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My top pick
Mirka DEROS 650CV Random Orbital Sander
A 6" brushless random orbital sander built for vacuum extraction, at about 2.4 lb.
No sander is truly dust-free on its own. What makes a sander “dustless” is how well it pulls dust through the pad and into a vacuum before it reaches the air. The best dustless sander is a random orbital built around vacuum extraction, with a pad and port designed for a hose, connected to a shop vac or, better, a dust extractor that switches on with the sander. The Mirka DEROS is the reference; the Festool ETS EC 150/5 is its rival; and a DEWALT DWE6423K plugged into a DEWALT extractor gets you most of the way for far less.
Below are five sanders that connect properly to a vacuum, a comparison table, short reviews, and a guide to the part most people get wrong: matching the hose, the port and the vacuum.
⚡ Quick Pick
Best dustless sander overall: the Mirka DEROS 650CV, a 6″ brushless random orbital built for vacuum extraction, at about 2.4 lb.
Best value: the DEWALT DWE6423K, whose dust port fits DEWALT’s extractors directly.
Best 6″ with the adapter in the box: the Bosch GEX34-6N.
Best Dustless Sanders: Comparison
All five are random orbital sanders designed to run on a vacuum. The table shows what each maker publishes about pad, orbit and dust connection.
| Product | ⭐ Mirka DEROS 650CV 🏆 EDITOR’S CHOICE |
Festool ETS EC 150/5 | Bosch GET65-5N | Bosch GEX34-6N | DEWALT DWE6423K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |
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| Price | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$ |
| Pad | 6″ | 6″ | 5″, multi-hole | 6″, multi-hole | 5″ |
| Orbit / mode | 5 mm | 5 mm | Random orbit + Turbo | Random orbit | Random orbit |
| Motor | Brushless, 350 W input | Brushless (EC) | 6.5 A | 3.4 A | 3 A |
| Weight (maker) | About 2.4 lb | 2.5 lb | 5.3 lb | Not listed | Not listed |
| Vacuum connection | Built for central/portable vacuum | Festool extractor hose | Hose adapter included, needs a vac | Canister + hose adapter included | Port fits DEWALT DWV010/DWV012 |
| Best For | All-day sanding, lowest dust | Festool extractor owners | Stripping and heavy removal | Large panels, sanding and polishing | Best value system |
| Availability | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now | Shop Now |
⭐ Mirka DEROS 650CV
🏆 EDITOR’S CHOICE
- Price
- $$$$
- Pad
- 6″
- Orbit / mode
- 5 mm
- Motor
- Brushless, 350 W input
- Weight (maker)
- About 2.4 lb
- Vacuum connection
- Built for central/portable vacuum
- Best For
- All-day sanding, lowest dust
Festool ETS EC 150/5
- Price
- $$$$
- Pad
- 6″
- Orbit / mode
- 5 mm
- Motor
- Brushless (EC)
- Weight (maker)
- 2.5 lb
- Vacuum connection
- Festool extractor hose
- Best For
- Festool extractor owners
Bosch GET65-5N
- Price
- $$$$
- Pad
- 5″, multi-hole
- Orbit / mode
- Random orbit + Turbo
- Motor
- 6.5 A
- Weight (maker)
- 5.3 lb
- Vacuum connection
- Hose adapter included, needs a vac
- Best For
- Stripping and heavy removal
Bosch GEX34-6N
- Price
- $$$$
- Pad
- 6″, multi-hole
- Orbit / mode
- Random orbit
- Motor
- 3.4 A
- Weight (maker)
- Not listed
- Vacuum connection
- Canister + hose adapter included
- Best For
- Large panels, sanding and polishing
DEWALT DWE6423K
- Price
- $$$
- Pad
- 5″
- Orbit / mode
- Random orbit
- Motor
- 3 A
- Weight (maker)
- Not listed
- Vacuum connection
- Port fits DEWALT DWV010/DWV012
- Best For
- Best value system
⚡ Key Takeaways
- “Dustless” is a system: sander, disc, hose and vacuum. A great sander on the wrong hose still throws dust.
- The Mirka DEROS 650CV is the reference dust-free sander: light, brushless and designed around extraction.
- The best value is a matched pair: the DEWALT DWE6423K plugged straight into a DEWALT extractor.
- Use discs whose holes match your pad, or the dust has nowhere to go.
- An extractor with a tool-activated outlet makes extraction automatic, so you use it every time.
How a Dustless Sander Actually Works
A random orbital sander makes dust right under the pad. On a dustless setup, holes in the sanding disc line up with holes in the pad, the vacuum pulls air down through the disc and up through the pad into the port, and the dust goes into the hose before it can spread. Three things decide how well that works:
- The pad and disc: more, better-placed holes (or a mesh disc) give dust a short path out.
- The port and hose: a snug connection and a smooth, small-diameter hose keep the air fast at the pad.
- The vacuum: enough suction for a small hose, a fine filter so dust doesn’t blow out the exhaust, and ideally a filter that cleans itself.
An onboard bag or canister catches the coarse dust but lets the finest dust escape, and the finest dust is the part you don’t want to breathe. That is why every pick here is judged on how it connects to a vacuum, not on its bag.
Best Dustless Sanders: Reviews
Figures come from the makers’ own product pages and listings, read this month. Where a maker doesn’t publish a number, the review says so.
Mirka DEROS 650CV Random Orbital Sander
Best Dustless Sander Overall
The Mirka DEROS is the sander other dust-free sanders get compared with, and the 650CV is the 6″ version with a 5 mm orbit, a middle ground Mirka pitches for both fast removal and fine finishing. It has a brushless motor rated at 350 W input, variable speed, soft start and an electronic motor brake, and it weighs about 2.4 lb in a low, flat body. The backing pad has a central air inlet, which is part of how Mirka pulls dust through the pad rather than around it.
Pair it with Mirka’s mesh discs (Abranet), which let dust pass through the whole disc rather than a few holes, and a vacuum that suits a small tool hose. Mirka gives a 2-year warranty, plus a third year if you register the tool within 30 days. If you’re weighing it against the newer DEROS II or a Festool, my full Mirka DEROS review goes through the differences.
- ✅ Designed around vacuum extraction, central air inlet in the pad
- ✅ About 2.4 lb and brushless: easy to use all day and overhead
- ✅ 5 mm orbit for removal and finishing with one tool
- ✅ Soft start and electronic brake
- ❌ Top price tier, and it needs a vacuum to be dust-free
- ❌ Stock was low on Amazon when checked
Best For: Furniture makers, refinishers and anyone who sands for hours indoors and wants the least dust in the room.
Festool ETS EC 150/5 EQ-Plus
Best With a Matching Extractor System
The Festool ETS EC 150/5 is the Mirka’s direct rival: a 6″ random orbital with a 5 mm stroke, a brushless EC motor and a weight Festool lists at 2.5 lb. Festool’s bullets highlight stepless speed pre-selection with constant speed under load, a pad brake for longer pad life, and a Vibration Control System to reduce fatigue.
Where Festool pulls ahead is the system. Festool’s extractors, hoses and sanders are made to plug together, and an extractor such as the compact Festool CT 15, covered in my guide to the best shop vac for dust collection, starts automatically with the sander. If you already own Festool gear, this is the natural choice.
- ✅ Brushless, 5 mm stroke, 2.5 lb
- ✅ Constant speed under load, pad brake
- ✅ Plugs straight into Festool’s extractor system
- ❌ The most expensive pick here
- ❌ Best value only if you use Festool extractors and accessories
Best For: Woodworkers who own, or plan to buy, a Festool extractor and want a sander that works with it without adapters.
Bosch GET65-5N Dual-Mode Random Orbit Sander
Best Dustless Sander for Heavy Removal
Stripping old finish throws the most dust, so it is exactly where extraction matters most. The Bosch GET65-5N has a 6.5 A motor, a random-orbit mode at 3,300 to 7,300 OPM, and a Turbo mode that Bosch rates at 3x the stock removal of its standard mode. Its dust collection is passive: it is designed to run with a vacuum, and the kit includes a vacuum hose adapter.
The multi-hole pad takes most 5″ hook-and-loop discs, so you can buy discs whose holes line up. At 5.3 lb it is twice the weight of the Mirka or the Festool; that weight helps on flat stripping work and tires you out overhead.
- ✅ Turbo mode for fast stock removal
- ✅ Vacuum hose adapter in the kit
- ✅ Multi-hole pad for most 5″ discs
- ❌ No onboard dust bag: always needs a vacuum
- ❌ Heavy at 5.3 lb
Best For: Stripping paint and old finish from tabletops, doors and floors with the vac running the whole time.
Bosch GEX34-6N 6″ Multi-Hole Random Orbit Sander/Polisher
Best 6″ Sander With the Vacuum Adapter in the Box
The Bosch GEX34-6N covers both ways of collecting dust. It has a microfilter dust canister with an integrated paper filter for quick jobs and a vacuum-hose connection, with the vacuum hose adapter included, for everything else. The 6″ multi-hole pad accepts virtually any brand of sandpaper, so matching disc holes to the pad is easy.
Bosch builds it with a 3.4 A motor, a pad-dampening system to prevent swirl marks, a die-cast aluminum gear housing with a dual-bearing pad mount to cut wobble, and a removable front handle for two-handed control. It also polishes. When I checked, Amazon listed it as shipping within one to three weeks.
- ✅ Vacuum hose adapter and microfilter canister both included
- ✅ 6″ multi-hole pad fits almost any disc
- ✅ Front handle and dual-bearing pad mount for control
- ❌ Longer delivery time when checked
- ❌ Bosch doesn’t list the weight on the listing
Best For: Large panels, tabletops and cabinet sides, where a 6″ pad and a front handle save time.
DEWALT DWE6423K 5″ Random Orbit Sander
Best Value Dustless Setup
The simplest way to get a dustless system without a premium sander is to buy a sander and extractor designed for each other. The DEWALT DWE6423K has a dust port that fits DEWALT’s DWV010 and DWV012 extractors directly, no adapter, and a 3 A motor with 8,000 to 12,000 OPM, a separate counterweight for lower vibration and a dust-sealed switch.
Pair it with the DEWALT DWV010 HEPA dust extractor, which cleans its filter automatically and has an outlet that starts the vac with the sander, and you have a complete dustless setup from one brand, with no adapters to hunt for. DEWALT gives the sander a 3-year limited warranty.
- ✅ Plugs straight into DEWALT extractors
- ✅ Variable speed, counterweight, dust-sealed switch
- ✅ 3-year limited warranty
- ✅ The lowest price tier of the five
- ❌ Heavier and louder than the premium picks
- ❌ Needs an adapter to fit other brands’ hoses
Best For: DIYers who want a real dustless setup on a budget, especially with a DEWALT extractor.
How I Chose These Dustless Sanders
I started from what people ask when they search for a sander with a vacuum attachment: which sanders connect to a vacuum, which combination works best, and which is the most dust-free. I then looked only at random orbital sanders sold on Amazon today, from established makers, whose listings or product pages describe how they connect to a vacuum. The criteria, in order:
- A real vacuum connection: a port designed for a hose, an adapter in the box, or a direct fit with an extractor.
- Extraction through the pad: pad and disc hole patterns that give dust a short path to the port.
- Weight and control: dustless sanding is often long sanding, so weight and vibration count.
- Published specs: I used the makers’ figures and say where a figure isn’t published.
I don’t show star ratings or prices: prices change daily, so each pick carries a price tier and the Amazon button shows the live price.
How to Set Up a Dustless Sanding System
Match the Hose to the Port
Most sander ports are small, and a 2-1/2″ floor hose pushed on with tape leaks air and slows it down at the pad. Use a smooth, small-diameter tool hose or the adapter your sander ships with. An anti-static hose also stops the small shocks you get when dry dust races through plastic.
Use the Right Vacuum
A dust extractor, a shop vac built for tools, is the best partner: HEPA filtration, automatic filter cleaning and an outlet that starts with your sander. A regular shop vac works if you add a fine filter and a cyclone separator so the filter doesn’t clog in minutes. My guides to the best shop vac for dust collection and the best dust separator cover both.
Line Up the Disc Holes
If the holes in your disc don’t match the holes in your pad, the vacuum has nothing to pull through. Buy discs for your pad’s pattern, or use mesh discs, which extract across the whole surface.
Turn the Suction Down When It Grabs
Too much suction can pull the pad against the wood and make a random orbital hard to move. If the sander feels glued to the surface, reduce suction on the extractor or open the bleed valve on the hose.
⚠️ Dustless Is Not the Same as Dust-Free Air
Extraction captures most dust at the source, which is the most effective step you can take, but some always escapes. OSHA’s wood dust hazard page lists wood dust as a human carcinogen and notes irritant effects on the eyes, nose and throat. Wear a properly fitted respirator for sanding anyway; my guide to the best respirator for woodworking explains which one.
For sanding walls and ceilings, the right tool is a drywall sander with its own vacuum system; see the best sanders for walls and drywall. For corners and tight spots, some detail sanders also take a vacuum hose.
🏆 The Verdict
The Mirka DEROS 650CV is the best dustless sander: light, brushless and designed around vacuum extraction. If you own Festool extractors, the Festool ETS EC 150/5 is the natural match. For stripping, the Bosch GET65-5N on a vac removes material fastest. For the best value, pair the DEWALT DWE6423K with a DEWALT extractor.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best orbital sander and vacuum combo?+
What orbital sander can connect to a vacuum?+
What is the best dustless sander available?+
What are the 5 most common mistakes people make with a random orbital sander?+
Can I connect a shop vac to any orbital sander?+
Is a dustless sander really dust-free?+
Conclusion
A dustless sander is a system you put together: a random orbital with a real vacuum connection, discs that match its pad, and a vacuum with fine filtration that switches on with it. Get those three right and most of the dust ends up in the canister instead of on your shelves and in your lungs.
For the full field of random orbital sanders, including models without a vacuum focus, see my random orbital sander reviews, and for technique, my guide on how to use an orbital sander. Questions about your setup? Leave a comment below.
