Review: Ridgid Oscillating Sander – Pros and Cons

Sanding is arguably the most important part of any kind of woodwork. You have to make sure those babies come out looking pristine and feeling smooth to the touch. The last thing you (or anyone else for that matter) need is to get a splinter simply because a product wasn’t sanded down properly. We don’t need to tell you how painful and annoying that can be. Besides, wooden items look so much better and fabulously elegant when they are super smooth. Now, if you’re looking for a multipurpose sander that works well to sand down straight or curved pieces of wood, then you’ll love what the Ridgid oscillating sander has to offer. It truly is one of the most versatile sanders we’ve come across so far. We got one and put it to the test. The results were nothing short of impressive. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Ridgid Oscillating Sander – Product Description

The Ridgid EB4424 Oscillating/ Edge Belt sander is a 2-in-1 machine that combines both an edge and a spindle sanding belt. This high-performance sanding tool is designed with a ball-bearing construction to ensure that it delivers smooth operation throughout its lifetime. Its plastic frame is quite sturdy as well. You can tell it was built to last. The sander uses a rotary and oscillating motion to deliver burn-free finishes on faces, edges, tight contours, as well as the inside and outside of curved surfaces. Unlike many of the other sanders that you'll come across, the EB4424 doesn’t require the use of tools to convert from the belt to the spindle and vice versa. This tool-free conversion provision makes it easy, quick, and convenient to use. If you need to sand down bevel edges, the Ridgid EB4424 table can tilt to angles ranging anywhere between zero and 48 degrees. The most popular angles for these operations are 0, 15, 22.5, 30, and 45 degrees.

Features

Oscillating Edge Belt / Spindle Sander Source: Ridgid.com The sander comes completely outfitted with a 4” x 24” belt, a set of sleeves, and drums. It also has on-board storage for all the accessories it comes with. So, you can neatly store away your belt, washers, throat plates, and drums within the machine itself, rather than on your workstation, where they’re likely to get lost or misplaced. It also comes with a ton of user-friendly features that make it easy for novice and experienced users alike to handle. We particularly liked the host adapter that comes with a sawdust collection port that’s built into the device. It also has soft-touch knobs to turn the machine on and off, and toggle between the different settings with ease. You’ll also notice that it has recesses at the base to allow you to secure a sawhorse safely. Its overall intuitive design is what makes this particular sander so easy to use.

Specifications

Belt size: 4” x 24” FPM: 1,350 belt Input: ⅜ HP; 5 amps Oscillation speed: 60 oscillations per minute Sanding drum sizes: ¾ inch, 1 inch, 1½ inches, and 2 inches Stroke: ¾ inch Transmission speed (no load): 1,725 spindle rotations per minute Weight: 40 lbs. Accessories included:
  • Drum washers
  • Hex key
  • Sander bed assembly with 4” x 24”
  • Sanding drums: ¾ inch, 1 inch, 1½ inches, and 2 inches
  • Sanding sleeves: ¾ inch, 1 inch, 1½ inches, and 2 inches in diameter
  • Table insert
  • Throat plates

Pros

The Ridgid sander offers a myriad of benefits that you just don’t get with any other machine on the market right now. Here are the top ones.

Versatility

Oscillating Edge Belt / Spindle Sander Source: Ridgid.com Right off the bat, one of the great things about the Ridgid EB4424 Oscillating / Edge Belt sander is the fact that it is a multi-purpose 2-in-1 high-performance sanding tool. You can use it on faces, edges, tight contours, as well as the inside and outside of curved surfaces. So, you don’t need to get two different machines to sand flat edges and contoured sections of the wood.

Offers Great Value for Money

The other benefit is the sheer amount of value it delivers. For all the tasks it is designed to do, its price tag is pretty reasonable compared to other sanding devices in the market that are either standalone spindle sanders or edge belt sanders. The value you get versus its price makes it a worthwhile purchase in our eyes.

Intuitive Design

We particularly like its intuitive design. The sawdust collection port, in particular, is genius. And, you know how much of a mess sanding creates. The Ridgid EB4424 Oscillating / Edge Belt sander has a built-in dust port that collects all the sawdust from your sanding operation into one convenient compartment that you can then empty once you're done.

Comes With Built-In Storage

Rather than store sanding belts, washers, throat plates, and drums in a general-purpose toolbox, along with several other furniture-making accessories where they’re likely to get misplaced, the Ridgid EB4424 comes with onboard storage. It has ample room to hold all your accessories in an organized fashion.

Impressive Performance

On a performance front, you’ll be hard-pressed to find other sanders in the market that offer the level of power and grit the Ridgid EB4424 has. It delivers an oscillation speed of 60 per minute and has a transmission speed of 1,725 spindle rotations per minute. This means that you can expect a smooth and burn-free finish on all your projects, and quite fast, at that.

Cons

For the most part, the Ridgid oscillating sander is a pretty solid machine. The only issue we could find was that it does get pretty loud during use. If you’re uncomfortable with loud noises, you might want to get a pair of earplugs before you turn on the motor.

The Verdict

All in all, the Ridgid oscillating sander is a great complement for your workshop projects. On a scale of 1 to 10, we would say it’s a strong nine. It is powerful enough to handle any kind of sanding project you throw at it. Its price isn’t too bad either, considering you’re getting two sanding machines for the price one. We recommend making this tool a part of your workshop equipment. We guarantee you’ll like it as much as we did.