G1276 V G1183 combo belt, disc sander?

[Dave H]

I'm thinking of buying a Grizzly 6"x48" belt, 12" disc sander. My question is you have the G1276 unit belt spins at 2500 FPM, disc spins at 1725 RPM as opposed to the G1183 that spins at belt sander 5000 FPM, Disc sander 3450 RPM, they both are identical except motor speed and exactly the same price and both have 1 HP motors. My question is would you get the faster motor and why, or the slower and why? I want to want the faster motor but maybe I don't know the pro's and con's of both. Or maybe it makes little or no difference which way I go. I know @gee-dub just bought one maybe Glen could weigh in. Thanks for any feed back https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-6-x-48-belt-12-disc-combo-sander-1725-rpm/g1276  https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-6-x-48-belt-12-disc-combo-sander/g1183

[wtnhighlander]

I think it depends a lot on what you use the machine to do. For heavy stock removal, the higher speed,with lower grit abrasive, should work very well. But if you a expecting a smooth finish, higher grits may simply burn at the higher speeds. For my own use, I'd favor the slower speeds.

There is also the risk of a small part catching and being slung across the shop. I'd rather have that happen at 30 mph rather that almost 60 mph.

[gee-dub]

@wtnhighlander Hit the nail on the head.  For my use the lower speed is best.  I do run higher grits at times and burn-prone woods can be a problem at higher speeds.  My edge sander runs at about 3900 SFPM and I wish it were slower.  It oscillates so this offsets some of the problems with higher grits and burning or burnishing surfaces.  You can certainly develop a light touch and take your time to avoid burning at higher speeds if you have a high speed requirement like metal working and want one machine to do both.

I got the G1276 to provide a reasonably wide downward abrasive function.  I have another combo with a 12" disc but changing out PSA abrasives when I want a different grit was impractical.  There is also the variable speed of the abrasive on a rotating surface near center and farther out that did not work for my use case. Sanders can do a lot of work but need to be suited to the task.  I would look at what you plan to do the most of and select the tool for that function.