Thanks for taking your time to read our information on the best drill sander attachments. There are a few different types of attachments that you can add to your drill. Sanding is used for getting different tasks done around the home or the workshop.
That said, for the vast majority of users sanding usually refers to one of two materials:
- Sanding down wood - ranging from soft wood to hard wood
- Sanding down metal - mainly removing rough edges or rust from metal such as gates, railings or various car parts and car paint
Just below we explain the best options for sanding wood and metal which are what we would recommend. After that we then explain the cheaper method of sanding using your existing drill and buying a sanding attachment.
Best Sanders for Sanding Wood
First up, we would like to say that if you are someone who will be doing a lot of work with wood, then we would strongly recommend investing in a good sanding tool. There are various sanders, which are not that expensive and will do a much better job than using any type of sander attachment to a drill.
The type of sander you pick will depend on what type of sanding you need to do. We have listed below the various types of wood sanders, and what they are used for.
- Random Orbital Sander - Perfect for most woodworking tasks as they sand really well and leave a very smooth finish
- Orbital Sander - Slightly cheaper than the random orbital sander but can leave rings on wood
- Belt Sander - Used for bigger surfaces such as large table tops, doors and floors
- Detail/Mouse Sanders - As the name would suggest, these are used for finer and more detailed work
- Sheet Sanders - These are used for slightly bigger jobs with flat wooden surfaces
Sanding Metal
With metal, and if you plan on doing a lot of work on metal, we would also highly recommend going with an angle grinder. These will get the job done much faster than using a drill attachment.
The only exception to this is when working on paint scratches on a vehicle, which we will cover down below.
Drill Sander Attachment Reviews
Now that we have explained the other options, we shall concentrate on the various sanding attachments that will work with your drill. Generally speaking, the attachments available for drills work fine, but they are really only suitable for doing basic and quick jobs. They should not be used as replacements for people who need to do a lot of sanding work.
Circular Pad Style Drill Attachments
The most popular are the circular pad type that get placed into the chuck of your drill. The metal part (shank) at the bottom goes into the chuck and then pads are attached to the surface, which in this case happens to be made from a rubber material.
That part is known as the backing pad and these types of sanding attachments can be used with any type of drill.
They vary in size but the most popular is one with a 2" diameter. They cost around £5-50 and will hold certain types of pads. You buy one of these and then you can get different types and grades of pads which are attached to the rubber backing.
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These are perfect for cleaning and polishing, and they can be used with polishing agent to create a smooth surface. These are mainly used for the removal of rust, for gentle polishing and also for wall polishing.
Hook & Loop Sanding Discs with drill attachment
These easy to use hook and loop sanding discs are very popular for working with wood or working on automobiles. They can also be used on painting, metal work, fiberglass, primers and plastics.
These should come with a sanding pad attachment which can be attached to your drill. You then get a variety of grits on the discs such as 40, 60, 80, 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000 Grit.
That allows you to use these, wet or dry, on a variety of jobs. The Hook and Loop System allows fast and easy removal of discs and a secure consistent connection from the disc to the pad.
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Sanding Drum Sets
Not many people will be familiar with these but they are gaining in popularity. They have rubber drums and you attach the sandpaper sleeves to them and this allows you to then work with wood and shape it.
These work best if you can fit them into a drill press and then bring the wood to the drill. It just makes the whole process steadier to work from and a lot more secure.
They are also really useful if you are working with smaller wooden parts.
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These drums can be used with the portable electric drills, flexible shafts and drill presses as well. They are however ideal if you don't have space for a dedicated sander, but happen to own a drill press. They are a great choice for anyone working on home improvement, hobbies, DIY, carpentry, or wood working.
Paint and Rust Stripper Brushes for a drill
These are very popular as they help quickly clean rusty surfaces and are also good at stripping off old paint.
They fit all standard household drills.
They can be used as a a rotary disc (on face) or as a brush (on edge).
The paint and rust stripper can be used on fiberboard, plastics, wood, clear coat, fiberglass, filler, metal, paint, and putty. You simply attach this disc to an electric drill with a 1/4-inch mandrel and apply directly to corrosion or old paint for fast removal.
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People use this type of disc for a variety of uses such as stripping down cast iron pans for re-seasoning, car repairs, removing rust from gates and railings, metal hinges etc
Sanding Attachment Options
Hopefully you now know what types of sanding attachments are available for your drill. We have also shown you the options of buying a sander instead and what types are available.
We have a couple of attachments that we carry when out on a job, but just use different actual sanders in the workshop depending on what we are doing. We also use a cordless sander which we prefer to use, rather than an attachment for a drill.
It is just a matter of having the right tool for the job. These attachments can be really good though for general household use, and it never does any harm, to have a few of these in your tool box.