Photo: youtube.com
What We Like
- Efficient 1.5 HP fan-cooled motor
- Reliable and effective load management
- Tool-less bed parallelism adjustment
- Heavy-duty precision-machined drum
- Strong precision-flattened steel bed
- Infinite variable-speed control
- High-efficiency dust management
What We Don’t Like
- No enclosed storage cabinet
- Infeed/outfeed tables are not included
Bottom Line
The perfect blend of power, efficiency, and ease of tool adjustment boosts this sander’s performance and versatility across a wide range of applications.
Introduction
The Jet 723520K’s dynamically-balanced aluminum drum and tool-less table parallelism boost the tool’s capacity to sand with premium precision.
Consistent performance is guaranteed through smart and active load balancing while the sander’s durability is boosted by its heavy-duty build, which includes a reinforced steel conveyor bed and other metallic components. The tool also has a small footprint that makes it non-invasive in your workshop space.
Jet 723520K Review
Photo: Jet
Performance: Optimized for Efficiency and Precision
Precision an efficient sanding is are some of the 723520K’s major highlights, which set it apart from other tools in its class.
A lot of the sander’s components, from the motor design to the conveyor system, have been optimized to enhance operational efficiency while minimizing operator engagement through tool-less and simplified adjustments.
Powering the sander is a powerful 14.0A motor with a 1.5 HP output, which will easily handle demanding sanding applications. It is a totally-enclosed fan-cooled unit, which is sheltered from dust and debris for extended life.
To ensure that the sander is running efficiently and without any overload, the 723520K adopts Jet’s top-of-the-range Sandsmart™ technology, which continuously monitors the load exerted on the drum motor.
This active monitoring system allows the automatic regulation of conveyor motor speed so that the feed rate is optimized to high levels without producing overloads.
Conveyer belt parallelism is critical to the achieving of precise and smooth finishes on your wooden workpieces, especially given the high load capacity of this sander. To simplify parallelism adjustment, the dedicated dial has been placed on the side, outside the bed.
And because intensive sanding and many moving components can produce a significant degree of heat, this tool manages this potential efficiency inhibitor by adopting a precision-machine and dynamically balanced extruded aluminum drum.
Also, minimizing heat dissipation contributes to the protection of the work-surface from heat-damage, effectively extending this component’s life and reliability.
The actual conveyor bed is made of strong precision-flattened and reinforced steel to strengthen it for consistent reliability even after the continuous handling of heavy workpieces.
Design: Compact Signature and Premium Build
The 723520K assumes an open stand design, which is characterized by 4 steel stands. With a 40-inch length and 20-inch width, the entire unit is not very large for this class of sanders.
When it comes to build quality, this sander’s components excel on all fronts. The main body is made of steel and die-cast aluminum for strength, durability and rust resistance. Its drum features an extruded aluminum build while the conveyer belt is made of strong steel.
Because of the tool’s minimalist design, it misses out on a storage cabinet, which has proven handy in organizing most of your sanding tools and accessories in one place, for enhanced productivity.
Also, while the tool’s 156-pound net weight is notably lower than that of many models in its class, the absence of caster wheels does inhibit portability to some degree, but it’s likely you won’t be moving the tool a lot after assembly.
Dust Management: Elaborate Dust Hood for Chip Routing
The dust management system adopted by this sander is not only elaborate but highly effective in handling dust evacuation.
It features a dust hood that has an integrated channel that adopts the drum’s shape. This design enhancement helps direct dust and wood chips through the large 4-inch collection port.
This port serves as a point of connection to a vacuum system, in case one is present in your workshop. And since this port is a 4-inch one, it will connect to standard vacuum hoses without requiring an adaptor.
You do, however, need to ensure that the vacuum system is powered on before you commence the sanding process, to ensure that dust is evacuated at the point of production.
Also, the sander’s reduced surface from its stand design ensures that fewer parts of this tool are exposed to dust, which makes cleanup. You can always enhance the cleanup process by using a blower to eject dust from vital components such as the motor and control panel.
Ease of Use: Simplified Control and Adjustments
When you’re all set to start using the assembled unit, you’ll notice the highly simplified control panel, which has 2 main control; the power switch, and the SandSmart controller.
For such a fairly sophisticated tool, the controls have been simplified enough for beginners to operate without any hiccups. Since the SandSmart controller continuously monitor’s the drum motor’s load, you may find yourself making even fewer feed rate adjustments.
There’s the relative depth scale integrated on the handwheel to enhance the ease of resetting and measuring individual project depths. Not only does this feature enhance ease of use, but is also boosts sanding accuracy.
The need for manual belt adjustments is greatly reduced by the reliable Trackers™ ceramic guides by Jet. The guides feature a magnetic backing, which helps to keep the belt in place, minimizing the need for manual input.
Noise Levels: Impressively Quiet for this Class of Tools
When we say impressively quiet, that’s an understatement when it comes to the 723520K, which is expected to be considerably loud, given the power tool’s primary role.
But that is far from the case. With a low noise output of 66dB at 50cm and 63dB at 100cm, this sander is among the quietest in its class.
To put this noise output in context, many of the power tools you have in your workshop, such as hand drills, oscillation sanders are about 1.5 times louder than this one. It is even quieter than your standard home dishwasher and bathroom shower.
So, expect the noise output of this sander to be within your comfort levels, especially if you will not be operating it for extended periods at a time.
That said, since noise comfort levels differ across multiple users, you can consider wearing some ear protection if the 723520K gets uncomfortably loud, especially during day-long operations.
Price: A Pocket-Friendly Sanding Companion
Heavy-duty and high-quality sanders can be pretty expensive, but the 723520K manages to package these benefits and many more at a favorable price of a little over $1,000.
Besides the heavy-duty steel, cast iron, and aluminum construction that makes this sander reliable across many years of continuous usage, there’re many features and performance enhancements that optimize the tool for precision sanding.
Its load and conveyer motor speed are balanced automatically to prevent component overloads while the precision-machined drum dissipates heat to prevent work surface damage.
Then there’s the efficient dust management system that effectively directs chips towards the dust collection port.
A worthy competitor of this sander, which offers near-similar performance, is the SuperMax 16-32. It is also equipped with a reliable 1.5 HP motor, has a drum optimized for protection of materials from burning, but does a better job of dust management with its turbo-vented hood.
Although the 2 drum sanders weigh and cost almost the same, the 723520K outperforms its rival in precision enhancements and simplifies bed parallelism adjustments.
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Verdict
A premium and heavy-duty drum sander whose features are optimized for consistent precision sanding and simplified tool adjustments.
Jet 723520K’s has been built to elevate sanding precision to professional levels thanks to the powerful motor combining seamlessly with simple tool-less bed parallelism adjustment, smart load balancing, and a high-performance aluminum drum for work surface protection.
Specs
- Product Name: Jet 723520K
- Product Brand: Jet
- Product Dimensions: 49.94 x 39.63 x 20 inches
- Power Input: 115V, 60Hz
- Motor Power: 14.0A, 1.5 HP, Single-phase
- Motor Type: Totally enclosed, fan-cooled induction
- Drum Speed: 1,725 RPM
- Drum Length: 16 inches
- Drum Diameter: 5 inches
- Conveyor Motor: 43 inch-pound torque, direct drive, dc
- Conveyor Speed: 0-10 FPM
- Max. Board Width: 32 inches (2 passes)
- Min. Board Length: 2-3/8 inches
- Min. Board Thickness: 1/32-inch
- Dust Port Size: 4 inches
- Dust Collection Min. CFM: 400
- Product Weight: 156 pounds
- Warranty: 5 years
Key Features
- Powerful 14.0A, 1.5 HP motor supports heavy-duty and intensive sanding tasks
- Sandsmart™ technology actively monitors and adjusts drum motor load
- Separate feed and drum motors support independent control and enhance performance
- Convenient tool-less bed parallelism adjustments through a side dial outside the bed
- Precision-machined extruded aluminum drum dissipates heat for work surface protection
- A heavy-duty precision-flattened steel conveyer belt supports heavy loads
- The redesigned conveyer belt utilizes a more-efficient workpiece pull system
- Adjustable tension rollers eliminate snipe issues through downward workpiece pressure
- Dust hood and integrated channel for efficient directing of chips to the collection port