I use this sander primarily to strip paint of the bottom of my sailboat and it works great.  Vacuum dust collection is required by the marina and this works fine as well.  However, there will still be dust in the air and the combination of sander and vacuum is noisy so a good dust mask and ear plugs should be used.  I have been using the sander for 3 years and it has not given me any problems.  I use mostly 60 and 80 grit disks which make the tool moderately aggressive at removing paint, but not enough to mar the surface.  I also keep the variable speed setting at the highest level, so I have not found this feature very useful.  The only drawbacks are that it is a little heavy for overhead use and the cord/vacuum hose makes it a little cumbersome to maneuver.  If you are going to own just one sander, then this is the one to get.  It is more aggressive than the pad type sander so that it can be used for moderate paint removal, but can also be used for delicate finish work as well.