Christmas Sander or not?

[Wood Hog]

It's been a while since my last post, in that time I've been too busy actually using my festools rather than talking about them, they've all been great except that stupid jig saw, which I wish I had never bought, the thing is uncontrollably dangerous, but that not what I'm asking. Any how my wifes up for buying another festool for Christmas and I thinking RO 90 DX as I have a list of projects it could be put to use for. What's people's honest experience with it?
Thanks

 

[ear3]

Are you really asking the FOG whether you should buy another sander?  I wonder what the answer will be? 

All around awesome sander.  Before I loaded up with other Festool sanders, it was my most frequently used one, great for situations like when there's a slight alignment problem with your face frames .  The delta head takes care of most of my corner and joint edge needs -- the one downside is that the length of the body might keep it out of some tight spaces that would be easily reachable for DTS.

Outfitted with the interface pad, it is great for contour work as well, since the small head size allows it to follow the shape more closely than the pad on a 150 or 125 head.  And in Rotex mode, you can really hog out the wood on shaped material.

It has an optional polishing pad, so you can also use it for that or to clean metal.

The only thing I don't like it for is board edge work  -- the rotation of the pad makes it more likely that you will create a convex shape along the edge.  I haven't really experimented, but I suppose you might avoid some of that risk if you used it on Delta mode on the edge, since that stops the rotation of the pad.  Since you already have the 150/3, the RO90 at this point would probably add the most value, as opposed to the ETS-EC 150/5, the RO150, or the RTS/DTS.

It's been a while since my last post, in that time I've been too busy actually using my festools rather than talking about them, they've all been great except that stupid jig saw, which I wish I had never bought, the thing is uncontrollably dangerous, but that not what I'm asking. Any how my wifes up for buying another festool for Christmas and I thinking RO 90 DX as I have a list of projects it could be put to use for. What's people's honest experience with it?
Thanks

 

[Locks14]

Not a huge fan of the 90. It serves a purpose when only a small sander will do.

However I only use it as a last resort, if no other sander will fit the bill. The pad is tool easily stopped from spinning in RO mode and the delta/triangle function is not especially good, in fact my £99 Bosch multitool is a far more effective sander for corners. Finally I don't really like the ergonomics.

So in short, it's a tool that when I need it, I need; but not a tool I enjoy using.

Out of interest what's dangerous about the Jigsaw? I have seen people post that the Carvex is not necessarily a particularly good tool in terms of blade wander, but can't recall people saying it's bad to the extent of being dangerous...

 

[AlexThePalex]

What Locks14 says above just goes completely against my experience because the RO90 is a great sander as is.

I'm sorry to say so, but I wonder if he really has one because it seems he makes up his opinion as he goes, and saying that a multitool is better than a RO90 for sanding is simply preposterous. Anybody who really used the sander would know.

Back to me, I like the RO90 sander, all the power you expect from a Rotex sander and great for those little jobs on smaller objects. What I don't like is the way Festool prices the sandpaper for this sander, making this sander 2,5 times as expensive to operate as other sanders. For this reason I just sold mine 2 weeks ago to put the money in some computer upgrades. Glad I never had the heart to say goodbye to my DX93.

 

[Locks14]

What Locks14 says above just goes completely against my experience because the RO90 is a great sander as is.

I'm sorry to say so, but I wonder if he really has one because it seems he makes up his opinion as he goes, and saying that a multitool is better than a RO90 for sanding is simply preposterous. Anybody who really used the sander would know.

Back to me, I like the RO90 sander, all the power you expect from a Rotex sander and great for those little jobs on smaller objects. What I don't like is the way Festool prices the sandpaper for this sander, making this sander 2,5 times as expensive to operate as other sanders. For this reason I just sold mine 2 weeks ago to put the money in some computer upgrades. Glad I never had the heart to say goodbye to my DX93.

Do you want photographic evidence of my ownership?

Also you say my experience goes completely against yours, yet you've sold your RO90, citing consumable cost. Yet if you can afford to be without it, surely it wasn't a vital tool used daily so how much of a problem could the cost of consumables actually be?

Also, I don't know why it's preposterous that the Bosch is better as a delta sander. The body shape and pad position nearer the centre of gravity makes it better as a delta sander.

 

[Kev]

From my experience the RO90 is an awesome multipurpose sander. It's also a great polisher.

I wouldn't hesitate.

 

[Cheese]

RO 90 = great sander...I'd probably get rid of my RO 125 before I'd dump the RO 90. I could also justify dumping the LS 130 and the RS 2 before I let the 90 go.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Also you say my experience goes completely against yours, yet you've sold your RO90, citing consumable cost. Yet if you can afford to be without it, surely it wasn't a vital tool used daily so how much of a problem could the cost of consumables actually be?

Uhm, I could sell it because I have 6 more Festool sanders. Redundancy. When you do any kind of work, the cost of consumables is important. That the cost of operation is too much for me to be acceptable is because of Festool's marketing policy, not because of how the sander performs. I sold it because I found I didn't use it much anymore, with the sole reason being cost. And as it's an expensive object, I could use the value somewhere else instead of taking up shelf space.

Also, I don't know why it's preposterous that the Bosch is better as a delta sander. The body shape and pad position nearer the centre of gravity makes it better as a delta sander.

The RO90 has a lot more power, and real orbital movement instead of oscillating, so the pad is way more effective than a multitool. Not like 10-20% more effective, but 200-300%.

And center of gravity? You do know what that means, do you? The long rectangular body of a multitool makes it about as far out of balance as it can be. Not that the RO90 is much better, but I'm not trying to pass that off as a valid argument.

Only drawback with the shape of the RO90 is that the front is a bit higher than with a traditional delta sander or multitool. Occasionally it wil not fit in a small space, where one of the others might.

 

[SS Teach]

I see you have listed just one Festool sander. How can that be, only one? I thought they were like potato chips, bet you can't own just one. The Ro 90 is great, a very good compliment to your ETS 150. Edward Reno III explains its usefulness. With Festool's accessories for the sander it becomes even more versatile. When it comes to cost, well that is an individual choice. In Economics it is called "opportunity cost". Basically if you buy say a Festool Ro 90 with consumables and accessories what will you be giving up because of what you spent on the Festools.   

 

[DB10]

I use to use the Bosch multi tool for corner work before I owned the RO90, the Bosch is fine for quick jobs especially if its the cordless version. But for larger jobs there's no comparison when it comes to speed of getting the job done and dust control.

 

[sae]

What Locks14 says above just goes completely against my experience because the RO90 is a great sander as is.

I'm sorry to say so, but I wonder if he really has one because it seems he makes up his opinion as he goes, and saying that a multitool is better than a RO90 for sanding is simply preposterous. Anybody who really used the sander would know.

Back to me, I like the RO90 sander, all the power you expect from a Rotex sander and great for those little jobs on smaller objects. What I don't like is the way Festool prices the sandpaper for this sander, making this sander 2,5 times as expensive to operate as other sanders. For this reason I just sold mine 2 weeks ago to put the money in some computer upgrades. Glad I never had the heart to say goodbye to my DX93.

I disagree with you, Locks14's experience matches mine.

I had mine for quite a few months, tried to come up with situations to use it, and it did none of them well.

It's not a great delta sander because of the bulk, as you already mentioned. It doesn't maneuver around stairs well (the dust port blocks it from being able to reach over the tread of stairs to sand the risers), nor balusters, nor most furniture. Delta consumables were expensive and proprietary for no good reason; rotating the hole pattern 30 degrees didn't achieve any appreciable gain in dust collection.

It's not great on rails and stiles because the sanding pad is so small. It cupped almost anything it touched because it was hard to keep flat, you're better off with a orbital larger sheet sander (I know, how old fashioned of me).

So what is it good at? I found no use for it and sold it. Even the cheapest of dedicated delta sanders would be more functional, allowing it to get into small spaces where one would need a detail sander.

 

[ear3]

One small sliver of savings you can gain on consumables is by getting the wow pack from tool_home, which gives you an assortment of both 90mm round and 93mm delta Granat abrasives from 40 to 400 grit.

 

[Wood Hog]

Thanks Edward and others, the reason I'm hesitant about the RO90 is because I bought the RO 125 and couldn't get used to it, it ran all over the work,  and I ended up returning it, but now I find my self more often needing a sander for smaller applications. I've loved my year with my ETS 150 and I have the best of hopes for the RO90 DX.

  Re the carvfex the reason why I felt it was dangerous is due to its inability to track straight, I nearly electrocuted myself this year, it just runs of in its own direction, I'm glad I had it hooked into a GFI outlet. It is when trying to do precise work it that it sucks the most and the strobe doesn't seem to help either, I can't tell you how many repeat cuts I've had to do, I've gone back to my old porter cable, way easier to use.

 

[Holmz]

Maybe a hand plane would be useful XMAS present for the narrow stuff? or a scraper set?

 

[DB10]

Thanks Edward and others, the reason I'm hesitant about the RO90 is because I bought the RO 125 and couldn't get used to it, it ran all over the work,  and I ended up returning it, but now I find my self more often needing a sander for smaller applications. I've loved my year with my ETS 150 and I have the best of hopes for the RO90 DX.

  Re the carvfex the reason why I felt it was dangerous is due to its inability to track straight, I nearly electrocuted myself this year, it just runs of in its own direction, I'm glad I had it hooked into a GFI outlet. It is when trying to do precise work it that it sucks the most and the strobe doesn't seem to help either, I can't tell you how many repeat cuts I've had to do, I've gone back to my old porter cable, way easier to use.

I'm not trying to sound patronising, just trying to help you out, but are you sure your Carvex is set up correctly.
  It really does pay to take the time to follow the instructions for setting up the blade guides, getting these right is important and makes a big difference. also the supplementary guide will show you how to turn the strobe lights off which can be annoying.
I use my cordless barrel Carvex for cutting out sink and hob cut outs in kitchen worktops where there is no room for error, they are usually 35mm thick and not only does it cut straight but it also cuts parallel, something my old Makita cordless jigsaw wasn't very good at.
I also tend to leave it in Auto mode and with the slow start up and a good blade cuts can be very accurate.
I think the more you get to use it the more you will like it, good luck.

 

[Wood Hog]

[/quote]

I'm not trying to sound patronising, just trying to help you out, but are you sure your Carvex is set up correctly.
  It really does pay to take the time to follow the instructions for setting up the blade guides, getting these right is important and makes a big difference. also the supplementary guide will show you how to turn the strobe lights off which can be annoying.
I use my cordless barrel Carvex for cutting out sink and hob cut outs in kitchen worktops where there is no room for error, they are usually 35mm thick and not only does it cut straight but it also cuts parallel, something my old Makita cordless jigsaw wasn't very good at.
I also tend to leave it in Auto mode and with the slow start up and a good blade cuts can be very accurate.
I think the more you get to use it the more you will like it, good luck.
[/quote]

Your not patronizing at all, I must admit when I bought it this Summer I was in a panic and needed to use it right away, I bairly looked at the instructions as my old one was so simple to use. I just went back and re read the careful manual, and  i didn't do any blade set up. I'll try it again today. One thing I couldn't find in the manual is how to make go to full speed immediately, I don't like that it doesn't speed up until you push it into the wood?

 

[rvieceli]

I don't know if you've seen it and I don't have a Carvex either, but there is a supplemental manual by Rick Christopherson for the Carvex. I do know that his other manuals for stuff that I do have go above and beyond the regular manual and are quite helpful.
http://www.festoolusa.com/media/pdf/Carvex-PS420-Jigsaw-Manual.pdf

 

[ear3]

You still have it on the A (for Automatic) speed setting, which keeps it at an idling speed until it senses the type of material you're cutting.  You can override this by turning the speed dial to the traditional 1-6 (5?) numbers, which run it at a fixed speed.

When you say it's not tracking correctly, is that using the rail guide base?  I know people have had issues with that accessory.  But proper blade setup should solve any issues you were having with standard off-rail cutting.


I'm not trying to sound patronising, just trying to help you out, but are you sure your Carvex is set up correctly.
  It really does pay to take the time to follow the instructions for setting up the blade guides, getting these right is important and makes a big difference. also the supplementary guide will show you how to turn the strobe lights off which can be annoying.
I use my cordless barrel Carvex for cutting out sink and hob cut outs in kitchen worktops where there is no room for error, they are usually 35mm thick and not only does it cut straight but it also cuts parallel, something my old Makita cordless jigsaw wasn't very good at.
I also tend to leave it in Auto mode and with the slow start up and a good blade cuts can be very accurate.
I think the more you get to use it the more you will like it, good luck.
[/quote]

Your not patronizing at all, I must admit when I bought it this Summer I was in a panic and needed to use it right away, I bairly looked at the instructions as my old one was so simple to use. I just went back and re read the careful manual, and  i didn't do any blade set up. I'll try it again today. One thing I couldn't find in the manual is how to make go to full speed immediately, I don't like that it doesn't speed up until you push it into the wood?
[/quote]

 

[Wood Hog]

You still have it on the A (for Automatic) speed setting, which keeps it at an idling speed until it senses the type of material you're cutting.  You can override this by turning the speed dial to the traditional 1-6 (5?) numbers, which run it at a fixed speed.

When you say it's not tracking correctly, is that using the rail guide base?  I know people have had issues with that accessory.  But proper blade setup should solve any issues you were having with standard off-rail cutting.

Hi Edward, thanks for you help, I feel like an idiot your right,I had it on the auto setting. as far as the tracking it was not attached to the rail just free hand, but like DB10 suggested I may not have the blade set correctly, I'm going to check that out today.

 

[Wood Hog]

Kinda of hijacked my own thread with the carvex comment.
The other RO 90 question I had was does it come with hard  or soft pads for both circular and delta?