1/4 sheet sander, all the quality you have come to expect from Milwaukee. Note that getting the sandpaper into the locking slots is not easy! Take a lot of time to change papers. That not withstanding, it is a great value for the price.
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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 Front clam just won't hold, June 7, 2008
By Fibredude (S. California)
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After 1 project, the front clamp/clip just won't hold the sand paper anymore. Like everyone said, it is too very difficult to get the sand paper onto the machine.
8 of 9 people found the above review helpful.
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Milwaukee's Big Mistake, March 18, 2008
By ToolDoctor (New Haven, CT)
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I have always been a big fan of Milwaukee tools and own many. I have several palm sanders including DeWalt and Porter Cable. My Porter Cable finally died after a few years of heavy use and I purchased the Milwaukee 6020-21 1/4 sheet sander since I liked the direct vacuum hose attachment.
The design is terrible. It is nearly impossible to get the sandpaper below the clamps, it almost takes two people. The vibration is awful, the unit is noisy and too heavy. I tried it for 5 mins and packed it up to return to Amazon. In the dozens of tools I bought from Amazon, this is my only return.
Frankly, I was shocked at such a failure by one of the finest tool makers on Earth. Nobody is perfect. Better luck next time.
8 of 12 people found the above review helpful.
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Clamping problems, June 27, 2008
By melvin100 (Scottsdale, AZ)
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My new rating is one star.
Update- After using this sander several times, I found the clamp giving me the same problem another reviewer had - the clamp would not hold the paper while sanding. I called Milwaukee service and they told me to use two sheets of sand paper. Though not the answer I wanted to hear, I tried that, which made it difficult to load the paper, and the paper fell off while sanding. This is going back to Amazon. There is obviously an engineering/mfg defect with this model.
This 1/4 sheet palm sander works easily and powerfully. For those having problems clamping the paper, hats off to Brad (other reviewer) who noticed that there are plastic guards that come off the clamp allowing easier insertion. Additionally, potential buyers should know that this is a kit - it comes in a hard plastic case with three 1/4 sheets of sandpaper as well as a hole punch. The marketing guys at Milwaukee tool should improve their product description to give all this info. so that Amazon/Milwaukee doesn't have to sell these at a substantially lower price than their competitors', and this is a Milwaukee with a five year warranty.
8 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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Very poor design..., September 6, 2008
By C. Meyer (Colorado)
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The sander works great but changing the paper is a PAIN! The rear clamp interferes with the dust collector making it hard to operate. Seems like someone should have caught this MAJOR design flaw during production of this item... Anyway, it seems like there are comparable products out there without these problems so I'm returning this one.
6 of 7 people found the above review helpful.
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Not a Random Orbital Sander!, March 24, 2008
By Tree Farmer (in the Maine woods)
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As a professional woodworker& teacher, I was disappointed by the inaccurate description of this tool as a RANDOM ORBITAL sander, which it is not.
I never sanded anything with this sander, because I have already have several orbital pad sanders and a 5" porter Cable Random Orbital sander, and thought this little Milwaukee unit would be a welcome addition to my stable. Wrong!
As always, Amazon was good about paying for the return . . . . But do NOT waste your time on this tool, if you too are considering it on the basis of it being a RANDOM orbital machine!
6 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Works Great!, April 23, 2008
By Brad Wayt (Magdalena, NM United States)
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I didn't read the owner's manual, so I didn't have the same problem as those that did. I do not know why the clamps had plastic covers over the teeth, but they came off easy enough. I haven't had it long enough to know how it will last, but it seems to be a big improvement over the previous model (which I still use after ten years).
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Milwaukee 6020-21 issues, January 30, 2010
By D. Rhodes (VA)
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Over the years I have owned many Milwaukee tools. They have proven to do there intended jobs very well. A current example would be the m12 drill and recep. saw. (great set) This sander disappointed in three areas. 1. On/off switch kept turning off when lightly bumped during use. 2. Paper keepers would not hold sandpaper securely in place. 3. Dust collector location makes it difficult to change paper. One of the few tools I have returned. Pros: Looks good and priced right.
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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completely satisfied, December 27, 2008
By Leonard Viale (Los Gatos, Calif)
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The Milwaukee 6020-21 sander has lived up to the name. I also have a 1/2 sheet Milwaukee that is 15 years old and still an outstanding tool. I have also recentely purchased a Milwaukee 5" orbital sander that is excellent. All three sanders do an outstaning job in rapid removal of material and leaves an extraordinary finish using 220 grit paper. Paper change is easy and convienent. I had an orbital sander of another name brand that had frequent breakdowns that I replaced with Milwaukee brand sanders.If you make a decision to purchase this sander you will be very happy with the performance.
4 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Milwaukee 6020 Sander, August 28, 2008
By A. Bonito
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This was a very good buy at the $30 sale price. Inserting the sandpaper will not be as easy as some, but once you understand it isn't a problem and it comes with a three year warranty! The sand collector is such an improvement over the old removable bags.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Serious issues with the clamps limit an otherwise useful tool, November 8, 2009
By Snap, Crackle and Pop (United States)
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THE QUICK TAKE: The clamps don't clamp properly - it's hard to insert paper, and the front clamp loses its grip some of the time. So many users will find this tool wastes a lot of time.
Though for those using self-adhesive sandpaper, or for light or occasional use, this tool is a good value at the current heavily discounted price. The power gives quick results and a nice finish.
TWO ISSUES WITH THE CLAMPS: There are two big issues with the clamps that hold the sandpaper. Since this is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, they will be serious issues for many users:
1 - The clamps are really awkward for installing paper - you have to force the clamp open and fiddle with getting the edge of the paper wrapped around the pad and under the clamp. A lever swings out, and you need to use that lever to lift the clamp out far enough to insert the paper. It takes a fair bit of force to open up the clamps, too, as the lever isn't that helpful. And you can't really use the back clamp as intended, because the dust tube gets in the way of using it in the center. So you need to move it to one side or the other, which means the clamp opens unevenly - more on the side the lever is on than the other side. All of which might be tolerable if it weren't for issue #2 ...
2 - The front clamp doesn't hold the paper, when used in certain applications. It seems worst when sanding on a wider piece of work, which engages more of the paper, and when moving across the work in certain directions. Self adhesive paper would likely overcome this problem. And light users may find that fooling with the paper is still worthwhile, given the low price and the results you can get with the sander. (See the bottom of the review for some notes on cutting and installing paper - though it's a lot of fooling around if you're doing much sanding.)
All of which is a shame, as this would be a nice tool if the clamps worked properly:
PERFORMANCE: I'm very happy with the results and the speed (though I don't use it for fine wood finishes, mostly paint prep work). Choosing the right sandpaper for the job helps.
VIBRATION: I haven't had many problems with vibration (except when I'm not using it right), and generally find it easy to use. It can be a little awkward, mostly due to the dust bag, but with some thinking you can fit it into a lot of places that a larger sander wouldn't fit, or do small areas.
NOISE: The noise level seems reasonable if loud. I wasn't expecting it to be quiet, but was worried it might be excessively loud. (But wear ear protection!)
DUST COLLECTION: Seems to work well. It catches a respectable amount of the dust.
INCLUDED ACCESSORIES: The case is useful and fairly well designed (see photos in the product image gallery). The hole punch (to put holes in paper you cut, to allow dust removal from the surface) is easy to use.
CORD: 12 feet, two wire
WARRANTY: Five years
NOTE ON CUTTING AND INSERTING PAPER: If you want to use sheets of paper, here's one potential workaround: Cut pieces of paper about 6" to 6-1/4" long, so you have enough to add a 1/4" to 3/8" fold to each end, where the paper goes into clamps. Or even allow for two folds for the front clamp, if need be. Be sure to fold it down to the standard 5-1/2", though, or you won't be able to get the paper tight enough for the sander to work well.
Insert the paper in the rear clamp just enough to hold it, so you have more slack to work with the front. Then insert the paper in the front clamp. Once it's in both clamps tighten up the paper in the rear and front by inserting it as far as possible.
You'll get only 3 pieces of paper per sheet, and you'll still surely curse the clamps, but it may let you get some work done with the sander.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Almost too powerful, December 10, 2008
By jthorner (Morgan Hill, CA USA)
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This sander packs a lot of punch for a palm sander, sometimes that is a good thing, but sometimes it tries to get away from you. The sander is so agressive that it tries to counter rotate either the workpiece and/or your hand away from it. This much power almost requires a two-handed grip. Part of my problem is a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrom which makes me very sensitive about how much single handed grip I need to use with a tool. YMMV.
As to the clamps ... I never use them on any of my palm sanders. I buy rolls of 4" adhesive backed paper and use them on a 3M roll dispenser frame thingy. By far the easiest way to go with a palm sander.
Now I own three palm sanders, and this Milwaukee is the one I pick up when I want the most agressive action and a fairly stiff backing pad. Different tools are ideal for different tasks.
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Well I've been a wood worker for 30 years also, November 27, 2008
By Claude (Maine)
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And I bought this sander because my old trusty Porter Cable 330 died after 25 years of use. This does not compare to my old one granted my old one cost about [...] bucks now. The sander is very hard to feed the paper onto and you can only get 2 sheets on at a time. It leaves marks on the wood that my old did not.
Well what to do, I'm going to buy a new porter cable 300, and you can have this one for the cost of the shipping so I can keep on shop somewhat clean!
3 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Be sure to buy ear protection, November 9, 2010
By RR
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This is third or fouth small sander I have owned in the last several years since I use them professionally, and it is by far the noisiest and least effective. Compared to Bosch or De walt this sander has to be at least twice as loud and extremely vibration prone. Better to spend you money on a different brand. The paper holder is also stupid since the back lever conflicts with the added on filter holder.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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good value for the money, September 2, 2009
By martin
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works great. dont know much about the dust collector cause i sand outside. powerful sander. comes with several different grit sandpaper sheets. you can take a regular sand paper sheet and cut it into 4 pieces and they will fit onto the sander. you have to punch holes in the sandpaper in order for the dust collector to work. i dont bother punching the holes cause its too much hassle. i think there is an included hole puncher. i would punch the holes if i was working indoors. comes with a small hard plastic milwaukee case.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Orbital Sander Review, January 30, 2009
By M. Schumacher
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The product met my expectations. It never said if it came with a case, as Milwaukee tools usually do, but it did.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY - PIECE OF JUNK, April 7, 2010
By Peter K. (Pleasanton, CA USA)
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I RETURNED THIS SANDER AFTER ONE WEEK. This sander is the poorest designed electric tool I have ever seen. My son told me I should buy a DeWalt, I wish I listened to him. First off, this sander is difficult at best to get the 1/4 sheet of sandpaper loaded in the sander. The pad used on the sander is a bit larger than others so you have to play with the ¼ sheet to finally get it loaded. Just to get the 1/4 in place take minutes of fiddling with it. It takes at least 5 times longer to load a sheet of sandpaper on this Milwaukee compared to my old Makita.
To add insult to injury once you finally get the sandpaper loaded in the Milwaukee sander and start to use it, the sandpaper slips out of the grips quickly. This piece of junk simply will not hold the sandpaper tightly enough. My 20 year old Makita holds it better after all the years and wear on it. I thought I would replace my old Makita with this new Milwaukee. NOT A CHANCE!!!
Last but not least, the grip on this sander is far too large to hold comfortably. I have no idea who designed this but Milwaukee should do themselves a favor and send them to work at their competitors because whoever it is has no idea how to design tools. I RETURNED THIS PIECE OF JUNK. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Really i don't find the clamp design to be bad!, April 17, 2009
By Arcade Bee (Trinidad (West Indies)
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I read the bad review about this sander but somehow i wanted to try it for myself, maybe the expectation of the cliche! design flaw got me curious.
The truth is common sense, is most uncommon! this clamping system isn't hard to use, maybe a little effort to raise it the clamps are needed. but! to down rate a product because of your inability to understand the mechanism, is a little bias anyhow! to those who want to buy this item don't be a mirror for some one elses thoughts and experiences, you may not feel the same when you use the item yourself later folks.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Stay away.. very poor design, August 5, 2008
By tangent (Houston, TX United States)
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Wish I had read the reviews first on this one, made an impulse purchase while buying some other stuff at the local big box retailer. Haven't even sanded with it yet and it is already back in the box waiting to be returned tomorrow.
Basically I have the same qualms as all the other reviewers. The rear paper clamp is blocked by the vacuum port which makes changing the paper very frustrating. Also it is too noisy and vibrates too much compared to other sheet sanders I have used (PC and DeWalt).
Interesting to note that Milwaukee is now owned by Techtronic (Chinese company who makes Ryobi). This definitely feels more like a Ryobi product than Milwaukee.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Palm Sander, April 23, 2008
By Bob (NY)
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Excellent sander, however the paper changes are the poorest I have experienced. Very difficult to open and insert new sheet.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Powerful, Quality, Clamp not a big deal, March 18, 2010
By Andrew C. Davison
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UPDATE -- After about 8 months of use the clamp is really worn out and does not hold paper -- I ended up switching to a Dew alt Random Orbital with Velcro sandpaper - much better.
Title says it all -- this is a powerful, well built, high quality, effective sander. Others complain about the sandpaper clamp -- and while I agree it is not the best design - it is a totally useable device and in my opinion this is the best sander at this price point.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Would buy again!, February 6, 2010
By A. Adams
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Received item in a timely manner, and it worked great! Would buy again from seller!
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Little Sander for the Professional, December 12, 2009
By Bob Masse (Riverside, Ca)
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I am a door installation carpenter and I bought this little sander to replace the cheapie palm sander I normally use. I do not really require a quality tool for the type of sanding I do on door edges, but the price of this unit was fair and the sander looked quite nice.
I did have my doubts about the palm sander upon reading the bad reviews it received concerning the amount of trouble people seemed to have in loading the paper into the unit. I also found it a bit hard on my first attempt but learned quickly how to do it with little effort. My hands are big so that helps too. One tip I might give is to use a bit of Duct Tape on one edge of the quarter square of Sandpaper to make the paper longer. This will aid in loading the paper because of the added length. It will also make the clamped edge stronger and will not tear as quickly.
I love the LONG cord on this unit. That is a real deal maker right there. It seems to be at least 10' long or maybe longer.
I was able to put sander thru its paces on a home repair painting job on my hallway and I was impressed with the dust collection system and the overall performance of the sander.
The unit comes with a Carrying case . Personally I don't care for plastic cases that come with tools and have a stack of them in my garage from assorted tools I have bought over the years. They just sit in there empty. I should toss them but you know how that goes. I imagine many people appreciate the plastic tool cases and if you are one of these types then you will love this bright red case.
The sander seems to be on the quiet side compared to my old sander and the vibration you feel in your hand during use is not to bad.
The on and off switch is recessed into the unit and a bit on the small side. I imagine if you are using gloves you may find it hard to switch the unit on and off.
This unit has a unbelievably good warranty also. FIVE YEARS!
Now that is a warranty!
Overall I give this TOOL 5 STARS.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Tool No Problems, December 12, 2009
By Richard G. Spillum (Snohomish WA United States)
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I recently purchased this sander because of the price and I wanted a back-up sander. Personally I also own a Porter Cable 330 Speed Block and a Makita 4552K. The Speed Block is a wonderful sander and has many hours of use with no problems. It has a couple of drawbacks no dust collection, very hard to depress the lever to change paper and no rubber grip. The Makita is okay a little easier to change the paper, no rubber grip, an interior stiffner for the bag tends to break easliy. Now for the Milwaukee, powerful, long rubber covered cord, creates a very fine swirl free finish, is well weighted and balanced, great dust bag, rubber protected switch and a good but not great paper holding system. I too was dissapointed at first to find that the rear lever for mounting the paper seemed to get in the way of the dust collection port, but come on people move the lever just a little more past the dust chute and guess what no interference what so ever. Some have complained that the sander is hard to hold and wants to walk across the material. Again common sense should come into play here, this is an aggresive sander move up a grit or 2 and you will have a much easier time and a better end product, after all this is a finishing sander not meant for removing large amounts of material at a time. All in all this is a great sander for the money. For the price and the features I would highly recommend this product to anyone.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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milwaukee sander, November 17, 2008
By mohokat (Ogden,Utah)
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I like the tool. The paper release on the rear is a design flaw and does require some effort but it is not insurmountable. The tool works well other than that. Again I like it and the price on Amazon was very attractive. I would do it again.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Junk, May 12, 2010
By Mario J. Pisano
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It would be ok if it were not for the aligator clip locks . It looks like attaching a dust bag was an after thought. It blocks the arm they use to open the clip . So you have to do major sergery to make it work. I say don't buy it espically if you are an 80 year old man or women for that matter.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Good tool, November 18, 2008
By Kimo (Mexicali, BC Mexico)
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El único inconveniente de esta herramienta es al montar la lija, el sujetador de la parte del guarda polvo obstruye esta acción por lo cual se tiene que poner de un lado y después del otro, pero en lo general es una herramienta muy buena a un precio increíble, solo es cuestión de practica para poder montar la lija sin contratiempos.
1 of 6 people found the above review helpful.
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Don't buy this sander., September 13, 2010
By TGL
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I bought this sander a year ago because the dust collection looked good, and for the first few times it worked fine. Yes, as some have noted the dust collector interferes with the rear paper clamp, but I could deal with that. Yes, the clamps are a little stiff but they are on other brands as well. What is totally unacceptable though is that the sanding pad is so slick that the clamps cannot hold the paper on the sander. Within 30 seconds of putting a new sheet of paper on the sander it slides right off. I called technical service who acknowledged problems with the pad and noted a design change has been requested, but nothing available so far. He suggested using a piece of 60 grit to backup the sandpaper and give it a little more traction, or to just use PSA paper (which defeats the point of a 1/4 sheet sander). This sander is totally worthless to me. I have been using pad sanders for over 40 years and while some are better than others, this is the first that I have had that is unusable. I think giving it one star is generous.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Works well with a couple of draw backs, July 14, 2010
By MFT (Union City, California)
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the engineers really could have designed this a bit better. 1st it is really difficult to attach the sand paper to the sander. The lever in the back that loosens the griping clamp is tucked in under where the filter bag attaches and it is just really tough to get this to work and get the sandpaper to seat on the pad. The clamps themselves seem weak and fragile and I will be pleased if they don't break within a year or two. The other flaw is in the filter bag itself. The seam where it attaches to the sander is sewn up with a gap so when you run the sander, dust shoots out at you instead of being collected by the bag. I got this because it was cheaper than the Porter Cable but I would rather have paid more and gotten something a little tighter and heavier duty. The case it comes in is okay, nice, and the sander itself works well and has a pretty solid feel to it. I love dentalBookshop, always really fast and reliable, but I think I would have done better with a different brand of 1/4 sheet sander. It's okay, it is usable and does its job, but could be better.
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Disappointed, October 13, 2010
By KJC Muller
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I've owned and used Milwaukee tools for 35 years and this is the first time I've ever returned one. The paper clamp design is poor and doesn't work well, the(excessive) vibration causes the paper to walk off the pad. The handle is too big (for me) and combined with the vibration makes it uncomfortable to use for even a short time. The rocker switch doesn't always snap into the off position causing the sander to turn itself back on when you go to set it down. I would recommend you look at other brands even if they cost more, you'll be happier in the long run. I wish I'd have read the reviews first, better luck next time Milwaukee. Thankfully I purchased this from dentalBookshop, they paid the shipping for the return.
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Terrible clip design! Sandpaper slips off!, August 2, 2011
By lovetocook
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I would give this no stars if that were possible. After less than a few hours of use, the "teeth" that hold the sandpaper lose their sharpness, and the sandpaper starts to slip off. It becomes impossible to use the sander at this point since the rubber pad starts making contact with the wood. Slippage occurs immediately as you start the sander. Also, I find getting the sandpaper under the clips to be much more difficult than the heavy-wire type clip system like the Porter Cable. You can't even raise the rear clip properly because the dust collector is in the way. You have to lift it from the far edge, which makes it incredibly difficult to get the sandpaper under the low edge. Start with inserting the paper under the back clip first if you are stuck with this awful sander.
Maybe there are several marvels and feats of engineering with the motor, etc., but if the sandpaper just won't stay on, then none of it matters...
Do yourself a favor and buy a sander with the heavy-wire style clips, such as Porter Cable. My Porter Cable lasted for over 15 years with no slippage, and I purchased a new Porter Cable to replace this poorly designed Milwaukee sander. At first glance, it seems the "teeth" system might perform better, but the heavy wire Porter Cable is far superior. Self-adhesive sandpaper is not an excuse. If the feature is offered to use regular 1/4 sheets, it should work.
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If the paper would stay on it would be OK, July 16, 2011
By Daniel Gurney
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I am a hobbiest woodworker at best, and really do not use this sander all that much, that being said, the paper does not want to stay on anymore, it always walks out of one side, making the sander useless... really annoying. As others have stated, it is difficult to get the paper on, and the rear clamp interferes with the dust collector.
I try to do my best to research what i buy and spend money on good tools, this was a mistake on my part, don't do the same, find a better sander or else you will be frustrated down the road.
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Excellent Orbital, February 5, 2011
By Dosh42
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This was my first Orbital sander and it turned out great. Really easy to use. I needed it to sand the flat veneer face of my Marquetry projects. I was nervous as I only had about 0.025" of veneer and didnt want to 'go-through' and ruin weeks of work. With 180 grit the job was done in no time and was as flat as a die. Yep! it beats days of hand sanding. Only problem was mounting the sand paper square to the rear of the unit. It doesnt take a lot of thought to fix this problem. One fix that would work for me would be a side mounted vacuum bag ( I think) :-)
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Milwaukee Orbital Sander -- the Brand Speaks for Itself, September 10, 2010
By Thomas C. Steidel
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I own a number of Milwaukee power tools; in fact, I don't own any other brand. Why, you ask? Because, as a hard user of power tools, I demand that they take the punishment I serve up, and beg for more. Because, as an investment, my power tools must prove their value by performing well, without failures, and long. Lastly, because, as one who appreciates fine craftsmanship and quality, I insist that my tools not only reflect my work, but contribute to it. This orbital sander meets my requirements in every respect. To those who claim that the rear sandpaper grip is difficult to open, I suggest that they experiment long enough to find that it is not, and that the rigidity and spring tension is required to grip the sandpaper securely. To those who complain that this is not a random orbital, I urge them to read the product description, since it is not represented as a RANDOM orbital. Milwaukee makes one of those sanders, too. To those who complain that the tool is loud and vibrates, I answer that the kind of power and longevity built into this sander should lead one to expect this. Compare the power of this tool, which is very difficult to stall and virtually impossible to burn out, with other lesser sanders that are also quieter and vibrate less. If you want a sander that will hold up to years of service and punishment, you want a Milwaukee! If you're a weekend warrior with little or light work, and don't expect your power tools to last a lifetime, then buy something else. You'll be back in the marketplace in a few years to replace it! Having used--and abused--this, as well as my other Milwaukee tools, I do not hesitate to award it the five-star rating it deserves. As the Milwaukee slogan claims, they are "Nothing But HEAVY DUTY."
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OK, but ..., August 10, 2010
By lkbr
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Bought this sander a year ago and have just used it for the first time. VERY difficult to load the quarter-sheet of sandpaper onto the base, especially compared to comparable sanders that we own. And it is VERY noisy. Other than that, it performed OK, not much better or worse than similar sanders. It's not bad enough to return, but we wish we had purchased the Makita.
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Sander, May 7, 2010
By Stephen
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This sander does a very good job and has a lot of power with the 3amp motor being a lot more than some of the competition out there. the pad is thick and soft and the latches holding the paper are strong. Strong to a point where they are a little difficult to manipulate open and closed again with the paper not slipping out of place. It's mostly because it's stiff and clamps are tightly pressed against the tool body but I am hoping that with time and usage they will loosen up a little bit making that process a little easier. One of the clamps when open comes into contact with the body of the sander but you can get around this without much effort. Overall I really like the sander a lot and it makes a nice match with the orbital sander Milwaukee also makes. Between the two your ready for many of your typical finish sanding needs. Nice (longer than the others) power cord eliminates the need for an extension cord for many jobs. Strong kit box with metal latches! A plus and way better than many of the other kit box's that you see coming out lately. It's going to last a long time and it well made. It includes a hole punch so you can put vent holes in your own paper for the vacuum to pick up the dust, a nice addition and it works well with it's alignment corner clip lined up to your paper. You can cut you own sandpaper to size from larger cost effective pieces of sandpaper. For some reason I haven't been able to find this sander in any of the local stores, big box or otherwise, not sure why but for the price of the sander you can't go wrong by ordering it here. Much to my surprise it came fast and without a hitch from Amazon. I haven't ordered a damn thing from Amazon in a couple of years because of shipping problems I always seem to have with Amazon, maybe, just maybe, they have overcome some of their previous issues. I won't say they have yet, if I order anything else in the future we'll see how that goes, until then be advised, at least in my experience the shipping is expensive and problematic through Amazon.
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Milwaukee Quality, only one small flaw, April 6, 2010
By Julioluko (Michigan, USA)
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This is a great sander, and at the price i got it for it was a steel. Love the quality, good fit, great power. One drawback is the paper clamp, some designer was probably fired, and should have been. The back paper clamp is hard to undo because the vacuum bag attachment (which i love) gets in the way. You can still operate it and a little tip: Put in two sheets at a time it saves changing time by 50%, but it is a design flaw. My other choice would have been the Ridgid 14683 NA 1/4 Sheet Sander.
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Milwaukee Sander, April 3, 2010
By R. Willinger
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This is a very well built sander. I've had no problems with it since I started using it a month ago and I do quite a bit of sanding.
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Great Sander!, March 24, 2010
By Brett Siepert
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Just a few words; the paper is a little difficult to change in this sander, but other than that, this is a GREAT SANDER!!! It is very solid and strong. It sands faster than any 1/4 sheet sander I've ever used. Well done!!
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Milwaukee Quality, December 17, 2009
By tideman (Texas)
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Once, again, Milwaukee comes through with another quality tool.
This sander performs flawlessly. Comfortable, durable and an efficient power source combine to produce another winner in the Milwaukee line of excellent tools.
Buy it. You'll like it.
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A good sander at a great price, November 18, 2009
By Outdoor cook (Burlington, NC)
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I got this last year for $29.99, shipped. I had not used it for a year till this fall when I had a lot of projects to take care of around the house. I have to admit I did not read the instructions till you guys mentioned it, and never used the punch. However I will next time! The clamping lever at the rear is a bit inconvenient but I just swing it past the vacuum and it works well so long as you attach the rear part of the sandpaper first. Then do the front. Yes, it grasps firmly and the spring of the clamp is a bit hard to push but I have never had a problem with the paper slipping. I am leaving the clamp plastic on since that's the way it is supposed to be. The sander is powerful and cuts the wood quickly and evenly so long as you do your part. In fact I find I have to be careful not to take off too much. 4 stars only because the clamps are a bit hard to use. I will try the self adherent paper, perhaps that would add a half star. Other than that, the quality is great and results great, and a 5 year warrantee is hard to beat.
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no problem changing sandpaper, November 16, 2009
By garyp (south carolina)
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To those people that said it is too hard to change the paper. What sander did you buy? All it takes is a little brainpower to make it easy. I haven't used it enough yet, but it performed well when I did use it. I wondered how I was going to make holes in the paper to allow the vac to work, but I found that they include a hole puncher with the sander. I would recommend this sander to anyone looking to purchase one.
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Mixed feelings, September 20, 2009
By T.J. Linder (Houston,TX)
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My feelings about this sander are similar to the others. I like the power of the unit but the design of the sandpaper brackets is bad. A real pain to change papers. Like someone else I removed the plastic tab from the rear lever to give it more room to open. Also you really don't have to open the lever all the way to raise the bracket. This is important to me because I use this sander nearly every day.
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Milwaukee 1/4 sheet sander, July 10, 2009
By tooluser
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A good sander overall. The only problems are the dustport makes it hard to load paper in the rear and lighter grit paper tends to vibrate off the pad.
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4 stars because-, July 4, 2009
By Lobo (Le Roy New York USA)
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This sander is what you want if your goal is to get the job done "today". This unit has plenty of power and won't bog down even when rough sanding. I would have given 5 stars except for its exuaust pipe design and that the dust bag leaks so I "hooked" my vacuum cleaner directly to the pipe, with the bag removed.
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Good unit with a not-too-small design flaw, March 30, 2009
By Catherine Lane
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Nice unit, except for the hard to use sandpaper clamps. This flawed design, while not typical of a Milwaukee products, makes it somewhat of a disappointment. It really takes "three-hands" to install a new sheet. This was pointed out in other reviews which I read, but disregarded, probably because of my 45 year history with Milwaukee tools.
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Easy to use and efficient, November 9, 2008
By Frequent Reader (Hillsborough, CA)
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We've used this tool for several projects, and it's great for finishing. I wouldn't want it for very rough work, but refinishing furniture, making models, and such go very well. The hand grip is comfortable, and we found it easy to change sandpaper sheets.
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This product rules!!!, May 18, 2011
By you dumb.
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Ok. I can see how you might have trouble with this product if you are a total moron. But, I do not see what all the whining is about. It took me about one minute to load the paper the first time. Fifty seconds of which were spent reading the instructions. This product rules. Just like my other Milwaukee tools. Read the instructions. Yes, the lever touches the bag. Barely. I read all the other reviews. And, I was hesitant to purchase because of them. But, they are almost entirely unfounded. The paper does not come out. And, it is not hard to replace. Yes, it is a heavy duty tool. If you try to fight it then it may try to wander. But, that's the 3 amp motor. I used it with my left hand with no problem. Don't fight it too much. Become one w/ your tool. And, quit yo bitchin!
0 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Terrible sander, July 22, 2009
By unhappy in La (WOODWORTH, LA United States)
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Milwaukee 6020-21 1/4 Sheet Orbital Sander
Sandpaper always falls off sander. Takes longer to change paper than it does to wear out a sheet of paper.
Rear holder grip for sandpaper is hard to use. Lever hits dust collector.
0 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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No problem holding sandpaper, January 12, 2012
By billfleming1 (Corvallis, MT United States)
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I don't know what's up with all the people complaining about this unit not holding paper and being hard to load.
Are they mentally deficient?
Maybe a danger to themselves and others around power tools?
There is no reason a person with a little bit of common sense can't figure out how to use this great sander with excellent price.
Don't let the naysayers scare you off, you won't find a better deal.
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One flaw spoiled it for me, November 16, 2011
By Larry (Richmond)
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I must say first I did not buy the sander from Amazon I bought it from Staley's in Richmond Va. I no longer buy tools from Home Depot or Lowe's. I value the opinions of people who have been selling tools for years and know their tools. It is a pleasure to buy from guys like Gene and Charlie that are knowledgeable people in the products they sell. Milwaukee tools are wonderful tools and I own quite a few and I have Porter Cable, but we all know what has happened to those tools so I have switched to Milwaukee now so when I bought the palmer sander I knew I had a good tool. Holding it feels good and it has power and it is a quality tool. So let this be what you hear from me.....that said, the back lever that holds the sandpaper on is so bad and aggravating to work because of the poor design that it ruins the tool for me. I wonder if I should have gone with the Bosch. Well I will just have to live with it and maybe I will get use to the poor design but I'd feel much better if I knew the dope that designed it was fired by Milwaukee. Accountability and all that.
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small but mighty, September 12, 2010
By Noaxtogrind (NYC, USA)
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A powerful, reasonably priced, and beautifully designed machine, from its unusually sturdy fold-out arms that allow you to effortlessly open the sandpaper securing jaws as wide as you need to (an issue with pretty much every other palm-sander I've ever used), to its lightweight dust collection bag, interiorly sprung like a mattress coil to keep its shape - how cute and ingenious is that? Highly recommended.
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Easy to use and efficient, November 9, 2008
By Frequent Reader (Hillsborough, CA)
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We've used this tool for several projects, and it's great for finishing. I wouldn't want it for very rough work, but refinishing furniture, making models, and such go very well. The hand grip is comfortable, and we found it easy to change sandpaper sheets.
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Terrible sander, July 22, 2009
By unhappy in La (WOODWORTH, LA United States)
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Milwaukee 6020-21 1/4 Sheet Orbital Sander
Sandpaper always falls off sander. Takes longer to change paper than it does to wear out a sheet of paper.
Rear holder grip for sandpaper is hard to use. Lever hits dust collector.
0 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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