150 / 5 or 150/3 ?

[Kev]

FT Sales/Marketing literature aside, ROTEX is not for 'fine' sanding... full stop.

Depends on your definition of "fine". When you're talking Festool it makes sense to talk about it in the same relative terms as ther literature and also in conjunction with the use of their abrasives.

I say it can "achieve" fine sanding - you say not.

We disagree.

I would only agree that is is not the ideal sander for the purpose.

If you carefully read the Festool documentation, you will understand the ROTEX range of applicability. You will also see their ratings from coarse, rough, fine and extra-fine.

Further, I believe Festools technical manuals are quite poor, but the sales and product material - particularly the latest 2012/2013 are excellent.

 

[semenza]

This will be my only Festool sander for a while , I have a 5" RO ridgid sander . No plans on buying a Rotex Festool sander anytime soon .

The ETS150/5 will serve better as an all purpose sander than the /3. It is also capable of delivering and excellent finish. For about two years it was my only sander. I used it for everything. It is still my only finish sander. I use between coats, on bare wood, and used to use it for material removal and stripping.

If you get it.... also get  the super soft and hard pads. Along with a broad range of abrasives. Get the right type of abrasive (Rubin, Cristal, Granat , etc ) for the task too. I have yet to find one type that truly does it all.

Seth

 

[hhh]

==> Depends on your definition of "fine". When you're talking Festool it makes sense to talk about it in the same relative terms as ther literature and also in conjunction with the use of their abrasives.

I say it can "achieve" fine sanding - you say not.

We disagree.

-----------

It's not 'me' saying... it's every modern text on finishing... Seriously, take a RO150 to a lacquer finish and see what happens... not pretty...no matter what abrasive (or FT document) you use... A 5mm RoS pattern is not 'fine'... ever.  Not slagging FT, it's just the nature of the pattern.  Just take a deep breath and spend a few minutes trying it for yourself....  There is a reason that FT makes 5mm, 3mm and 2.5mm pattern sanders...  it's not like the engineers wake up one day and go, "Hay, we need one more sander...  to go with the 15 we already have"...  Every sander has it's place in the workflow.  I've got every sander they make (3 of some and 2 of many)... The RO is not in the 'finish' part of the workflow...

 

[semenza]

A note on the RO150  vs. ETS150/5.  I have them both. Using the same abrasive and same pad I have found that the ETS150/5  produces a better finish than the RO150 (in ROS fine mode) even though they have the same 5mm stroke.

Seth

 

[Kev]

Again I'll point out that Festool differentiate "fine" and "extra-fine". It's all relative, but when I'm working in the Festool system with Festool machines and consumables, I'm going to use their terms of reference.

"Every modern text ..." - LoL ... Relax - nobody is going to get chained to a finishing station with a ROTEX over this.

 

[hhh]

==> A note on the RO150  vs. ETS150/5.  I have them both. Using the same abrasive and same pad I have found that the ETS150/5  produces a better finish than the RO150 (in ROS fine mode) even though they have the same 5mm stroke.

I was going to bring that up, but it would really put some folks over the edge...

 

[nickao]

The 150/3 simply gives a better finish.

I find the RO150 with the 150/3 is a great combination. If I did not have an R0150 I probably would get the 150/5 as an all around sander.

But if you are out strictly for the best finish get the 150/3.

I must say unlike Seth I found that I could get my R0150 to give me an imperceptible difference between it and the 150/5, the reason I sold it and got an 150/3. There is a very noticeable difference between the 150/3 and the R0150, not so much between the Rotex 150 and the 150/5. At least for me, not enough difference to warrant having a 150/5 and R0150.

 

[Kev]

The 150/3 simply gives a better finish.

I find the RO150 with the 150/3 is a great combination. If I did not have an R0150 I probably would get the 150/5 as an all around sander.

But if you are out strictly for the best finish get the 150/3.

I must say unlike Seth I found that I could get my R0150 to give me an imperceptible difference between it and the 150/5, the reason I sold it and got an 150/3. There is a very noticeable difference between the 150/3 and the R0150, not so much between the Rotex 150 and the 150/5. At least for me, not enough difference to warrant having a 150/5 and R0150.

Agree - I started with a ETS150/5 and got the RO150 and ETS150/3 later ... still like having the ETS150/5 though.

 

[Woodenfish]

I felt the RO 150 was just too powerful for everyday sander need, the ETS 150/3 was sweet but a tad too slow while the ETS 150/5 seemed to cut just right for me. I added a RO 90 DX to bring something different to the workbench. Having these two options have proven their versatility. One day might I pick up a RS 2 E, but I'm in no hurry.

 

[JerrySats]

I just wanted to update this post , I bought the 150/3 about two weeks ago and have used it quite a bit in that time .  I'm very happy with my decision to buy this model . It's been able to do rough and finish work for me . By rough I mean 80 grit and I've been finishing with 220 all in  garnet , which I really like too , it's been holding up great . The 3 mm stroke leaves a super smooth finish behind . 

Thanks
Jerry

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Congrats....it is a great sander!  Pair it with a hard pad for edge work and you will get crips edges.

Scot