Hi, I've been using a Galaxy 506 drum sander forever. My local supply shop has a new Hummel 8" belt sander in stock. I have the money and am real tempted. My question is this: will I still need my drum sander for jobs that really need to be ground down, or can I get rid of it? A better question would be: should I get the belt sander when I already have a drum sander? Better? Worse? I don't know. I've been stuck in my ways too long now and it seems like a time for a change. I don't get out much, so am looking for other expert opinions on sanders.

We have three of the eight inch hummels, the oldest is about seventeen. The are very easy to use and maintain, we have replaced a couple parts, wheels, a bearing and that is about it. We use them for all the floors we sand. We had a drum sanders for a few years but we never used it after we got the hummel. It will grind down anything the drum sander did. We dhave no chatter belt changing is a breeze. Sold the drum on e-bay and never regretted it.

I own a 8" hummel and also a 10" Bona Belt. I pretty much don't like the Bona Belt because it acts like a planer .it takes forever to level a bad floor with it. The Hummel on the other hand is deceptively powerful. With its tapered drum , it can easily deal with bad floors without side cutting and can level floors nearly as fast as any drum sander .I've tried lots of other machines like the Clarke super 8, the old American 8" drum sanders, the Galaxy 2000 combination machine and I will never look back.The Hummel is "the " machine in my opinion.

A few things to think about:
1. Faster isn't always better. Some machines side cut like bastards which only creates more work .
2.The hummel is simple and perfectly set up right from the factory.The more complicated a sander, the less effective it usually becomes.
3.Maintenance is a breeze on the hummel.Change the drum and roller every 2 to 3 years and change belt tension spring and wheels as needed.
4.Ergonomically the Hummel is like a porsche.Nothing is easier to handle,carry or maneuver.

My Bona Belt 10" sander is so complicated that every adjustment affects another adjustment. It's also bulky and the 10" drum works against you.It's flat so it side cuts on the bad floors and wears out the paper much faster than the 8" papers on the hummel. The Hummel levels super effectively and fines off almost as good as my Bona machine.The Bona has a slight edge on fining off because the drum is so huge and flat but at the expense of being able to level quickly.