Another reason to like the RO90

[flair woodworks]

With the introduction of the RO90, perhaps it will end the debate of which is better - the RO125 or RO150.  For me, it is clear: get the RO90 and the RO150!  (Or should I get the Mirka Ceros 150?)

 

[PaulMarcel]

I'd agree with that.  +1

 

[jmbfestool]

Agree!  Thats why I own the Ro90 and 150!    The 125 to me would be no use I dont see much use for it any way if you have the Ro90-150.  Maybe if you are poor and cant afford [poke] to get Ro09 and 150 you get the 125 instead lol

JMB

 

[irishman]

I think you're all wrong...

You need the Ro90, the R0150, and the ETS150/3!

 

[dltflt]

I think you're all wrong...

You need the Ro90, the R0150, and the ETS150/3!

I agree with you.

 

[Iceclimber]

And the DTS400..

Gotta have it!

I think you're all wrong...

You need the Ro90, the R0150, and the ETS150/3!

 

[roblg3]

I find the LS130 indispensable when refinishing cabinetry,  I don't have the 150/3 maybe it takes me a couple extra minutes to run up a grit or 2 higher?

 

[PA floor guy]

I think your all wrong, to do site sanding as much as I do. You need the entire festool lineup. On intricate sanding jobs for me, I use every single one for something or another.
  Ro150- stair treads
  Ro125- risers
  Ro90- both of above
  Dts400- this is the tool that gets alot of use from me, this does everything
  Ets sanders- do all my finish sanding and blending with these guys
  The duplex is only ever used when were getting involved in Victorian type staircases.
  I do tons of staircase restorations.  Festool has given me a leg up on all my competition.  In fact, I used to turn down intricate staircases, until I became a festool junkie.  Now I love getting into the tricky woodwork, I get to break out all the good stuff. 

 

[aloysius]

I find the LS130 indispensable when refinishing cabinetry,  I don't have the 150/3 maybe it takes me a couple extra minutes to run up a grit or 2 higher?

I find my 2 LS130s a bit frustrating to use.  I'm doing a lot of reno work. Whilst they can be useful for mouldings on skirting, architraves et al I find that the papers clog prematurely.  As soon as the paper even starts to accumulate paint residues the abrasive performance drops to almost zero.  I still have to scrape almost all finishes away first through a combination of Skarsten & Sandvik scrapers, heat gun and elbow grease.

Despite having twin counter rotating balancing cams the Duplex sander is also pretty vibratory.  It probably has the highest level of vibration of all my sanders, and can really only be comfortably used for limited periods of time.  It's not just the amplitude but also the frequency of the vibes that's the issue. 

The RO90 can also be a handful at times.  Its delta performance isn't as smooth, rapid or easily handled as my dedicated Deltex or Bosch Blue sanders.  In rotary mode it can be difficult to control, being a bit "top heavy", especially in comparison to my little Metabo SXE400s (I have 4), which are a lesson in smoothness & ergonomic soundness in comparison.  Obviously the RO90 is much, much faster in Rotary mode, but for overall quality of finish the little 80mm Metabos are superior.  Plus the SXE400s, the Deltex and the Bosch GDA280E are also much more compact & ergonomically sound, which is really important in furniture restoration jobs.  These 3 abovementioned sanders are specialists, whereas the RO90 is more of a generalist, being really 3 sanders in one (for the price of 3 or 4).

There's no such thing as the perfect sander.  Each of mine has specific strengths & weaknesses, and perform particular tasks accordingly.

I also use 5" variable speed grinders with backing plates and carborundum discs where dust isn't an issue, or even an old Triton 5" Random Orbit grinder attachment where speed is required.  Grinders will actually outperform my RO150 in non critical jobs such as weatherboards.  The combination of speed (6-10,000 rpm) and aggressive grits (24g) makes paint stripping a breeze sometimes:  when the disc loads up with paint residue, the heat generated smoothly degrades and abrades multiple paint layers without harming the substrate.

The only sanders I don't have any use for are standard orbitals, having disposed of mine years ago.  A combination of Rotary, Random Orbit, Linear and Delta Orbital actions covers just about all my requirements these days.  My belt sanders are just about permanently parked on the shelf too:  the others do their job so much more smoothly, albeit slower. 

 

[roblg3]

The LS130 vibrates less than every other non festool sander i've ever used.  It cuts down on my having to grip papers and scrapers which aggravates several long time overuse injuries I suffer from(several have been surgically corrected) and while I'm sensitive to vibration I actually don't have to have very much contact with the sander since all that's necessary to operate the sander is minor guidance either forward or backward which i can just pull the sander along by the hose and hardly put pressure since I'm letting  the paper do the sanding.  If there's issues with clogging paper I suggest finding a more suitable paper for that type of finish.  granat is great, i notice platin works well with plastics(most finishes) or brilliant .

 

[Hawkeye1434]

My sander are the RO 90 and RO 150 and if I were to ever need the in between I have an ETS 125 so far that lineup has covered all my finish carpentry needs

 

[ajcoholic]

With the introduction of the RO90, perhaps it will end the debate of which is better - the RO125 or RO150.  For me, it is clear: get the RO90 and the RO150!  (Or should I get the Mirka Ceros 150?)

Chris
I have the 90 and 125 ro as well as two eye 125's that get used every day in my shop by myself and the two guys working for me.  All good sanders in their own right.

But my Mirka ceros is still my fave all around sander.  id probably buy another Mirka first before anything else based on the past few years.

I still wouldn't give up my 90 or ets's. And the ro125 has replaced the belt sander for 99% of rough work.  They all are good.

 

[flair woodworks]

Andrew,

I have both the Mirka CEROS and the RO90.  The Mirka is the workhorse in my shop, while the RO90 is used mainly for small-scale work and sculptural sanding.