CT-22, Sanders & Abrasives selection....

[retrowood]

Thanks for aswering, With the Festools' center port actually pushing air out, will this actually cause excess dust when sanding contoured surfaces verses a flat surface? Perhaps more than the competition when doing so?

Retrowood

 

[Brice Burrell]

Thanks for aswering, With the Festools' center port actually pushing air out, will this actually cause excess dust when sanding contoured surfaces verses a flat surface? Perhaps more than the competition when doing so?

Retrowood

No not really, its a lot like other sanders.

 

[Fred West]

Retrowood, I have the ETS 150/5 and it is a great finishing sander. I have heard that the 3 is better  but I must say it is hard for me to imagine that as the 5 is so good in my experience. Fred

 

[Ned]

...With the Festools' center port actually pushing air out...

retrowood--

The center hole in Festool sanders is simply a vent to let the outer holes pick up more dust from the center of the pad.  Quoting Festool,

This results in less dust accumulation, reduced heat, and less clogging....With the Jetstream design, you use abrasives more efficiently and extend their useful life by up to 30%.

It's not a blower.  The vent just keeps a vacuum from forming in the center.

Ned

 

[retrowood]

Thanks for the heads up on this.
Retrowood

 

[Greg_R]

Retro, I have an ETS 150/3 and a Rotex 150.  The ETS will leave a bunch of random small scratches where the Rotex will leave little 5mm circles (150/5 has a similar oscillation size as the Rotex).  Both are capable of producing a fine finish but with the Rotex I need to go up 1-2 more grits to get an equivalent finish.  In other words, the 150/3 gives me the best finish with the least amount of work.  If you have used other "good" sanders in the past (Bosch, Porter Cable, etc.) then the 150/3 will seem like it can remove a lot of wood when set at full speed.  This is until you compare it to the Rotex which can _really_ remove wood quickly!  I use the ETS 150/3 for my finish sanding and the Rotex for buffing (and any belt-sanding kind of wood removal).  The 150/3 has less transmitted vibration than the Rotex which only becomes noticeable after sanding for a few hours (my hands will tingle slightly after using the Rotex all day... no adverse effects from the 150/3).  I do not use gel gloves or other vibration absorber.

If possible, please demo the 150 vs. the 125 sized sanders.  For me, I found the 6" sanders to be a bit more stable (probably due to the wider base).  Others on the forum have found the 5" sander's handles easier to grip.  This is a personal preference thing and you'll want to try both before making a decision.  Mirka sells a pad / abranet combo that will fit on the ETS sanders but not the Rotex sanders.  For most people this isn't an issue (Festool paper is great) but I thought I should mention it anyway.

Good luck on your sander search!