What's your thoughts

I've been wanting a belt sander for a while. Has anyone used the Central Machinery 4"X36" belt/disc sander?
Rikon has one also, and after looking at both, I can't see a difference other than color and price.

i havnt used either of those roger but i can say that one of those sanders are very useful in a shop for many things.. another thing to think about is service and i can speak for nikon service they were great when i needed them for a broken piece on a large bandsaw.. sent new piece no questions asked..

I'll give another response from someone who has not used the HF sander ;-) The 4" belt can be pretty useful for small things. I had a cast iron craftsman that served me well until I got a larger sander for that purpose. The C-man still lives at dad's. The main thing that makes the C-man superior to dad's sheet metal version seems to be sheer mass. At about 50 lbs it loses no energy in vibration.

Another thing to consider when looking the ease of belt changes. Nothing adds value to these types of machines like an array of grits in your abrasives arsenal. I modified my guard on the C-man to use thumb screws. Apparently some manufacturers think you put one belt on the thing and run it till its dead as they make belt changes a complicated ballet. Running the same grit for everything is doable but really cuts the value of the machine.

I have a Craftsman the disc was only a 6". I found it next to worthless. I took the disc sander part off and purchased a 12" disc sander separately. A 6" disc wears out very quickly, and they are not fun to change. I find I use a disc sander more than a belt sander.

I ahve the Mastercraft one, which is the same as the Ryobi sander. I find it very useful with a few limitations, as it's a little underpowered. For the kind of work I do, a 6" disc sander is adequate. From looking at a youtube video about it, I would say it's about the same as mine.

I have the 6x48 stationary belt with 12" disk sander from Harbor Freight.

I will readily admit that Jet, Rikon, or even Grizzly are maybe better made - BUT - a lot more expensive.

After about 5-6 years and many many sanding jobs - I will say that the money spend on my Harbor Freight was money well spent.

Would I buy it again? - YES.

Forrest Addy, one of most seasoned of woodworkers and machinists on a whole bunch of boards, insists that Harbor Freight tools are a kit and as thus can be made to perform to a fairly high level. Just be careful in picking through the choices and don't be afraid to fix or alter the machines.