Best recommendations for a dedicated autobody DA sander under $200

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aviator8

Promoted Users
I rather buy once and rely on the tested products people have used. If your broke today which one would you buy for under 200?
 
This might not help you but I picked up an old school Craftsman at the pawnshop for 20 bucks last week. It is heavy duty and been in the box for decades. It will do everything i need and the price was right.
 
I’m a fan of the palm sander style. I think airvantage sanders are great. I’ve had great luck with them. I’ve also have a IR I’ve had forever that is still in use that doesn’t want to die. Obviously dynabrades are among the best…my opinion anyways. But airvantage seems just as good and a bit cheaper. If you wanna roll the dice and save some bucks the Baxter brand at harbor freight seems to get good reviews. I’d buy one for $99 if mine puked and I needed one that day to keep working.
 
Ive been looking at dynabrade and air advantage so far. There are so many models though, and not sure which one hits the sweet spot. I should say that I prfer the palm trigger sanders.
 
i bought the cheap one on amazon figuring it would last a year but i've had it 4 years .
 
dynabrade is always the best you can get. im sure they are over 200 bucks though. 3/16" orbit is what you want. i have 3 3m orbitals that still work flawlessly and used every day for the past 10-12 years. i have a harbor freight professional series sander. yes it works but the balance is horrible. it will numb your hand after a few minutes of use. i have 3 of the kovax/eagle orbitals as well. very good sander but the palm grip feels too big for me. for an orbital you want something lightweight and i think the dynabrades and 3m fit that bill the best.
 
Ok, i hate to admit this but the baxter brand tools from HF are pretty decent for the money. I own most of them. Not sure how they would hold up to full time work, but they seem to be holding up good for what I do.

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i stopped buying high dollar tools 20 years ago. i've got a few on the shelf that bit the dirt in about 3 years . i now buy da sanders for around 35 dollars . cheap bastard is 4 years old. BUT i'm not hitting it 8hrs a day . the trick is to not run them high pressure . i think the key is to oil them and run them on low pressure . i've got a couple that are so old i dont know the brand. likely CP since that was my go to brand .
 
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