# Major Issues with Ridgid EB4424 Oscillating Sander



## MrRon

I think it's a question of poor quality control by whoever is making them in China. That would explain why the earlier machines gave satisfactory service; their QC is going downhill. I have wanted one, based on previous reviews. I checked CPO who sells refurbished units. They may be a better source for a good sander. I have bought from them on several occasions and have been very satisfied with them.
After reading other reviews on this machine, I conclude that your problems were common back 5 years, so it seems it's a matter of the luck of the draw. Although you should not have to, you could probably improve on it with some self made parts and some refinements made with a file. I have done so with some HF machines and also with a Rigid 14" band saw with better than new results.


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## nashley

MrRon, I completely agree. It's a QC issue. I'm kicking around some ideas about replacing the spindle knob with something that would actually function as it should. I think it would be a great sander if it simply had a better spindle knob. Thanks for the CPO suggestion. If all else fails I might go that direction.


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## pintodeluxe

That's too bad. Mine is only a few years old and really is a handy tool. The combination of belt sander + tilting table is not offered by many manufacturers. I screwed mine down to a rolling cart, although I never had the excessive vibration problem. I don't know what to tell you. My experience with this tool has been great, but you have some very obvious problems with the tools you have been sold.
I hope you can resolve the issues.


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## HerbC

Take it back and get another one, make sure it's really new…

I have one and it's great. Have had it for about two years and no complaints at all.

Herb


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## SawdustyDan

I, too, have one of these sanders. I've had mine for 4-5 years and the only issue I've noted is the spindle nut seems to "tighten itself" as it runs. Kind of a bugger to get loose, sometimes. Apart from that, this has been a really good, reliable tool for me. Runs very smoothly and reasonably quiet, by the way.

As far as design goes - I'd like to see better dust collection (a few decent home fixes on here, though…) and a tilting table that was adjacent (or closer) to the spindle/belt. Neither of those make it a bad tool, though.

I know a few folks have vented their frustration and grief with Ridgid tools, here. Maybe I'm the lucky one (?), but I am satisfied with my EB4424 sander, TP1300 planer and R4512 table saw.


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## chem

I have an older unit as well. It works very well. The functionality combined with efficient space usage (and with a large folding table) is superb. The only thing that might steer me to a dedicated spindle sander is that the maximum 2 in diameter sanding sleeve is smaller than many inexpensive units (3 inch in many cases). However, replacing the oscillating edge belt would be much harder with another tool. To have the two functions together is a fantastic price/performance/space combination of the sort rarely realized in tools. Hang in there and you will get a good one!


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## pintodeluxe

Chem,
The large side of the belt sander is 3" diameter.


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## chem

Pintodeluxe-

What you say is true, but for the following reasons does not replace a 3 inch spindle for the applications where I would like one. The edge of the belt is no longer a sleeve so is not great for some inside sanding tasks (the ones where a spindle does best), the table is very small if you use the edge of the belt, and you miss the 2.5 inch intermediate size you would get with a larger capacity spindle. I still like the machine, but view this aspect of the spindle sanding a tick inferior to a number of less expensive units.


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## johnstoneb

I think I would find a different HD. It sound like the store manager didn't want to send sander back to manufacturer. Figured he would just put it out the door to somebody that might not bring it back.
I have had one for several years now have had no problems with it. Does a great job, you do have to watch the tracking on the belt sometimes it can be touchy.


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## nashley

I appreciate the comments and suggestions to just give rigid one last try. I gave it one last try and it appears the third time was a charm…I've updated the above review.


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## Brickman

> I checked CPO who sells refurbished units. They may be a better source for a good sander. I have bought from them on several occasions and have been very satisfied with them.
> - MrRon


I purchased one of these refurbed from CPO and it bricked itself 5 days after the return period. CPO would not take it back. Rigid does not sell parts and if the motor goes as mine did you have a boat anchor. I would not recommend this thing refurbed.


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## lab7654

You'll find yourself using this thing a lot. It gets handier the longer you have it around. I don't even switch to the spindles most of the time, since the larger belt pulley functions as a spindle if you move the stop back.


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## RUINTUIT

Love mine and have had it for 6 years. No issues with it whatsoever.


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## Domer

I also have had one for quite a while and like it a lot.

I agree that the dust collection could be a lot better but for the price it works well.

Sounds like they had a bad batch.


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## Philzoel

Me too . I wonder why more manf don't use this unique combo?

It really works


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## dustyal

I bought mine for less than $120 at Direct Tools… an outlet. It was a refurbished machine. It runs great. Perhaps it was a bad machine, returned by original purchaser, repaired by Rigid, and then then put in the outlet system.

Go figure…


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## bigblockyeti

Thanks for the review, this is a sander that I was considering, no more. I've dealt with more issues than I care to remember trying to educate people on root cause analysis. If you keep having to fix the same problem, you're likely fixing the effect and not the cause. Mass produced Chinese goods tend to be the worst as they are driven by price point to a far greater degree than quality.


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## gearupflapsup

I think there is a bad batch of these floating around on the Home Depot shelves. I bought one a bought a month ago largely due to reviews i read on this board. I took it home assembled it, used it for two minutes. The motor groaned and died. I exchanged it. The exchange ran for 5 minutes, groaned and died.

Furious, I opened a webchat with an apologetic Home Depot customer service rep. She located another replacement. I exchanged it again and we ran it in the store for a considerable time before I would take it.They also reduced the price to compensate my running around…


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## Grumpymike

So sorry that some of you guys got machines made on Friday afternoon … I've had mine for five years and the only problem I had was not assembling it right the first day, but after a quick call to tech support and finding that I was the dummy here, it has run most every day since.


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## Tennessee

I've owned two of these over the last 13-14 years, and to be honest, after the first few times of the knob tightening itself down, I've always allowed mine to float on the first two-three threads, not even close to being tight.
I've never had a problem with the mechanism lifting, and have never had a knob "retighten" itself again. I actually have not put it back on a couple of times, and it seems to run fine. I know it helps support the top bearing assembly on the large end, but I don't sand up there that much, so it is not a problem for me.


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## SawdustSeamhead

I'll throw my experience in with this review as well. I purchased the same model last week from HD, and left it in the box until I got some more time to set the thing up. Came across this review by chance, and went out to open up the box and check mine. Found the exact same issue that Nathan detailed so well above (with the "floating washer"). I expect I would've spent a lot of time on my own trying to find out what the issue was, but thankfully, Nathan's review saved me a lot of frustration. I was able to thread the spindle knob on fine, fired up the sander and let it run for a time, and the thing had quite a bit of vibration. After running it for a bit, I tried to remove the spindle knob, but couldn't by hand - had to grab pliers to get the thing off. Tried again, and left the knob much looser than I would've normally been comfortable with, and had the same results. The thing worked itself so tight I had to grab pliers once again to remove the knob. So I packed up the sander and went back to HD to explain to them what was going on. They didn't have any trouble with me wanting to exchange it, but rather than dealing with the possibility (and waste) in opening up several boxes, I went to the floor model and removed its spindle knob. Low-and-behold, it was the 'older' pressed washer style of knob. I asked one of the HD workers if they'd mind if I try it on the unit I brought back in; and threaded it on and fired it up in the store. What a difference that one piece made. Anyways, HD had no problem with me swapping my "new" spindle knob with the display model, so that's what I did. I reiterated to them that they should not go and sell the display model now that it has the faulty knob. I hope that they honor that advice and not pass it along to someone else.

Anyways, once again, Nathan, I appreciate your review above and chronicling the issue. I've now ended up with a tool that I have high hopes will be a good performer in the future. And now with this issue out of the way, I am confident it'll serve me well. For anyone looking at adding this sander to your arsenal, buyer beware - certainly check out the spindle knob with your sander…


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## nashley

bigblockyeti, 
You're exactly right about pricepoint vs quality. As much as I disliked having to deal with this issue, I would still recommend this sander. I gave it 2 stars because of all of the trouble that it gave me. If I had received a good machine from the beginning I would have gladly given it 5 stars simply because it's a great machine when it's working as it should. There's just no other sander out there that can compete with what this sander at it's price point plus the ridgid lifetime service agreement.

SawdustSeamhead,
Glad you found the review useful.


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## jeffwedekind

Coming to the game late here, but, can anyone illustrate the difference between the knobs. Still not sure what to look for


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## nashley

Jeff,
I've updated the review. Let me know if the update answers your question.


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## coloradotrout

Hi, after much deliberation, and reading and rereading the FWW review, I bought the EB4424, Ridgid Oscillating Spindle Sander.

Here are my observations:

1) The tilt-able table is not flat, and not coplaner with the fixed portion of the table (where the spindle protrudes). Mine has a hump in the 3" flat area (the area nearest the spindle on the tilt-able table). The very edges of that area are flat, but as you come inwards toward the center, the hump is very pronounced. You can feel it with your hand and and if you put a 3" long straightedge (engineers square) on the table, there's a hump that allows stock to rock toward and away from the spindle at least 1/16" if not more. If your stock is 5 or 6 inches it may not matter, but for 3-inch or smaller stock it is going to be impossible to sand perpendicular to the stock. If you align the adjustable table to be perpendicular to the spindle, then the adjustable table is not coplaner with the fixed table. If you keep most of the stock on the tiltable table, then that may not be a problem, but if you move the stock and reference off the fixed table (e.g. inside sanding) , the spindle will no longer be perpendicular to the stock. Also for sanding thin stock, 1/8" up to maybe 1/2" this may not be a big issue, but as you sand over 1" thick, edges will start to get out of perpendicular by a large (1/16" or more) amount. I was sanding a 3" high bandsaw box, and had to flip the box over periodically to minimize uneven sanding. This was not a precision operation, but it clearly indicated that if it needed to be, I would have been in trouble.

1a) I initially setup the tilt-able table to be nearly co-planer with the fixed table. That turned out to be a problem, as the tilt-able table was then way off from perpendicular to the spindle. I decided it was more important to be perpendicular to the spindle, so re-adjusted the tilt-able table. For the best accuracy you may want to just remove the little indexing part from under the tilt lock knob. Just get out an engineers square or digital protractor to set your angles. Most of the time I would think having the stock perpendicular to the spindle would be more desirable. Again, from (1) above, that hump in the tilt-able table will cause major issues on stock under 5" wide or when referencing from the fixed table.

2) The onboard storage of "everything" is awesome. A big plus especially with the inserts, washers, etc. (but there might be a better way.. see #4)

3) The belt sander assembly is lightweight. The rollers are plastic, and in fact, the 3" roller on mine has a small nub from the mfg process. It would be easy to sand off, except it oscillates! A little hand filing should resolve. I doubt the platen is all that flat. Again, the belt sanding accessory is handy, but only light duty. My jointer and crosscut sled will not get any less used.

4) The little orange plastic insert for use with the spindles is warped like crazy. It is lightweight plastic and warped 1/4". The leveling feet are of no use, as it wobbles no matter what. A 1/4" aluminum or hardwood plate would be much better. Mill a plate for each spindle size and forget the inserts and wobbly plastic plate. You might be able to get away with only 2 plates-one for the 1" and under spindles and one for the 1-1/2" and above spindles. Another idea-just make an entire top overlay, maybe from 1/2" mdf. Again, a couple may be sufficient. That would make the entire top perpendicular, though you'd need to shim it somehow and fasten it, and lose 1/2" of spindle height. Also, the adjusting screws on the plate have little to rest on. There is enough side to side play in mine that the adjusting screws slide off their contact points. This whole insert design needs more thought.

For me-I think I will try to get another one, or at least a replacment tilt-able table and hope to get a much flatter piece of cast aluminum. That would help a lot. With that, then I'd be tempted to shim up a 1/2" mdf overlay top to get a near perpendicular top a full 360 degress around the spindle. All of this assumes the spindle runout is a few thou, otherwise I'm chasing after pots of gold near those elusive rainbows. As-is,the sander is functional, and at 199 + tax, quite a bargain. But there are some major shortcomings for those who want or need precision.

Thanks for reading. If you have one of these sanders and simple don't see the issues I have, I'd love to hear from you. I have read there are various QC issues, so maybe I just happend to get one.


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## dustyal

i got a remanufactured unit for $119. It has none of the problems you mentioned. I suspect it was a returned unit, repaired, and resold. I think I am coming out ahead this time. No, it isn't a precision tool, but works ok for me.

The sleeve knob issue was changed from a knob to a nut. The feet are rubber inserts, not adjustable, but work ok on a level surface. They kept falling out so I glued in place.

Otherwise, quite a tool for price.


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## woodshaver

I feel your pain! I bought one at Direct Tools. I was a blemish and the price was $20 less than HD's price. I got the sander home and looked for the blemish and I couldn't find one at all. I set the sander up, which was real easy to do. I plugged it into the wall outlet and hit the switch! The motor gave out a nice hum sound but nothing was spinning so after 3 seconds I witched it off and then I see smoke rising up from the vent holes with an electrical smell that followed. I gave a another go at it but this time I gave the belt a helping push. The belt spun and it sounded ok with no vibrations at all. I let it rest a bit and then turn it on and it fired up ok. The next day I went out to the shop and went to use it and the darn thing would not start up. All I got was a humming sound again from the motor. I took it back and got a refund. They had refurbished ones but not a blemished one so they said they will call me when they get more in. I'm still up in the air about really needing this tool. I got my money back from Direct Tools but their policy says No Refunds. I'm not taking a chance on this again to save $20 buck. If I do decide to buy another one I'll give HD's a try, at least they don't have a "NO Refund" policy.


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## mousejockey

I bought three of them and gave up on it altogether. One was DOA, another the table wouldn't get close to being flat the third one was a used one that had been returned.


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## ChasL

I purchased a new EB4424 Oscillating Sander today because wore out my last one which I purchased 7 years ago. I much like this sander as it has one of "workhorse" tools in my shop for years.

After setting up the belt assembly I had a clear problem with vibration and with the other end of the belt assembly (on the right) occasionally jumping out of the up-down guide. After reading this thread I simply took the spindle knob from my old machine and put it on the new machine. It seems clear that the new spindle knob is the problem. After switching back and forth between the new and old knob five times I learned the vibration is much less with the old knob and increases again each time I install the new knob.

Does anyone know where I can get myself a backup knob that does not introduce the vibration problem?


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