FES-TOY ETS EC 150/5 going in for THIRD repair

[Woozal]

Yeah....I foresee going with mirka soon. So i’m Starting to think this ETS EC 150 sander is a toy or maybe meant for the person looking to buy into the hype of “most expensive tool”.  Here’s the problem, the first time it broke it just would try to start up but then just quit.  Sent it in they replaced elec board and maybe switch. I sent them the cord too. Got it back in 3 business days. Ran it for an hour. Now same thing again. It’s going back for second repair for same problem. I got in sept of 2017.  I need this tool for orders I got to sand. I th8nk it’s just meant to make a nice cutting board or something hobbyish. I got consoles and tables to sand and I think this festool thing is starting to look like it’s meant for people who want to outfit their tool chest. I need to put it to work instead.  Please someone convince me otherwise.  The ct-48 is doing a good job, the sander seems like the brushless thing is going to be recalled soon. It’s more like a RC airplane engine in these sanders than a production quality motor and they are starting to fail in volume. I get the ets ec gets discontinued soon. Hoping in Ohio.....thanks for letting me vent.

Hey what happens if this repair crap keeps happening? I’m starting to exhaust my warranty period with time spent in the repair shop rather than sanding this oak and walmut. Is there some line drawn where they replace it or offer refund or....it does give a nice finish on the wood, it just has to keep doing it.  I feel this thing will croak 2-3 times a year under out of warranty then I will be looking at the mirka.

 

[Rob Z]

Hey there, sorry to hear about the sander leaving you in a lurch.  I don't know what Festool would do about this if it gets to multiple repairs all within the warranty period, but one thing you could do is keep track of how much time the sander is away from you while it's at Festool to get warranty work.  Maybe that would be considered if an extension is needed past the standard warranty period.

I only recall having warranty issues for two tools: both were new and arrived with problems serious enough that the dealer consulted with Festool and the decision was made to send a new tool and take the new tool back for evaluation.

I've been lucky otherwise with all the FT gear that I have bought.

FWIW, a FOG friend has two of these and swears by them and hasn't had any problems with them.

 

[Woozal]

Update...they said when they were gonna swap me out for a new sander.  I’ll let you know what happens.

 

[pingvinlakrits]

I loved mine until it broke, at least with one month left of the warranty period. It did not see heavy use over the three year stint which leaves me worried about the future longevity.

Will see if I get a new machine - mine is missing at Festool and has been in over a month which is very bad for production and the loss of the machine came at a very bad time.

Things can and will break but it seems there is a potential long term problem with the construction which makes me think these should never be bought used. I am very hesitant to buy a new one if I were to do it all over again.

We have the Mirka too and have had to change the power cord three/four times in a couple of years... ...but at least the machine keeps on buzzing on...

 

[Woozal]

He Rick, are you talking about the deros? When fuss-toy warranty expires I’ll be comparing what mirka has out at the time against this brand. For now they’re gonna make good for every little thing this @$600 sander claims it can do. Wish I could handle dealing with mirka pneumatic but it’s gotta be some heavy-duty elec. for me.

 

[Woozal]

So I called to make sure what they meant by swap out my 7 month old sander that is in for its second repair. They said they would give me a reconditioned one.

Beware buyers, you are dealing with a company that will issue you a refurbished product if something goes wrong during warranty multiple times.  I asked how is it that I would know that the refurbished one has less or more hours on it than my 7 month old sander. They didn’t know.  Warranty aside, considering the lifecycle of the sander, I will be issued a sander that has already had a problem, in order to be refurbished in the first place, and probably is older than mine. So I will be cheated out of lifecycle years. 

@$600 for 7 months then it’s all uncertain used crap after that.  Heehee, definitely not a reputable business model to me. Beware if you happen to get a lemon from Festoy, you are done for.

 

[Michael Kellough]

So I called to make sure what they meant by swap out my 7 month old sander that is in for its second repair. They said they would give me a reconditioned one.

Beware buyers, you are dealing with a company that will issue you a refurbished product if something goes wrong during warranty multiple times.  I asked how is it that I would know that the refurbished one has less or more hours on it than my 7 month old sander. They didnt know.  Warranty aside, considering the lifecycle of the sander, I will be issued a sander that has already had a problem, in order to be refurbished in the first place, and probably is older than mine. So I will be cheated out of lifecycle years. 

@$600 for 7 months then it’s all uncertain used crap after that.  Heehee, definitely not a reputable business model to me. Beware if you happen to get a lemon from Festoy, you are done for.

Apple's policy is the same.

 

[koenbro]

Once you're given the refurbished item will the 3-year warranty still count from the initial purchase of the first unit or will it reset now to another 3 years with the new unit or will there be some other arrangement (1 year?)

My ETS EC 150 also exhibits the auto shutdown fault so I have just sent it in for service. Following this with great interest.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Woozal]

I’m pretty sure they’ll keep repairing my unit or a refurb they give me for three years from the original purchase date then it’s so long sucker for me. I project that the RC airplane motor they’re using or the 2 EC boards that it needs to control it is gonna be a recall or be phased out of production, but not until suckers like me catch on to it. By the way they replaced both boards in it so far and noticed the motor was going soon. I just feel duped.  I wanted to like the brand but I am leaning toward my original choice of Mirka.  I suspect that if others don’t use the tool as much as I do so it never really shows up as faulty.  I wish someone would chime in with better results than I am getting so I could recover my thought on the brand. 

Has anyone seen the festool tracksaw video on YouTube that Boltr does? This guy is an engineer and goes through everything from the plastic composition used to the bearings being used. The construction and everything. He takes the saw apart I. Front of your eyes. Look it up. Don’t watch it if you like their tracksaw, you feel less confident afterwards.

I think they do a great job for medium to light duty, but regular daily use is, well, I’m seeing what it’s good for.  I currently went and got a cheapy dewalt ROS so I can sand while I become acquainted with the UPS clerk each week for the next 3 years.

Oh, I will keep posting the progress on this one. I’m surprised some rep from festool won’t come on and appease me. Can you tell I’m not part of the festool cult or caught the buy8ng bug? Heehee

Does anyone else have the mirka demos that can offer a comparison?

 

[promark747]

So I called to make sure what they meant by swap out my 7 month old sander that is in for its second repair. They said they would give me a reconditioned one.

Beware buyers, you are dealing with a company that will issue you a refurbished product if something goes wrong during warranty multiple times.  I asked how is it that I would know that the refurbished one has less or more hours on it than my 7 month old sander. They didn’t know.  Warranty aside, considering the lifecycle of the sander, I will be issued a sander that has already had a problem, in order to be refurbished in the first place, and probably is older than mine. So I will be cheated out of lifecycle years. 

@$600 for 7 months then it’s all uncertain used crap after that.  Heehee, definitely not a reputable business model to me. Beware if you happen to get a lemon from Festoy, you are done for.

Apple's policy is the same.

Not in my experience...Apple gave me a new 6s Plus recently when there was an issue with my battery replacement (to replace the 6s Plus I had).  It was actually pretty strange that they had a new one in stock with the same specs/color, considering it's about three generations from the current model. 

The problem with Festool is not knowing what reconditioned means.  We've seen it can mean essentially brand new, or it can mean extensively used, albeit functional.

 

[Woozal]

Agreed....to me festool warranty means cross your fingers you don’t need a repair or you have enetered their “you will not be made whole” outcome.

 

[GoingMyWay]

I wonder if I should be worried about the reconditioned ETS EC 150/5 that I just bought.  I'm thinking I should be ok as it will get very little if any use.

 

[ALI Construction]

oh wow, i got an ets ec 125/3 (same motor as ur 150 i think) and here I was about to go pick up a 5" rotex tomorrow for some stair sand down I have to do.

Does any one else makes something similar to rotex? primarily interested in fast material removal category of rotex

 

[Woozal]

oh wow, i got an ets ec 125/3 (same motor as ur 150 i think) and here I was about to go pick up a 5" rotex tomorrow for some stair sand down I have to do.

Does any one else makes something similar to rotex? primarily interested in fast material removal category of rotex

You’re correct in that the 125 is the same as the 150. In fact 125 better deal since you can put a 150 pad on it, except it might mess with airflow. Another ploy of festoy’s.  They know their victims, I mean their customers are cashed up and they go for their money.  Keep looking for another brand, I’m doing that. I’ll certainly post when I find one. I’m not looking at something like the Rolex mode but if I see some other brand I’ll help and post it for sure.

 

[Sanderxpander]

Why would you buy a 500 euro sander (I suppose a little less if reconditioned) if it will get "very little if any" use??

 

[GoingMyWay]

I only paid $383.03 (including tax) USD, which seemed like a good deal. *Most* people also seem to really like the ETS EC 150, especially for vertical sanding as it's a little lighter than the regular ETS.

I got it sort of for "just in case."  Plus the money was just burning a hole in my pocket so I had to buy it.

 

[Sanderxpander]

I wish I could call nearly 400 dollars "only"
Good on you, and yes it's a nice sander, use it!

 

[GoingMyWay]

I certainly didn't mean it to sound like that.  I definitely consider $383.03 a good amount of money, but the value proposition is there for me when you compare it to the $510 for a brand new one.  Plus I kinda have this thing about not wanting to "mess up" a brand new tool.  I don't mind when it's already been used. For example, I hate to be the first one to have to use a new jar of peanut butter - it's so pretty on top I don't want to mess it up.  I don't know what the actual terminology is for this, but I kinda think of it as OCD-like.

I have been using the regular ETS 150 that I also got from festoolrecon.com.  The extra "heft" of the regular ETS 150 is good for horizontal sanding.  I have some drywall patching that needs to be done.  Last time I did drywall work I hadn't bought anything Festool yet so I sanded by hand and there was fine dust everywhere.  I think the ETS EC 150 will very good for vertically sanding the new patch work.

 

[Sanderxpander]

Hehe I get you, saved 125 bucks instead of spent 385, sometimes it feels that way to me too

And yes for vertical it's definitely nicer than the regular ETS. Anything is doable but the weight difference is considerable. Hope it works out for you!

 

[Cheese]

Last time I did drywall work I hadn't bought anything Festool yet so I sanded by hand and there was fine dust everywhere.  I think the ETS EC 150 will very good for vertically sanding the new patch work.

I just finished mudding and sanding a bathroom using the ETS EC 125 fitted with a 150mm disc and connected to a MIDI. Pretty much almost zero dust. Easy to use on the walls and ceiling. You’ll love the experience.