I was in the same boat and began my research into those benchtop sanders. I was just about to pull the trigger on the Ridgid, despite the not so stellar reviews, but thankfully I found the Wen version instead. So its slightly cheaper, fits my budget, and I can use the savings to buy extra sandpaper for the belt and spindles. I got it on Amazon here
It's practically the same thing.
So far its pretty good, and does exactly what I want it to do. If I ever need a bigger or fancier sander, then I'll save for one in the future. For now, the Wen fits my needs.