National Detroit vs. Hutchins

[MetRamos]

I'm looking to buy an orbital sander or DA, but not sure which ones are the best for all around use such as knocking down bondo and final feather edging, I don't have the money to buy to different ones at the time. I've used the ND sander with a handle, I like it because u can lock it and use it as a grinder and the hutchins palm sander, which i like because it featger edges quite well . And like them both. But I would most likely go with a hutchins with a handle if i were to choose hutchins, any help?

[Jayson M]

Get a dynabrade silver supreme,if you can afford it,if not Len sells the airvantage sander here.
http://www.tooltopia.com/dynabrade-6...n=shopping_r1&

[MetRamos]

Get a dynabrade silver supreme,if you can afford it,if not Len sells the airvantage sander here.
http://www.tooltopia.com/dynabrade-6...n=shopping_r1&

I've heard people talking about dynabrade, are these the next thing? And can u put a handle on these?

[Jayson M]

dynabrade has been around for many years,not new at all,just a better sander.They make different models with a handle but a palm sander is much nicer and more versatile.The old knuckle duster sander with a handle is great for stripping paint and bullwork,but the palmsander is better for 90% of your needs.I have 2 dynabrades and one is over 10 years old with no issues.

[MetRamos]

O Ok, I'm re thinking and might just go with a dynabrade. What offset would be best?

[Jayson M]

The 3/16" throw is good for general work,when you need a more aggressive sander you can buy a 3/8"version when you have the cash.

[MetRamos]

The 3/16" throw is good for general work,when you need a more aggressive sander you can buy a 3/8"version when you have the cash.

Ok thanks for the help. I will look on line and check local paint stores to see who offers the best price. Is tool topia in the US?

[Len]

Get a dynabrade silver supreme,if you can afford it,if not Len sells the airvantage sander here.
http://www.tooltopia.com/dynabrade-6...n=shopping_r1&

We also sell Dynabrade but they're not quite as cheap as other sites. However I believe that the AirVantage is just as good and we do offer them at a very god price. We have several AirVantage sanders that we use daily and they have been performing flawlessly for years.

Don't use an orbital sander on filler, you're wasting your time, use a air board or 8" geared sander like the one below.

Surface Prep Tools LINK


8" Geared Sander

[easymoney]

my advice- don't buy one of those knuckle busters with the exposed counterweights unless that is all you have the money for. i have one that is similar to the Dynabrade and i love it. no more damage to my fingers or the car body trying to get into tight places.

[Dennis N. Schmidt]

I own a woodshop and I have twenty-six random orbit sanders of every make, model and description. I have Dynabrade Supreme's (which are their best, the Silver Supreme Jayson mentioned isn't a good as the original metal Supreme, their Spirit line completely SUCKS - the reason being the sander is too light and skips around on any flat surface). I have many Hutchins in both 3/16" and 3/32" versions and a bunch of AirVantage sanders and many 3M sanders (which are AirVantage manufactured for 3M).

- The AirVantage/3M in my opinion are the best. They have the lowest center of gravity and last forever and seldom require oiling.
- The Dynabrade Supreme are good but require more frequent oiling than the AirVantage/3M.
- The Hutchins 4500 series are heavy but last forever and are great for horizontal surfaces as the additional weight aids in the sanding.
- The second generation plastic Hutchins 3500 series is plastic (which is not a bad thing at all in fact I prefer it in the Hutchins) This plastic sander (along with the 3M/Advantage sander is plastic but both have the balance point and weight to work properly unlike the Dynabrade Spirit which I reiterate SUCKS.)
- The brand new third generation Hutchins sander (500 - 600 series) completely BLOWS. Has the same problem as the Dynabrade Spirit. I had the local Hutchins rep bring me one of these to demo and it failed miserably which upset me as I've always respected Hutchins.
- The old school National Detroit has a very big throw which I use to advantage with Trizact which likes being used wet with big throw sanders. Other than that it's not very handy. Too big and bulky.

For sanding filler you use a mudhog as Len has correctly noted. Random orbit sanders are used for finishing not shaping.

[Henry]

I own a woodshop and I have twenty-six random orbit sanders of every make, model and description. I have Dynabrade Supreme's (which are their best, the Silver Supreme Jayson mentioned isn't a good as the original metal Supreme, their Spirit line completely SUCKS - the reason being the sander is too light and skips around on any flat surface). I have many Hutchins in both 3/16" and 3/32" versions and a bunch of AirVantage sanders and many 3M sanders (which are AirVantage manufactured for 3M).

- The AirVantage/3M in my opinion are the best. They have the lowest center of gravity and last forever and seldom require oiling.
- The Dynabrade Supreme are good but require more frequent oiling than the AirVantage/3M.
- The Hutchins 4500 series are heavy but last forever and are great for horizontal surfaces as the additional weight aids in the sanding.
- The second generation plastic Hutchins 3500 series is plastic (which is not a bad thing at all in fact I prefer it in the Hutchins) This plastic sander (along with the 3M/Advantage sander is plastic but both have the balance point and weight to work properly unlike the Dynabrade Spirit which I reiterate SUCKS.)
- The brand new third generation Hutchins sander (500 - 600 series) completely BLOWS. Has the same problem as the Dynabrade Spirit. I had the local Hutchins rep bring me one of these to demo and it failed miserably which upset me as I've always respected Hutchins.
- The old school National Detroit has a very big throw which I use to advantage with Trizact which likes being used wet with big throw sanders. Other than that it's not very handy. Too big and bulky.

For sanding filler you use a mudhog as Len has correctly noted. Random orbit sanders are used for finishing not shaping.

Dennis, thanks for another good review. Can you elaborate more on use the 3/8 ND with Trizact? That sounds interesting to me. Is this wood only or auto work? Thanks. Henry

[Jayson M]

Other than the lower center of gravity why is the airvantage better IYO ?The airvantage/3m/mac/mirka sander is basically the same sander made in china.Not saying it isn't any good as I have 2 of them and they perform pretty good,but for a few bucks more you can get an american made dynabrade.I heard a rumour that an engineer from dynabrade left the company and started making the airvantage offshore,guess thats why it looks like a dyanbrade.

The old hutchins red and blue 4500 sanders are very reliable but not aggressive at all,takes forever to do any kind of heavy sanding on a car.The black top plastic hutchins 3570 is a 3/16 offset throw is comparable to the dynabrade 3/8 throw sander as far as speed and aggressive sanding.If you want an old heavy aggressive sander get the old htchins mark IV,but it will give you carpel tunnel

Too bad you can't get the metal top dynabrades anymore but the round top version that came out after them is just as good and uses the same bearings.When they changed the design from the round top they are not as good but still decent,and I agree with your opinion on the spiritNever had a probelm with them skipping around on horizontal surfaces.

The desoutter sanders are also very good,they are made in the UK and bought out by cp ,I have a palm sander with a 3/8 throw and use it for very aggresive work.It is just like the knuckle duster in performance but it won't kill you.

The old metal sioux palm sander (690?) is great for finish sanding and color sanding.

I have all of these sanders in my toolbox, and have been very happy with there performance.

[MARTINSR]

Get a dynabrade silver supreme,if you can afford it,if not Len sells the airvantage sander here.
http://www.tooltopia.com/dynabrade-6...n=shopping_r1&

My vote is for the dynabrade too, they make some fine tools!

Brian

[MARTINSR]

my advice- don't buy one of those knuckle busters with the exposed counterweights unless that is all you have the money for. i have one that is similar to the Dynabrade and i love it. no more damage to my fingers or the car body trying to get into tight places.

That knuckle buster is a MUST HAVE tool for me, but not for sanding filler or paint, (the dynabrade wins for that hands down) I MUST have my old N/D DAQ for metal finishing in the grinder mode. Wouldn't work without it, I have two in fact.

Brian

[Len]

My vote is for the dynabrade too, they make some fine tools!

Brian

Brian
Have you used an AirVantage? I've never seen an orbital sander that worked as well. I think it's because of its low profile that makes it a lot easier to control and it keeps the pressure very evenly distributed on the face of the pad.