Tying to decide between the ETS 150/3 or the 150/5 for my boat projects. Primary task is taking down rough fiberglass/fiberglass filler/primer prior to using LPU paints. Secondary task is preparing raw wood for varnish. Previous projects were completed with Porter Cable disk/pad/orbital sanders. Also want to reduce the use of my 3M mask and go with either the CT22 or the CT Midi. Leaning toward the ETS150/5. Which vacuum? Thank you, Larry.
ETS150 on fiberglass boats.
- Thread starter waterboy
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Larry, welcome to the forum. I would like to just interject that Festool provides a 30-day, no-hassle money-back guarantee. So, if you get a sander or dust extractor and decide that it doesn't meet your expectations, you can exchange or return it quite easily. I know that may not be convenient but at least you have the option to try one of the sanders to see if it "fits the bill".
Shane Holland
Festool USA
Shane Holland
Festool USA
Brice Burrell
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Welcome to the FOG!
I'd suggest the /5. The 5mm orbit will sand a bit fast/aggressively than the 3mm orbit. The 3mm orbit excels at sanding for specialty applications like finishes that will be polished or other super high gloss finishes on metal or other material other than wood. The Rotex suggestion is a very good one too. I'd recommend the 150 over the 125 Rotex.
The vac you chose should be based on your need for portability. If you go from job to job and a compact vac easy to carry is your priority then the CT Mini or Midi is the way to go. You do give some up capacity for that portability. The CT33 is best for shop based operations since it the least portable vac in the Festool lineup. The CT22 is a reasonable compromise of capacity and portability. If you think you'll be moving the CT22 or 33 around (assuming that is the route you decide on) the hose garage is a very nice accessory for keeping the cord and hose neatly stored. Makes the vac a lot easier to carry without tripping over the hose/cord.
Be sure to buy the sander and vac as a package deal and you'll save a few bucks. Good luck.
I'd suggest the /5. The 5mm orbit will sand a bit fast/aggressively than the 3mm orbit. The 3mm orbit excels at sanding for specialty applications like finishes that will be polished or other super high gloss finishes on metal or other material other than wood. The Rotex suggestion is a very good one too. I'd recommend the 150 over the 125 Rotex.
The vac you chose should be based on your need for portability. If you go from job to job and a compact vac easy to carry is your priority then the CT Mini or Midi is the way to go. You do give some up capacity for that portability. The CT33 is best for shop based operations since it the least portable vac in the Festool lineup. The CT22 is a reasonable compromise of capacity and portability. If you think you'll be moving the CT22 or 33 around (assuming that is the route you decide on) the hose garage is a very nice accessory for keeping the cord and hose neatly stored. Makes the vac a lot easier to carry without tripping over the hose/cord.
Be sure to buy the sander and vac as a package deal and you'll save a few bucks. Good luck.
Hi Waterboy,
I'm a yacht/boatbuilder and use festool sanders every day, for finer stuff I use my ETS/5, and when I need to remove lots of material I go for the rotex every time, you can apply more pressure without it bogging down, it just does the job faster.
If it's your first festool sander go for the rotex, it's more versatile, but keep in mind it's also heavier, so for overhead sanding ( which there can be alot of on boats ), it takes more effort.
Dan James. [big grin]
I'm a yacht/boatbuilder and use festool sanders every day, for finer stuff I use my ETS/5, and when I need to remove lots of material I go for the rotex every time, you can apply more pressure without it bogging down, it just does the job faster.
If it's your first festool sander go for the rotex, it's more versatile, but keep in mind it's also heavier, so for overhead sanding ( which there can be alot of on boats ), it takes more effort.
Dan James. [big grin]
I'd also recommend the Rotex 150. If it's in the buget. In fine mode it is practically the same sander as the ETS 150/5. So you get the best of both worlds, brawn and a good finish.
I use my 150/3 with an interface pad for intermediate and final sanding on my surfboards, but I'm only using 6 oz S Glass. It would take for ever to use on a rough coat of glass and/or filler, for that I would use my Rotex. If you find that you need a finer finish then the Rotex can provide, then I would add a ETS 150/3 to the collection, for the finish coat.
I have two CT22, and I find them a good combo of portability and size, but I often use the vacs with saws/planers and site cleanup, if I was only dealing with sanding dust, and especially around a boat, I'd go for a Midi.
I use my 150/3 with an interface pad for intermediate and final sanding on my surfboards, but I'm only using 6 oz S Glass. It would take for ever to use on a rough coat of glass and/or filler, for that I would use my Rotex. If you find that you need a finer finish then the Rotex can provide, then I would add a ETS 150/3 to the collection, for the finish coat.
I have two CT22, and I find them a good combo of portability and size, but I often use the vacs with saws/planers and site cleanup, if I was only dealing with sanding dust, and especially around a boat, I'd go for a Midi.
For woodworking advice I'd be crazy to disagree w/ Brice, but in this case [big grin], having done a lot of fiberglass work on boat hulls I have to disagree. The ETS is nowhere near agressive enough unless you're only working on a very small area (or just really like slowly sanding boat hulls as your hobby). Before I purchased the Rotex, I've even resorted to using my automotive body grinder w/ 24 grit discs for rough work - in my experience any sort of ROS is just not agressive enough for areas of any size.
The Rotex is ideal for this as its agressive enough that you won't grow a beard trying to smooth out rough areas and yet can switch over to ROS mode for finer work.
Don't worry too much about the extra weight of the Rotex for boat work - its easy enough to rig a line from the rail to support most of the weight if you're working for longer periods of time.
Fred
The Rotex is ideal for this as its agressive enough that you won't grow a beard trying to smooth out rough areas and yet can switch over to ROS mode for finer work.
Don't worry too much about the extra weight of the Rotex for boat work - its easy enough to rig a line from the rail to support most of the weight if you're working for longer periods of time.
Fred
Brice Burrell
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bruegf said:
Hey Fred, take a look at what I wrote, turns out we do agree. [thumbs up]
Brice Burrell said:
Really, the Rotex is a better choice for the fiberglass work. If you were going to get one of the ETS sanders I'd go with the /5 as a third choice behind the two other Rotex models.
Brice,
Sorry, didn't read carefully enough - you're right we are in agreement. And I'll second the vote for the RO150 over the RO125 for the large surfaces involved w/ a boat.
Dan,
Do you work for a production boat builder, if so which one, or do you build custom boats yourself? Do you have a website showing any of your work? I'm always interested in looking at other people's boats.
Fred
Sorry, didn't read carefully enough - you're right we are in agreement. And I'll second the vote for the RO150 over the RO125 for the large surfaces involved w/ a boat.
Dan,
Do you work for a production boat builder, if so which one, or do you build custom boats yourself? Do you have a website showing any of your work? I'm always interested in looking at other people's boats.
Fred
EcoFurniture
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Guys, don't forget there are big and small boats!
Agreed for big fiberglass jobs, the Rotex.
For small boats aka Kayaks, I would go with a ETS. Those kayak kits include some very thin veneer plywood. With one coat of glass, there wont be a lot of material before you go through!
@Waterboy: maybe you can tell us more about your work/project.
Agreed for big fiberglass jobs, the Rotex.
For small boats aka Kayaks, I would go with a ETS. Those kayak kits include some very thin veneer plywood. With one coat of glass, there wont be a lot of material before you go through!
@Waterboy: maybe you can tell us more about your work/project.
Dan,
Do you work for a production boat builder, if so which one, or do you build custom boats yourself? Do you have a website showing any of your work? I'm always interested in looking at other people's boats.
Fred
[/quote]
Hi Fred, I am a custom boatbuilder, I build all kinds of stuff, mainly for super yachts now that Iam based in Italy, when I was in England I built mostly wooden boats. Here's a couple of pics of one of my last projects. [smile]
Do you work for a production boat builder, if so which one, or do you build custom boats yourself? Do you have a website showing any of your work? I'm always interested in looking at other people's boats.
Fred
[/quote]
Hi Fred, I am a custom boatbuilder, I build all kinds of stuff, mainly for super yachts now that Iam based in Italy, when I was in England I built mostly wooden boats. Here's a couple of pics of one of my last projects. [smile]
Thank you all for your recommendations and I will order the smaller Rotex sander. I am a semi-retired boat nut, who has
spent his life around small boats (over 20 and counting). Current project is building an 11 foot Nutshell dingy.
Once that is completed, I will be painting the "Admirals" 28 footer. Once again, thanks for the advice. Larry
spent his life around small boats (over 20 and counting). Current project is building an 11 foot Nutshell dingy.
Once that is completed, I will be painting the "Admirals" 28 footer. Once again, thanks for the advice. Larry
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Larry, we'd really enjoy having you post back your comments and thoughts to help others make the same decision in the future. Some photos of your project would be great too!
