BLACK+DECKER Belt Sander with Dust Bag, 7-Amp, 3-Inch by 21-Inch (DS321)

Learning my heavy belt sander purchased 30 years ago required belts that are now obsolete, and having a small job that needed a belt sander, I read the reviews on this belt sander and decided to give it a try. My immediate impression was unfavorable, as most belt sanders I have previously used were heavy - and that extra weight helped when using it on horizontal surfaces, but admittedly strained the muscles when working on vertical surfaces. This feels very light and has many plastic parts, so I was suspicious how well it would work on a 10' by 15' subfloor that needed extensive sanding. Within a few minutes my suspicions were abated, as adjusting the belt in advance of using it was an easy task - and the belt did not need repeated adjustments, which was something previous belt sanders required. While I needed to apply more pressure on the horizontal surface to ensure the sander bit into the wood, the sander worked marvelously and the dust bag actually worked. No dust bag collects 100% of debris, but this one did an admirable job capturing debris. I'm not sure how it would stand up to all day use, but for the few hours I needed it, it worked without a hitch. Stopping to vacuum out the dust bag afforded the sander an opportunity to cool, and then it went right back to work. I wish I had more time to spend working wood, as this would definitely become a valued tool.

So first off. I've never used a belt sander before. In the pics this is a 30+ year old bench built by my grandfather. Just sitting on it and you got seven splinters. I decided to take apart, rebuild, and stain. So for the first run... belt was flying all over the place. Complete fail. However! You have to take time. Read instructions. Turn unit over, set, and adjust the dial. The dial adjustments are actually quite small. A quarter inch turn, turned out perfect. It is very important to get this set FIRST! After figuring this out was flawless. Ran like a champ. Removed dust bag as this volume of dust was ridiculous. Overall best idea ever, super affordable, and worked like a dream. Highly recommended. Just take the time and learn how to adjust the lock the belt. Cheers and good luck!

The good: the low profile front wheel is a great innovation. You can really get in close to corners, for example. The front flips up for even tighter spaces. Lightweight, fairly easy to change belts, uses 21" belts which is good. The mediocre: the tension adjustment works okay, read the manual, but it is not perfect, you will do readjustment often, especially if you change thickness (grit) of paper. However, it is not as bad as some people say. The bad: This is a LIGHT DUTY sander. It is quite slow compared to a regular belt sander, which would drive a professional crazy. BUT, for around the house, it is plenty adequate. The more bad: I just plain wore mine out after five years. It probably could go back for a servicing, but at this price they would probably just send me a new one anyway. This is a good example of a 4 star product, not great, but good, and a reasonable value which it does what it says it does. I am buying another.

The front flip-up guard is a fantastic feature. I wish all belt sanders had that. I dis-assembled my deck railing (60 feet long x 4' high) with 2x2 staves, 2x6 caps and 2x4 facing, sanded everything down to bare wood, and repainted. A huge project and that sander was fantastic. I just kept the flip-up in the up position the entire time and used the front of the sander to really crank down on those stubborn spots. The paper walks a bit and required occasional adjustment but, hey, they all do that; nature of the beast. I had 18 years worth of solid color stain to remove and this sander did the job. I used a small electric blower to clean the sander out about every 15 minutes or so, and that helped a lot. I'd highly recommend this inexpensive sander for medium projects like this.

So I have owned many belt sanders in my day. In fact, I have 3 others presently when I decided to buy this one. The primary reason for this purchase was this sanders' large front space in front of the handle to be able to get under railings. My project is sanding a deck with existing vinyl railings that none of the other sanders could get under. So this seemed like a perfect solution. I got the sander and put it right to work. I paid attention to the front wheel and adjustment as many reviews here complained that it was badly engineered and the belt kept coming off. I completed about 150 feet of edging, under railings and along the house on this deck and the belt acted exactly as you would expect; if you push in one direction it will move in the opposite direction. In other words, if I am pushing down on the front of the machine and I slide the machine to the left, the belt will want to move to the right. It isn't an engineering issue, its physics. Anyway, great product. Did exactly what I wanted it to do and solved a great problem because of the unique design. Well done B&D.

My 20 year old 21" belt sander wore out and after a bit of searching settled on the B&D Dragster. What a bargain this sander is. I was very impressed with the power and ease of control and eas of material removal. The narrow front end wheels allowed for more precise control then Ive ever had. It comes with a low grit belt so I could use it out of the box. The belt release mechanism was easy to use

This product is definite low end. It doesn't even offer the same features as its Chinese counterpart (Chicago Electric), which sells for the same price. Not variable speed, trigger lock button way too small-and only works if you're right handed. There is a ridge around the button that makes it hard to depress the button far enough to engage the lock. The alignment knob is very small and is triangular, rather than round. There is some problem with belt tracking but nothing exceptional. Every sander I've owned has had some kind of tracking issue. I have been able to maintain alignment with only occasional adjustments. The front roller feature, in my opinion, is just a marketing come-on. The flap is spring loaded and there is no place to lock it on to the handle. If I want to use that feature, I have to move the handle to the upright position so that the cover can be opened far enough to access the belt. The motor is 1A less than the Chicago Electric tool. If you're looking at this sander because of the front assembly, don't waste your money. If you really feel that you have to have it, buy the Chicago Electric tool--sold at Harbor Freight. Better tool; same price. It gets 3 stars because, as a belt sander, it does okay and this rating system doesn't allow for half stars. It's really a 2.5.

work nice

Muy bien el producto, solo falta comprar más lijas

Excellent! For context, I’m a 66 year old woman with arthritis and hip and knee replacements. I decided I wanted to take my time and sand my very large deck so I purchased this based on the good reviews. The deck is a combination of very old and newer boards. I am sanding to remove old acrylic solid stain as well bring back newer wood so I can use then use a transparent oil stain. I’m very happy with the sander. I had never used a belt dancer and was intimidated at first but got over that fairly quickly. As far as advice based on my experience: 1. Dust. There will be tons of it. The dust bag worked until full a couple of times but then didn’t collect any after that. I had a broom beside me to constantly sweep plus I often tapped the machine on its side to remove dust collecting around the belt. This has worked well so far. You’ll have to wear goggles and a dust mask. 2. Using the machine: It is hard on the wrists…particularly if you are using pressure or tilting it. I used it while sitting on the deck and trying to keep my wrists straight while holding it. I try to hold and just let the machine do its thing but sometimes I needed to tilt it. Over time my wrists were quite sore. Could be a problem for anyone with carpal tunnel syndrome. 3. The cord. Keep watch where it is at all times and away from the sander. I caught it into the machine by not keeping track of it. Luckily I didn’t destroy the machine or cord but was a pain to get it out. I do like this corded sander and not worrying about batteries…the machine is powerful. 4. Sand belts. They’re easy to install but be sure to place in direction of arrows. The button adjustment works somewhat moving the belt left to right but not always. I was mostly getting it into place by the way I’d move the machine while sanding. Sometimes I like it when the belt goes a bit beyond as I can use to advantage sanding the edges of the deck boards or around nails. 5. Great machine overall…particularly after getting a feel for it. Not too heavy. Also a good price. Recommend.

This was recommended to me by a carpenter, and I could not be happier with it! The smaller end of the front makes it easier to get into tight spots than my old sander. Lighter weight too, and easy to use for long periods of time. Belts change easily and are readily available. Win-win.

Fácil de usar. Tener cuidado con el ajuste de giro de la lija pues llega a limar la carcasa de plástico. Verificar con frecuencia

The product is tough and well designed, and has finished several projects. However, the dust bag seems like a decoration on the tool and doesn’t collect any dusts. Whatever, considering the quality and the price, it is recommended for it.