I have owned my 3727DEVS 6" sander for three years and have used it for both fine woodworking and around the house do-it-yourself projects. I have it found it to be a rugged, very well made tool that also has good balance. Indeed, it is an easy to use tool that takes the drudgery out of sanding.
It can be used for aggressive sanding with the coarse grits, such as in the prep work for painting plaster walls, or it can be used for the finish sanding of cabinetry of furniture. It performs equally well at either task.
I strongly recommend that one should also purchase the vacuum hose adapter, particularly since this sander can generate a lot of dust. Bosch 3727DEVS 3.3 Amp 6-Inch Hook-and-Loop Random-Orbit Variable-Speed Sander/Polisher with Dust Canister
This is a solid sander that can cut with any grit you use. I bought this about 2 yrs ago to replace a 5" Bosch random orbital, the extra area saves me quite a bit of time. I have a 50' wooden yacht so this thing gets used and abused and has covered every square inch of the exterior atleast 3 times. I've also used it with finer grits (220) on inside interior and you can slow it down to what you need with the adjustment dial. The bottom hook and loop (velcro) fastener pad is strong and hasn't worn out like my last one. If you have big projects go with this sander, if you have small projects get the 5" bosch since it's theoretically easier to handle...just stick with Bosch, I've owned almost all of the others and they've been sent to davey jones locker.The only downside I could think of is:- most of the big home improvement stores don't carry 6" diameter paper (only 5") so you have to order online.- I wish it came standard with an adapter to fit most shop vacs. I ended up engineering my own which leaves much to be desired.
I've had the opportunity to use a number of 5" and 6" RO sanders over the past few years and this is one I would definately buy again. Smooth, well balanced and fits my hands well. I bought mine with the vac adapter and Bosch's hose. I use it hooked to my Shop-Vac and it works very well. I can't see any dust on my bench around where I am sanding and I don't smell any either. 6" paper is now available at the box stores if you want to go that route (I prefer the Mirka available here). I like the 6" simply because it takes less time to sand an area.
Pretty much anyone who does any sort of woodwork at all needs a random orbit sander. There are, however, many different brands and features to choose from. I settled on this Bosch unit because of the features. And also because the Bosch brand is clearly very competitive.
Because I use this sander mostly for furniture, I wanted a 6" pad size as that should be easier to keep flat than a 5" size. The 6" units are more expensive and heavier than the 5", but not by much.
Another feature worth having is the use of hook and loop sanding disks. I spent a lot of years in body shops where we used spray adhesive, glue and self-stick disks. What a mess. Horrible. And I used these sanders at home for my wood projects. Believe me, the hook and loop, velcro-like, units are much better and are so easy to use that you are more likely to use the correct sanding pad rather than to just use whatever is on there.
I also wanted good dust control via a vacuum system. This tool is easy to hook up to a 1 1/4 hose with the appropriate Bosch adapter. My dust control system is set up so that the vacuum activates when the Bosch is turned on. Air is sucked through the holes in the sanding disks (I have been using the Mirka brand), through the pad and out the back port where the filter was.
That self-contained filter comes right off to expose the suction port for the vac. I have no experience with the supplied filter, so cannot comment on it. I can say that there is almost no dust at all with the vac system and that sanding is actually easier because the vacuum sucks the sander to the board and you do not have to press down so hard. Still, you should use a dust mask.
The 3727DEVS does have that variable speed feature as well as a lock switch so you don't have to work the trigger full time. This all works well.
There is no such thing as fun sanding, but this is very quiet and pleasant to use.
I did have one problem that seems to be fairly common to this and other brands in that the screw that holds the pad on can loosen. I noticed some funky sounds and vibration, shut it down and tightened the screw. That was many weeks of work ago and it has not happened again. It is suggested that you just keep an eye on that.
They do not give away Mirka quality sandpaper disks. $25+ per box and you need several different grits. So, you might plan on spending another $100 right away to stock up on that.
I use mine on furniture projects and have been pleased with the results. Sometimes I think that the very final sanding should be done by a straight-line pad sander, but so far I have not been forced to buy one of those. Recommended.
I took on a job stripping, sanding, and painting about 100 kitchen cabinet doors for a apartment property renovation. Not having the 16 scfm @ 90 psi through my compressor for an air sander and not wanting to have my hands go numb using the various electric sanders I already have, I purchased this sander on the high recommendations of others.
This is a high-quality tool and definitely relieves some of the drudgery of sanding. The 6" pad makes quick work of anything it touches. The variable speed gives you the opportunity to adjust to changing surface conditions. Dust collection through the provded filter or through a vacuum host is very efficient. And my hands aren't numb anymore.
Cons - a bit heavy to use with one hand for anything except short periods of time. It's large - smaller than a belt sander, larger than a low-end RO sander. Paper selection limited.
Considering getting rid of the two PC "buzzing bee in your hand" sanders but, being smaller, they're more useful in the tool bag. The Bosch will stay at the shop.
UPDATE - A YEAR LATER...
Still going strong and still my favorite sander. Been dropped a couple times but has never stopped working. You can buy the 6-hole, 6-inch Mirka paper here at Amazon but, if you search around other woodworking retailers, you can find additional Mirka 6-inch products (Abranet, Royal Gold) that will broaden the use of this fine sander. - Random-orbit Sanders - Disc Sanders'
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