DEWALT Orbital Sander Kit, 5 inch, 3 amp, Corded, 12,000 OPM (DWE6421K)

Why it's worth it

The DWE6421K arrives as a kit with a one-handed locking dust bag and a soft case, backed by a three-year warranty. It's short in the body, light in the hand, and dead simple: there's one speed, and it's fast.

DeWalt lists this one at 3.3 pounds, under the roughly 3.8-pound average for 5-inch corded sanders. It's short, too, which sounds like marketing copy until you're leaning over a bench and notice your wrist sits closer to the wood. Less leverage means less rocking. Less rocking means fewer of those crescent scratches that only show up after the first coat of oil.

The dust bag latch is a small thing you'll use a hundred times. It locks on and off with one hand, so you can empty it without setting the sander down or fighting a friction fit. The trigger is dust-sealed as well, and that's the failure point on a lot of cheap sanders — grit works into the switch and the tool starts cutting out mid-pass.

From our review of 6 random orbital sanders for woodworking, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +DeWalt lists this one at 3.3 pounds, under the roughly 3.8-pound average for 5-inch corded sanders
• +The dust bag latch is a small thing you'll use a hundred times
• +A separate counterweight handles the balance, and it works well enough that owners doing long refinishing jobs — decks,…
• +The three-year warranty is the quiet argument here

What to know

• –There's no variable speed
• –The kit ships in a soft bag rather than a hard case