I've really liked my Makita VS 3 x 21. When I was doing a small room
and didn't want to rent a drum sander, I went out and bought a cheap
B&D. That lasted for about 3 minutes. Oh, it spun the paper around, but
otherwise it was worthless. No power, wouldn't track correctly, motor
smelled like it would burn up any second, etc. After burning a couple
rolls of sandpaper in those 3 minutes, I took it back. The I read some
reviews, then tried out all the ones at both Borgs just to see how they
feel and sound. The Makita spoke to me, but the PC seemed OK too. I
didn't have the opportunity to try out the Bosch. But the Makita has
performed often for the last 7 years without a hiccup, it's been great.


H.

PS: one thing I learned from reading reviews is that there's quite a
step up in quality and durability when you go beyond 3x21 in the better
brands.