Choice of delta sander?

[Purre]

Any idé of which delta sander to buy from Festool? Any pro and cons for different models?
I already got the Rotex 125 sander but i want/need a delta sander also.
I think the DTS 400 will win this race but do you think in a other way?

Rotex Ro 90
https://www.festool.com/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=571819&name=Geared-eccentric-sander-ROTEX-RO-90-DX-FEQ-Plus

Pro
3-in-1 machine

Cons
Expensive

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RS 300
https://www.festool.com/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=567845&name=Orbital-sander-RUTSCHER-RS-300-EQ-Plus

Pro
Different pads

Cons
Heavy
Expensive

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DTS 400
https://www.festool.com/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=567868&name=Delta-sander-DTS-400-EQ-Plus

Pro
Light weight
Can also be a RTS 400

Cons

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Deltex DX 93
https://www.festool.com/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=567855&name=Triangle-sander-DELTEX-DX-93-E-Plus

Pro

Cons

 

[Kev]

DX93 is discontinued, RS300 is too cumbersome - Done!

The DTS400 is super versatile and really nice to use. It's biased towards medium/fine sanding. I certainly wouldn't load it with anything below a 60 grit, though Festool do supply a 40 grit Granat for it!!

The RO90 is a little beast and the Delta pad is great for getting into corners, but I find it a bit like using an angle grinder in comparison to something like the DTS400. The RO90 is a great tool, but I use it for aggressive sanding and polishings small areas.

I like both - obviously - but I'd steer towards the DTS400 if I was doing cabinets and the RO90 if I was renovating (old paint, etc)

 

[Bohdan]

Can the DTS be converted to an RTS by swapping the bases?

 

[Holmz]

Hej hej [member=32644]Purre[/member] ,
Someone is selling a DX93 on here, but maybe it is 110v ?
I like mine which I got used. It is not a rocket of a machine but I use it quite a bit.
If you found a use one it may be ideal.

I have a 1/2 sheet job which I use a lot, but it is surprising how often I need to grab the little one.
The newer ones try to do it all and I am not sure if all 3 corners of the delta pad get used on the newer one. They seem like they are shaped like an iron rather than a equilateral triangle.
I am not sure why they discontinued the DX93 ??

 

[Kev]

Can the DTS be converted to an RTS by swapping the bases?

Apparently not. Shame that!

 

[Purre]

Can the DTS be converted to an RTS by swapping the bases?

Apparently not. Shame that!

But if I look in ekat it is! The only difference for the machines is baseplate, part 35. So I will say it is possible.
The RTS has #493720 and the DTS has #493722 here for the EU market. The cost for it is 116SEK (about $12).

 

[ear3]

Don't have the DTS so I can't speak for its merits, but keep in mind that the head/sandpaper profile is not symmetrical, so once you burn out the corner you have to swap in a new sheet, whereas the pad on the delta head for the RO90 (like the 93) is an equilateral triangle, so you can rotate the paper once one corner is fried. 

I really dig my RO90 for corner sanding, and it's nice to have that much power when sanding narrow pieces like face frames.  One other con of the RO90 to keep in mind other than its expense -- because of its body length, it can sometimes obstruct access to tight/contained spaces.  I ran into this issue recently when I was stripping the underside of a chair seat, and had to rotate back and forth between the RO90 and the RTS, whereas something like the DTS would have done the whole job on its own.

 

[Kev]

Can the DTS be converted to an RTS by swapping the bases?

Apparently not. Shame that!

But if I look in ekat it is! The only difference for the machines is baseplate, part 35. So I will say it is possible.
The RTS has #493720 and the DTS has #493722 here for the EU market. The cost for it is 116SEK (about $12).

[member=32644]Purre[/member] I thought the same too. [member=5277]Alex[/member] (who's quite the expert on these) advised in a recent post that the older models could be switched over, but the current ones can't.

Maybe he'll chime in on the details [smile]

 

[AlexThePalex]

Ok, I'll chime in. I can never stop talking about sanders.  [tongue]

You can not change the pads between RTS and DTS. They have small protruding nibs on top of the base plate that stick under the rubber skirt of the sander. The older DS-RS models do not have those nibs and are completely flat so with those it is possible.

I have changed the base plate a lot on my DS400 sander this summer, sometimes 4 times a day, and eventually I stripped out the screw holes because the metal plate underneath is made of very soft metal. This part is pretty expensive to replace. I fixed it by tapping them up from M4 to M5.

As to the OP's question, of all sanders mentioned the DTS400 is the clear winner for me, my most used sander and in my opinion the best all rounder. My number 1 choice for paint work all around the house.

The point Edward mentioned about the tip burning out is not what I experience, you use the entire pad of the sander and not just the tip.

By the way, the DX93 is NOT discontinued in Europe.

 

[Purre]

But in the ekat there is only 1 difference between the DTS and RTS and that is part #35. All the other parts are the same, its the same part number on all 38 parts.

Part 35 for the RTS 400 EQ 230V is 493720 - Baseplate

Part 35 for the DTS 400 EQ 230V is 493722 - Baseplate

Everything else is the exact same on both machines. So why not only change that part and the pad that you attach the abrasive to?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Like I said above, the baseplate has some protruding nibs that are clamped solid under the rubber skirt.

You don't have to believe me, you can find out for yourself. Please report back your findings. Be aware that you are not the first person here to ask this question.

One option is to get a spare metal clamping ring for the rubber skirt and replace the original on the sander with that one. The new one has a screw so you can loosen the ring. With the ring loosened you can now remove the baseplate of the pad and replace it for the RTS baseplate.

This will get old real quick. And you lose your warranty on your brand new sander. But you can do it if you really want to.

Another option is, to get a DS400 or RS400 on the used market. That's what I did. Then you can swap pads all you like, until the screw holes are stripped clean. Spare parts for these sanders are abundant, so you can restore an old one to new-like state.

I made an illustration of the baseplates. Notice how both baseplates differ between models and how the metal clamping strap sits right above the baseplate. Apparently the nibs I was talking about is now a full ring.

[attachimg=1]

 

[ali]

Bumping this up to ask if anyone can recommend a decent dedicated corner sander?

I already own the ro90 but have never really considered using it for delta sanding (was put off by previous discussions about it wearing unevenly and hence more expense) and always planned to add something else.

Are there any other non festool candidates worth considering? The other brands I've seen seem very low power 100w-130w. Is that a big deal?

 

[peter halle]

Personally I like my DTS 400.  But with the RO 90 you can rotate the paper three times if you are seeing more wear at a tip area.  Not so for the DTS.  You may want to give your RO a try.

Peter

 

[AlexThePalex]

I don't get it, why wouldn't the RO 90 work?

Much prefer the DTS400 though. Not just a corners specialist but for general sanding.

 

[Maximus]

I own a Rotex 150 and an RTS 400 and I feel they compliment each other nicely and five me a complete sanding solution for everything I need to do, going from large area aggressive stock removal down to intermediate finishing to VERY fine finishing.  I pondered long and hard about the delta vs the rectangular 400 but I just don't see the point, if you'll excuse the pun.  On the very odd occasion that I need extra reach for a small or awkward corner I'll use a small hand block or cabinet scraper.  So I'm glad I bought the RTS - it's the best shape for the majority of jobs.  Or the ones I do at least.  And it means I can also use the same pads on the Festool hand sander block which connects to my vac to maintain a dust free work space.

 

[ali]

I don't get it, why wouldn't the RO 90 work?

Personally I like my DTS 400.  But with the RO 90 you can rotate the paper three times if you are seeing more wear at a tip area.  Not so for the DTS.  You may want to give your RO a try.

Peter

Hi Alex, Peter hints at the uneven wear on the ro90 which from previous discussions I remember turning me of investing in a set of papers for the ro90. Think I always had it in my mind to have a dedicated corner sander in the arsenal too.

Thanks spiff too, will be going to a festool demo day in 2/3 weeks so will be able to feel both the rts and dts. I think i will just buy a few sheets for the ro90 before that to compare

 

[Goz]

I don't think the uneven wear is a problem limited to the RO90. Any sandpaper with a triangular corner has a tendency to wear there first. The advantage of the RO90 is that you can rotate the paper, this extending it's life.

I personally find the RO90 a little difficult to keep flat in delta mode.  But it depends on how much corner sanding you need to do. For me, it's sufficient. But if you do a lot of fine finish corner sanding, sounds like you're on the right track to check out the DTS and RTS. Can't go wrong with either one of those.

Good luck!
David

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

 

[Michael Kellough]

You missed Peter's point ali.

When sanding inside corners you're going to wear out the point of the abrasive whichever sander you're using.

The DTS abrasive has only one point at the end of a pretty large sheet of abrasive.
The Delta pad on the RO90uses much smaller abrasives which have three usable points.

The RO90 with Delta pad is not only more aggressive it's much less wasteful of abrasives.

 

[Holmz]

...
By the way, the DX93 is NOT discontinued in Europe.

And also why I bought a used 110v one.

Is the UK still part of Europe? Do they have 230v there?
... or is it going to be used in 110 volt site?
What is so special about the seeming mongrel sanders of Festool's that do corners as an after thought?
Have you considered a different brand of sander as a possible corner sander?

 

[peter halle]

You missed Peter's point ali.

When sanding inside corners you're going to wear out the point of the abrasive whichever sander you're using.

The DTS abrasive has only one point at the end of a pretty large sheet of abrasive.
The Delta pad on the RO90uses much smaller abrasives which have three usable points.

The RO90 with Delta pad is not only more aggressive it's much less wasteful of abrasives.

Thank you Michael!

Peter