I recently got to try a Mirka CEROS electric sander. I am looking for a finish sander as I don't sand for prep anymore. How does the ETS150/3 and Festool abrasives compare to the CEROS with abranet/abralon? I realize that because of its' ability to take off a lot of material the CEROS is more comparable to the RO150 but I don't remove lots of material with a sander just finish/rubout.
ETS 150/3 for finish
- Thread starter grobin
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Timtool
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i haven't used the ceros, but what matters with finish sanding is the stroke, the ETS 150/3 has a 3mm stroke, how about the ceros?
and if it's really not speed, but finish quality you are after then you could consider the ETS 125 with a 2mm stroke, much lighter.
and if it's really not speed, but finish quality you are after then you could consider the ETS 125 with a 2mm stroke, much lighter.
GaryLaroff
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- Sep 23, 2008
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I’ve never used the Mirka CEROS but I do have the ETS 150/3 and ETS 125. For the ETS 150/3 I have a wide selection of Festool Rubin, Brilliant-2, Titan and Platin abrasives. For the ETS 125 I have Festool Brilliant-2 and Mirka Abralon and Abranet abrasives. I have rubout pads for both sanders but mainly use the Rotex RO-125 for this work.
My sanding is mostly for furniture work. If I could only keep one of the two sanders for furniture work, it would be the ETS 150/3. It is the most user-friendly 6-inch sander I ever used and is totally reliable at all times at all speeds. I use it where I wouldn’t have the nerve to use any other brand’s sander over 5 inches. There has never been a time when the ETS 150/3 didn’t have enough power or wanted to slow down. It has also never gouged the work.
The ETS 125 is a completely different animal. It is my favorite sander for inlay and marquetry work. It is gentle and totally reliable when you are doing very fine work, such as sanding off veneer tape over 1/50 inch thick veneer. On solid wood projects it feels under-powered at times and wants to slow down.
As for the abrasives, in my opinion Mirka Abralon is essentially the same as Festool Platin. They are virtually interchangeable.
Mirka Abranet is unique. On narrow projects, such as sanding the edge of a board or a surface much narrower than the width of the sander, I get better dust collection with the Abranet than the Brilliant. My Abranet sheets are all 5-inch diameter, and I’ve chosen to cut them down when I need abrasives for the triangular shaped pad of the DX 93. If you choose to use Abranet, you should use the Mirka interface pad so that you don’t prematurely wear out the Festool Fast-fix hook and loop pad. Abranet is available in P600 which Brilliant-2 is not.
Hope this helps.
My sanding is mostly for furniture work. If I could only keep one of the two sanders for furniture work, it would be the ETS 150/3. It is the most user-friendly 6-inch sander I ever used and is totally reliable at all times at all speeds. I use it where I wouldn’t have the nerve to use any other brand’s sander over 5 inches. There has never been a time when the ETS 150/3 didn’t have enough power or wanted to slow down. It has also never gouged the work.
The ETS 125 is a completely different animal. It is my favorite sander for inlay and marquetry work. It is gentle and totally reliable when you are doing very fine work, such as sanding off veneer tape over 1/50 inch thick veneer. On solid wood projects it feels under-powered at times and wants to slow down.
As for the abrasives, in my opinion Mirka Abralon is essentially the same as Festool Platin. They are virtually interchangeable.
Mirka Abranet is unique. On narrow projects, such as sanding the edge of a board or a surface much narrower than the width of the sander, I get better dust collection with the Abranet than the Brilliant. My Abranet sheets are all 5-inch diameter, and I’ve chosen to cut them down when I need abrasives for the triangular shaped pad of the DX 93. If you choose to use Abranet, you should use the Mirka interface pad so that you don’t prematurely wear out the Festool Fast-fix hook and loop pad. Abranet is available in P600 which Brilliant-2 is not.
Hope this helps.
Grobin,
I agree with Gary completely.
I have the Abralon pads for hand finishing but not the sanding disks. I guess it's because I have a supply of Platin (500, 1000, 2000 & 4000). The pads work great, especially for delicate finishes.
I have a supply of Brilliant that I purchased before I discovered Abranet and I am kinda just using them until they are gone. I really prefer the Abranet in all my 5" and 6" sanders. They seem to be a bit more aggressive to comparable Brilliant grits. The Abranet is a bit more expensive, especially when you factor in the cost of the interface pads, but they also seem to last a bit longer. I also like the idea of not having to line up holes with the Abranet. especially when you are working through a series of grits.
Hope this helps.
Neill
I agree with Gary completely.
I have the Abralon pads for hand finishing but not the sanding disks. I guess it's because I have a supply of Platin (500, 1000, 2000 & 4000). The pads work great, especially for delicate finishes.
I have a supply of Brilliant that I purchased before I discovered Abranet and I am kinda just using them until they are gone. I really prefer the Abranet in all my 5" and 6" sanders. They seem to be a bit more aggressive to comparable Brilliant grits. The Abranet is a bit more expensive, especially when you factor in the cost of the interface pads, but they also seem to last a bit longer. I also like the idea of not having to line up holes with the Abranet. especially when you are working through a series of grits.
Hope this helps.
Neill
Kevin Stricker
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- Feb 6, 2009
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I used to use a RO125 and ETS 150/3 for most sanding tasks. The combination worked pretty well but you really have to be careful to get the RO scratch pattern out before moving to the 150/3. I have on more than one occasion made it to 180 and wet the surface only to find some hidden 80 grit scratches left over. I sold my 150/3 to get a 6" Ceros, and now I can use 1 sander to get the job done and the results are faster and seem to be better as well. The 150/3 is a Cadillac, the Ceros a sports car. While sanding with the 150/3 was a joy I often felt it took to long. It was very gentle sanding between coats of finish though, something you need to be more careful with on the Ceros ( just remember to turn the power way down). Using Festool paper the 150/3 has better DC, but with the Abranet the Ceros has equal collection. There really is no comparison between the abrasives, above 100 grit the Abranet is a hands down winner.
I really believe that the Ceros is a much more versatile and useful sander. It is much lighter and you can use it on the sides of projects easily. If has a much lower balance point so is less tippy on narrow edges. Best though is when you realize you missed a spot you can just max out the power and smooth out the surface without switching back to the lower grit and having to re-clean off that grits dust.
If you are mostly going to be sanding in the 180+ range and mostly between and after finishing I would probably say to save your money and get the 150/3. For that application it is a great sander.
I really believe that the Ceros is a much more versatile and useful sander. It is much lighter and you can use it on the sides of projects easily. If has a much lower balance point so is less tippy on narrow edges. Best though is when you realize you missed a spot you can just max out the power and smooth out the surface without switching back to the lower grit and having to re-clean off that grits dust.
If you are mostly going to be sanding in the 180+ range and mostly between and after finishing I would probably say to save your money and get the 150/3. For that application it is a great sander.
Thanks everyone! From some tests the local dealer was nice enough to let me make and your comments I have decided on the ETS125. I use a No 85 plane instead of prep sanding and just use the ETS for final finishing off/rubbout. I like the 150/3 or the CEROS but while they are great gadgets they are overkill for what I do.
