Bosch GDA 280E / 1294VSK detail sander

[sae]

I've been thinking about letting go my RO90, as I really only use it for corner sanding. I don't do much fine detail work, most the things I build are slab sided and large faced. Plan would be to trade it in for this Bosch delta sander + an ETS 125, or put it towards a Mirka Deros.

I already have an RO150 that I use more than the RO90 10-fold.

The Bosch unit seems pretty slick, and has little finger-like pads for even finer use.

Any thoughts/experiences, positive or negative? I can see already that the dust collection not being as good, especially at the tip, since the Festool pattern puts a DC hole right under it whereas the Bosch has the standard 6-hole pattern.

Thanks.

 

[thedude306]

I am going to be interested to read what any actual user have to say.

I am looking at the RO90 and did some research on the bosch.  It seems to do really well at sanding.  DC is just OK but better then most.  It's REALLY inexpensive. 

The bad (that I have only read about);

the hook and loop can get hot and fail
The plastic bends and holds its shape when it gets hot (on the fingers)
some amazon reviews state a plastic tab breaks and others call BS unless you are abusing it.  It's amazon so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[aloysius]

I've had the Bosch GDA280E, the DX93 Deltex & the RO90DX;  I suppose this qualifies me!

Here's my take on the 3:  my Bosch has provided sterling service for some 20 odd years now.  I regard it as the best sander for its versatility, easy & universal availability of spares/abrasives.  In comparison to the Deltex it is more powerful, though not as smooth running.  Festool has different (incompatible) abrasives.  F'tool has perforations in the corners.  The other "Euro" & "Jap" pattern Delta sanders like Bosch, Metabo etc. etc. have perforations at the sides.

Extraction only works on the Bosch & Deltex standard pads:  the extension pads on both, & fingers on the Bosch are plain abrasives only (i.e. non extracted).  Personally I wouldn't get too hung up about dust extraction: these fingers generate minimal dust only, which tends to fall rather than get blown everywhere.  You will find that these extension pads & fingers will wear away their abrasives rapidly, and care needs to be taken as if too firm pressure is applied then the extension will flex and bend slightly.

Far & away the best advantage of the Bosch is the ergonomics.  The rubber pad on top & low profile makes it so much more useful than the Rotex that there's really no comparison.  The Bosch (& Deltex) will fit into places that the Rotex finds impossible: between stair treads for instance.  Its also much more easily handled and controllable.

I also have 4 Metabo SXE400 Random Orbit Sanders.  This 80mm sander is my most used tool.  Like the small deltas it's just so much more compact and ergonomically sound than the Rotex.  It's also just so smooth running and fuss-free when doing fine & delicate work that it can be used all day.  A SXE400 and the Bosch is just about all I ever use for most of my reno work around the house.

I actually gave away the Deltex when I purchased the small Rotex.  Something I now regret.  In reality my RO150 (old model), Bosch Delta & Metabo SXE400s do a better job than the RO90DX in each & every task.  The latter is a bit of a compromise; proficient in all tasks but master of none.

 

[sae]

[member=9481]aloysius[/member] Belated thanks for your review.

I've put about a month on the Bosch sander and the unit is pretty great. It works rather well in hand due to how light it is, and is comfortable to use all day, at any weird angle you can imagine. The unit gets warm, but not as warm as my RO90 did. I picked up the 19mm hose from Bosch as well, which is noticeably lighter than the 27mm Festool hose, and doesn't drag down the tool.

I was pretty surprised to see the unit was made in Switzerland, didn't know they were many power tools made there at all.

Not sure why Festool discontinued the DX 93, but I agree, the RO90 ergos make it not a proper replacement for a detail sander. There's also not enough height on the RO90 between the pad and the lower part of the C-handle (dust extraction tube?), that you can't reach over small obstacles w/ the sander while keeping the pad flat (i.e. when doing stair risers where the treads overhang).

All in all, very pleased with the Bosch.

[member=42010]thedude306[/member] paging you in case you wanted more opinions.