The Metabo changes from a ¼ -in. stroke for fast stock removal to a 1?8-in. stroke for fine sanding. Changing modes involves pushing a button and turning the pad manually until you hear a couple of clicks. But there is no visual clue to which mode you are in and we found it difficult to tell one from the other, in part because neither was very aggressive. The Metabo had some of the lowest stock removal scores and the motor seemed to bog down if any more than light downward pressure was applied to the tool. The sander was easy to control, except in fine mode with the vacuum attached.

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