ES-ETS125 vs ETS EC 150/3

[slatifi]

Hi,

I own a Rotex 125 and love its aggressive sanding but find it hard to do finish and edge sanding (too heavy/unbalanced) with it so am considering buying a ES-ETS125 or ETS EC 150/3.

I was leaning towards the ETS 125 as it has an edge sanding attachment and I don't need it to be too aggressive/powerful as I have a Rotex but I have heard amazing things about the ETS EC150 (although unsure how balanced it would be on more narrow, say 1 inch, edges?).

Would appreciate your advice .

 

[luvmytoolz]

I have a Rotex, ETS-150 and ETS-EC's 150, and I almost never use the ETS now I have the ETS-EC.

In every way the ETS-EC is the most superb sander I have ever used.

 

[Cheese]

ETS EC 125...nice piece of gear...with that unit you can add the 150 pad if it's needed for future larger projects.

 

[slatifi]

Thanks. How stable is the ETS EC on narrower edges?

 

[grobkuschelig]

If you are looking for edge sanding specifically, I‘d go for the ETS with the edge sanding attachment. Clear winner in combination.

As a general sander, I like the ETS EC Format better (lower build).

 

[luvmytoolz]

Thanks. How stable is the ETS EC on narrower edges?

Pretty good I found, I recently sanded a lot of White Oak skirtings and the top edge was maybe 10mm wide, I had no trouble using the ETS EC 150/3 on it. But most of doing this sort of stuff is just technique and familiarity with the tools. You could get the right angle sanding attachment, (which is cool and I'd buy it if they made it in 150mm), but if you did it enough you'll find you'll very soon get used to doing it by hand.

Personally I think the 150mm is better than the 125 as it's a much larger surface area, so I've always used this size for the last 40 something years I've owned Festool stuff. I did also get the RO90 which is just an exceptional tool, this would really be ideal for narrow edges.

 

[guybo]

Hi, lots of options out there

 

[rhoyer]

For `Merican's, $130 AUD is around $85 USD. It ships for around $20 USD.

I have absolutely no experience with it, I was just figuring out how sticker shocked I should be and thought I'd share.

-r

 

[Adamsse]

Hi, lots of options out there

The Festool “Positioning Aid” was one of best purchases I’ve made.  $107 but it can be positioned from 43-92 deg.

 

[Coen]

ETS EC 125...nice piece of gear...with that unit you can add the 150 pad if it's needed for future larger projects.

Also 65% more expensive than the non-EC version, comes by default without the protector and requires a vac. Not that I'm a fan of the bags on the ETS 125, but it's at least a possibility.
With 125mm also no weight savings for the EC.

Funny thing... ETS EC 125/3 EQ-Plus ... same price as TS 60 KEBQ-Plus.

 

[Aux2496]

I know this post is really late (based on the thread date), but my comments:

If you already have the Rotex 125, I would get the ETSC 125 if you are looking for a finishing sander.  It's excellent for this due to the small 2mm orbit.  This makes it easy to do really nice finish smoothing on stuff like plywood that has very thin veneer layers.  It's really easy to sand through the top layer of plywood if your sander is too aggressive.

The ETS EC-125/3 is really like a compromise if you can only get one sander (half finishing and half material removal).  Since you already have the Rotex, you really don't need the 125/3.  The Rotex 125 has a 3.6mm orbit and the 125/3 would not really improve much here.

Plus, you can also get the edge sanding support for the ETSC 125 (it will not fit the EC 125/3 models):

Positioning Aid AH-ES-ETS/ETSC