The sanders with the best dust control are made by Festool, and are most effective when attached to a good HEPA vac, for example the excellent vacuums also made by Festool. They allow a contractor to work in customers’ homes with a freedom that is not possible with other products. They are much more expensive than sanders from other companies, and the HEPA vacuums are somewhat more expensive.
In situations where dust control is not as important, and if my Festool sanders are on another site, I frequently use my Bosch sanders, attached to a standard shop vac. They provide an outstanding compromise between price and dust control.
I have used the Porter Cable floating head drywall disc sander and it worked well, and it was around $400.00 back then. The great thing about it was I didn’t have to drape plastic and do a massive dust storm cleanup. Most of the time I didn’t even have to wear a mask. And for wood work for paint prep. I use Porter Cable and Milwaukee orbitals with dust catchers.
I have a HEPA vac, but looking for an alternative to the Porter Cable floating head.
I know Bosch has gotten in the competition with accessory tools. And I have seen a couple back pack versions drywall and paint contractors use.
Just wondering what is used mostly in the field these days accross the board. I will look into Festool.
Festool is a great product for dustless sanding but these sanders cost an arm and a leg. The porter cable sander and vac work great and are a couple hundred dollars cheaper than Festool. In any scenario use a quality vacuum. I have seen some cheaper models come around and know a few people who use them and say they work great but to me they seem cheaply made.
