Another "Which Sander" Question

[Steve F]

if you were going to get a Rotex and an ETS, but could only buy one now and needed to wait for the other, which would you buy first?

Like many who are new to Festool, I am trying to decide which sander to get.  I know that there have been countless threads (I have read them) discussing the relative merits of 5" vs 6" and Rotex vs ETS.  I plan to get one of each, but my question is order of purchases.  I was thinking of getting the ETS125 with the Mini first, and then getting the Rotex later.  Here's my though process:

1.  1.  The ETS islighter, which makes it more useful as a general purpose sander for normal household projects (sheetrock patches, sanding on a ladder, adjusting doors, etc.).  I currently have a 5" Bosch palm sander that I use all the time, but it's dying and the dust collection is horrible.

2.  The bag attachment also makes the ETS more versatile, since you can use it without the vacuum.

3.  I can get by with the ETS only, but it would harder to get by with inly the Rotex.

4.  Until I get the Rotex, I have a Bosch 3 x 21 belt sander.

5.  Buying the ETS with the vacuum spreads the cost out a little better.

Thanks

 

[image132]

So are you set on the 125mm/5"? End of the day I would still go with the rotex for its versatility. The ETS is a finishing sander and I can't see you using a belt sander on sheet wood I used to own a metabo orbital sander only and then I bought the rotex and the finish the rotex gives with P320 grit is beyond belief, like a glass finish almost. Yet it still maintains being able to rip stuff up with a P26 grit. End of the day you find you don't need the ets because the Rotex is one of the best all round sanders you can buy. The ETS could probably beat the rotex in the finishing but not in the early sanding/removal.

My vote goes for the rotex even if it means you have to wait a little while longer, you won't be disappointed.

Oh and I hope you know this but you can only use Festool sandpaper on their sanders due to different hole placement.

 

[mouppe]

Rotex.  It's more versatile than the ets. You can specialize later.

 

[tbellemare]

The Rotex can do everything the ETS can do except blow in the bag. The ETS can't do a lot of what the Rotex can do.

Tom

 

[Bob Marino]

 
Agree with the other replies - of the 2 the Rotex is the more versatile...and I'd look at ETS 150/3 before the ETS 125.

Bob

 

[Steve F]

OK . . .

. . . but what do you do if you need to be at the top of a ladder with the sander?  Drag the vacuum with you? It look like the Rotex can't be used without the vacuum, right?

. . . and what about holding the Rotex overhead to sand spackling on a ceiling?  Maybe get a cheap sander for that?  I would think that holding the Rotex overhead with the hose attached has got to be pretty heavy.

Thanks 

 

[tbellemare]

The best sander for drywall that is currently AINA is DTS or RTS.

Tom

 

[Bob Marino]

OK . . .

. . . but what do you do if you need to be at the top of a ladder with the sander?  Drag the vacuum with you? It look like the Rotex can't be used without the vacuum, right?

. . . and what about holding the Rotex overhead to sand spackling on a ceiling?  Maybe get a cheap sander for that?  I would think that holding the Rotex overhead with the hose attached has got to be pretty heavy.

Thanks   

Uhm... I wouldn't want to use the Rotex without dust collection, but then again, I am not a huge fan of the small dc paper bags either...especially with spackle/drywall dust. If that were the primary initial application - you may want to wet sand and avoid the lion's share of over sanding in the first place.

Bob

 

[AlexThePalex]

Rotex of course.

 

[GPowers]

OK . . .

. . . but what do you do if you need to be at the top of a ladder with the sander?  Drag the vacuum with you?

Thanks   

Get a loooooooooooooooooooooooong vacuum hose.  [big grin]

 

[Steve F]

OK . . .

. . . but what do you do if you need to be at the top of a ladder with the sander?  Drag the vacuum with you?

Thanks   

Get a loooooooooooooooooooooooong vacuum hose.  [big grin]

Reminds me of the punchline of an old joke, but I can't remember the joke.  But, really, how do you use a Rotex when you're at the top of a ladder or standing on the roof sanding trip?  It's bad enough trying to keep your balance with a 2 pound sander.  I can't imagine it with a 5 pound sander being weighed down by a 20-foot long hose.

Can you use the sander without the hose attached and just let the dust shoot out (like on my TS55)?  Is there a bag you can attach?

Thanks

   

 

[AlexThePalex]

Can you use the sander without the hose attached and just let the dust shoot out (like on my TS55)? 

Yes, you can.

Is there a bag you can attach?

No, you can't.

Not a Festool bag anyway. I don't think it is available in America, but I have a Rupes bag which I can attach. I don't use a bag that often (rarely actually) but if I do then I prefer this Rupes bag over the very impractical Festool bags. Festool does a lot of things extremely right with their sanders, unfortunately the paper bag is not one of them.

[attachthumb=1]

 

[GPowers]

Get the Rotex 150 and make your own bag attachment. Then you done. No need for the vacuum.

But your sand paper will not last as long and the paper sanding disks will clog up faster.

 

[Corwin]

Get the Rotex 150 and make your own bag attachment. Then you done. No need for the vacuum.

But your sand paper will not last as long and the paper sanding disks will clog up faster.

Oh, no.  Get a vacuum.  Last time I was up on a ladder with a sander I was glad that I had it hooked up to my extractor -- especially when reaching overhead.  Think of all that dust and debris that would otherwise be in your face.  And one of those little bags isn't gunna do.

If you don't have a specific reason for the smaller 125 sanders, I certainly would go for the 150s.  The ETS150 sanders are wonderful sanders, but they are not as aggressive as the Rotex models, so you will need to decide which you need more.  If I was up on a ladder and didn't need the aggressiveness of a Rotex, I certainly would prefer the ETS150. 

 

[tbellemare]

Not a Festool bag anyway.

As far as I know, there's no blower in a Rotex. I certainly haven't detected one. You can always use it without a dust collector, and I have. It depends on what you're sanding, how you're sanding it, and if it makes sense to let the dross fly. You also should consider that the air flow through the pad makes everything last longer.

If you think the hose/cord combo is too heavy, there are ways to defeat gravity by using a bungee or even a cord or rope. You don't have to hold the entire weight.

Tom