choice of festool sander -- advice please

[anwalt]

Hi all,

My first post!

I'd like to buy a festool sander. I make mostly small to medium size furniture like cabinets and wardrobes.

I hate sanding in general, the noise, the vibration, so I'm attracted to the ETS EC range.

However, for cases where something more aggressive is needed, I'd love to replace my cheap belt sander, so the Rotex range comes up as an all in one solution.

I guess my questions are: If I went for the Rotes, would it still run as quietly and low-vibration as the ETS EC if it's not in rotary mode? If I went for the ETS EC, would it still do a decent job at hogging off material if needed, without getting the belt sander out?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!!

 

[nvalinski]

It sounds like the ETS EC is your better choice if the finer finishing is 90% of what you will do. The Rotex is an amazing sander, but loud and not the best fine finishing sander. It's also bulky for long sanding sessions. The ETS EC 150-3 is great for finishing, though I've heard of others getting a good finish with the 150-5 as well as being faster. The only sander I've heard of maybe truly bridging the gap between a Rotex and ETS EC would be a Mirka Deros with an 8 mm orbit.

If you are on a budget, I'd prioritize getting a good fine finishing sander first and maybe looking at something like the Bosch GET-75  at half the price to the Rotex if you don't need the convenience of a plug it cord or need to store things in systainers.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Both ETC EC sanders are sensational, the 5mm might be of more benefit initially as it will produce a very fine finish as well as a reasonably aggressive finish with the right sandpaper.

The Rotex is an amazing machine, but as noted is bulkier making it less comfortable to use for extended periods, and is of more benefit doing grunt work in my opinion. That's not to say it won't do fine finishing, which it will, but the ETC EC are lighter, extremely ergonomic, and you could use them for hours at a time without issue. I would say get the rotex later.

 

[AlexThePalex]

If I went for the Rotes, would it still run as quietly and low-vibration as the ETS EC if it's not in rotary mode?

ROFL, there is nothing quiet about the Rotex, ever.

 

[ewils91]

If I went for the Rotes, would it still run as quietly and low-vibration as the ETS EC if it's not in rotary mode?

ROFL, there is nothing quiet about the Rotex, ever.

My oldest son refers to my Rotex 150 as the beast...  [blink]

 

[JINRO]

I have ETS EC 125/3, Rotex 90, 150, and RTS 400.  I mostly work on small projects and RTS 400 is my go to sander.  I can definitely say Rotex is a beast of it's own kind when compared to ETS EC, ETS, RTS, DTS, etc.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

My oldest son refers to my Rotex 150 as the beast...  [blink]

It definitely is a bit of a beast, but for pure aggressiveness, RAS115 is far above it.

The only sander I've heard of maybe truly bridging the gap between a Rotex and ETS EC would be a Mirka Deros with an 8 mm orbit. 

An 8mm orbit may be a very aggressive sander, but I wouldn't think it could do that great of a job as the final finish before finishing, especially if stain is involved.
This is the beauty of Rotex. It can do the aggressive part and still be tamed enough, the 3mm orbit of the RO125, even more so.
Yes, it's heavy and could even be called cumbersome, but it can do both, if a person really needs to have this all in one tool. I wouldn't, but you could, if you had to.
If you don't do a lot of aggressive sanding in large areas, but still need the capability, the RO125 and ETS EC 125 would be a great pairing.

 

[VirTERM]

I have ETS EC 125/3, Rotex 90, 150, and RTS 400.  I mostly work on small projects and RTS 400 is my go to sander.  I can definitely say Rotex is a beast of it's own kind when compared to ETS EC, ETS, RTS, DTS, etc.

I have similar setup but dts400 instead of rts. In my case, ets ec but with 150mm pad is the most popular one.

 

[luvmytoolz]

If I went for the Rotes, would it still run as quietly and low-vibration as the ETS EC if it's not in rotary mode?

ROFL, there is nothing quiet about the Rotex, ever.

My oldest son refers to my Rotex 150 as the beast...  [blink]

If you think the newer one is a beast, you should see the original RO1E that I have, angle grinder on steroids!

 

[AlexThePalex]

My oldest son refers to my Rotex 150 as the beast...  [blink]

I do too.  [smile]

 

[anwalt]

Thanks everyone!!

I think you’ve persuaded me to avoid the beast. I can always rent a beast for the weekend and settle down with a gentle, quiet partner otherwise…

 

[anwalt]

A quick follow up: if no rotex, how much better is the EC option relative to the plain ETS125? Worth the extra money for someone whose main task isn’t sanding, just finishing joinery?

 

[mrboult]

Go for the ETS EC.

Either the ETS EC 125/3 (as it uniquely takes both sizes 125/150 of pad) or the ETS EC 150/5 (for the slightly quicker stock removal)

I have the Rotex 125, ETS EC 125/3, RTS 400, Mirka Deros 5mm. And have twice bought and sold the Rotex 150 for specific jobs.

The Rotex is awesome in rotex mode for fast work & material removal, with excellent precision and dust extraction over something like a belt sander or grinder. A sheet of 80g paper on the rotex will remove material as quickly or faster than my Mirka Deros 5mm with 40g paper.
The 150 is a far smoother handling and better balanced machine of the two rotex sanders.
And finally the normal radom orbit mode of the Rotex 125 is terrible, on so many levels I can't be bothered to go into it. I don't remember if that's similar to the 150, I suspect the 150 is better in this mode, like most aspects between the two, but probably still not class leading. You buy the Rotex for Rotex mode.

The ETS EC is fabulous. I purchased the 125/3 as it can uniquely accept both the 125mm and 150mm pads. It might be the nicest, smoothest sander out there and I love it.
In 3 years of owning both ETS EC 3mm and the Mirka Deros 5mm I have gone back and forth on which sander I prefer using day to day. The Mirka does remove material slightly quicker with the 5mm stroke, but it's not really noticeable in most day to day cases. I find the Festool a little more refined in use as well, less likely to bump an adjacent surface, or tear out splinters when softening the corner edge of a board. The Dust extraction on the Festool is noticeably better than the Mirka although the Mirka isn't bad at all.

The ETS 125 (the non-EC kind) is probably not the sander to get! It is for fine finishing, not for taking 2mm of the edge of a cabinet door in a pinch, or sanding a rough sawn board to smooth and flat.
Anyone asking themselves if they want/need the Rotex, will defiantly be unhappy if they choose the ETS 125 Any box store sander costing £80 is a faster and more aggressive sander.

The Mirka Deros is a fine choice too. The GOOD things are that it's smaller, lighter, more manoeuvrable, and the 125mm pad has holes for literally every type of 125mm paper I've ever come across. Also this sander performs great with full power extraction, so if you have a non adjustable Vac/DC setup, you'll definitely prefer it. The festools notiably prefer a reduced suction to run smoothly on a flat surface.
The BAD is the reliability seems to be an issue if you look at/trust the internet, although mine has been fine for 3 years. The velcro pads wear out 3x faster than the festool IMO. The paddle is occasionally annoying and rarely much of a benefit. Dust collection is worse than all my festool sanders. Not in a room filling way or anything, simply more dust on the work bench and sander itself after extended periods of sanding.

Currently the ETS EC is my favourite sander to use day to day, but 18 months ago I would have said the Mirka I'm a fickle human Both are fabulous.

 

[mino]

...
An 8mm orbit may be a very aggressive sander, but I wouldn't think it could do that great of a job as the final finish before finishing, especially if stain is involved.
...

Correct. I have the WTS 150/7 which is definitely more aggressive but it is NO replacement of a Rotex, of a belt sander nor an alternative of the 5mm orbit sanders.

I initially bought it /good price/ thinking it will be that. It is not.

Still like it though. It is excellent for rough-sanding raw dried timber when I want an exposed "interior" surface but do not want a smooth planed/sanded surface. With Sapphire 36 and then 50 it produces that strange texture which is but "processed" but does not look artificial.

Second use case is (masonry) wall paint sanding where the higher orbit is great to smooth our any bumps from a bad paint job in the past. Not a Planex alternative, for work on uneven surfaces where Planex would suffer.

The biggest issue is that to tame such a big orbit is no fun. It vibrates a lot - not from the sander. From the resistance the paper makes with the material. I am actually thinking of making a weight contraption to stabilise it and try have it work a bit like an old ETS 150/5 does. Just handling it by the hose.

 

[Oilers]

I had this same question earlier this year.  I went with the ETS EC 150/5 sander. I could not be more delighted, I use it all the time. 

The 150/5 with 80 grit does a remarkable job of stock removal. Graduating from my Bosch random orbital and belt sanders to this is eye opening. 

Then, working through the grits up to 180, provides a finish ready surface, and it does so quickly.  It is delightful.

Note: the dust extraction is important.  This sander works best when it has a vacuum with suction turned down.  And with the CT26 hooked up, the remaining dust is negligible, which I think contributes to the quality finish. 

I’ve got a 125/2mm finishing sander that I haven’t taken out of the drawer since I bought the ETS EC 150. 

The ETS EC 150/3 was the only alternative I considered. I chose the /5 over the /3 because I want to spend less time sanding and the guys at two different stores recommended the /5.   

I’d buy the /5 again in a heartbeat.  It’s smooth, essentially dustless, and aggressive enough while still being capable of a good finish. 

Whatever you pick, enjoy.

 

[mino]

I had this same question earlier this year.  I went with the ETS EC 150/5 sander. I could not be more delighted, I use it all the time. 
...
Note: the dust extraction is important.  This sander works best when it has a vacuum with suction turned down.  And with the CT26 hooked up, the remaining dust is negligible, which I think contributes to the quality finish.
...

Eh. You are right, but not exactly.

The ETS EC series MUST BE USED ONLY with a vacuum. They do not have an internal impeller so would clog/damage the pad immediately if no vacuum is used.

Unlike the ETS (non-EC) series which have internal fans, so they only *should" be used with a vacuum. They are bigger (higher) because of that internal fan which then allows them to remove the sanded dust AND cool the sanding pad by that. Most sanders have that internal fan so they *can* be used without a vacuum, e.g. for outside work. Not so with the ETS EC series which shed the fan and rely on an external air suction source.

ETS EC (specifically the pad) will be destroyed extremely fast if used without a vac. And it will not sand to begin as the dust will accumulate on the paper. Sure, one can possibly get away with "touching up a round chair leg" without a vac attached to the ETS EC. But that is about it as far as vac-less operation goes with these sanders.

Just saying this explicitly. Should anyone ever come to the notion that the ETS EC could be used without a vac. Even "initially" etc. It cannot. This limitation is the price to pay for its low weight and agility.

 

[woodferret]

A quick follow up: if no rotex, how much better is the EC option relative to the plain ETS125? Worth the extra money for someone whose main task isn’t sanding, just finishing joinery?

Go ETS EC.  ETS 125 has no hard pad option.  ETS 150, ETS EC 125, and ETS EC 150 do however.