Review: Harbor Freight 3x21 belt sander

This is the Harbor Freight 3x21 Belt Sander model #69859. I am not a huge fan of Harbor Freight in general, most of their tools are not worth buying. I do buy some of my bigger tools from there, like my Mini-Lathe, which I will do a review on at a later date. Back to the subject at hand, I needed something to sand a table top with, my little palm sander just wasn't cutting it (errr I mean sanding it). I actually stopped in to Harbor Freight to get a new sanding sheet for my disc sander. Sanding sheets are right across the isle from the power tools, so when I grabbed the sheet I needed and turned to head towards the cash register the power sander section caught my eye.

I had seen this sander being used before, on a youtube video, I forget who it was who made it. It was doing the job on the videos, I remember that. The unit was on sale for $28.99 at the time, and I had a 20% off coupon on my phone. Speaking of phones, I pulled out my smart phone and looked at the reviews on this item. I never look at the reviews on Harbor Freights site, instead I opt for the reviews that show up in the results from forums, like LumberJocks.com. It seemed like most people liked it, so I bought it.

When I got ready to use it I pulled it out of the box, it was decently packed. It came with a dust bag that needed to be put on, so I did that. In the bottom of the box was an extra set of brushes for the motor. It is good to know that most of Harbor Freights hand help power tools are not broken in. This means the brushes have not been set to the shape of the armature. Most power tool companies due this in the factory to insure that they don't get returns. It is simple enough to do, just plug it in and turn it on, just don't put a load on it. In other words with this sander plug it in and turn it on, but don't sand with it. Just let it run for a couple of minutes. This gives the brushes a chance to set, without burning up. Most people just start using it, and burn up the brushes. That's why it comes with extras.

After running it no-load for a couple of minutes I was ready to sand. This sander did a really good job. It was loud, and made a lot of dust, but that's what a power tool does right. I was quite satisfied with the job it did. I do think a better quality belt will make it even better, there was a long flat spot where the belt was joined. It made quick work of the job though and that's what matters.

After a month of having it, I am still satisfied with it. The new belt did make a huge difference. The dust collection bag on this thing is worthless. The bag's zipper came apart the second time I went to empty it, so I plan on making a bag that uses a drawstring instead.

Overall I give it 4 out of five stars, and rank it as: A Good Value