about to buy a rotex 150 tomorrow need help and fast!

[Alan m]

hi all.
i am about to buy a rotex tomorrow Hopefully. my question is what selection of papers should i get and what grits .
i want a good selection as a starter kit but not to waste money on disks i will not use. i only sand wood and finishs usually. i would like disks for fast stock ramoval and some for a good finish.

i am asking because only experience will answer this question.

any insite into what is in all of yer kits

thanks in advance

 

[ccarrolladams]

Alan,

You made a marvelous choice buying the RO 150!

Only you know the kinds of wood, and its condition, you will be using. My suggestion is to ask your Festool dealer for recommendations.

Back in 2006 when I bought my first RO 150, I started out with 60, 120 and 220 grit. Subsequently I added a lot of other abrasives, after I had used all of my initial purchase. None of that initial order of paper was wasted, although I think I had a a couple of the 220 disks left when I bought an ETS 150/3.

Alan, Festool abrasives last forever in storage. Trust me, none will be wasted. There are no wrong choices. I build cabinets and cases from fine plywood and select solid hardwood, so I do not need especially coarse grits. You might well have different needs.

 

[Alan m]

i use solid wood and man made materials so i will need fast stock removal up to fine finish. i was not so much the grits i was asking about but rather the sanding material. i dont understand the different types yet and was looking for advice as there seems to be a lot of overlap bvetween them

 

[AlexThePalex]

My most used: Brilliant 2 - 60, 120, 180, 320. You can't go wrong with these 4 grits and good for all purposes.

Additional: Crystal 60, Rubin 80, 120 and Saphir 50.

 

[billybokay]

Rubin is what I use mostly for solid wood. Brilliant in the higher grits 220 +

 

[Kevin Stricker]

Rubin 80 and 120 - Start with higher grits than you normally would to avoid deep scratch patterns until you get the hang of the sander
Brilliant 180 and 220 - Should cover you for fine finishing
Platin 500 and 1000 - Great for polishing finish in rotary mode

 

[mouppe]

When I bought my RO 125, it came with a selection pf papers. After my initial experience with them, I bought boxes of Rubin 100 and 180, Brilliant 220 and 320.

This pretty much satisfies my requirements, as I only work with wood, but I am going to go for some Brilliant 400 (usually overkill but can come in handy once in a blue moon) and a coarser grit Rubin or Cristal.

 

[hoedma]

Hi Alan,

Great choice indeed. I still go out to the garage every couple of days just to sand something just for fun.

Anyway, I got mine in a promotion with lots of the new Granat sanding paper. This will replace the Brillant type. The Granat is better suited to the new pains with less solvents and will clog less quickly. Having used that (and brilliant) I can say the Granat is certainly a very good type. It does seem to clog less quickly. On bare wood it is roughly one grid more coarse than the same grid Rubin (specifically for wood type). So a 120 Rubin will feel similar to a 150/180 Granat.

In short, I would not buy any Brillance but get the Granat instead.

Cheers
Mattijs

 

[dltflt]

I bought 80, 120, 180, 220, 320, 400 when I bought my RO150.  I don't use the 320 and 400 often but it's not going to waste.

 

[bobbobbob]

Congrats on your selection!  Just remember there is a slight learning curve in using the RO 150 FEQ.  It is a massive machine that I believe you will need to learn how to 'tame the beast'.  Also it will be hot until the break-in period is complete.  This is normal.  I wouldn't ever want to NOT have a RO 150.  Just remember to try to let the machine do the work and not force it.  That's when bad things could happen...

 

[woodguy7]

As expected, lots of different answers.  I use 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220 & 320 Brilliant & this selection suits me just fine.  It sounds as though you use the same type of materials as me & the Brilliant works very well.  I buy in boxes of 100 & although it costs a lot, they do last a long time.  I also have the ETS 150/3 so discs work for both sanders.
I havent really tried the other types but the Brilliant works well for me.

Woodguy.

 

[Alan m]

unfortunitally i did not get the rotex 150 as they didnt have one in 220 volt . i will have to wait until next week. thanks for the replys i will probably get
80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 220 & 320 Brilliant or granite and Platin 500 and 1000 and maybe some 50 or lower for agressive stock removal

 

[Jesse Cloud]

My own experience is pretty much like woodguy's.  The RO can hog out stock fast or polish a fine finish.

Only exception is when I'm sculpting, removing huge amounts of wood, hopefully in graceful lines.  Then I go to the RAS115 with Saphir as low as 24 grit.

The paper lasts a long time, compared to other brands. 

I think most of us use a lot of the grit we start with, getting out any flaws, then much less of the subsequent grits which are just getting scratch marks from coarser grits off.  So I would order 100 sheets of whatever grit you find yourself starting with and less of the other grits.  But as has been said above, it will keep and you will probably use it all someday.

 

[peter halle]

Jesse, that was great advice.

However, don't do what I did.  I spent more in sandpaper than I did on the Rotex.  Granted, I did also get two abrasive systainers to boot. 

I do have paper for the rest of my life or at least a long, long time!

Peter

 

[Alan m]

i was aiming to get around 200 - 300 sheets in
50  80 grit brilliant or granite
50  120 g
50  180 g
50  220 g
50  320 g

25    various grits above this

25    24 - 50 grits

 

[woodguy7]

That looks like a good selection but i use a lot more 120g than any other, seems to be the best all rounder for general joinery.  I always have more of this grit than any other.  Will be interesting to see how you compare the Granat against the Brilliant as i have not tried the Granat.
The Granat is more expencive at £68 per 100 against £54 per 100.  Maybee they are worth the extra, i dont know.

Woodguy.

 

[Alan m]

thats a good point. now that i think of it i probable do too. i might change the quantities a bit. any idea about some of the other qty,s too much or too little.

i was wondering . if i get a few disks free (hopefully) [unsure] which ones should i get to get the  best (or dearer [wink]) deal.

 

[woodguy7]

If they are gona give freebees then go for the Granat as it is more expencive.  My most used is 100, 120 & 150.  It is nice to have a wider  range at your disposal though.

Woodguy.

 

[fdengel]

For the agressive sanding (fast stock removal), get the Cristal for wood and the like; possibly Saphir for the tougher materials (concrete comes to mind).

Rubin is for early sanding on bare wood (less-agressive coarser grits), and Brilliant 2 (some are suggesting Granat -- can't speak to that as we don't have it in the US yet) for finishing work, plastics, and sanding after applying the first coats of finishes.

 

[Jim Becker]

I pretty much only use Rubin 80, 100, 120, 150 and 180. I have a few Brilliant discs in finer abrasives hanging around, but rarely even think about using them. I only use the 80 when I need to, preferring to start at 100 or 120 and work up to 180.