Milwaukee has a new M18 cordless 1/4 sheet finish sander, model 2649-20, which they say delivers corded sander performance with the lowest-in-class vibration and best-in-class dust collection.
Milwaukee says that their new cordless finish sander is:
built for professional carpenters needing to leave the best finish while removing the least amount of material.
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The sander looks to be designed for a one-handed grip from the top or front.
Milwaukee says that with the included dust container, up to 95% of the dust will be collected, resulting in less cleanup time.
A 2-step paper clamp system is said to provide for quick and easy sandpaper changes.
The sander comes with a universal vacuum hose adapter, for improved dust collection if desired.
Here’s a look at the front, so you can see the on/off switch, front grip, and the angle of the dust exhaust port.
Key Features & Specs
- 1/4 sheet paper size – 4.5″ x 5.5″
- Variable speed dial
- 11,000 – 13,000 OPM
- 1.6 mm (~1/16″) orbit diameter
- 5.3″ L x 5.8″ W x 5.9″ H
- Weighs 2.6 lbs (tool-only)
What it Comes with
The sander comes with a dust collection attachment, paper punch, and universal vacuum hose adapter.
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Pricing & Availability
Price: $119 (tool-only)
ETA: June 2022
Discussion
Milwaukee’s M18 5″ random orbit sander came out 4 years ago, and it’s about time they came out with a 1/4 sheet sander!
The new 1/4 sheet finish sander looks to be a welcome addition to Milwaukee’s M18 lineup.
Milwaukee Tool describes their new sander as being aimed towards carpenters, remodelers, and general contractors. But, as a finish sander, this will likely have even broader appeal.
Strategically, Milwaukee aims to offer solutions that cover the entire “frame to finish” process, and this is one more step towards that.
It looks fairly compact with the included dust bag attachment, and I’m happy Milwaukee provides users with a universal vacuum hose adapter.
The new model is said to offer corded performance, best-in-class vibration, and best-in-class dust collection. Sounds good to me.
Chris
Glad they reworked the dust collection port. Their first go at it was a mistake being a wonky “square”.
Jared
They didn’t already have one of these? 🤨 I never would have thought! I presumed this was an updated model until I read that.
Nathan
interesting – I ‘m intrigued by the hole pattern looks to be more distributed with smaller holes. might work better than some.
OldDominionDIYer
Yes! They are finally offering a 1/4 sheet cordless sander! Gonna grab this once it’s available, I love my orbital M18 sander, got a lot of use out of it but this one just offers even more opportunities with the square sanding pad. It’s got corners!
Jared
For my part, I have a cordless ROS and a detail sander (the ones that come to a triangle tip at the front. I think that’s more useful if you can only have two – but certainly doesn’t make this redundant.
Rog
I’ve never had great luck with sheet sanders, I always find the paper tears or comes loose. Am I the only one? Operator error, perhaps?
Stuart
I don’t think it’s just you. Some finish sanders are better than others.
MM
I don’t use sheet sanders all that often so I don’t consider myself an expert, but I’ve noticed that some do a better job of holding the paper than others. As for the paper tearing, I had that happen a lot when I was first using a sheet sander and was trying to be too aggressive with it. A sheet sander, in my experience, is more of a fine finishing tool than it is a tool for aggressive smoothing, stripping off old finishes, etc. Once I stopped trying to use one as a replacement for a belt or a RO sander I had zero issues with paper tearing.
JR Ramos
Buy cloth backed paper. It’s worlds better than any paper-paper. Slight extra cost is more than made up for in durability even on metal. I’ve always bought the Klingspor but there are some others now as well. It’s a bit lighter weight than typical belt sander belts.
A good pad is important too but most sheet sander pads these days suck. The old Porter Cable stick-it pads were fantastic. Medium density foam, thick, with a nylon face. Those would outlast thin foam pads about 8 to 1 and felt pads about 5 to 1. There are a couple of aftermarket pad brands that use a similar material that you can upgrade (sort of) most sanders with, but it isn’t as durable and apparently for some models the aluminum backing plate is pretty wimpy. It’s a shame that SBD killed Porter Cable the way they did, even completely removing the old 330 sander model which was hands down the best palm sander on earth – nothing else compared then or now.
Adam
And the 503 belt sander. Still one of the most fun (and scary) tools I’ve ever worked with.
John E
Many years ago I worked in a small high-end cabinet shop. All we used were Porter Cable sanders and trimmers. Bought myself a couple of 330 1/4 sheet sanders and 310 laminate trimmers when I went solo. Still use them to this day.
Bill
Never had a big problem but will be nice to have variable speed.
MT_Noob
I really enjoyed the comparisons that Project Farm did on youtube the other day about ROS sanders, maybe he could also do the same for 1/4 sheet sanders.
Munklepunk
That was a terrible review. You don’t put pressure on an ra, you let the tool do the work. It’s been one of many that shows he doesn’t know how to properly use the tools he is testing.
Addicted2Red
On top of that he didn’t test one of the most important things which is really subjective.
How it feels.
The new Bosch sanders are night and day difference than the competition. I would put it against mirka/festool in terms of smoothness. It sands great, is quieter and doesn’t buzz my hand off.
I own 4 cordless sanders (Ryobi, Dewalt, Milwaukee, Bosch) and I’m about to put 3 of them up for sale on offerup and possibly grabbing another Bosch.
Marvin L. McConoughey
I just bought the 18 volt Bosc and am very impressed. Much more power ad speed than I expected and feels very smooth. I considered the 12 volt version for lighter weight, but find the 18 volt weight very acceptable.
Jack
The low vibration and price point has my attention, but why not brushless/FUEL?
Stuart
Cost?
If a tool can meet users’ power and runtime expectations, is a brushless motor needed?
Years ago, when it was first introduced, I asked Dewalt why their 20V Max 7-1/4″ miter saw was built with a brushed motor. Whether completely true or not, they said they weigh the needs and benefits when designing new tools, and they felt the miter saw was perfectly capable of fulfilling users’ expectations with a brushed motor. That was when brushless motors were really first emerging, but they have yet to update that saw with a brushless version, and so I continue to take their explanation at face value.
Dave
Perhaps so, but I would pay more to get it in FUEL.
David
Absolutely stupid for a premium tool tool to not offer brushless. I’m a huge fan of milwaukee but this….
MM
I think these comments are very revealing about the power of marketing. We’re conditioned to believe that brushless motors are somehow “better” than brushed–after all, premium lines like Milwaukee Fuel or Dewalt XR usually have brushless motors and they typically outperform older brushed models. But it really isn’t so simple.
From a technical perspective a brushless motor is not “better” than a brushed motor. They’re not more powerful, they’re not lower vibration. They have one potential advantage: because a brushless motor does not have fixed timing, it can maintain its torque over a wide range of RPM. That isn’t always a benefit. For some tools it can be: take a drill/driver or a recip saw–or other tool where you need to feather the trigger to get good control at low speeds, or you need it to maintain power while its bogging down in a cut–those tools can benefit from being brushless. But something that runs at a constant speed and isn’t bogging down? There’s no benefit for that. A tool like an air compressor or a sheet sander that just sits and runs constantly at a given speed doesn’t get any “better” if you make it brushless, it just costs more to pay for the electronics which control the motor.
Jack
Yes, I understand brushless is “better” than brushed. Off the top: More power, virtually no (or at least significantly less) maintenance, greater dependability, lighter, more compact giving a better power-to-weight ratio, longer working life, reduce chance of overheating, better precision, better control/flexibility, and so on. Perhaps I have been misled by all the hype of brushless, but then again…
IMO, the key advantage of brushed over brushless is lower sales cost while delivering a tool which meets my needs over its life. But considering the benefits of brushless over brushed, I have paid more for brushless in almost every case. There is the rare exception when the brushed tool is at a great price point and my need for it is very low/occasional use.
MM
The only one of those benefits that’s guaranteed is the maintenance issue, since you never have to replace brushes with a brushless motor.
It is simply incorrect to think that a Brushless motor is necessarily lighter or more powerful than a brushed motor with the same number and type of windings. In certain applications they can perform better–for example, a drill with a brushless motor has a lot more torque at low RPM than a brushed one–but it’s simply incorrect to conclude that Brushless is always better. For a sander that runs at a constant speed you’d notice zero benefits with a brushless motor over a brushed one….unless you manage to use the tool so long you wear the brushes out.
Jared
Your analysis was way more in-depth than I considered, but when I read that comment about paying more for a brushless tool I had thoughts along similar lines.
E.g. this tool just launched, we have no idea how well it performs. Perhaps it’s not fuel because that wouldn’t make any appreciable difference?
A brushed motor sheet sander might be just fine as-is.
James C
Just curious, Stuart – does milwaukee embargo the media with some of this stuff? Many times I get an email from tool nut or acme about a new tool then see it on here the same day.
Stuart
Yes, and no. Yes as in there are embargoes every so often, but not regularly. No, this wasn’t under embargo.
My info primarily comes from Milwaukee PR. Retailers’ sales page details come from Milwaukee’s distributor/retail side of things.
Retailers often receive information earlier, and they set things to go live a certain day or time. Milwaukee Tool PR sends regular announcements Monday mornings at 9am CT.
So in essence, it would be more accurate to say that retailers receive embargoed details, while announcement PRs come in the day-of.
JoeM
Okay… Again… I thought they already had one of these… Milwaukee specifically, not to be confused with DeWALT. I genuinely thought both had one, though DeWALT was new to it, and Milwaukee already had one.
Yes, I know they already had the orbital sanders before these, as well as… I believe belt sanders? Or are those corded still?
Would it be insulting to the Milwaukee fans if I just kept to knowing DeWALT really well, and just accepted Milwaukee as a good brand without knowing every tool? ‘Cause I am seriously having trouble keeping up with Team Red. I seem to think they already have everything they’re releasing lately. It’s not a happy feeling to feel this with everything they do release.
“New!” “Is it? Really?” Repeat. Could’ve sworn DeWALT was the slow-to-try/release brand among the two giants. I thought Milwaukee just… Had these things on release, or something to that effect?
MM
For whatever reason most of the big players don’t have cordless belt sanders. Milwaukee, Dewalt, Makita, etc don’t have them. Hilti and Metabo have some specialized ones for finishing pipes but they don’t have the standard woodworking type either. I think Ryobi, Ridgid, and Kobalt have them though.
Jared
Hopefully it’s on the horizon. It seems a bit strange that it’s only available from the less popular brands.
I assume it relates to the high power draw and the fact that it isn’t a super popular tool type – but if Ridgid can make one I assume a Dewalt Flexvolt could be even better.
MM
At first I thought the same: A belt sander is a pretty high power consumption tool, but then again so is an angle grinder or a circ saw, and cordless versions of those work great, sometimes even more powerful than corded. And like you said, if Ridgid and Ryobi can make them then surely others can too. I wonder if they’re just not that popular of a tool these days?
I’d buy a Flexvolt in a heartbeat.
TonyT
Looking on HomeDepot, Ryobi and Ridgid have brushless belt sanders. Ryobi, Makita, and Hilti have cordless band files.
MM
I was trying to stick to the wide belt sanders but yes, band files are the same situation! In addition to the ones you listed Ingersoll-Rand and Snap-On have them but Dewalt and Milwaukee don’t.
Bandfiles tend to fall into either of two categories. Hilti and Metabo are geared towards welding & fabrication shops, these are just as powerful as an angle grinder. The others are much less powerful and the pro brands like Snap-On and Ingersoll are targeted for auto body use.
Franck B.
When I was “forced” to buy into the Kobalt 24V line (due to pretty much no other suitable brushless right angle drill/driver), I figured I could buy a few other tools that Lowe’s carried that weren’t very popular, one being the belt sander (some others are the right angle impact driver, and their 6-1/2″ circular saw that has 2-9/16″ cut depth).
As one of the few guys on our team that even owns a corded belt sander, it was a certified fresh purchase. I’ve used that thing to death, especially when working with guys who don’t understand when you tell them to take the line. If one is not an experienced belt sander user, it can be a recipe for disaster. And we know that a lot of people are loathe to try anything that takes time to learn.
I even got the Ryobi 1/2×18″ mini belt sander that I use for spot welds and other small tasks. It’s great once you start using quality belts like 3M Cubitron. With a jig it makes a good knife/tool sharpener.
MM
Bandfiles like the Ryobi “mini” are super handy tools. As I’ve ranted more than once on this site it really confuses me that Yellow and Red don’t have these and they aren’t all that well known. Hilti and Metabo make very heavy duty ones that, alas, are very spendy. I ended up getting the Makita LXT and I run it off Dewalt batts with an adapter.
JoeM
So, from what I gather from you guys, MM, Jared, Tony T, and Franck B… I’m not alone in this weird feeling/surprised feeling that there are these tools Milwaukee (And also DeWALT!) were somewhat… Expected a long time ago, in the lifespan of the two companies’ current Lithium-Ion families of tools?
I do see a lot of surprise among you guys that they both are lacking a belt sander of any kind, despite both companies having at least one, if not more, high-draw battery systems available to them. Also, a surprise that the other “Lesser Known/Less Common” Brands do have belt sanding and belt grinding/filing tools. I don’t want to skip over that particular observation by so many of you.
I’m not imagining this phenomena? Thinking these “New” tools were actually already released from these companies already, when we’re actually recalling tools that were released by their… let’s face it… Sibling brands and/or Rival brands?
‘Cause this Millwaukee thing is starting to freak me out… it’s messing with my head in so many ways it’s nuts…
Tool Junkie
I don’t understand why they bothered. I’ve been woodworking for over 20 years and have never bothered with one.
I use several ROSs, going down to 600 grit on Walnut. Of I need a right corner, I used a Fein detail sander, until I replaced it about 6 or 8 yrs ago with a DeWalt cordless.
JR Ramos
I’ll have to feel this one in hand and see if it’s better than previous models. I was disappointed in the bulk and ergonomics with the DeWalt and Bosch ones some years back. I really think they need to redesign these to hold the battery on the top of the tool. It’s just too off balance stuck on the rear, especially if you use larger packs (to the point of tipping at rest or needing to apply counterbalancing pressure in use, not good). Gets in the way of positioning the hand for uses other than horizontal flat surfaces, too. Other than that they’re great for touchups and light work.
I’m not sure if Fuel/brushless would be a benefit on a low-torque tool like this, but maybe it would allow them to increase the orbit size. For cordless they all dumbed them down to something like 1/16″ (like the stroke length on recip and jigsaws was reduced considerably for cordless). I would imagine that they don’t expect sales numbers to be worth the R&D on brushless. I think there’s absolutely still a place for plain palm/sheet sanders these days even though RO took over the market twenty years ago. Getting into corners, of course, but they also excel at edges and contoured shapes where RO may stall out or just fail to sand smoothly in those situations…fine for drywall, too, where any marks will disappear under paint.
But put that battery on top, please, out of the way.
Collin
Good to see that Milwaukee hasn’t forgotten that its sanders exist.
What would really be interesting would be a pneumatic replacement 6 inch dual action sander.
Milwaukee has made a full throated push into shop tools. A 6″ DA sander would make so much sense.
Releasing a cordless 6″ DA would also put Milwaukee in a true leadership position, rather than leading from behind, as they’ve been happy to do for the past several years.
MM
I would absolutely love if one of the big cordless tool companies made a proper 6″ DA cordless sander. Not an RO, but a proper DA.
Collin
Right? I know a lot of people who want to go cordless with their sanders but they’re stuck using 5″ woodworking sanders in the body shop. It works more or less in some situations, but it’s far from optimal.
Tator
No NPS or Pipeline this year?