Delta/Deltex sanders..?

[Mac]

Hi all,

I need to get hold of a small sander which can get into awkward spots; corners, between stair banisters, the fiddly bits on door frames and so on.  Paint removal will be fairly common, I currently have the ETS 150/3 which obviously I love, but am struggling a little go know which way I should go between the delta and deltex sanders. Does anyone have any experience they could share to help make the differences clearer and maybe suggest which they think would suit me best?

As always, I really appreciate any advice you old hands can give.

Hope you're all well,
Rick

 

[tbellemare]

Mac:

If you want to get in real tight spots, the Deltex is probably what you want. It comes with an Extended Length Pad that allows you to reach deep. It lets the abrasive stick out in front of the tool.

It is gear driven and you can bear down on it for serious material removal. Because the regular pad and abrasives are equilateral triangles, you can spin them 120 degrees when one corner wears out, which happens to delta sanders because the tip is being used a lot.

Tom

 

[Mac]

Thanks Tom, useful reply as always 

From reading some of the old threads about the Deltex, it seems lots of people were hoping for a plug it version to be released...are the new models now plug it, or have they remained delightfully old school..?!

 

[Neill]

Mac,

I know you asked about Festool but have you considered the Fein Multimaster?  I think that they rival Festool in terms or quality.  Many have criticised the triangular sanding pad but I have found it to work quite well.  The sanding profiles are awful.  I have pretty much given up on those.  Also, in the MM you have the additional versatility of the cutting and scraping tools that the Festool options do not provide.

Good luck with your decision...

Neill

 

[tbellemare]

are the new models now plug it

They are hard-wired.

Tom

 

[AlexThePalex]

Mac, get the Deltex. MUCH better for paint removal than the DTS. Stronger, easier to handle and better suited to reach all kinds of awkward spots.

 

[Mac]

Neill, Alex, thanks for your thoughts. I know the Fein does have all the extra bits and pieces as well, but how does it rate as a sander compared to the deltex?

 

[Brice Burrell]

Neill, Alex, thanks for your thoughts. I know the Fein does have all the extra bits and pieces as well, but how does it rate as a sander compared to the deltex?

There is no comparison, the Deltex is a far, far superior sander. The MM does a lot of thing, I use mine to cut but almost never to sand.

 

[Neill]

Neill, Alex, thanks for your thoughts. I know the Fein does have all the extra bits and pieces as well, but how does it rate as a sander compared to the deltex?

Mac,

I do not own the Deltex.  Before I knew Festool existed, I bought a Porter Cable Profile Sander (about 10 years ago) which works pretty well and the MM about 2 years ago.  I would bow to Brice and his comments since he has used them both.  I am sure if it Festool you cannot go too far wrong.

Neill

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I use the Deltex a lot for finish removal.

I have never found the need to sand with my MM.

I have 2 sanders that dont have the plug-it cord, so I deal with it.  If I am on a ladder and want to change sanders out, I use a 3 way plug adapter in the CT.

The Deltex is a bad mamma jamma, it will get the job done for sure.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Get the Deltex.  Your application is exactly an example of what it was designed for.  I bought one when refinishing a lot of natural wood trim in my house.  Because of its gear driven RO action, it is much more aggressive in removing material than the Multi-Master, and dust collection is designed in.

Dave R.

 

[GreenGA]

If it helps, we have the Deltex and have used it in a few applications.  The latest was sanding hardwood floors.  Primarily in the corners of the room and around the balustrades on the stairs.

The Rotex was used along the walls and the Deltex as I just mentioned.  Other than the rented flooring belt sander, everything worked well.  The belt sander was not properly adjusted and bounced while sanding; good thing it was not my new floors we were working on.  :

 

[Mac]

Thanks to all, gents. I'll do as you suggest and go for the Deltex.

Funnily enough, a friend asked if I wanted to buy his Fein MM recently, and I wasn't convinced I'd get much use out of it at the time. Out of interest, those of you that have one, what do you find you use it for most often?

Thanks again for the help on the Deltex.

Rick

 

[Bob Marino]

  Good choice, Mac. The Deltex is the preferable sander for your application. Actually, it is one of Festool's "hidden gems" that doesn't get much attention, but for what it's made for, nothing comes close. As regards the Fein MM vs the Deltex; as has been said here - the Fein is the more versatile tool; the Deltex the better sander.

Bob

 

[GreenGA]

We have the Fein MM and have used it to trim door frames, the bottom of the first stair riser so we could install hardwood flooring under it, removed tile grout in a shower so we could pull the tile and replace it..  I loaned it,  :'(, to a friend so he would remove floor tile.  He returned it with the blade completely ruined; although it did break the thinset-tile bond.

Funnily enough, a friend asked if I wanted to buy his Fein MM recently, and I wasn't convinced I'd get much use out of it at the time. Out of interest, those of you that have one, what do you find you use it for most often?

 

[sw1211]

Out of interest, those of you that have one, what do you find you use it for most often?

Thanks again for the help on the Deltex.

Rick

We have a couch in the basement that the kids jumped on and snapped the frame, it wasn't a clean break.  I used the MM to cut out the section that broke and then was able to repair.  I've also used the MM for drywall repairs, it makes very precise cuts with a nice thin kerf, it works much better than a drywall hand saw. I also used it when I recently had to repair some of our sprinkler line outside, it worked great for removing a section that needed replaced. As soon as I get around to working on our shower it'll get put to use for tile removal.  Anytime something needs cut that is out of the ordinary or hard to get to I find I reach for the MM.

 

[Neill]

Thanks to all, gents. I'll do as you suggest and go for the Deltex.

Funnily enough, a friend asked if I wanted to buy his Fein MM recently, and I wasn't convinced I'd get much use out of it at the time. Out of interest, those of you that have one, what do you find you use it for most often?

Thanks again for the help on the Deltex.

Rick

Rick,

I have used my MM to do some sanding in tight spots.  I don't do a lot of it so I am OK with it.  I have also used it to make small cuts and cutouts in wood.  I have also used it to trim piano hinges to size.  The buffing pad that fits the sanding attachment also works well to polish tight spots or small items.

I have tried to use the attachment that removes caulk on a vinyl floor at the base of a tub.  Not a good idea.  The blade dug into the vinyl.  I had to expand my caulk line to about 3 inches wide. 

Neill

P. S. I guess you prefer Rick rather than Mac.  I will try to remember.

 

[Mac]

Rick or Mac are both fine, Neill...don't worry about it!  3 inches...does that even still qualify as a line?! 

Steve, I hadn't thought about the drywall (plasterboard, as we call it over here) use...this sounds useful. hmm, will give this more thought as a separate purchase!

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Steve, I hadn't thought about the drywall (plasterboard, as we call it over here) use...this sounds useful. hmm, will give this more thought as a separate purchase!

It sounds as though you might not have found the Fein Multimaster video collection. One of the videos shows it making a very neat job of cutting holes in plasterboard:

Because the Multimaster can be used for a multitude of things, a lot of the video clips will make you think "I never thought of using it for that".

Forrest

 

[jvsteenb]

I own a Fein MM, and absolutely love it. I just don't think it's a sander, although some dealers here in Holland try to position it as such.
In my book it's a cutter, and sort of a grinder, with some sanding abilities.

But as a triangle pad sander I consider it more or less useless. Dust collection is awkward to set up, and the result is mediocre at best.
I'm glad the set I bought came in a nice case with two decent acessoryboxes, or the loose(!) felt-rings would have been long gone.
The sandpaper that came with it wore out fast, for lack of dust collection and the (semi) linear motion. Crud builds up fast, and the paper can't cope because there's no adequate dust collection, regardless of the setting of my CTL 22.  ( I must admit that I may be a bit biased, for I own a RTS400 and a RO150, so I've gotten used to excellent dust collection )

The steel triangle pad with coarse tungstencarbide grit covering however, works like a charm, and so do most of the other attachments. The sawblades are ridiculously priced, but get the job done. I hardly dare to admit, but I even like the profile sanding kit that came with it, regardless of what others think of it.

To recoup: I love it. I use it a lot. When renovating wooden window frames I could hardly be without it. Just don't buy it if you need a triangle pad sander.

( Sadly enough - I need one, so I'm gonna have to buy a Deltex sooner or later. I'll cope....)

Regards,

Job