RIDGID R2740 Heavy Duty Variable Speed Belt Sander 3 in. x 18 in

A fine product. I bought an open box version from a 3rd party vendor who sells on Amazon, and then discovered that the Ridgid guarentee is therefor not available.

After reviewing the full range of belt sanders available, I chose the Rigid R2740 to replace my old Wen sander. The Rigid is powerful enough and easy to control. Since I don't normally sand wood floors with the tool, I don't need a 4" sander since that has too much power. The veriable spped, easy belt chanaging, and automatic tracking all work well. What is amazing is the extremely efficient dust collection system. Using a tapered hose attachment, I was able to hook my Shopvac to the dust outlet. This arrangement worked fine. I would recommend this sander to anyone.

Great sanders. Feels good in hand, easy to move and control. Would have given 5 stars however the start trigger seems to not want to start the motor, there's a tiny delay. I'm guessing this may be due to it not starting up at max speed. I don't think it's a bad connection ( wishful hoping) . I'm more inclined to think it's the brushless motor and starts a little differently. Will see what happens.

This product worked great. Despite getting an item that had been previously returned and the box being destroyed, the product itself was in great condition.

The sander runs like it has been incorrectly refurbished...speed up, slow down; speed up, slow down...leaves a gouge on the lead edge on the speed up cycle. In fairness: I have two other Ridgid power tools that operate flawlessly, so I will put this sander in the "exception" category. Returned to Amazon, purchased a DeWalt replacement...have MANY DeWEwalt items, the top shelf choice of 20V power tools.

Price is right, variable speed feature is easy to control. Spare belts are commonly available and easy to change. Tool should last a lifetime with routine care and maintenance. Have had minor issue with zipper on dust bag - the zipper quality could be slightly improved, I think. Dust bag is easy to remove for routine cleaning.

It does sand, but it does it slower than expected. The automatic location of the belt on the pulleys does not work well; you can't move the belt to the side to sand the edge of a floor. The bottom of the tool is not flat; it protrudes in the middle, making it difficult to make a surface smooth.

Great sander. I’ve used it dozens times so far on many types for wood (pine, ash, maple, etc.) It runs smoothly and the dust collection bag works great. However, I was also able to hook my shop-vac hose to it and that works dry well.