I've got a different color of the one in the second link. As with any wheel in this size/power range it's going to bog down if you apply too much pressure. However that isn't necessarily a bad thing since too much pressure while sanding can result in removing too much material. For mine I also got some little 3 and 4 inch round acrylic blanks to make the surface flat and smooth. After trying them I prefer using the slightly larger 4 inch round and simply use tape to hold it on the wheel. Obviously at this price range it's not the best pottery wheel on the market but it works for me and I don't have any specific issues with it.

My husband, on the other hand, does NOT like it. His biggest issue with it is that it's simply too small for him to work with comfortably so we wound up getting a larger wheel for his use.