ETS 150/3 Abrasives

[Acrobat]

Hi, I'm thinking of purchasing the 150/3 sander, mainly for finishing small-mid size timber projects about home, and am just curious as to what abrasives it is suited for?
I assume since I feel it is mainly a "finishing" sander the rougher grits and other coarse papers aren't intended for it, instead for the 150 rotex? or can it use these type easily also? I tried a sample 150/3 with brilliant2 240 I think it was, and was very impressed with the finish, smooth handling like riding on air and gave a great result. But I don't know if it has that extra grunt like the rotex to really get the tougher jobs done? or am I wrong here and it can handle a wide variety?

thanks

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Our recommended abrasive is Granat now for just about every application. It works for nearly every task, lasts very long, is available in grits from 40-1500 and is less prone to clog.

You should be able to use lower grits with your ETS 150 without issues. It's just not going to be as aggressive and remove material as quick as the Rotex. Just let the sander and abrasive do the work, don't put pressure on the sander.

I'm sure some owners of the ETS 150 will chime in with their own experiences and opinions.

 

[AlexThePalex]

You can slap any piece of Festool paper on it that you've got. You won't get the uber-aggressive removal of the Rotex with the lower grits, but it'll still be quite efficient.  

I have used sanders like the ETS 150 and sanders that are even less powerfull to sand paint down to bare wood, and it still works, it only takes longer.

 

[jacko9]

I use 100 and 120 grit granat on my 150/3 to quickly remove any planer ripple and any tear out it's quick and easy.

 

[andvari]

The ETS 150/3 is a brilliant sander. While it isn't a rotary sander it is quite surprising how well it does at material removal.

 

[Kev]

The chart in this link ...

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/festool-sanders-comparison-table-or-which-sander-to-chose/

... is interesting, but I think it should have at least another column for "very fine" ... with the ETS125 and ETS150/3 referenced, otherwise you'd look at the table and ask why the ETS150/3 exists.

If you correlate the sandpaper grit scales found on Wikipedia ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpaper

... you'd only use the ETS150/3 with grits of 60 and above. Down to 40 with the ETS150/5 and any lower ROTEX or RAS.

 

[semenza]

The ETS150/5 will be more all purpose than the ETS150/3 but still be able to handle real finish sanding.  If you think the Rotex 150 might be in your near future then go with the ETS150/3 and add the RO150 later. Otherwise I would go with the ETS150/5. Get the hard pad too and it can do  almost everything quite well.

Seth

 

[Sean7a]

Acrobat, Shane made some awesome points about Granat.  It's become our go to recommendaiton for really any application.  No matter what go Granat and when in doubt, definitely go Granat.

Check out our organization of all 6" paper broken down by paper type here: http://www.festoolproducts.com/Sandpaper-for-Festool-RO-150-6-Rotex-Sander-s/91.htm

 

[Acrobat]

Acrobat, Shane made some awesome points about Granat.  It's become our go to recommendaiton for really any application.  No matter what go Granat and when in doubt, definitely go Granat.

Check out our organization of all 6" paper broken down by paper type here: http://www.festoolproducts.com/Sandpaper-for-Festool-RO-150-6-Rotex-Sander-s/91.htm

Thanks Sean, once I go through what I have I'll definitley give them a go.
purchased the 150/3 in conjunction with the new Oiling/waxing kit. I know, splashed out there but they go great together and now to pay back the card, am looking forward to giving this sander years of gentle abuse

As an aside, and for anyone down here in Auckland, I saw at Carbatec's Festool stand they had an abrasives "test" set made up for just $17. (NZ) of about 20-25 odd sheets with various grits in rubin -lower grits 80up) and brilliant2 mid to higher grits to 320 at the 150 size so at that price and range grabbed a pack and am now set for any jobs ahead.  Since I'm just a home DIY and just need a few sheets of this and that rather than the bigger 50 or 100 one grade packs think I should have gotten another I'll look into the Granat once they've been worn and see how well they compare, thanks for the heads up on that.