used this once, then put it away for over a year next time i went to use it the motor goes round but the belt wont- it seems ever ryobi tool i have ever brought has been a one use tool then throw it away

Not Fit for Purpose!
This Idiot machine has Idiot Picture instructions & no matter how you set it up the belts wind off & chew the rollers.
They might make some good products but this is not one of them.
I now agree with other 1 star reviews, Not Worth the $$$
Update 28/9/18, So I went back to Bunnings & showed The Toolshop guy my issue, He asked what I was doing, I said trying to Dress a forest slab of Bloodwood. He said Oh! you need the Makita 9924DB but its $400 and he has one 40 years old!! I bought it See my Review

Awful product. I have nearly all the other Ryobi tools and they've been brilliant. This however is shocking. The paper continually slips and the tray for collecting sawdust is useless. This is only after one use. Also tried to return it to b&q and they wouldn't take it. Asked me if I was sure I knew how to use it!!

Well if some of you got a week out of it you did well. 2 hours is all I managed to get out of mine, the damn thing got s hot that the front roller just melted and that was it. Yes the sanding sheet moves sideways and it doesn't matter how often you adjust it, it just keeps moving. Overall its useless to undo anything

I bought one to sand the old paint off the weatherboard of my own house. The sandbelt moves sideways and had to put it back every 5 min. The motor started to smoke after 1 week and that was in winter! Got one exchange from bunnings, motor smoke again after 1 week!

Warning every potential buyer roybi is a joke!! If you buy it with your trade card you dont have any warranty and it will die 10 out of 10! You don't expect to use these cheapie in commercial you don't use them at home either, unless every of your job only last 5 min it may have a chance to survive.....

I bought this sander for a large jarrah bar top. It went ok but then started to smell like it was burning out and sounded like it was struggling. I used it in around 3-4 hr sessions so didn't over work it too much because I new it was a cheapy. Eventually after about 20 hrs of use the drive wheel seized up. I tried cleaning it out and lubing it up be it was stuck and the motor wouldn't spin it.
I don't like to buy cheapish tools but couldn't warrant spending an extra $100 on the next best...I wish I had of.
You can't afford to but cheap crap.

Robust 18 volt Belt Sander easy to manage with ergonomic handles.
Battery life is exceptional, it goes forever !!
Replacing belts are easy, with great adjustments for belt tracking.
Reasonable weight even with the bigger 18 volt battery.
Has plenty of 'grunt" to cover the bigger jobs, but can also be used for a light finish.

Bought my Sander today with the intention to speed up my project of sanding my table tops. Within half an hour of use I found the paper sliding to one side, thought i had fitted the paper wrongly. I refitted two more sheets and it kept happening then realized that it was a fault of the machine by then i had already ruined three 3 sheets and stalled my project. Immediately too it back to Bunnings. The guy at the tool shop was very cooperative he opened up a brand new piece of the shelf and it did something similar..so happily got a refund

Bought the Ryobi as it was not the cheapest but had some great features. Used it for 2 x 5 hour days, stripping paint off merbau decking. The belt tracked well and was easy to adjust, and stayed on track. Changed three belts.
The detachable frame was great for keeping the timber flat. The dust collector does a great job, making site clean up a whole lot better.

My old WORX sander died yesterday after quite a lot of hard work, I never had a moment of worry with it, but the brushes appear to be burnt out now. I thought the Ryobi would be a better option, rather than a cheaper unit. I have sanded one side of a 1800 x400 slab of hardwood, and used 5 sanding sheets. The sheets wander from side to side and tear themselves apart on the frame. It would be nice to have the thing fail completely so I can take it back. I'm not sure how I'd go asking for my money back on the grounds it's not fit for service.

I bought a 3x18" belt sander for my daughter's hobby enterprise & while the tool does a good job sanding, the belt slips left or right on the rollers, requiring frequent repositioning. Being a carpenter contractor whose tools are typically too heavy for most women, the lack of a tension-dial doesn't tighten the rollers against the belt to prevent slippage, something my heavy duty Skil & Black-Decker tools do.

The sander is easy to use and works well. The detachable frame model stays flat and never digs in. I sanded several floors, well beyond "reasonable use". The dust collector sometimes fell off if I was careless. Something has now worn out inside. I have certainly had my money's worth!

My first one went up in smoke after light use. Thought it was just bad luck so replaced it with another and it went poof too after light use. I think the dust collector pushes dust into the motor when it fills up.
Just do not buy this rubbish, you have been warned.

When buying the cheapest there was on the shelf, we expect low quality. But this is like below the belt low. The belt doesn't sit right so it cut the metal frame, which fell off pretty much. Hence the machine crippled itself. Often ripped the belt too. Then it smoked, and then it died.
Green poop.

This is crap. The sand paper constantly slides. Have to constantly adjust, the slightest bit of pressure and slides again. It doesn't sand evenly it's just crap. Do not buy one. Buy a different brand. I have used a lot of sanders and will never buy another Ryobi.

first use of this piece of rubbish was hopeless. its a bad design, difficult to use and in no way worth buying . I wanted a decent belt sander for a spruce up of my front deck and after battling with the ryobi resorted to using my makita orbital sander which was more effective and friendly to use. i have used other ryobi products but this belt sander is very poor and not to be recommended

This is my 2nd Ryobi sander in 13months, the first one had a tilted sanding plate, this one seemed ok but only just got around to using it on a big project - a coffee table. The uneven sanding looks terrible and I may have to sand by hand before I can finish the table top.I will be taking it back to bunnings tomorrow. I bought it because it was lighter than the Makita I use in my woodwork group. I wont be using it on the other two tables I have to restore. Not happy at all and been using them for about 15 years

I have brought a lot of Ryobi's tools, this one wasn't so good. I brought it to sand down my box trailer, getting ready to give it a fresh coat of paint.. Well, not even one side done and I heard a pop, then smoke came out of the unit. I ended up finishing that side with my ryobi One+ cordless sander, but then took the belt sander, and the Ryobi One+ Grinder that also had issues, back to bunnings for a refund. Spoke with the hardware guy in the tool section, he recommended I try the AEC unit, as they didn't have any of the larger Makita units left. Will see how we go...