ETS EC 150/3 or 150/5 and Abrasives

[Craftsman71]

Its been a year since I picked up my first Festool and like many of you out there warned me of, I too have became a junkie.  TS 55 EQ / CT 36 was the first followed by the 700 Domino, Kapex and CT mini, Carvex, Domino 500, MFT/3, CSX and OF 1400 of course all the assessiores kits.    Now we move on to Sanding and after the ETS EC 150's started making there great reviews I have my mind set on one.  I will be using this for mostly finishing work so I am thinking the 150/3 for a smoother finish.  What are your thoughts? 

Also... A while back someone suggested a pre-made 6" Systainer with assorted Abrasives but I could not find that post or link.  Is that still being offered? 

 

[Shane Holland]

The /3 would be a good choice for you, yes.

Festool doesn't currently offer a pre-filled abrasives Systainer option.

 

[Holmz]

Mirka has an assorment pack of screens.

The 150/3 seems like a good choice.
If you used a scraper or a 1/2 sheet sander, then one could make a case for a 150/5...
But for 1 sander - it is pretty ideal.

 

[ear3]

How fine of a finish are we talking about?  I think that for anything up to 400 grit the 150/5 would be perfectly suitable.  I only find the 3mm stroke to make a difference on grits 400 and above.  And also on sanding veneered pieces, since the 5mm can burn through quickly if you're not careful.

I would give the 5mm version serious consideration given what you would gain at grits in the lower range.  And the larger the pieces/surfaces you're doing the more you gain from the 150/5.  If, though, you will be doing relatively small pieces, then you might simply opt for the 3mm, as already suggested. 

 

[TheSergeant]

I had the same dilemma and ended up going with a 150/3.  I couldn't be happier with the choice.  It's a phenomenal sander. 

Unfortunately there are no assortment packs, but if you want to split some 50 and 100 packs drop me a PM!  [smile]

 

[Holmz]

...  It's a phenomenal sander. 
...

There are many phenomenal sanders these days. You pick one and try it and it seem phenomenal. If you picked another it would be good too.

Which is where the question, "Which Festool XX do you recommend" goes astray... It discounts all the rest of the brands in one fell swoop.

But the ETS EC is pretty good, and you could do worse.

 

[MGB]

I really did alot of research on sanders over the past week. Walked into my local dealer with an ets 125/3 in mind, walked out with a deros 150/5. It was a tough call, they're all capable machines with competitive pricing.

I think a 150/5 is a good all around choice, I've been able to flush up slightly proud edge bandings. But sand stupidly thin veneers as well without burning through.

But I'm out of the loop on sanding beyond 240. When you guys mention sanding with 400/600+ are you talking about leveling a finish?

I'm an experienced finishing carpenter, but this is one area I have pretty limited knowledge.

 

[Holmz]

[member=40517]MGB[/member] I did the same... (150/5 DEROS).
I found the ETS EC was much more refined than I thought it would be. While only using it for a short while, I found it was nice, and as expected... and not a ninja tool with special skills required. Both sanders are quite nice.

There are some DEROS videos on lacquer type finishes where they go to 2000gr. ](Levelling may be the right term)

I'll find out soon if FT papers can be used on a DEROS, but the Mirka screen can be used on the ETC EC, which opens up a lot of options.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I will be using this for mostly finishing work so I am thinking the 150/3 for a smoother finish.  What are your thoughts? 

My thought is you have the right thought.

 

[Craftsman71]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.  I do plan on using this for finishing work using the Granat P800 - P1200 range.  But now you all have me thinking that the 150/5 is good for 80 - 300's and would be a good choice for preparing the wood for finish. 

 

[Holmz]

Thank you everyone for your feedback.  I do plan on using this for finishing work using the Granat P800 - P1200 range.  But now you all have me thinking that the 150/5 is good for 80 - 300's and would be a good choice for preparing the wood for finish.

[member=5277]Alex[/member] said 150/3 is good.

There are about 10 choices that are really good.
1: ETS EC 150/3
2: same in 150/5
3-5: The Mirka versions (3).
6-9: 1/2 sheet sanders (4 at least)

It is not like you can tell from looking, which exact sander did the work. The /3 or the /5 and if you like paper use paper, and if you like screens use the screens.

I got a /5 because I have a /2.5 half-sheet... Either sander is totally fine on its own too.

Woodcraft actually let you try them if you are near one of their shops.

 

[Craftsman71]

I live in the best possible place ever I am 5 miles from Woodcraft and 7 miles from rockler!  I will swing over there this weekend and see if i can try them both out.  Thanks for the advice!

 

[Holmz]

I live in the best possible place ever I am 5 miles from Woodcraft and 7 miles from rockler!  I will swing over there this weekend and see if i can try them both out.  Thanks for the advice!

Bring all the examples you may be doing. Then you can really have a good run at making an informed decision.

I wish there was a Woodcraft store near me sometimes.

 

[Steve-Rice]

I use my ETS EC 150/3 with grits as low as 40 and the sander powers through everything I've thrown at it with ease. Some have said the 150/5 sands faster, but I am amazed how fast the 150/3 can take down end grain on hard maple and 3/4" maple ply. I honestly don't see the need for any other sander.

Admittedly, I have no experience with the 150/5, but I seriously doubt you would be unhappy with the 150/3.

 

[Craftsman71]

After doing some more research and playing with the two sanders yesterday I am a proud owner of the 150/5 and the Abrasive Systainer.  My Wood Craft was out of stock so I had to order it online so I figured I would pick it up from CPO Outlet.  So like a proud soon to be father I must wait the 3-4 days for the next installment of my addiction.  I will say that the 150/3 will be on my list for another time but the 150/5 had a broader range of applications for me.  I also played with the RO90 and that is next on my list!

I did however, pick up the 32mm system for my Kapex Miter Station Project and started working with that yesterday. Its not complicated once you figure it out but I had a few scratch my head moments.

Thank you all for your assistance I look forward to asking more questions in the future.

 

[Holmz]

After doing some more research and playing with the two sanders yesterday I am a proud owner of the 150/5 and the Abrasive Systainer. ...

Which 2 sanders the ets ec and the Deros?

 

[Craftsman71]

After doing some more research and playing with the two sanders yesterday I am a proud owner of the 150/5 and the Abrasive Systainer. ...

Which 2 sanders the ets ec and the Deros?

I ended up buying the ETS EC 150/5 and I tried the ETS EC 150/3 which I also really like.

I looked at the RO 90 while there and that is next on my list.

 

[nickao]

I use my ETS EC 150/3 with grits as low as 40 and the sander powers through everything I've thrown at it with ease. I honestly don't see the need for any other sander.

.

That's only becasue of the work you do. Sanding a 1/8" or 3/16" lip of ipe or massarunduba is an example of when a more powerful sander is needed. End grain Maple is an example I hear used often, but for may of us that use exotics that isn't  very hard(as in janka hard  ) to sand.

I work with exotics and generally use a more powerful sander like Rotex for rough sanding, never an EC or ETS with 40 grit, that would take way too long. Then I come back with an ETS or EC later. Because I come back with a second sander on things that require the rougher grits(24 to 40 grit) it makes little sense for me to use a 150/5, but a 150/3. The 150/3 does give a better finish and it's more apparent on the harder woods.

I just tried sanding with a 40 grit as a test with my new EC ETS and I just about pulled out my hair, put it on my rotex and it was a 2 minute process, cleaned it up with my 150/3 and it was perfect.

 

[jjowen]

I think everyone has missed the obvious solution; sell a kidney and buy both. They have a big (3) or (5) on the top of the handle to make it easy to grab the right one.

I have an ETC EC 150/3 and it's a keeper. With birch ply, I like to have the slower removal rate. But I am also seriously considering purchasing the /5 to speed up the removal rate in other applications.

I'm not a big drinker, so I should get a good price.

 

[Jeff Zanin]

One of my first Festools was the RO 150 and I have been using it happily since I got it, mostly for more aggressive sanding.

Recently I added the ETS EC 150/3 which I have been using for finer work.

A current project was made from old exterior plywood so it needed a lot of cleanup followed by a smooth finish.  I used the RO150 and the ETS EC 150/3 in succession and noticed a big difference in the weight and ergonomics, making the ETS EC 150/3 much more pleasant to use.

So while I appreciate being fortunate to have both, and it is convenient to stock abrasives in one size that can be used on both, I prefer the ETS EC150/3 unless I need the more aggressive action of the RO/150. 

If starting again I might consider a RAS 115 for aggressive sanding and stripping and one of the ETS sanders for everything else.

Jeff