New 3M Xtract Sander: Is It The Best Sander Ever?

[@rickpouley2857]

I have had this sander for roughly 2 months now. I almost enjoy sanding my cutting boards now.. LOL But seriously, I really, it fits into my hand so much nicer with less vibrations. You will love it!

[@roberthalaska3030]

Colin I cannot compliment you enough for your honesty and transparency. It is your assessment of tools and techniques that matter and your delivery is wonderful. Keep up the good work 👏

[@MCsCreations]

Excellent review, Colin! Thanks! 😃 I hope this sander gets here to Brazil! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@anupshende1986]

Not sure about sander but I can certain vouch for sanding discs !! They are amazing and something I never seen before !!! It is something everyone must have !!

[@wesk7918]

Great video. I just got this sander as well, and its fantastic. I completely agree that it fits in a reasonably priced sweet-spot below the Festools of the world.

[@passenger3]

This Sander looks absolutely gorgeous

[@sinsofvorador]

This sander is awesome. Had mine for about 2 mouths. The power of such a small device is amazing. And I love how when you let go of the power the disk can be stopped by just laying it down. Doesn't want to walk around on ya. I will say I will not be buying the dust extracter any time soon. That thing is almost $1000.

[@CoolTurtleCreations]

Where are you coming up with this pricing for Festool? The Festool ETS EC 125 is $439 which is cheaper than this 3M sander. Sure you can spend $800 or $1000 if you buy an entire extractor and hose with it, but the same can be said for 3M. But both sanders can use the same extractors. I don't know why you are describing this as some middle ground. It competes directly against the Festool and is priced basically the same.

[@Bigdog1787]

Ya I would not call this a mid range this sander based on other reviews say they like this better then even festool sanders this a top of the line sander.

[@mrpink7395]

As someone that has the Festool ETS EC and the Mirka PROS 6”, I can say this M3 outperforms both. That’s why I ordered this new sander after getting to test it out.

[@falxonPSN]

Yeah, that was my thought as well. Without the early order discount, this sander is actually more expensive than most of the festool sanders (short of the Rotex models).

[@Jeremy_810]

Does this 3M not perform and compete with the Rotex sanders? I want a sander that hogs off a lot of material but can also finish sand nicely. Less decibels and good dust collection are also extremely important. I plan to order a Festool midi before winter but haven't decided on the sander yet.

[@ryang6513]

@@Jeremy_810 Rotex is a completely different beast. It hogs off material when in Rotex mode. This 3m unit won't take material off any faster than other sanders with a 5mm stroke.

[@lewisway6811]

I also just got this sander, and its fantastic. The 16 foot cable is a big plus imo.

[@mayadandachli5102]

Is it loud ?

[@mrpink7395]

I just ordered mine his morning! 🍻

[@marquezlee]

Great review! Been deciding on this sander. Seems to be a good fit for what i need. Thank you again! Just became a new subscriber.

[@DamianInman]

Got this one early. It is a very nice sander. I was surprised about how low vibration it is.

[@birdman858]

I bought this sander along with the disks. I have it on its own drop with my Powermatic dust collector. Amazing! No visible dust. Very low vibration. Working black walnut right now. Normally not the best smell, but with this sander, there is almost no smell. 3M wins again!

[@lincolndickerson1293]

I like this sander because you can hold it easily upside down on the workbench and sand small pieces. This is difficult with many of the other sanders. The Triton belt sander seems to be build intentionally to clamp to the bench top. I don’t have any sort of fixed based sander in my small shop so this important to me others may never have a need to do this.

[@thimasreeder1443]

Do you have a problem with it overheating easily and shutting down ?

[@alanwasserman8176]

I agree with Rusty Guy, $400 for a sander is nuts

[@Aaron-nj4ou]

Yep. And Mirka where I live is almost $800 (Canadian) without the extractor. Insane.

[@Rivertable]

400!? Bro what about 1250 for festool in down town Australia. 1250 dollars. And I bought 1. After using it for 1h sending from 40 to 120 grid. It was super hot. Then later on when I start using 40grid to remove material sending pud come off. As it's plastic to metal. Plastick broke. Festoll refused to refund

[@garagehobbies]

Better than paying $100 for a cheap one over and over. I did that and finally bought this one.

[@stanmashek3085]

EXCELLENT VIDEO JUST TO EXPENSIVE FOR THE SMALL SHOP THANKS FOR YOUR VIDEO

[@joebrown1382]

Very nice sander. Nice demo thanks Colin.

[@TCoffman]

Nice review, Colin. Thank you.

[@jimhatch5873]

Just got mine today. I'm in love. I've been working on an 11ft long live edge slab for our breakfast bar and used it on the top surface. So much better than the undersurface where I used my Ridgid 6" ROS. So much less effort, quieter and a ton less dust. Only issue I had is I need to get an adapter for the hose connect. Right now a rubber plumbing sleeve adapter is doing fine but I've got one of their screw in hose adapters on the way. BTW, they say to start & stop the sander when it is on the wood. You start & stop when the sander is off the wood. Why?

[@d3l1a2704]

Exactly what I needed!

[@troyladoux1953]

Nice sander. Would like to see comparison to the cheap Makita next to it. 🙂 I'd prefer a removable cable like Festool has when they are that long.

[@paulyanney3151]

Reminds me of my Mirka with its low profile.

[@jwar2163]

Thanks for the video and the review. I have two Festool Sanders a Rotex 150 and a ETS 150 that pair with a Festool Extractor CT48 I have several other manufacture's sanders and I am looking for a newer 5 inch as my 10 years to 20 year old PC and Dewalt, Makita, B&D, Craftsman Sanders are at the end of their service life. It cost more for parts to fix them than it does to replace them and I refuse to buy new cheaply built sanders that have vibration issues, leave swirls and the dust collection is lacking or missing. Best sanders I ever owned and still own are my IR Air Sanders, but they suck for wood working as they are autobody sanders. I have used the 3M sanding disk with my Festool sanders and I was impressed with the sample pack that 3M sent me.

[@sinsofvorador]

I can tell you this thing has very low vibration. Very very low.

[@jwar2163]

@@sinsofvorador Thank you for that input. As someone that is suffering from the Gulf War Syndrome my joints do get tender and sore at times and the vibration can be an issue. So Thank you.

[@sinsofvorador]

@@jwar2163 your welcome. And thanks for your service

[@jwar2163]

@@sinsofvorador You are most welcome and no thanks are needed or required.

[@simonac688.]

Thanks for the Tuto 👍 one thing nobody talks on how its " Quiet " 👂👂

[@kenanklovitch8117]

I love the review. I am thinking of buying one. Just to be clear, do I need a 1" outside diameter vacuum hose to fit into the dust inlet on the sander? Thankyou.

[@rickstacy9364]

What Dust Extractor do you use or recommend? Thanks, Rick

[@WhoKnowsWho2]

Not sure I would pick this over the Festool ETS EC 125, your review skipped right over that option that this sander seems to be trying to compete directly with.

[@fishbuscharters]

How long have you had it? Is it still working?

[@automarine2771]

Hi i must ask you how much the 3M sander is in the USA because here in the UK the 3m extract sander with 5 mm oscillation is 640 pounds with is more than the Mirka Deros MARK FROM THE UK

[@Pistol_Knight]

The 3M sanding discs are a definite winner, is it just me but I dont like the 'paddle' type sander I bought the Festool over the Mirka for that reason you have to have your hand pressed down with pressure all the time, sometimes when sanding awkward pieces I find it gives you some arm cramps, I prefer to just switch the thing on, just me?

[@vasiapupkin6446]

They are ok. But I find Mirka Abranet still much better though.

[@jeffstebner4052]

The paddle actually trains you to apply direct overhead pressure, which is the proper way to do it. You're not technically doing it right by pushing it around by the hose or hose port. Not a lot of pressure, just downward pressure. The low vibration allows premium style points. After 100 hours of proper sanding you unlock a secret achievement. Seriously though, the vibration is important. High vibe sanders kind of make you apply too much pressure. I'm not saying this is the best sander (though it may be), but any similar sander will do the trick for better sanding results, better sanding ergonomics, and better sanding methodology i.e. festool, Mirka etc.

[@handymadness]

Same. I don’t like paddles at all and wouldn’t buy this for that reason alone.

[@ExpressBrick]

What speed should one set the sander to?

[@aimless1700]

Which ocliation? they have 3 different ones.

[@mayadandachli5102]

Is it loud ?

[@petem6503]

I'm a moderate user. I bought a $36 ROS over a year ago, have a couple hundred hours on the unit, no problem. I use the 3M sandpaper, and it's wonderful, head and shoulders above any other. But exactly what was it in this video or any other representation that warrants spending, uh, 7x the cost? [In 1980, I bought my first computer; expert gave me this advice: Don't be impressed by the flashing lights; they're SUPPOSED to flash.] So the 3M ROS goes around and around. Look past that: what is there? Warranty is 12 months, nothing outstanding. My cheapo special has a 15' cord. I found the adapter to hook it to my dust collector. BTW, should note that the 3M sandpaper has a max RPM limit that's less than my ROS max speed. Does the 3M ROS come with a translator for the red/green lights to tell what RPM it's running? (To be fair, mine has a "faster/slower" wheel, uncalibrated.) When I consider paying a premium for a product, I want to make sure there's a there there.

[@AndroidFish]

What did you choose between 3/32 and 3/16 stroke?

[@m.a.r.services5720]

Thanks

[@simonh73]

Mirka did it all years ago. 3M playing catchup. Good price. But nothing else to see here.

[@David_K_pi]

I've read a lot of complaints about the reliability of the very expensive Mirka sander. Many owners are very disappointed about how quickly they failed. I was strongly considering one till I started reading the reviews. I hope this 3M sander is more reliable. I'm not in a hurry, so I'll wait and see.

[@RCMWoodFLooring]

@@David_K_pi iv had my mirka for a couple years now I'm in the flooring industry and use it probably almost everyday and it still holds up like brand new, everyone I know who has one has never complained about it

[@David_K_pi]

@@RCMWoodFLooring - Thank you. That's good to know. I was considering buying one a couple years ago until I saw those complaints. I wasn't willing to risk that kind of money on a tool that might fail quickly. Glad to hear that the bad ones may have been flukes.

[@HansenWoodProducts]

Just started using mine, used to pneumatic so getting used to it being heavier. But wholly shit the dust collection is unreal. I also got the 3m paper which lasts crazy long. My other stuff still collects great

[@vashon100]

Holy vs wholly

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

Nice bit of kit. The PWM speed ramp-up is neat. BTW, I'm old enough to remember when sandpaper was rectangular. LOL

[@Rusty_ok]

Might be a nice sander but there is no way I can justify over $400 for an orbital sander.

[@chucks4328]

I gotta agree with you there. I also don't see why computers need to be put into everything. What's wrong with a simple power tool you just plug in, flip a switch and it does what you want.

[@Rusty_ok]

@@chucks4328 exactly what’s wrong with a simple on/off switch? I doubt most of the whistles and bells that add so much to the cost ever get used. I guess I will stick with my Dewalt that has been doing just what I need to it to do for 7-8 years. Heck I might order another one as a backup. At the cost of this 3m sander I can buy 5- 6 of the Dewalt that seems fool proof.

[@David_K_pi]

@Rusty Guy - Actually, the electronic controls are often less expensive to manufacture and assemble than a lot of mechanical switches. Wiring in mechanical switches takes quite a bit of touch labor. That's a lot of the reason manufacturers are going to the electronics. They can imply that it's a feature, charge you more, and reduce costs. It's a win-win for them.

[@banjerlegs3051]

I had the Dewalt, went to the Festool and the price is very justified as I would guess this sander is also.

[@bsw051]

Lets review a sander but not really. Why would we want a variable speed? What would we use low vs high?

[@KDD0063]

In which country is this sander manufactured?

[@corin164]

FYI, an arm length for a sailor is one fathom or six feet.

[@ReferenceFidelityComponents]

Sanders are way too expensive for what they are. Woodworkers I feel are being ripped off, certainly in the Uk where this design of sander starts at £350 plus or way more for festool…for a relatively cheap to produce machine. What you have there is no middle of the road sander so unsure how you arrived at that conclusion? That’s expensive. If as a pro wodworker I’d feel the desire to pay more for a sander there’s still only one I’d buy for its light weight, low profile and great performance and that’d be the mirka one. Nothing yet has bettered it Those 3M sanding discs are fantastic. Though. I bought a stack of them and dust reduction is phenomenal and sanding really even. Discs last ages . Anyone who hadn’t tried them need to give them a give them a go!

[@MrDigga53]

nice video ..... I look at many of the comments below..... " its no better than X Y or Z" . The burn demo.... that has got naff all to do with the machine ... the abrasive is doing all the work. Stick some disc's on your current machine and save some $$$ or in my case ££££

[@markusjoseph5256]

This is Super High End. $$$$$

[@visamishra4009]

Nice video

[@XeMexSharkiex13]

Surf prep vs 3m need make video

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

I don't see any benefit to having the red LED "ready mode" ... it seems to be just an unnecessary extra step in turning it on... its a sander, how much tech do you need ? ... or am I missing something ? 🤔

[@lauraclark6704]

Anyone else notice this sander slows and seems to struggle when first placed on the material? Never seems to get up to the selected full speed. Did I get a defect one? Yikes

[@TheDonbjr]

I keep reading reviews that the sander is awesome until it breaks. Over and over again... a few weeks to around 3 months of use and it just breaks and usually quits working completely. Anybody else have this issue?

[@shughes599]

I hear they are breaking when not using dust collection.

[@huejanus5505]

I have a 20+ year old porter cable random sander. I’ve been just hooking it up to the shop vac with a $4 adaptor, when i sand inside. It traps dust at least as well as that one for a whole lot less $. Does that one even come with a filter or do you have to attach vacuum to it?

[@OldDunollieman]

Watch the video again and pay attention this time!!!!

[@chipperkeithmgb]

I have a Porter cable of that vintage and it does it for me

[@karunarathnawagaarachchi5498]

How much does it cost?

[@vashon100]

Look it up

[@bergeronguy9506]

Scuse my english, he live in Québec . Where is sale this sander 3 m ?

[@greenleaf5810]

In Montreal, you can get it at TENAQUIP.

[@blackwater7183]

$1000+ for a fricken sander? Holy...didn't know it could get that expensive.

[@kyleolson8977]

"I love the 16-foot cable" I love cables that can be removed and extension cables. Having a 16 foot cable would get in the way of my cable setup in the shop, but if you need 16-feet you're better off getting a reasonable extension cable and having a shorter cable from the device. This is especially true when you have the cable running along the dust collection. I don't want to wrap a 16 foot cable around the hose every time I want to pull it out. I think there are plenty of reasons to like the 3M sander, but the very long fixed cable is a clear flaw for the professionals/prosumers the device is targeted at.

[@JLneonhug]

"if you're really into your sanding... I mean Woodworking..." Yep easily mistaken, they are essentially the same.

[@internalharm]

Cord is not removable... No storage box... Im leaning towards festool

[@bsw051]

Pretty sure this was just a disc review. Learned more about that than the sander

[@technoman9000]

You're making me really regret my crappy Mastercraft sanders...

[@johnsonlee6843]

This sander spins more like a grinder than a DA sander, and doesn't have a brake to stop the pad from free spinning when turn off. 3M need to make some improvement if they want to get to a higher end market! Do you guys notice these new sandpaper doesn't stick well on other 3M sanding pad????? 3M actually gave me an other special interface pad so I can use these sandpaper on the other 3M pad. Really not a fan of their new sandpaper!

[@slhasebroock]

Obviusly the Mirka patents have expired. This is a copy/clone of one of the Mirka sanders and the paper a copy of the Mirka Abranet paper. Mirka had the FIRST brushless motor technology starting in 2009 (the Ceros) and has received many awards over the years for their products and designs. I would guess they copied, have it made in China and come in lower priced.

[@lfernandplopsa3627]

I got a powerfull Bosh one from a fleamarket (brand new) with 70 disks for 15€ , beat that 😁😁😁😁👍👍👍👍

[@SteifWood]

What about options like the Menzer ETS 150, Sealey DAS150PS, Hyvst KS-02-150, and AT-PRO MDKHS 150. All have 6" discs, 5.0mm stroke (the Menzer also with 2.5 mm), some comes with a systainer but they also cost $150-200(?). Yes, they are all Chinesium made and cheap Mirka clones, but so is the 3M machine .... just sayin'

[@whiskeyblood]

Maybe one of the WORST random orbit sanders. So many dead motors its bordering on a recall. The 3M website for it has LOADS of terrible reviews.

[@KDD0063]

how is this "on the way to festool"? it is more expensive!

[@buildflow]

This sander has a known factory defect that makes it stop working. Mine quit after 6 months.

[@woodworksbygrampies1284]

👍

[@CowAndLighter]

Everyone loves these sanders. But they also have an awful reputation for breaking down repeatedly and quickly. I've had two, both of which lasted less than a few weeks. Reviews online are filled with similar stories.

[@passenger3]

But also it looks / sounds a cut above the rest

[@jesterraj]

@nearly $500 it real pricey unless you into high end detail work...

[@5309backbeat]

500 dollar sander 😲😲

[@gardeninggoddess]

Sorry but any new piece of sandpaper would take that burn off quite easily

[@edwinvasquez278]

The best one is mirka I bought the 3m and just work for like a month do not buy this if you want a reliable tool

[@rob-24971]

All them words to over-explain an on/off button

[@fireknight673]

For 600.00$USD it better sad itself

[@guloguloguy]

THANKS, FOR THIS REVIEW. HOWEVER, IMHO: SUCH "MOTOR DRIVEN" TOOLS ARE USUALLY UNNECESSARILY HEAVY, AND, TOO BULKY FOR COMFORTABLE HAND USE. DOES 3M MAKE A PNEUMATIC VARIOATION OF THIS TOOL?!...

[@jacquesetjoseepoirier-pate1229]

i have both mirka and 3M and after 1 year of sanding, the mirka is the best, 3M has a good customer service but shitty waranty. My Sander went 3 times for repair in 12.5 month and beleive it or not, the last time, after 12.5 month they asked me $370 cnd to fix the unit. It had the same problem 3 times..... so i gues it is a sander for people who uses it once in a while and not for professionnal use..... so 3M is NO GOOD machine.....

[@marytaylor1187]

Ridiculous!

[@budd5607]

Not even if you have a gun to my head.

[@skiprope536]

Nothing here. Wtf.

[@popparock6506]

AVOID this POS sander at all costs! Mine is heading back in for repairs AGAIN after 15 minutes of use!

[@douglasvine2516]

3M is JUNK - I have bought 2 of these in the last 5 months and they both died. Read the reviews on the 3M website. I talked to the service people at 3M and they confirmed that there all several design issues with the control board. Stay away.

[@MarkElvines]

Warning! Not reliable and customer support is not good.

[@jab376]

Nope

[@vmoutsop]

These videos of high end products really bother me. I'm sure this is great for a production environment but it has no business in a hobbyist's shop. The high end Festool's and 3M products of the world should be promoted to production work and professional people, not hobbyists. It really irks me that these promotions only serve to entice people to spend enormous amounts of money because of tool envy, always trying to separate the money from the wallet when something that is good enough is good enough. JMO!

[@damag3plan]

At 500 bucks I'll stick with my harbour freight cheapy