ES 125 EQ?

[Ned]

>>>  Perhaps Festool should include a bright-colored card in the Systainer:  "You have a 30-day return period.  Operate this tool at least 10 hours before deciding."

Or even better yet, engineer and design the tool so that's not required.

I'm thinking that the break-in is a symptom of a tool built to last a very long time.  The customer's effort breaking in a tight mechanism is doing the final fitting, something that would be uneconomical for the factory to do (or the customer to pay for).

Ned

 

[Forrest Anderson]

Just to remind everyone about the excellent FAQ page on the Festool USA website which contains a wealth of information, and where new questions and answers seem to be added periodically. I have a suspicion that some of these FAQs are based on matters raised right here in the FOG!

Anyway, here's the FAQ relating to the break-in period for sanders (and which applies to a lot of other Festool kit):

Question :
I recently purchased a Festool sander and it seems to experience fluctuations in power.

Answer :
All Festool 120 volt power tools use brush-type universal motors with self-seating brushes. These brushes are serrated on the surface with narrow triangular grooves. The grooved texture of this surface needs to be worn down to the solid carbon substrate before the tool will reach peak performance. This is called the break in period. During this break-in period the brush takes on the same cylindrical shape that perfectly matches the curvature of the spinning armature, resulting in full contact. Some of our tools need to be run for as long as 10 hours before the brushes take on this shape and the motor develops full power. Your sander will be susceptible to power line fluctuations during this period and may not run at a constant speed.

This difference in power is more noticeable in the tools with smaller motors such as the ES 125, DS 400and RS 400 sanders. A new small sander doesn?t seem to have as much power as one that has been run for a while. Brand new, these sanders develop less than half their rated power. Use these machines for at least a couple of hours before deciding that something is wrong. This also will free up the bearing seals and break in the rubber collars so that the whole mechanism develops more freedom of movement.

For those who have never visited the FAQ pages, here is a list of the sander questions

Can I use any brand of sandpaper with my Festool sander? 
Which sander would be the best to use to sand and finish sheetrock seams? Which dust collection system?
What type of sandpaper should I use?
What are the different sanding pads for?
Does Festool sell Micron paper?
What?s different between the Rotex and other sanders? What?s so special about it?
I recently purchased a Festool sander and it seems to experience fluctuations in power.
What abrasives should be used for solid surface work?
I do small woodworking projects and need a palm sander. Should I rather buy a DTS400 or a RTS400 or ETS125 sander? 
How long does the 6" long life pad last? What is different between the normal 6" soft pad and the long life pad?
What is the 6" interface pad used for?
If you are lacquering furniture and want to bring the sheen up as high as possible, what steps and pads would you use?
My orbital sander leaves swirl marks, is there something wrong?
Why do I need the fast stock removal mode of the Rotex sanders?
Will the hose that comes with the CT 22 work with my RO 150 E? The RO 150 E has an oval connector for dust extraction. Do I need an adapter to use the new CT 22?
What makes your Cristal abrasive remove material up to 40% faster? 
Which sanders are safe to use on Drywall?
What is the difference between the FiberFix and the StickFix sanding pad for the RAS 115?
Why does the polishing pad for the RO 150 FEQ (493914) only measure 130mm?
Does Festool make PSA sanding discs?
I?ve been sanding between coats of varnish and the paper keeps clogging with material. What paper do you recommend for sanding between coats of varnish?
What are the differences between the new palm sanders: RTS400, DTS400 and ETS125; compared to the older models: RS400, DS400 and ES125?
How can I extend the service life of my sanding pad? 
I am having problems with the plug-it cords pulling out of the socket while in use. I turn the plug-it mechanism to secure it to the tool but it does not hold properly.
I have read an article that gave guidelines about which sander to choose. Do you know where I can find that article?
Does the new style Rotex and old style Rotex use the same pads? 

I'm not going to list the answers though - you have to check out the site yourself to see what they are 

There are also similar lists of questions and answers for the following categories:

Domino
General
Drilling/screwdriving
Sawing
Routing/planing
Sanding
Air tools
Dust extraction
Guide system
Multifunction tables
Systainers/organizing
Kapex 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw
Warranty

Forrest

 

[Don Bullock]

Update on ETS 125 experience:

From perusing the Festool website and talking to their tech support, I was told that after a break in period my sanders' performance would improve.  After a few hours of use, the chattering tendency subsided dramatically.  It seems the rubber boot (brake?) loosened up after some running time.  The sander functions like a charm now.  My initial comments were for a brand new sander.  Frankly, I'm surprised and pleased at the marked difference in performance of the sander after the break in period.

Thanks for the information. I'll keep that in mind when I get my RO 125 this week. It's also good to know that your ETS 125 is performing better after the break in period. I still haven't decided between a ETS 150/3 and the ETS 125 for the future, but perhaps by then Festool will have an even different model sander.

Forrest, thanks for the link. That's good information to have available. I guess for those new to Festool, like me, a page like that is difficult to find on the website. Now that I know where it is, I can scan to see if there are answers to my future questions.