Review: Dewalt DCW210 Cordless Random Orbit Sander

The Dewalt DCW210 random orbital sander is a slick cordless option from Dewalt that runs on their 20V batteries. The cordless design and lighter weight makes this a very capable and maneuverable orbit sander. Let’s take a closer look at this one.

Sanding Power & Motor

This random orbit sander is powered by a 20V battery and it has pretty good power for it’s size and price point. Some people who use this sander say it feels like it has a little less power than a corded equivalent, but still good sanding power overall. The motor has variable speed capability and can operate from 8,000 to 12,000 OPM. The motor is also brushless, which means it is electronically controlled and can run a little more efficiently and use less power to operate at capacity.

Overall, people find this sander to be very capable of tackling lots of different sanding applications. Refinishing wood is easy with this sander and woodworking is one of the more popular uses. Sanding plastics and metals is also a breeze with the right sanding pad in place.

Battery Power

Since this sander is powered by batteries it’s good to take a closer look at the options and considerations. This sander can use any of Dewalt’s 20V batteries. So if you already use any 20V Dewalt tools this sander will fit right into your lineup.

Dewalt has several options available with varying capacity levels. The smallest are the 1.5 AH batteries and the largest are the 12 AH batteries. AH is a rating that means Amp hours.

For this particular sander, 5 AH might be about as big as you’ll want to go, as anything else will feel too unbalanced. A single 5 AH battery could potentially get you a couple hours of periodic use or 30-45 minutes of near constant use with this sander. People who want this sander to feel lighter prefer to go as low as the 1.5 or 2 AH batteries, but they end up swapping batteries a lot more as a result.

If you already have batteries and a charger, or have a specific preference on what batteries you want to get along with this sander, there is a tool-only version available, model number DCW210B.

There is also a kit available that includes this sander, a bag, a 2 AH battery and a charger, model number DCW210D1.

Handheld Design

This sander has a more compact design and is only 2.6 lbs without a battery attached. Of course the weight and overall balance will change depending on what type of battery you use.

People find this to be an easy sander to handle, even for those with smaller hands. The power switch seems to come up as a negative every now and then, as some find it hard to reach or hard to use with gloves. The grip makes it easy to hold onto and it doesn’t slip easily.

Sanding Pad

This sander has a 5 inch hook and loop pad that will hold any 5 inch hook and loop pad with 8 dust collection holes. This is a pretty standard size and there are many options for sanding pads available out there.

Dust Collection

Dust collection on this sander isn’t all that bad, and people who own this sander are surprised at how well the dust bag can work. Dust still gets everywhere with the dust bag, but it’s not as bad as some other orbit sanders in this range that we’ve looked at.

As usual, it works much better to hook this up to a dust collector or a vacuum, and if you go this route you’ll get much better results. The dust port on this sander works directly with the DWV010 and DWV012 dust collectors from Dewalt. There is also the DWV9000 Universal Quick Connector which will allow you to connect this sander to 1-1/4 inch vacuum hoses.

Build Quality

The build quality on this sander is good for a Dewalt tool. It feels lightweight but also solid when held in hand. There is plenty of plastic going on here, but nothing that is designed in a way that causes breakage issues. Motor issues that crop up with this sander seem to happen early and are more likely a result of just getting bad unit out of the box rather than things wearing out during use. Dewalt has a good warranty so you’re covered if you do run into any quality control issues.

Included Accessories

This sander comes in a kit that includes a dust bag and a storage bag. The sander can also be purchased as a bare tool.

• 2AH DCB203 Battery and Charger
• Dust Bag

Other Available Accessories

Dewalt offers some accessories to expand the capabilities of this sander, which need to be purchased separately. There’s may also be kits or packages that include these accessories. Here’s what’s available.

Dewalt DWE64233 Hook and Loop Pad

Dewalt DWV012 Dust Extractor

Setup & Assembly

This sander is very easy to setup and start using. We recommend to read through the manual so you don’t miss out on any of the small details for use and maintenance. But otherwise this is about as close as you can get to being able to just pull a tool out of the box and start using it right away.

Warranty

Dewalt offers a 3 year warranty on defective parts or workmanship. They also include a 1 year free service contract and a 90 day money back guarantee. This is good enough to help you out if you have quality control issues in that first year of use.