Finger Sander / Power File

[Cris B]

I am thinking of getting a finger sander / power file for tidying up bodywork repairs on the cars.

Has anyone used the Black and Decker KA900E?

£50 seems reasonable and with money off at the moment at B&Q it seems a decent deal.

I know you can pay more for a Makita or other brand but is it worth it?

Where is good for the supply of decent replacement belts?

 

[TechnicAl]

Ive got a Black and Decker powerfile.........dont know the number

The belts snap with annoying regularity so I dont use it much but its OK to use in a tight corner. I use it on wood so dont know about cars.

I get the cheapest belts off ebay.........Ive bought expensive and it makes no difference

 

[optima21]

Ive started using the aldi ones which are £30 when they have them in. I used to use black and decker ones but they only last about 2 years with me. with the belts I use 457mm x 76mm sanding belts and cut the belts down to width by cutting 1" of the belt over the join (from the inside with a stanley knife) and then rip it along its length.

also with the black an decker ones the rubber roller on the end wears over time and becomes almost ball shaped, but the aldi one have a steel roller so dont wear

 

[Perry Owens]

I have an Evolution power file - £39 from FFX. Does everything I want and doesn't break belts, though it will throw them if you catch an edge. I think the belts are a slightly different length to the B&D ones but they are easy to get on Ebay.

 

[marlinspike]

I use the B and D one and it's probably the most useful tool I have bought for my car resto. You can quickly remove rust and paint and dress down welds. I buy the blue zirconia belts on eBay as they last longer.

After about a year of heavy use, the rubber wheel on the end of the arm had worn down, but it was easy to find a genuine replacement part for about £7 delivered. I can't recommend them enough and only wish I had bought one at the start as they are far superior to using a wire cup on a drill and save so much time. If it breaks I will go out and buy another one.

The Lowry Centre in Salford has a Black and Decker outlet shop, and if they have them in stock they are about £35-40. Worth ringing before anyone makes a trip though as they don't always have them.

 

[ronan]

I am thinking of getting a finger sander / power file for tidying up bodywork repairs on the cars.

Has anyone used the Black and Decker KA900E?

£50 seems reasonable and with money off at the moment at B&Q it seems a decent deal.

I know you can pay more for a Makita or other brand but is it worth it?

Where is good for the supply of decent replacement belts?

I was lucky enough to buy a makita powerfile for very little when a local engineers suppliers was closing. Its excellent, and i can get professional quality belts for it in bulk packs at the welding suppliers i go to. These belts last a while and are available in a lot of different grits.

I also bought a cheap powerfile (impulse buy) in lidl or aldi, its ok, but the belts don't last and the belt doesn't track very well. As with so much else in life, you get what you pay for.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

The Lowry Centre in Salford has a Black and Decker outlet shop, and if they have them in stock they are about £35-40.

They're showing them at £29 but clicking on it brings up other discounted items, not B&D - I assume they've none in stock although it says offer valid until 8/4/2016

 

[pedrobedro]

I bought my B&D Powerfile for £32 on Amazon a few years ago and it has stood up well. I oil the little bearing in the tip roller occasionally but recently treated it to a new end section from eBay for £6.80. I got a load of belts from johnt1102 on eBay as well and have not had one fail on me yet. He does zirconia belts which are supposed to be better than al-ox but I haven't tried them yet.

 

[Robotstar5]

I've had my B&D powerfile for a few years, handy tool to have in the "armoury"

 

[Turbo]

They're a very handy and versatile tool to have in any workshop. I use mine every day though since I've bought a die grinder it now gets used instead to dress welds in tight spaces.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I have the Black & Decker power file.
At first I was very disappointed with it.
The belts would snap, run of the side etc.
I binned the dust bag and spent time making sure the belt adjuster was working. Turned out the belt holder had a twist in it. As Did the second, third and Fourth.
The one I got now came direct from Black and Decker.
I found out it is not good for heavy work, but mainly for finishing of and getting into tight spots.
As for belts, like some one else I get mine from my welder supply shop. The ones I get are designed for a air driven power file.
No issues there.
I feel that the build quality on the power file lacks B&D normal standards, but for the light use I give mine a handy tool to have.

 

[julianthegypsy]

I have one from aldi. It does particular jobs brilliantly, like cleaning up the inside of a 4" hole in a piece of sheet for example. I get belts from screwfix very cheap too. They don't last long but it doesn't get used as a general purpose tool so it doesn't matter, they more than pay for themselves. I wouldn't be without it now.

 

[Rudi McAnichal]

Yes, I bought a Black and Decker KA900E a couple of year ago, and it has been brilliant.

Belts sometimes come apart at the glued joint, and I stick them back together with Gorilla Glue.

I buy the much wider belts, intended for a power plane, from Lidl or Aldi (cannot remember which) and slice them up with a pair of tin snips. Only a fraction of the cost of the official component. Got that tip from somebody on this forum a while back, think it may have been Shox Dr.

 

[Turbo]

I have one of the original blue-green B&D powerfiles which I got second hand so goodness knows how old it is. Eventually everything wore out on it - the rubber drive cog was worn plus the whole belt tensioner & tracking system was very loose. It got impossible to keep the belt in place so I had to retire it & bought one of the new black & orange ones. The build quality is not nearly as good and I can't see it lasting as long as the old model.

I recently bought one of the Aldi power files & I like it. It feels more solid than the newer B&D & nice to use. It also uses the same size belts so I can keep a coarse & fine grit in each, saves having to swap.