Advice for newbie to Festool: Sander + dust extractor

[theburninator]

Good evening!

I've been pretty frustrated with my low-end random orbital sander and its horrible dust collection. I wandered into the idea of buying a Festool sander and probably a dust extractor to go with it.  I don't know anyone who owns these, so I just had a couple of questions before making the plunge on a very expensive (to me) purchase.

I have a shop that I use mostly for hobby working and stress relief. I have a large cyclonic dust extractor for my big tools (table saw, planer, jointer, etc.) All I currently have for the smaller tools in a shop vac.

I am looking at the ETS EC 125 or 150 options for the sander. I only have the budget for one sander right now, so is the 5mm stroke the best option for me? Is there any upside to the 150 over the 125 besides the larger sanding area?

As far as the dust extractor goes. Will the CT 25 work well enough for my situation? It will likely be used just for sanding unless I get more Festool tools down the road. Is there another extractor that would be a better fit?

I'm just trying to make an informed decision while staying in a tight budget, but I don't want to cheap out and regret the decision later if it would have made sense to spend a bit more now.

Hope all of that makes sense, I appreciate any input you have!

 

[smorgasbord]

I am looking at the ETS EC 125 or 150 options for the sander. I only have the budget for one sander right now, so is the 5mm stroke the best option for me? Is there any upside to the 150 over the 125 besides the larger sanding area?

There are lots of threads here (and even some YouTube videos), and there's no single right answer for everyone, but I can tell that whichever of the three you choose, you're going to be very happy. The differences between them are smaller than the difference between your current sander and any ETS/EC.

My only advice is to think about the size of projects you do, what state the material is in before you sand, and what kind of material you're sanding. Big projects like tabletops or entry doors - go for a 150. Medium/small - the 125 will do you fine. They say the 3mm orbits give a finer finish, but my 150/5 does just fine (pun intended) with higher grit papers, and can flatten hard wood with lower grits. The 125 is available only with the 3mm orbit I believe, so if you choose the 125, you're all set. And if you do mostly plywood, then a 3mm orbit is probably safer.

 

[ChuckM]

You gave two buy factors: tight budget and mostly sanding needs. What about luxury features like built-in BT feature and braided hose?

The CT15 is more than enough for you based on the first two factors. I use it for my two Festool sanders, DF500, and other non-Festool tools like routers. I also have a Kapex, but for convenience I use a shop vac plus a Dust Deputy 2.5 for that. And I finish 4 to 6 projects on average a year.

(P.S. The CT15  or 25 can only have BT-like controls thru shop-made tricks.)

 

[mino]

As per ChuckS.

I would consider the CT Midi as the better one-vac-to-rule-them-all as compared to CT 25 which is really as barebones as it gets.

If budget is an issue, do not feel shy to go with the "basic" ETS 125. You are very likely to want it later on and for a beginner the edge guide available for it has actually more of a value than for a pro/experienced guy which has other tools to handle its tasks.

The logical next step would then be the ETS EC 125/3, initially re-using the paper you will have from the ETS 125 and slowly upgrading to 150 paper IF you find the need.

The 150 paper shines for big surfaces, but it is absolutely not a must-have for a hobby woodworker on a budget. That and stocking on 125 paper is a bit more affordable.
I would even venture to say that the workflow benefits of the CT Midi (braided hose, bluetooth) outweight the benefits of the ETS EC over the basic ETS series sander, for a one-man hobby user. That is.

 

[theburninator]

There are lots of threads here (and even some YouTube videos), and there's no single right answer for everyone, but I can tell that whichever of the three you choose, you're going to be very happy. The differences between them are smaller than the difference between your current sander and any ETS/EC.

My only advice is to think about the size of projects you do, what state the material is in before you sand, and what kind of material you're sanding. Big projects like tabletops or entry doors - go for a 150. Medium/small - the 125 will do you fine. They say the 3mm orbits give a finer finish, but my 150/5 does just fine (pun intended) with higher grit papers, and can flatten hard wood with lower grits. The 125 is available only with the 3mm orbit I believe, so if you choose the 125, you're all set. And if you do mostly plywood, then a 3mm orbit is probably safer.

Sounds like the 125 will be the best fit for me right now since I'm doing smaller projects. Hopefully if I start doing bigger projects I'll be able to afford another sander and already have the dust extraction!

 

[theburninator]

You gave two buy factors: tight budget and mostly sanding needs. What about luxury features like built-in BT feature and braided hose?

The CT15 is more than enough for you based on the first two factors. I use it for my two Festool sanders, DF500, and other non-Festool tools like routers. I also have a Kapex, but for convenience I use a shop vac plus a Dust Deputy 2.5 for that. And I finish 4 to 6 projects on average a year.

(P.S. The CT15  or 25 can only have BT-like controls thru shop-made tricks.)

The braided hose and BT are pretty tempting, I don't have any plans to use BT immediately, but having that option in the future seems like it would be worth considering!

 

[theburninator]

As per ChuckS.

I would consider the CT Midi as the better one-vac-to-rule-them-all as compared to CT 25 which is really as barebones as it gets.

If budget is an issue, do not feel shy to go with the "basic" ETS 125. You are very likely to want it later on and for a beginner the edge guide available for it has actually more of a value than for a pro/experienced guy which has other tools to handle its tasks.

The logical next step would then be the ETS EC 125/3, initially re-using the paper you will have from the ETS 125 and slowly upgrading to 150 paper IF you find the need.

The 150 paper shines for big surfaces, but it is absolutely not a must-have for a hobby woodworker on a budget. That and stocking on 125 paper is a bit more affordable.
I would even venture to say that the workflow benefits of the CT Midi (braided hose, bluetooth) outweight the benefits of the ETS EC over the basic ETS series sander, for a one-man hobby user. That is.

Thanks for all the great info! I think I'm leaning towards the CT MIDI just to make sure I'm a little more future-proofed, plus I really like the smooth braided hose as compared to the ribbed one. If I start with the cheaper sander, I can make up for the extra on the extractor and then upgrade the sander later down the road!

 

[Cheese]

I'd also recommend the newer MIDI I over the CT 25. The MIDI I will get you further down the road in the future.

The ETS EC 125 would also be my first choice for a sander. Another nice feature on the ETS EC 125 is that the sanding pad from the ETS EC 150 will simply bolt on the 125 if you need 6" sanding capabilities. However, the ETS EC 150 WILL NOT accept the 125 pad.

However as mino noted, the ETS 125 really is a great sander and comes at a bargain basement price. It's just not as refined as the ETS EC sanders.

Also noteworthy, is that to improve the ergonomics of the ETS EC series, the internal dust extraction impeller was eliminated which means the ETS EC series MUST be used with dust extraction while the ETS series can be used with dust extraction or the supplied dust bag.

 

[theburninator]

I'd also recommend the newer MIDI I over the CT 25. The MIDI I will get you further down the road in the future.

The ETS EC 125 would also be my first choice for a sander. Another nice feature on the ETS EC 125 is that the sanding pad from the ETS EC 150 will simply bolt on the 125 if you need 6" sanding capabilities. However, the ETS EC 150 WILL NOT accept the 125 pad.

However as mino noted, the ETS 125 really is a great sander and comes at a bargain basement price. It's just not as refined as the ETS EC sanders.

Also noteworthy, is that to improve the ergonomics of the ETS EC series, the internal dust extraction impeller was eliminated which means the ETS EC series MUST be used with dust extraction while the ETS series can be used with dust extraction or the supplied dust bag.

Thanks, I'm thinking the MIDI and the ETS EC 125 are going to be my combo, just need to make sure I can make that work with my budget, lol!

 

[leakyroof]

One more thing to consider. With some searching, you can often find someone selling off used Festool products. So, a used Dust Extractor/Vacuum might be had, or a used Sander, with a little digging, here in the Classifieds, or elsewhere.
  I bought my Planex Sander set-up, tool and special Auto Cleaning Vac , used. 

 

[Cheese]

One more thing to consider. With some searching, you can often find someone selling off used Festool products. So, a used Dust Extractor/Vacuum might be had, or a used Sander, with a little digging, here in the Classifieds, or elsewhere.
  I bought my Planex Sander set-up, tool and special Auto Cleaning Vac , used.

Along these lines don't forget about Festool Recon. They always have vacs & sanders for about 20% off. However, the warranty is only for 1 year. If you go this direction, make sure it's the newer MIDI I which is Bluetooth capable. The older MIDI was not convertible.  [sad]
https://www.festoolrecon.com/collections/oneanddone

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I'd also recommend the newer MIDI I over the CT 25. The MIDI I will get you further down the road in the future.

The ETS EC 125 would also be my first choice for a sander. Another nice feature on the ETS EC 125 is that the sanding pad from the ETS EC 150 will simply bolt on the 125 if you need 6" sanding capabilities. However, the ETS EC 150 WILL NOT accept the 125 pad.

However as mino noted, the ETS 125 really is a great sander and comes at a bargain basement price. It's just not as refined as the ETS EC sanders.

Also noteworthy, is that to improve the ergonomics of the ETS EC series, the internal dust extraction impeller was eliminated which means the ETS EC series MUST be used with dust extraction while the ETS series can be used with dust extraction or the supplied dust bag.

Cheese hit the nail squarely on the head. I couldn't have stated it any better.
The only thing I would add is to expand on the ergonomics aspect. Don't underestimate that. You mentioned using a "low-end" sander, most of which are of similar shape (form-factor). The ETS 125 will "feel" very similar to those. It is far superior, less vibration and superior dust extraction, but that tall  body is awkward in comparison to the ETS EC. Of course that is just an opinion, but it is shared by many. The short body and low center of gravity is much more controllable, especially on odd shaped items.