a great tool! (Black & Decker MS500 Mouse Sander/Polisher)

Member Name: adriang

Product:	Black & Decker MS500 Mouse Sander/Polisher
Date:	02/01/03 (1132 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: size, cost, reliability

Disadvantages: vibration

I bought one because we moved into a new flat, and it has lot of wood that needed to be repainted.

The mouse sander does everything I need it to. It can get into the more difficult nooks and crannies, and with the piece you clip on to the front, for more precise applications, it is useful for sanding door panels, where a conventional sander cannot reach, and would therefore have to be done by hand.

It is an orbital sander, so you need to use fine grade sandpaper if you are going to leave bare wood exposed. Otherwise you will get sanding marks. This needs to be considered if the bare wood finish is required.

I found that there are sanding sheets available in the DIY store that are not B&D, so are a lot cheaper. Just make sure they are velcro backed.

One good trick is that if you need to use the 'precision attachement', is to buy normal cheap sanding sheets, and then cut them to the correct size. Providing then are velcro backed, they work just as well, and are a lot cheaper.

We had huge amounts of word work to strip, and found that the best approach was a hot air sander to remove 100 years worth of paint layers, then a chemical stripper to remove the last. Then the sander to finish the surface, and to remove any burn marks from the hot air stripper.

We have really put ours through a lot of use and abuse, and so far, I would suggest one to anybody.

The only negative is the vibration, which can get too much after a few hours of use, especially when held up high.

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