New Bosch UNIVERSALSANDER
Versatile cordless sander from the Bosch PowerForAll range
You might have noticed that electric sanders come in a wide variety of types, and in fact the sheer range of sanders on the market is probably slightly bewildering to many first time buyers. One of the main reasons for this diversity is that the material people want to sand also varies greatly in size and shape, and unfortunately it’s hard to find a sander that will be ideal for everything.
For example, a big powerful belt sander might be the ideal choice for stripping down reclaimed timbers but it will be difficult (or dangerous) to use it one-handed while up a ladder. A sanding file can get into very tight spaces but you’d never want to sand down a whole floor with it, and the sanding disc on a random orbital sander leaves an excellent finish but is going to be useless in corners.
Which brings us on to the new UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 from Bosch. Part of the PowerForAll 18v Alliance of cordless tools, it’s a battery powered sander with variable speed control and an interchangeable sanding plate system which means it can be fitted with different shaped sanding pads depending on the material you’re working on. So how universal is it?
Universal?
To address the name first, Bosch have recently started branding all of their Home & Garden power tools as either EASY, UNIVERSAL or ADVANCED: a naming system which they say makes it simpler for DIYers to select the appropriate tool for their level of skill, but essentially denotes the amount of features and benefits each tool has. That is to say, the EASY models are fairly basic and affordable while the ADVANCED versions may have upgraded components like more powerful motors, additional controls and improved ergonomics. In light of this, I think its safe to assume the name isn’t mean to imply the UNIVERSALSANDER is literally going to be suitable for every single sanding job you can throw at it, but rather that it fits into the UNIVERSAL, or midrange category. That being said, it does have quite a few tricks up its sleeve so let’s take a look at it in more detail.
Part of the PowerForAll 18v Alliance
The UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 is a cordless sander and requires a PowerForAll 18v battery: it can be purchased as a complete starter kit with battery and charger included, or as a bare tool if you don’t need them (i.e you already own them). Being part of the PowerForAll 18v Alliance, it shares battery compatibility with a huge variety of cordless tools since the range has now expanded to encompass products from manufacturers like Flymo, Gardena and Husqvarna as well as all 18v tools from the Bosch Green family, where the platform originated.
Battery power is great for those jobs when you can work outdoors rather than making a mess and creating a lot of noise inside the house, and means you don’t have to worry about finding suitable extension leads or getting tangled up in them while you’re working. It makes the UNIVERSALSANDER perfect for use in more remote locations too, whether you have a large garden or own a boat or an allotment for example.
Comes with Interchangeable Sanding Plates
Included as standard in the box is a rectangular (1/3 sheet) sanding pad and a detail sanding pad with a pointed tip. These pads can be easily swapped over whenever a situation calls for a different approach, and mean the sander is capable or tackling a wide variety of terrain, whether sanding down large flat surfaces, running along hard edges and borders or getting right into corners, gaps or curved spaces. Both of these pads are compatible with widely available sanding sheets which are made especially for use with power sanders, and in the case of the 1/3 sheet rectangular pad, it’s so called because its will take a third of a sheet of standard sandpaper – something which should be easy to come by just about everywhere.
Extra Detail Attachments Available Separately
If you need to get into really tight spaces, Bosch have also got you covered with separate detail attachments which fit onto the end of the pad and provide an additional narrow extension which will be perfect for getting inside gaps or into spaces between obstructions. Unfortunately at time of writing these attachments don’t appear to be too easy to find but as the machine is still fairly new I expect these will become more widely available in due course.
Variable Speed
When you’re working on a range of different materials, it’s nice to have a bit of control over how aggressively the machine is working- you might only want to do a light sanding in between coats of varnish, or you might want to strip something all the way down to bare wood as quickly as possible. To accommodate for different sanding scenarios, the UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 has an adjustable control below the power switch which enables you to dial in the perfect speed for the application.
Dust Extraction
As with most electric sanders, the UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 is designed to suck the dust directly out of the work area as its generated, via several holes in the sanding pad (note that if you don’t use a sanding sheet with corresponding holes punched into it, the dust extraction won’t work). Included in the box is a Microfilter dust box, a small translucent canister which collects the dust as it exits from the rear of the tool, and which is simply detached whenever you want to empty the dust out of it. However you don’t have to use the included dust canister, as the dust port is also designed so you can connect it up to the hose of a vacuum cleaner instead. Just switch the vacuum on every time you start sanding and the dust will instead be sent straight into the tank for ease of disposal with less interruptions.
One Handed Grip
The sander has an ergonomic grip which is designed to be used with one hand, and at exactly 1.0kg without battery, it is lightweight enough to be used overhead and at arms length without becoming quickly fatigued. Along with its cordless operation, this makes it ideal when working at height and also means you are free to hold or steady the material with your other hand when necessary.
Syneon Chip Included
To finish off the UNIVERSALSANDER’s impressive feature list, it also comes with a Bosch Syneon chip. It’s not something you’d ordinarily see or even realise is there, but the Syneon chip is a piece of circuitry inside the housing which monitors and regulates the energy usage. It ensures that plenty of power is delivered to the motor during demanding load conditions, but also reduces the power usage during lighter work. The reason this is important is because since the UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 is battery powered, it only has a finite amount of power available to it at a time. Therefore, adjusting the energy usage according to load conditions enables the tool to keep running for as long as possible on a full charge, but without it ever becoming underpowered.
Available Now!
The UNIVERSALSANDER 18V-10 is available now from Tooled-Up and can be viewed here. We stock the complete range of Bosch PowerForAll 18v cordless tools and also have a dedicated range page which features plenty of options whether you’re looking for bare tools or complete starter kits.
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