Ets 125 Models mysterious aggressive operation

[artisanomaly]

I’ve used festool sanders for awhile and I’ve never had an issue. I bought the new 125 model, loved it. Have used everything up to the Rotex, old and new. Talking 20+ sanders over a 10 year period (perks of working in a city shop). However I recently acquired one of the older ets 125 models and it’s out of control. Literally. I place it on a board and it wants to rip out of my hands. I chalked it up to the warped pad and replaced it with a nice flat one. However once I place it on a table top it’s all over the place and I can’t get it to float or sand even remotely smooth. Has anyone ever encountered a mechanical problem as such?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Yes, I have encountered that mechanical problem.

Without having seen your sander, I have an incling it is not the pad, but the pad brake. The pad brake is a rubber ring that sits right above the pad and is fixed to the body of the sander. It is meant to slow the pad down to a workable speed. It is a wear item and it sounds like yours is worn. You can order a new one from any dealer or Festool directly if you're in the states.

Take your sander to a dealer to make sure.

See this diagram. You needs parts 21 and 22.

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[Wood_Slice]

I have same issue. I have the Dewalt ROS and power wise seems close to the ETS EC 125/3 but when I used the Festool sander I feel like I have a belt sander in my hands, wants to jump all over the place and it shuts off at random intervals. At first I thought it was a built in safety feature if you put too much downward pressure it will shut off to protect sander/pad. However, I continued my testing with little to no pressure on top of the sander and it would still shut off at random times.

Per Festool (spoke today) this is a known issue with the ETS EC sanders and they are (I'm assuming) trying to figure out the cause. It will be a shame as I cannot use my new to me sander. I have to resort back to my Dewalt ROS (thankfully I didn't sell it/give it away).