ETS EC 150/3. Why does it exist?

[sheperd80]

Ets ec 125/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, can accept 5" or 6" pad. $385

Ets ec 150/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, only accepts 6" pad. $485

What am i missing here? I bought a 150/5 because i wanted the most aggressive one-handed sander i could get, and i like it. But whats the point of the 150/3 if the smaller cheaper sander has the exact same motor and can do more?

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[Bob Marino]

Ets ec 125/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, can accept 5" or 6" pad. $385

Ets ec 150/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, only accepts 6" pad. $485

What am i missing here? I bought a 150/5 because i wanted the most aggressive one-handed sander i could get, and i like it. But whats the point of the 150/3 if the smaller cheaper sander has the exact same motor and can do more?

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Well, for starters the 150 sanders have a much larger surface area - I'm told it's about 40% larger than the 125 sanders, so all things being equal, will be much faster at sanding then the 125's.
Also, many people have an investment in 150 (6") abrasives and don't want to have to stock another size paper. Finally, many like the larger 150's because with their larger surface areas, there is less a tendency to pull and/or jump around the workpiece as sometimes happens with the smaller sanders.

 

[semenza]

I think the question is about the 125 being able to take the 150 pad so why bother getting the 150 version. When you can get the 125 and have both a 125 and a 150 sander. But if you get the 150 version you only have a 150 and can't put the 125 pad on it.

Seth

 

[Wooden Skye]

I don't think the price gap is as large once you factor in the price of the pad.  In some respects I would agree that they are too similar, so I really think it comes down to personal preference.

 

[Stone Message]

Ets ec 125/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, can accept 5" or 6" pad. $385

Ets ec 150/3...400 watts, 3.3 amps, 10k rpm, only accepts 6" pad. $485

What am i missing here? I bought a 150/5 because i wanted the most aggressive one-handed sander i could get, and i like it. But whats the point of the 150/3 if the smaller cheaper sander has the exact same motor and can do more?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

I haver the ETS EC 150/3 and it is my absolute "go to" sander. I like the size as it takes the same sheets as the Rotex 150 (and I have a lot of them in different grades). It can be as aggressive as you like and if I need more I take out the Rotex 150.

I use it with a hard pad and it produces brilliant results and is perfect for large panels.

Peter

 

[leakyroof]

Tying into what Seth posted, if you don't want to swap pads, I guess you buy the 150/3 so you avoid stopping and switch pads from time to time with a EC 125.
Now that I own a Pro 5 sander, the 125 with the two pads sizes looks better to me since I already bought a bunch of 5"/125mm Granat to run on the Pro5.    [doh] With only a 1mm orbit difference between the two sanders as well.  [scratch chin] [oops]

 

[bobfog]

Because Festool don't want people to know that you don't need both sanders if you want the option of 125 and 150, in fact it was actively denied by a Festool employee that whilst the 150 pads would fit the 125 the pad brake would not work and it would not be balanced because of different weights.

Both of these things were not true, the pad brake does work - perfectly, and the counter weights are exactly the same part with exactly the same stamps on both.

 

[jaguar36]

It would appear, based on these responses the main reason is because most folks don't know that you can put a 6" pad on the 125.  Also the 125 probably doesn't fit well in the systainer with a 6" pad.

 

[sheperd80]

It would appear, based on these responses the main reason is because most folks don't know that you can put a 6" pad on the 125.  Also the 125 probably doesn't fit well in the systainer with a 6" pad.

This is what i was getting at, unless theres some other difference im not seeing. I wonder if the sander body is even different at all? I'll have to look next time im at the dealer but they look identical in pictures. So those of you with 150/3 sanders may have paid $100 for a different sticker

 

[sheperd80]

Both of these things were not true, the pad brake does work - perfectly, and the counter weights are exactly the same part with exactly the same stamps on both.

Thats hilarious. There truly are some brilliant minds at Festool, but theyre not all in the engineering department...

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[Cheese]

Also the 125 probably doesn't fit well in the systainer with a 6" pad.

You are correct...you'd need a 150 Systainer insert for the 125/150 sander to fit properly.

 

[leakyroof]

Also the 125 probably doesn't fit well in the systainer with a 6" pad.

You are correct...you'd need a 150 Systainer insert for the 125/150 sander to fit properly.

  I can't remember if we covered this before--- Does the dust extraction match from pad to pad when only using the EC 125. In other words, is the body of the 125 versus the larger 150 not an issue with dust collection when moving from pad to pad[ like it never comes into play...]

 

[Cheese]

I can't remember if we covered this before--- Does the dust extraction match from pad to pad when only using the EC 125. In other words, is the body of the 125 versus the larger 150 not an issue with dust collection when moving from pad to pad[ like it never comes into play...]

Dust collection works the same for either pad. Just swap pads, attach vac and sand away.

 

[Cheese]

I wonder if the sander body is even different at all? I'll have to look next time im at the dealer but they look identical in pictures. So those of you with 150/3 sanders may have paid $100 for a different sticker

Basically there are 2 items that are different. The "3" insert on the top is silver on a 125 and black on a 150.

The bearing assy is different because of the different pad attachment geometries. That's it...

 

[Holmz]

...
What am i missing here? I bought a 150/5 because i wanted the most aggressive one-handed sander i could get, and i like it. But whats the point of the 150/3 if the smaller cheaper sander has the exact same motor
...

I think a Rupes 12-mm stroke is more aggressive.
The festool 5" sander unofficially takes a 6" disc, it is not like a kit and only in 3-mm.
The 5"/6" kit is the Mirka.

And it is not all about power, it is a lot about stroke.

 

[c_dwyer]

Well, this has been bothering me as I've been saving up for an ETS EC 150/3 for some time now, and wondering if I can just get the 125 and add a 150 pad to it.  So like any good sleuth, I went to Ekat to compare the parts diagram and list for both machines to see if the parts were the same for each model. I only found three of the 27 parts listed to be different:

Model Pos Part No. Description Quantity Price each Excl Currrency Storage Location
125         6 200026 Fan                   1           99.16         USD         1B-7-06
150         6 500396 Fan /3           1         117.43         USD         1B-6-05

125         8 200017 Bearing           1           63.25         USD         1B-8-05
150         8 500397 Bearing           1           66.40         USD

125       15  10018666 Housing insert   1             0.84         USD         1E-6-04
150       15  10006750 Housing insert /3  1             0.88         USD         1E-5-03

Other than these three items, the remaining parts are exactly the same for both machines, and has been mentioned, both are 400 watts (3.3 amps, 120 V AC).  Can someone tell me whether the difference in the fan and bearing for both machines is significant, and whether the motor of the 125 would really be under a much heavier load with a 6" pad if they're actually the same?

I don't care about trying to fit the 125 with a 6 inch pad into the systainer insert that it came with, as I'd likely come up with different storage system (perhaps modify a Sys 3 to include slots for the sandpaper on one side, and the 125 w/6" pad would sit on the other side).

So would there be any reason not to put a 6 inch pad on an ETS EC 125 for sanding larger pieces?
Thanks much,
C.

 

[Cheese]

So would there be any reason not to put a 6 inch pad on an ETS EC 125 for sanding larger pieces?

Simple answer...no. Unless you think the ETS EC 125 will fail before 3 years.

As I've mentioned previously, the 150 bearing assembly needs a different p/n because the shaft that secures the 150 sanding pad is a different geometry than the shaft that secures the 125 pad.

The 150 fan assembly consequently, needs a different p/n because it includes the different 150 bearing assembly.

So, only one part changes, the shaft for the pad, however 2 assemblies need to have different p/n's because the shaft for the pad is a subset of both of the assemblies. It's just the way Engineering BOM's (Bills of Materials) are structured for the assembly of equipment and service of the same.

The same is true for the shell, 500329 & 500597, two different p/n's are needed because the "3" insert changed color. The only difference is the "3" insert yet there appears to be a completely different shell p/n.

 

[ear3]

Have we ever gotten an official comment from Festool about using the 6" pad on the 125? Like, is this something that would void warranty? [member=57769]TylerC[/member] ?

 

[c_dwyer]

Thank you [member=44099]Cheese[/member] for the explanation - makes sense to me now.  Sorry I missed your earlier post.

 

[Cheese]

Have we ever gotten an official comment from Festool about using the 6" pad on the 125? Like, is this something that would void warranty? [member=57769]TylerC[/member] ?

No Edward, and I'd imagine Festool would be fairly quiet about this issue so as not to not draw any more attention to the pad interchangebility issue than whatever has been already stirred up. Let sleeping dogs lie...

However, with previous discussions on contraband jig saw blades and cementious circular saw blades contravening the Festool warranty, I'd be surprised if Festool would support this modification. I find this is especially curious though because the modification is being done using STOCK Festool parts and without any machining modifications.  [jawdrop]

It'd be nice for Festool to take a stance, however I'm not holding my breath. Just think of the hornets nest they'd open up. [popcorn] [popcorn] [popcorn]