ETS EC 150/5

[pingvinlakrits]

Yeti: no, it is almost that one. They look the same but the center flat pin (ground) is rotated 90 degrees. This I am sure to prevent using non locking (or other mfg locking) connectors. 

The type you linked to is very common and the connector type is a wide spread standard over here. Mirka chose to deviate from the standard. It will be very interesting to see if the Metabo clone offering also deviates from standard or if they adhere to the standard - in that case it would be strong point for Metabo.

I will bet one million dollars that they did that to prevent someone from using a very light gauge cord on it.
However, if they were being so generous, they could have used the iec standard...
https://www.cableleader.com/6ft-14-...MIlre82vj72gIVCYZpCh2hwwQDEAQYASABEgJPiPD_BwE

I don’t think anyone can go wrong if they chose the Mirka or the ETS-EC.  It’s an apples and Oranges thing; in this case a yellow or green thing.  Both sanders are solid units. 

As a home business casual user, I’m betting I’ll get more mileage out of the cords since I’m not using the sanders on a daily basis like a pro-user.

Yes, I think most would agree on that. But from a professional standpoint they are not solid units, since they both have design flaws. A solid unit for me is something that is reliable regardless of how much you use it.  But they are both great when they work.

I have come to appreciate the on/off switch on the Festool, especially for edge sanding and odd angles. With the Mirka it is a little less ergonomic. Sanding large flat areas is really nice with the Mirka paddle. If there is a "next time" I would go for which ever was on a special offer of the two, or if one of them got their inherent flaw taken care of. The Mirka was on a very good special deal ending last week over here and if my  ETS EC problem had not been resolved I would have gotten a new Mirka instead.

In a way it would make more sense for me to get the Mirka since I have the DEOS,  so it would have shared a cable with the DEROS. Plus, I would have one spare cable already.   Only problem is the connector is kind of stiff to click in place so changing over between the machines is never as swift and easy as with the Plugit.

 

[Jonathan Starr]

Today I had a bunch of hardwood (walnut, african mahogany, maple) boards to sand through the grits, some with surface imperfections that required 80 grit, and ending at 320. I pulled out the ETS 150/5 EQ and the ETS EC 150/5 EQ and loaded Abranet 80 and 100 for the initial run so I could do 2 passes before taking a break and switching to the next 2 grits. It was the first time I ever worked the two Festools side by side, and I realized that I like them both in different ways.
The EC gets the work done faster with less vibration, and I tend to run it one handed as it glided on the surfaces. The old ETS has better placement for me to work with two hands, and the greater weight and solidity leads to a lighter balanced grip.
In the end I realized I liked swapping back and forth, and finished up with less fatigue than usual. And virtually no perceived dust in the work area or my sinuses. It's a joy to have such great tools.

 

[leakyroof]

Today I had a bunch of hardwood (walnut, african mahogany, maple) boards to sand through the grits, some with surface imperfections that required 80 grit, and ending at 320. I pulled out the ETS 150/5 EQ and the ETS EC 150/5 EQ and loaded Abranet 80 and 100 for the initial run so I could do 2 passes before taking a break and switching to the next 2 grits. It was the first time I ever worked the two Festools side by side, and I realized that I like them both in different ways.
The EC gets the work done faster with less vibration, and I tend to run it one handed as it glided on the surfaces. The old ETS has better placement for me to work with two hands, and the greater weight and solidity leads to a lighter balanced grip.
In the end I realized I liked swapping back and forth, and finished up with less fatigue than usual. And virtually no perceived dust in the work area or my sinuses. It's a joy to have such great tools.

    [thumbs up]