DX 93 E Detail Sander

[mastercabman]

I don't know if this has been reviewed here but can not find any post.

I would like to know if any of you has this sander.
How do you like it?
Is it worth it?
What do you use it for the most?
Is the dust control pretty good?
I have a project at home that is going to take me a lonnnnnng time to complete.
I have to sand all of the paint on my trim,windows,doors and so on!
When we bought the house,i was going to do all the paint,but other thing came up and we had to get some help.
This house was build in 1939 and most of the paint was an oil based paint.
Those "so called professional painters" did not use the primer,that i supplied along with all the rest of the paint.
Well,to make a long story short,the paint has been peeling off since.And i am now getting to it(after 10 years!)
I have only the living room,dining room,master bedroom and the hallway to do.Everything else was taking care of in the past 6-7 years.I have replaced a lots of trim so far.
So i have all that trim,base cap,casing with small detail that i need to repaint.I am thinking of using a detail sander to remove the latex paint.
It's not so bad,it's coming off pretty easy,but still a lot of work.
Any input? Is the Deltex good for that?

 

[r cash]

Hi All
I got this sander  awhile ago when I was doing a stairway / handrail . The sander proved to be a great tool very good dust collection quiet and powerful .
Also more comfortable than my first gen Fein tool . It has come in handy many times over .
Ciao
RC

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Mastercabman,

You wrote: "I have to sand all of the paint on my trim,windows,doors and so on!"

That is exactly why I bought my Deltex 93 a few years ago along with my CT 22 E based on a recommendation from Bob Marino.  I had to sand all of the mahogany trim around the doors and windows of my home, and the baseboard and toe molding.  I already owned several sanders from Bosch, Craftsman, and Milwaukee, and my Festool RO 125.  Before purchase of the Deltex I had purchased a new Bosch quarter sheet sander and a Bosch Vario narrow belt sander, both for the trim work which I had been doing mostly with my Proxon triangular pad sander.  This Proxon is essentially a miniature version of the original Fein Multi-Master.  This Proxon sander worked best for this work, but was slow due to its small pad size and for dust collection I had to hold the vacuum hose with one hand and the sander in the other. 

I am very satisfied with my Deltex 93 and have acquired a wide variety of abrasive pad grits and types to use with it.  But the Proxon is still the go to tool for final work in tight corners.

Note that the Deltex comes with an extended length sanding pad that not only enables sanding of louvres, but also the sides of window and door casings where the motor housing of the unit would otherwise prevent access.  For this unusual sanding situation, the extended length pad is installed upside down and the abrasive is mounted on the upside of the pad after mounting.  Dust collection in this mode is not very effective but it sure beats hand sanding.

If you do not already own one, I recommend getting an LS 130 sander for your project.  I wish I had bought mine much earlier.  I also own an ETS 125.  With these three sanders and a CT vacuum you are equipped to tackle any wood trim finish removal project.

Note that Festool now has Cristal abrasives for the Deltex.  They were not available when I did my project.  Cristal should be ideal for quickly removing old paint and varnish with minimal loading of the abrasive.

One nice aspect of both the Deltex and Proxon when doing trim, particularly inside corners, is that you can periodically remove the used abrasive sheet and rotate it 120 degrees to maximize life of a sheet.  You can do the same with the backup pad on which the abrasive sheet is mounted.  If you do a lot of inside corners, you will eventually degrade the backup pad.  You can buy hard and soft pads for the Deltex.  I own both.

Dave R.

 

[jaegerhund]

The Deltex would be very useful for your task.  I used mine to help restore a bunch of sashes as well as some interior sanding.

Dave ----- where did you see Cristal paper for the Deltex? 

Justin

 

[tbellemare]

I totally concur with both of you...

The Deltex and LS 130, Linear Sander, are a profound combination for detailed restoration work. If you're trying to remove old coatings, try the Brilliant 2 for the Deltex... It doesn't clog easily.

It looks like Cristal for the Deltex may be coming but not yet as far as I can tell.

There are a lot of Festool alternatives for the LS 130 also.

Tom

 

[rwdawson]

Yes, yes, and yes to all of the above for all of the reasons given.

I used to own just the RO 150 and the ETS 150/3 and thought I would never need another sander... until we moved into a house build around 1900.  After doing the Multimaster/Deltex analysis for sanding in tight corners, I decided to get the Deltex for all of the above reasons and never looked back.  It's an investment, but worth it.

Now I own three Festool sanders and will never need another sander, at least as long as I can stay away from the LS 130.

Go for it.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Sanding windows, casing, doors, base boards is why I got into Festool to begin with.  RO125 and a CT-22, added a Deltex soon afterward.  I have used the detail sander both inside and outside.  I am sanding all my old clapboards on the outside of my house.  The Dx 93 works like a champ for getting next to windows, around things.  I want a RAS as well to take it down quick.  The funny part is that I am probably going to re-paint the windows and casing but, I did not want to be the guy that put the 28th coat of paint on.  

One thing I have found is that, sometimes I first use some soy-gel to strip off the top layers of latex, all strippers seem to stop between layers of latex and oil based paints.

You will chew through backing pads on that little sander, I do.

Brilliant2 is great for taking off finishes.

Only Problem is no plug it cord.  Very annoying on the top row of scaffolding.

 

[tbellemare]

Mr. Warner:

The cool thing about the Deltex and "chewing through" the pads is that they have 3 corners, it's a delta. If you wear out one corner of either the abrasive or the pad, you can just turn it 120 degrees and you are all new again...

Tom

 

[Dave Ronyak]

The Deltex would be very useful for your task.  I used mine to help restore a bunch of sashes as well as some interior sanding.

Dave ----- where did you see Cristal paper for the Deltex? 

Justin

In the link to the French site posted on FOG today, whichI think is linked to a the opening post on this thread.  http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=6189.msg64699;topicseen#msg64699

Here is the direct link to the French language brochure listing many Festool products new to the market.
http://www.festool.fr/images/France/Telechargements/Brochures_nouveautes/Nouveautes_printemps_2009.pdf
 
I don't know if that paper is available in USA yet.  My 2009 FestoolUSA catalog does not list it.  Maybe a trip to Paris?    Or a call to one of FestoolUSA's best dealers?

Dave R.

 

[tbellemare]

Je m'appelle Tom "Bellemare".

But I don't "habite en Paris".

Tom

 

[jaegerhund]

O.K. Dave ---- I thought maybe you had an inside source    because I couldn't find it.

Justin

 

[Dave Ronyak]

It's unfortunate this issue did not come up a year or two ago.  Back then I had the opportunity to go to Paris and Munchen and Koln on business.  But now I am retired.

Dave R.

 

[tbellemare]

Actually, Dave,

It's nice that you aren't required to go to Europe until, and unless you prefer...

I think the Cristal will arrive soon enough.

Good spotting.

Tom

 

[mastercabman]

What about the DTS 400 EQ Orbital Sander,Would it do the same job?
I know it is bigger,but it does have a triangular shape pad.I would think that i can get to some small detail with it.

 

[VictorL]

When I bough my DX-93 I considered its smaller size for tight spaces (for larger areas I'm using RAS-115 or RO-125). even with smaller pad size of DX-93 I still want  smaller sometimes. 
Plus abrasives for DX-93 are much cheaper. 

VictorL

 

[tbellemare]

Good question, Mastercabman!

The DTS 400DTS 400, like its cousin the RTS 400, and the ETS sanders are all random orbital sanders. That makes them especially suited to finishing tasks.

The Deltex is a reduction gear driven orbital sander. It can be used for serious material removal AND finishing tasks. It also has an extended pad for getting in tight places.

Tom

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Yes I did rotate the backing pads to gain some more life, the things I have done with this sander is just a little tough on the backing pads.  On a good note the backing pads are pretty cheap.

 

[mastercabman]

One reason why i mention the DTS 400 is because i think i would have more use with it later.
With the DX 93 E ,i may not use it for a while,after all i do have the Fein multimaster but the accessories are really expensive!!And the dust control is not all that.
The DTS is also cheaper than the Deltex.

 

[mastercabman]

Je m'appelle Tom "Bellemare".

But I don't "habite en Paris".

Tom

"habite a Paris"

 

[Toolpig]

Yep, I have it.  I've used it to strip exterior paint, refinish oak floors, etc. etc. etc. 

A great sander for aggressive coatings removal in tight spaces.  For a little sander, it's a beast!

If you decide to use it for "exterior" paint, however, you'll definitely want to get an infrared heat stripper to get the bulk of the old, exterior lead paint off first (http://www.silentpaintremover.com/spr/index.htm).  There's no escaping the scraping!  But the heat stripper will make life much easier.  Then some 24 or 36 grit paper to get the rest of it.  You'll also want to get a ROTEX sander (either 5" or 6") for sanding the larger areas, and don't forget a good shop-vac.  I have the Festool CT22, but any vac with a HEPA filter will protect you against airborne lead dust.

For "interior" paint removal on larger surfaces like you describe, you might be better off using a chemical peeler like RemovAll (http://www.biowash.com/products/RemovALL.php).  Then do your paint prep with a sander. 

Jason

I don't know if this has been reviewed here but can not find any post.

I would like to know if any of you has this sander.
How do you like it?
Is it worth it?
What do you use it for the most?
Is the dust control pretty good?
I have a project at home that is going to take me a lonnnnnng time to complete.
I have to sand all of the paint on my trim,windows,doors and so on!
When we bought the house,i was going to do all the paint,but other thing came up and we had to get some help.
This house was build in 1939 and most of the paint was an oil based paint.
Those "so called professional painters" did not use the primer,that i supplied along with all the rest of the paint.
Well,to make a long story short,the paint has been peeling off since.And i am now getting to it(after 10 years!)
I have only the living room,dining room,master bedroom and the hallway to do.Everything else was taking care of in the past 6-7 years.I have replaced a lots of trim so far.
So i have all that trim,base cap,casing with small detail that i need to repaint.I am thinking of using a detail sander to remove the latex paint.
It's not so bad,it's coming off pretty easy,but still a lot of work.
Any input? Is the Deltex good for that?