Best Orbital Sander 2026: 10 Models Ranked — and the Amp Figures That Don't Add Up

The 750 W motor and the 3.26 A rating are the same number seen from two sides: 3.26 x 230 = 750. That is unusual on this list, where two Bosch models print their wattage in the amperage box. Bosch also claims up to 45% more material removal from the direct-driven pad, and the 150 mm disc covers more surface per pass than the 125 mm pads on the rest of the field.

In practice this orbital sander is aimed at large flat panels — doors, worktops, tabletops. The palm rest and handle have an 18 cm gripping circumference, and the multi-hole pad accepts sheets with different hole patterns, which matters if you buy discs in bulk. Item weight is 3.15 kg and the manufacturer warranty is two years, against one year on the DEWALT.

The catch is weight and price together. At 3.15 kg it is nearly twice the 1.7 kg Bosch PEX 300 AE and more than double the 1.63 kg DEWALT, so it is not a one-handed tool for overhead work or for reaching into a cabinet. At £385.56 it costs more than four times the DEWALT. If you sand a few shelves a year, this is not the tool you need.

The listing says 280 W and 1.17 A at 240 V. Multiply and you get 280.8 W. This is a 125mm random orbit sander whose two electrical figures do not contradict each other, which cannot be said of the two Bosch PEX models further down this article.

The practical case is the speed control. It is the only tool in the top ten with a verified variable range of 8,000 to 12,000 opm, so you can slow it for paint edges and open it up for bare timber. Dual-plane counter-balance and an overmoulded top grip are aimed at vibration, and the whole tool weighs 1.63 kg. The 125 mm hook-and-loop platen takes standard discs.

However, two details are worth weighing. The warranty is one year, half the two years Bosch and DCA offer. And the spec table rates grit at '1' while the grit type reads 'Coarse' — the two fields on the same page disagree, which is the sort of thing this site exists to point out. If you only want to flatten a couple of boards, the 300 W DCA does it for a third of the price.

This is the random orbital sander with the strongest review base in the group: 1,136 ratings at 4.7, against 651 for the DEWALT and 142 for the DCA. Milwaukee does not inflate numbers here, and it does not publish many either.

It is a bare unit. No battery, no charger, and no wattage or amperage anywhere on the listing, which means there is nothing to catch out and nothing to compare electrically with any corded model. What it does give you is 1.4 kg and the M18 platform, so a battery you already own may fit. Its best sellers rank of 20 in random-orbit sanders confirms steady demand rather than a novelty spike.

That said, buy it only if you are already in the M18 system. A first-time buyer has to add a battery and charger to the £89.59 price, which quickly puts it past the corded DEWALT. The listed disc is 5 inches, which is 127 mm rounded down to 125 mm — fine, but check your discs match before ordering.

This is the cordless orbital sander with the brushless motor, a 125 mm pad and a 3.2 mm orbit, and at 1.11 kg it is the lightest tool in the top ten. Weight matters more on a cordless tool than a corded one, because you are holding the whole sander plus a battery through every pass.

In practice Einhell has built in dust collection — a collector with a pleated filter plus a port for an external extractor — and supplied three sheets in P60, P80 and P120 grit. Speed control is electronic, to adapt to the material at hand. The 18 V PXC battery system covers over 300 tools, which is the real argument for the platform rather than the sander itself.

The catch is that it is a body-only sale. No battery, no charger, and no runtime figure published, so budget for both before comparing it with the £50.99 INGCO that includes them. The quoted 24,000 rpm is an orbit rate, not a disc rotation, and cannot be set against the DEWALT's 8,000 to 12,000 opm. Skip it if you do not already own PXC batteries.

270 W at 230 V is 1.17 A. The listing instead says '270 Amps', which at 230 V would be 62,100 W. The wattage has been typed into the amperage box, an error of about 230x. The motor itself is fine; the number printed beside it is not.

What you actually get is a 1.7 kg palm sander with a 125 mm disc, variable speed with the dial placed under the palm, and two pad hardnesses — medium-hard and soft — for flat and curved work. The dust box is integrated, so no extractor is needed for light jobs. Average rating is 4.4 from 1,193 ratings, the second-largest sample in the group.

However, 4.4 is the joint-lowest score in this top ten, level with the £35.91 SORAKO, and only 67% of its ratings are five-star against 85% for the top pick. It is also 0.41 kg heavier than the 220 W PEX 220 A. If you want a Bosch at a lower price, the smaller one is the better buy; if you want more power, this is not the step up.

Five amps at 18 V is 90 W. No wattage appears anywhere on the listing, so that figure stands alone and cannot be confirmed or contradicted. By contrast, every corded model here pairs an amp figure with a watt figure, which is why this one sits sixth rather than higher.

On paper the rest is sensible. The 2.5 mm orbital motion is the largest orbit in this top ten, which suits fast stock removal rather than fine finishing. It weighs 1.2 kg and ships with three sheets in 80, 120 and 240 grit plus a dust bag. Spare parts are listed as available for five years, the longest commitment in the group.

That said, it is a bare tool: no battery, no charger, no runtime. Worth noting too that the 20,000 rpm in the spec table is an orbit speed, so do not read it as disc rotation, and the grit rating field says 240.0 while the grit type says 'Medium'. If you are not already on the ONE+ platform, the corded DCA at £32.99 is a third of the money.

The same copy-paste fault appears on the cheaper Bosch: 220 W at 240 V is about 0.92 A, but the amperage box says '220 Amps', which would be 52,800 W. Even so, 4,330 people have rated it and 4.5 is a solid average on a sample that size — roughly 92 times the 47 ratings behind the top pick.

The tool is a 1.29 kg palm sander with a 125 mm disc, a microfilter dust box and a rubber sanding pad, sold with three sheets in a carton. Its best sellers rank of 7 in random-orbit sanders is the highest position in this article, so it sells on price and familiarity as much as on specification.

Meanwhile the limit is output: 220 W against 300 W from the DCA and 350 W from the SORAKO, both corded and both cheaper. The voltage field also reads 240 V where Bosch's other models read 230 V. Buy this for flat or curved panels and light finishing; do not buy it if you are stripping paint in bulk.

This is the cheapest corded tool here at £32.99, and the one to look at if you want an orbital sander for wood without spending £90. The motor is rated at 300 W with six speeds from 4,000 to 12,000 opm, and the box includes ten sheets across five grits.

In practice the electrical figures do not hold together. Three amps at 230 V is 690 W, which is more than twice the 300 W badge on the same page. The error runs the opposite way to Bosch's: here the amp figure overstates the tool rather than understating it, and either way the amp box is the one to ignore. The rest of the package is straightforward — a 0.3 litre dust bag, hook-and-loop sheets, 1.31 kg, and a 2-year manufacturer warranty.

Crucially, 142 ratings is the second-smallest sample in this article, so treat the 4.7 average with more caution than the DEWALT's 4.5 from 651. It is a good first sander and a poor last one: if you sand often or need a large pad, the 125 mm platen is the same as almost every rival and will not help you.

350 W is the most power you can buy here for under £40, and the box carries 16 sheets in four grits. Against the DCA's 300 W and ten sheets, the SORAKO wins on both counts, for £2.92 more. Even so, it sits below the DCA on this list.

The reason is the pattern of the ratings. Seven per cent of the ratings shown are one-star, the highest share in this top ten, and 76% are five-star against 79% for the DCA. The features are otherwise comparable: six speeds to 13,000 rpm, a soft rubber wrap, an eight-hole dust pad, a dust bag and a 32 mm extraction adapter.

Note the small print in the description: the maker states it is not for grinding walls or lime. At 1.62 kg it is also the second-heaviest tool in this article, and heavier than the 220 W Bosch that undercuts it on price. For furniture repair and occasional stripping it is a fair punt; for a tool you expect to still be using in five years, look higher up.