So, I've had a deWalt 421 ROS for a long time, and I never particularly loved it. Recently, the plastic bit that connects the dust bag to the sander bit the dust, so I figured it was an opportunity for an upgrade. I picked up a factory reconditioned Makita BO5041 for about $70 including tax and shipping.

Dewalt cons:

• Single speed

• Jerks when turned on

• Has a strong tendency to want to "walk" on it's own, and it has no additional handle to make it easier to control

Dewalt pros:

• Rugged, aside from the dust bag bit that finally came apart

• Seems reasonably powerful

Makita cons:

• What is this, a dust port for ants? Seriously, the dust port is 3/4 inches, so hooking it up to a shop vac for better dust collection is going to be interesting

Makita pros:

• Variable speed, soft start, and trigger lock

• Doesn't tend to wander; even single-handing this, it's far easier to keep it where you want it than the dewalt

• Movable and removable handle for using 2nd hand - this is really nice, because you can put the handle where you want it, or remove it so it's entirely out of your way.

• Also seems rugged

Anyhow, after using the makita for a while, I'm seriously impressed at how much nicer to use it is than the dewalt. The big deals are the variable speed and controllability. There's a reason it's more expensive, but getting a factory refurb unit, it's not much more expensive.

I am trying to decide based on 1) long lasting; 2) time saver.

Heard that Makita last years while Dewalt has some issues. Some reviews even labelled dewalt as lower quality? Makita BO5041 is way more expensive in my area (twice the price of dewalt).