HOZO NeoSander

 

Boys and Girls,

 

I have been prematurely coaxed into a review of this item, and forever desiring to appease the masses I will try to make a ‘first thought’ blog.

 

Let me be  Frank  Alex, if you wanna sand a 2m x 1m tabletop, an antique cabinet or a Maloof rocker, I suggest you go elsewhere, however if you’re into small items, read on. 

 

I bought the NeoBlade (to be reviewed later) and got a swag of spams about their proposed Sander.  

Much like my 3D printer 13 years ago at the Melbourne Woodshow, I could see a useful benefit for this and decided to lodge a pledge (I think that’s the terminology).

Being my first foray into Kickstarter I had little idea of what to expect and my lack of reading made me none the wiser. 

A couple of weeks ago, it arrived and while I was anxious to give it a try, I had no real projects to experiment on, as what I thought would be ideal on my puzzles, took a back seat to me trying to familiarise myself with my Shaper Origin… shit, another potential review on the horizon.

 

I did the standard “plane a piece of pre-dressed board” BS that all the spruikers of a new sharpening/product/method brag about… and was gruntled.

 

Now in the past, I have invested into these sanding sticks, 

 

and these mini sanding blocks,

 

Hell with 15 of them and respective belts, I’d hate to tally the total cost, especially when many readers are going to whinge about this item’s price vs benefit… but not everyone is a stupid as me and go overboard.

 

Unfortunately, as I bought it as a Kickstarter backing, I cannot confirm what came as standard and what was bonused/gifted, however, I do believe I got 2 of them that my VISA balance didn’t seem to reflect, so I’m sticking with the complacency that they were gifts, or a Chinese packer with two left hands… yes, made in China… what’d you expect… but not all Chinese is crap,

 
YUMM!

The sander comes with an on/off switch (1) and a slider speed control (2), ranging from 0 to 13,000 strokes per minute, 

registering around 90db with the accelerator (2) fully extended,

 

The overall package comes with sanding heads 

to mount grits from 180G to 1500G,

 

all colour coded for the benefit of the illiterate with 20/20 vision… the colour blind will need to read.

 

For my immediate requirements, I can’t foresee use of accoutrements greater than the 180G, 240G, 400G and the saw blades.  

Others more refined and subtle than me may find use for the finer grits, especially in some of the non-woodworking uses of this item (you may need to watch some promos).

 

The kit comes with a head removal key,

for those with delicate fingers… or when you overheat the saw…  I warned you  will warn you, further down.

The sander can be charged using a USB-C cable on the docking station,

or direct,

Personally, the docking station is an unnecessary addition and if you can purchase without it, save yourself a few shekels.

 

The sander acts more like a toothbrush without the mintties. While it is a rapid reciprocating action, manual sideways movement will impart a ROS effect.

 

You can purchase a set of cutting blades,  

There are only 2 profiles and are repeated 4x to let you cut down forests… seriously, with the rapid action of the HOZO, the kerf can quickly fill with sawdust and you get that kerf filled dilemma … so movement of the blade is imperative… trust me, you will learn quickly after a few oopsies. 

 

The kit includes these sheets of pre-cut sanding profiles in each of the grits,

The base plate (docking station)has a ridiculous receptacle for one full set of the sandpapers (all the grits), 

however, with the bow in the paper sheets, insertion into the receptacle is more rooted than intercourse without a condom during the aids epidemic. The small pieces of sanding pads delaminated 

and I finished up with a swag of floating pieces that stuck to my fingers like those sticky candy wrappers in some of the old Laurel and Hardy movies.  If you buy… don’t try the coitus (another reason to pass on its purchase, if possible)! 

I store the sandpaper in built in shelf on my storage box,

The sanding pieces come with a sticky backing that adhere to the different profiles and with dexterous finger guidance, can easily be fitted,

 

My regret is that they don’t go below 180G, however, you can buy blank sanding heads, 

(or sacrifice a higher unused grit) that you could double sided tape (my immediate thought without testing) lower grits.  The tape I used in this promo would be my first goto (without confirmation).

 

I noticed someone (GW to guess at the anonymity) mentioned the reach… 

Yes it is a short reach, but as I said, you don’t use a 22-44 drum sander on a toothpick.  

This gizmo is designed for a short, but controlled sanding reach.  If you want longer reach, I would not recommend 3D printing a longer support block, but rather resort to the old sticks,

 

… hell, if you can’t reach it, can you see it?

 

Bottom line is that this gizmo is not for your generic woodworker and probably not much chop for hand toolers… however, for small items like models, small intricate details, maybe even intarsia (something I’ve never tried) and for any 3D printer maniacs that demand perfection (may be a tad cheaper than your ‘purge waste’) I would recommend consideration.

 

I put aside the sacrificial planeing board and got a small puzzle piece reject 

brushed its  teeth  tooth  and was pleasantly content on its performance 

as I recollect my arduous past sanding practices. 

 

Again, you/I may ask the question of ‘will it return savings?’… only you can judge, however, with all the ‘poxy pourings, infills, veneer laminations and the middle of your back massage vibrations, it may not be money down the drain.

 

I am sold?... not ‘cause I was sold it, but because I have already found another beneficial use for it while sanding CA squeeze out around the dowels in my NeoSander Box. 

 

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