Did I just buy the wrong sander? (ETS EC 125/3)

[tomk]

Hey everyone,

I'm just starting a project that requires a bit of sanding my my 5" DeWalt ROS is no longer holding a disc so I decided to finally upgrade to an ETS EC. I ended up going with the 125/3 as it is the same size as my DeWalt but with a 25% larger orbit. I'm wondering now if I made a mistake with the 125 and instead should go with the 150/3. Does anyone have any experiences moving from the 125 to 150 and would you no longer ever use a 125 again?

I ended up also picking up the new 125 mm abrasive set in a SYS3 which is quite nice and I don't see a set for the 150 yet so I'd have to cobble one together separately. I see that some people are just swapping a 150 pad to their 125 which I could do but what is the advantage in doing that if I'll never use the 125 size? I'd rather not keep a hoard of 125 paper around if I decide to switch to the 150.

I'm just a hobbyist working on furniture and home improvement projects. About 30% of what I sand are panels and the rest smaller pieces. I was just sanding some 1x2 maple last night and I wondered if the 150mm would be more or less stable. Maybe it would be a tad less tippy because the pad will reach under the motor housing a bit further than the 125?

So I'm down to 3 options.

1. Keep what I have and be happy.

2. Buy a 150mm pad and swap out my set of 125 paper for 150.

3. Return the ec125 and go for an ec150/3

I know option 2 gives me the flexibility down the road to go back and forth but will I ever really do that and if I do am I sacrificing any performance? Thanks!

 

[squall_line]

The motor is literally the same between the two of them.

By getting the 125/3 and adding a hard, soft, or ultra-soft pad from the 150, you're still money-ahead by almost 50 bucks, so you get "two sanders" for the same price as the larger sander.

If you go the 150 pad on the 125 route and have no intent to ever use the 5" paper, obviously there's no point in keeping the paper, but the sander will do the same job.

Whether or not you'll ever swap back and forth is another matter entirely.  If you find the need to swap between the two sizes frequently, adding a "standard" ETS 125 might be a good way to go, too.  YMMV.

 

[Birdhunter]

“Be happy mon”. Seriously, I’ve been using the 125 sanders for a very long time doing small to very large projects and never felt under gunned. The RO 125 sander goes nicely with the ETS and the RO 90 completes the cast.

 

[Rick Herrick]

As [member=75217]squall_line[/member] said, just pick up a 150 pad as it fits and works just fine on the 125 sander.  You can't go the other way though.  A 125 pad will not work on the 150.  Since you have lots of 125 paper, I suggest getting the 150 pad and giving it a go.

 

[squall_line]

For that matter, you could also just use the 5" as a 5".  If you find that you're doing much larger areas that would benefit from a 6" instead, then step up to the larger pad.  As [member=72312]Rick Herrick[/member] said, you can always add a 6" pad to the 5" model, but not the other way around.

Is your typical use case something that you worry requires a 6" instead of a 5" pad?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Do as they suggest, keep the sander and get a 150 mm pad for it. You've got the right sander.

I've got 8 Festool sanders, and I like to use the proper sander of the proper size for the proper project. I switch between 125 mm and 150 mm all the time. Don't just think you'll only use one size and that's it. Variation gives opportunities.

 

[rst]

kudos Alex, all true in life except last statement if you're married

 

[Crazyraceguy]

“Be happy mon”. Seriously, I’ve been using the 125 sanders for a very long time doing small to very large projects and never felt under gunned. The RO 125 sander goes nicely with the ETS and the RO 90 completes the cast.

That's exactly what I have, with the addition of an RAS115 for the really heavy stuff. Also, I started the other way around, bought the RO90 first, while still using a 5" pneumatic sander.

 

[nvalinski]

They do sell a 6" sandpaper organizer, not sure if it's in a Sys3, but my RO150 and ETS EC 150 share it. I similarly went from a 5" orbital to a 6" ETS EC and have never looked back. Any small detailed work is done with a delta sander.

 

[Jason.L.Hagen]

They do sell a 6" sandpaper organizer, not sure if it's in a Sys3, but my RO150 and ETS EC 150 share it. I similarly went from a 5" orbital to a 6" ETS EC and have never looked back. Any small detailed work is done with a delta sander.

It's just a organizer, doesn't come with a selection of sandpaper. According to the website, it is in a Sys3 now.
https://www.festoolusa.com/accessory/576785---sys-stf-d150

 

[woodferret]

Since OP is new, it'd be worthwhile to point out that there are a few sellers in the US and UK that offer assortment sets of sanding paper at lower sheet count than the original festool boxes and SYS sets.  Just something to consider for option #2.

 

[tomk]

For that matter, you could also just use the 5" as a 5".  If you find that you're doing much larger areas that would benefit from a 6" instead, then step up to the larger pad.  As [member=72312]Rick Herrick[/member] said, you can always add a 6" pad to the 5" model, but not the other way around.

Is your typical use case something that you worry requires a 6" instead of a 5" pad?

Since I have lived with a 5" sander all my life I'm sure I will get by just fine with the 125. Seems that many who have made the switch wouldn't go back which tells me I'm missing out on something. I had always thought that the 6" size would be too large and difficult to maneuver.

Do as they suggest, keep the sander and get a 150 mm pad for it. You've got the right sander.

I've got 8 Festool sanders, and I like to use the proper sander of the proper size for the proper project. I switch between 125 mm and 150 mm all the time. Don't just think you'll only use one size and that's it. Variation gives opportunities.

Great to hear you've had a good experience switching sizes however sounds like you have dedicated sanders for that

They do sell a 6" sandpaper organizer, not sure if it's in a Sys3, but my RO150 and ETS EC 150 share it. I similarly went from a 5" orbital to a 6" ETS EC and have never looked back. Any small detailed work is done with a delta sander.

This is good advice... neither the 5 or 6" sanders will be able to sand the inside of a drawer box so why not just go with the 6" and something dedicated to more intricate work.

Since OP is new, it'd be worthwhile to point out that there are a few sellers in the US and UK that offer assortment sets of sanding paper at lower sheet count than the original festool boxes and SYS sets.  Just something to consider for option #2.

Hey thanks that is a great point to consider. I will check it out!

In all it seems like the best way to go here is to grab the 150 pad and give it a try before I start in on the 5" paper. Still kind of bothers me the have an "unsupported" solution but if everything else is the same I guess it's all upside with the flexibility to switch back. I think the blue pad looks like the way to go as the white is fairly soft.

 

[leakyroof]

I have both the EC 150/5 and the EC 125/3. For me, it's more of a couple of questions of how large a surface I need to sand, and how aggressive I want my sander to be and which pad fits into a given space that I need to sand.  I have stripped old finishes off things with the 125/3 when it was the perfect sized disc pad to get along or into a space that the 150 would not have fit, so don't discount that with coarse grit abrasive on your sander, you can't get some rougher work knocked out. But, it's usually the finer finish sander for me since it already has the finer orbit over my 150/5.
If you never felt the need for a 6" sander while using your 5" Dewalt, you might not need to even buy that 6" pad for the new Festool Sander you bought, but, for larger projects, a 6" pad will save time over a 5" pad, no matter what the sander. But I admit a 6" pad is cheap enough to try one with a small assortment of paper, holding off on buying tons of abrasives until you're sure you want to commit to 6" and 5" paper stocking. So there's that.... [smile]

And for your post title, it's usually people buying the finest orbit 125 sander that worry they bought the wrong sander since it's so mild of a sander.... You'll be fine, the EC 125/3 with either pad installed is a really nice sander.  [cool]

 

[AlexThePalex]

Do as they suggest, keep the sander and get a 150 mm pad for it. You've got the right sander.

I've got 8 Festool sanders, and I like to use the proper sander of the proper size for the proper project. I switch between 125 mm and 150 mm all the time. Don't just think you'll only use one size and that's it. Variation gives opportunities.

Great to hear you've had a good experience switching sizes however sounds like you have dedicated sanders for that

Yes, I have. But switching out a pad once in a while isn't so complicated either.

I have to admit, I use my RO150 a lot more than my ETS125, but for certain tasks, the 125 sander is just the best fit and I'd be lost without it.

 

[Jason.L.Hagen]

Since OP is new, it'd be worthwhile to point out that there are a few sellers in the US and UK that offer assortment sets of sanding paper at lower sheet count than the original festool boxes and SYS sets.  Just something to consider for option #2.

Is there a post of these sellers? I would be interested in knowing where some of these sellers are located in the US.

 

[Cheese]

Is there a post of these sellers?

Try Festool Nirvana
https://www.festoolnirvana.com/prod...ents-granat-50pcs?_pos=2&_sid=b553bd8de&_ss=r

 

[squall_line]

Is there a post of these sellers?

Try Festool Nirvana
https://www.festoolnirvana.com/prod...ents-granat-50pcs?_pos=2&_sid=b553bd8de&_ss=r

I had the same question, but was hoping someone with a sub-50 post count would ask before I gave in and asked myself.  [poke]

Thanks for the assist, [member=73418]Jason Hagen[/member]  and [member=44099]Cheese[/member] !

 

[Ron B]

HartvilleHardware also sells a sample pak of 64.  I cannot find it on their website and cannot find a part , but I did buy this pak in the last month from their recent E-bay sale.  Here is what it contains from that auction:

This 64 Pc. Festool Disc Sandpaper Sampler Pack gives you a variety of grits to use with any Festool 5 inch (125mm) sander. Includes 5 each of Festool Rubin 2 P40; 60; 80; 100; 120; 150; 180; and 220. Also includes 1 each of Festool Granat P40; 60; 240; 280; 320; 360; 400; 500; 800; 1000; 1200; and 1500; and 2 each of the Festool Granat P80; 100; 120; 150; 180; and 220. A Hartville Tool exclusive package. Germany

 

[xedos]

you can also get a new pad for your dewalt sander and keep using it along with the 125ec

 

[tomk]

I picked up a hard (blue) 150mm pad today and some paper and did the swap. I only had a minute or so to test it on my face frame but the larger pad was WAAAAY better than the 125mm. The sander is much less prone to tipping backwards from the weight of the motor and hose. I suspect the included soft (white) pad is more geared toward sanding a finish than it is sanding raw wood because it is rather squishy. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the hoard of 125mm pads yet. Then there's the matter of the sander not fitting into the Systainer insert...

I wonder why the Festool engineers decided to add those wings to the pad shaft. Hopefully the flats are strong enough to keep the pad from stripping over time. I'm guessing the bottom of the pad is going to wear out before this will become a problem.