WEN Drywall Sander Review From A Drywall Finisher

WEN 6369 Drywall Sander Review

If you’re a drywaller like me, you know that sanding days are the worst.  The mess, the dry skin, the drive home while attempting to clean out your nose… The worst.  But we try to make the best of it to get our pay.

The very first time I tried to use a sander was on a DIY project – before I was a drywaller.  I grabbed whatever cheap hand-held sander I could find at Lowe’s.  It came with a bag attached to the handle so surely that would help with the dust.  I was completely wrong – dust was everywhere.  It was actually worse than sanding by hand.

Fast forward to now, I started my drywall company two years ago.  I wanted to make sanding drywall more efficient with less dust and less clean-up.  I did quite a bit of research into different types of drywall sanders until I found the WEN Drywall Sander.  Not only is it a bargain, but it’s also a life saver.

How The WEN Drywall Sander Works

The WEN Drywall Sander is an electric vacuum drywall sander.  It’s designed to brush walls, suck dust, and leave a remarkable finish.  It comes with a 15’ hose, which attaches to your shop vac.

The vacuum sucks drywall dust, by transitioning (on the sander) from the hose width, into 8 small holes for suction.  As the sander spins and sands, the dust gets sucked into the small holes of the sander.

There is also a variable speed dial, depending on your preference.  I typically start on the lowest (slowest) setting and work my way up to where I am comfortable.

Tips On Using The WEN Drywall Sander

Compare Hose Diameter

When I first purchased the WEN 6369 Variable Speed 5 Amp Drywall Sander with 15′ Hose, I had to purchase a shop vac adapter to connect to the hose.  This is because my shop vac has a 2 ½” hose, and the WEN Sander has a 1 ⅞” hose.  If you have a Rigid Shop Vac like me, this is what I purchased:

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Lay it flat first.

A major tip for those who have never used a drywall sander – do not turn on the sander until it is flat on the wall.  Of course, I learned this the hard way – trying to move from wall to wall and wondering why I was getting nicks in the joint compound.  

Some general steps on using the WEN Drywall Sander:

1. Attach hoses and plug in everything.
2. Turn on the shop vac.
3. Place sander against the wall.
4. Turn on the sander.
5. Adjust speed as needed.

When using the WEN Drywall Sander, run it in circular motions.  If you run into an edge that hasn’t been feathered out enough, slightly tilting the head of the sander will help that.

Listen to your vacuum for hints that it’s clogged.

The vacuum will begin to make a high-pitched noise – and you’ll be able to tell when it’s time to clean out the filter.  Using my Rigid Vac, I don’t have to replace the filter every time.  When it is full of dust, I will take the filter off, and bang it inside a garbage bag to clear it out.  Every few jobs or so, I will hose down the filter and let it dry before using it again.

Less Dust, Healthier You & Happier Customers

Not only does the WEN Drywall Sander make your job more efficient, but it also helps keep the dust to a minimum.  Drywall dust is known to cause some pretty harmful health effects to the lungs – especially if you do it full time.  Even though this is a “dustless” sander, I still use a face mask while sanding.

Many customers are very happy that I use the vacuum sander because drywall dust is a worry to them as well.  They don’t want to be inhaling particulates that are harmful.  They especially don’t want dust all over areas of their home.

I even found out recently, that drywall dust is linked to gluten.  So if you’re doing renovations and someone in the house has a gluten allergy – they may get some side effects.  Drywall dust isn’t a joke.

Conclusion

I really love this sander so I rated it a 10/10. Even though I had to purchase a separate adapter for the connection, it’s a great tool for any drywaller or DIYer.  The WEN Drywall Sander has been a game-changer for my jobs, a health saver for my lungs, and increased customer satisfaction.  If you haven’t grabbed one yet, you’ll be thinking of this thing next time you have to sand drywall.