By Al Gerhart - The GEM sander is a workhorse, quiet, dust free, well balanced and leaves a very flat surface. This sander is much faster than our previous method of using a 6" Porter-Cable Random Orbit sander.    

It is rather expensive, and the shroud ought to be standard equipment. Attaching the shroud is a pain, the pad must be removed, as well as the counter weight system, then a cover plate must be removed before bolting the shroud on.

The Gem sander features an 11" drive pad. It is available with 3M hookit II pads and Trizact, Micron paper, and Scotch-Brite pads are available from several sources. It runs at 1700 orbits per minute with a counter weight orbital system. Only one hand is needed to guide the sander in use. Direct drive capacitor drive motor means no brushes to wear out or gears to strip. It weighs 16 pounds, 10" tall, heavy aluminum construction.

The sander is well manufactured. The switch is easy to get to, very quiet, and the unit is well balanced with surprisingly little "pull" so it doesn't take much effort to run. It makes quick work of sanding and polishing counter tops, at least twice as fast, and leaves a very flat surface.

The pads are quick and easy to replace. It is easily cleaned between grits. It was a pleasure to run, much quieter than the 6" Porter-Cable variable speed sanders we have been using. Better balanced as well, a little wobble but that is probably just the orbital sanding motion. It runs slower, less noise and a better finish than anything else we have used, including the Festool 6" sander. No sign of "corn rows" that you sometimes get with a 6" sander. The Hookit pads are pretty aggressive and the micron paper is thick and should last two to three sets of counter tops.

Dust extraction works very well, little dust is left on the surface. The sander has a 1 1/2" hose fitting and an adapter for 1 1/4" hose is included. We used it with our Festool vacuum, which is so quiet that once in a while you have to turn the tool off to see if the vacuum is running.

Overall, I would give this product a superior rating. It did everything the manufacture said it would do and will save us a lot of time sanding and polishing countertops. It is one of those products that once you have used one, you won't be without one again. Be sure and order it with the shroud as the package is less expensive than buying them separately. The sander alone is priced around $330, or $399 with the shroud. Micron paper 60, 30 and 15 Micron is priced around $3.79 per disc. We used one of each grit to finish 75 sq’ job and there is plenty of life left in the discs, enough for one or two more jobs.

About the author:
Al Gerhart is the owner of The Carpenter Shop in Oklahoma City, OK. He can be contacted through his website at www.thecarpentershop.net

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