Festools In My Cart. Opinions.

[Staniam]

Hey guys,

    So I've got an RO 125, Ti15 Basic and 4ah 15v battery in my Amazon shopping cart right now but I want your opinions before I click the mouse.

    I need an Impact for an upcoming stair/deck build and install. I have a T12 set and I know the 12v batteries will work with the Ti15 but I still want to get at least one 15v battery.

Am I making the right choice in buying a 15v battery or do you think I'm ok with two 12v batteries for now? I could potentially use that $100 or so to get some accessories for the RO 125 or any of my other tools.

    I plan on using the Ti15 as a dedicated impact driver which is why I thought getting a 15v battery would be a good decision. Eventually I plan on selling my T12 and upgrading to a T15.

suggestions?

   

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

I would strongly consider not buying the ti15 and look else where for an impact driver. 

My 18v festool drill will out drive my brushless makita impact.

 

[Benjamin]

yes and the RO 150 is well known to be the best rotex sander.... you might want to consider looking into it.

 

[Staniam]

I was thinking about the 150 but the 125 is a 5" which is what I'm used to and also seems better for me in terms of size and the fact I won't be doing a lot of huge projects where the 6" would be needed.
    What's your opinions or experiences on the size/handle difference between the 125 and 150?
    As far as the Ti15 is concerned, I don't plan on buying a T18, but a T15, yes. I figured it would be a good combo.

 

[Gary in Texas]

Do a search on the forum on the RO125 and RO150, you will find many prefer the larger sander.  Many users report it is easier to use and handle than the 125. 

Suggest you also search posts on the Ti-15 before deciding on it. 

I used my C-15 and T-18 today, found I preferred the C-15 over the T-18, just opposite of what I thought my preference would be..... Not to say anything negative about the T-18 (kinda hard to find anything not to like!!!), but using the C-15 while modifying a cabinet in my shop today just seemed to fit and function nicely.

 

[NHSP759]

Stainiam, I have the ES125 and love it. I can't say I've tried any of the 150s but combined with my RO90 my projects come out fantastic. I am still considering the RO150 however. As far as the impact or goes, I like mine. I'm in the minority on the site however. If your invested in the Centrotec series and bought yourself the Centrotec installers set it'd be a decent purchase in my opinion. But....I have the IDH182 from Bosch on the way and that will probably be my mainstay impactor. It has a lot more power and the addition of the socket is useful. Also, I have the TI15+3 and have been using that a lot the last few days with my basement shop remodel. I bought it last winter and Absolutely love the drill. Super comfortable and really light. If your a pro though, you might want that 18v system. My 15v would out perform my old Milwaukee drill but the 18v has a lot more power and suits this poster just fine. I've used it in a couple of remodels and it is keeping up just fine.

 

[ear3]

You know they're discontinuing the Ti15, right?  Don't you get an employee discount because of your place of employment?  Why not get the Milwaukee, which from most of the reviews I've read exceeds the Ti15 in power (I have the Milwaukee, but have never used the Ti15 outside of a demo environment, so I can't speak from personal experience).

Hey guys,

    So I've got an RO 125, Ti15 Basic and 4ah 15v battery in my Amazon shopping cart right now but I want your opinions before I click the mouse.

    I need an Impact for an upcoming stair/deck build and install. I have a T12 set and I know the 12v batteries will work with the Ti15 but I still want to get at least one 15v battery.

Am I making the right choice in buying a 15v battery or do you think I'm ok with two 12v batteries for now? I could potentially use that $100 or so to get some accessories for the RO 125 or any of my other tools.

    I plan on using the Ti15 as a dedicated impact driver which is why I thought getting a 15v battery would be a good decision. Eventually I plan on selling my T12 and upgrading to a T15.

suggestions?

 

 

[Benjamin]

Yes my Milwaukee is great ( and I love festool so don't gete wrong )
But Milwaukee's brushless tools are pretty impressive .

I just changed the wheels to my truck with my Milwaukee 18v brushless impact driver, impressive the power.

IMO I would buy something else and spend more money on other festool. Even a C style drill for all the range of attachment. As you never can have enough Festool..... Trust me

 

[RKA]

Have you thought about giving some of the smaller Festool dealers a try?  I'm a die hard amazon fan, however their packaging sucks, which can lead to hassles with returns/exchanges of damaged goods.  And the bigger/heavier the item, the more issues you can expect in transit.  The festool dealers I have worked with have been over the top excellent (better than amazon in every way).  They also offer free shipping.  They can't always match Amazon's order fulfillment speed, but they don't lag far behind, and depending on their distance to you, it might even be faster than Amazon!  Some of those dealers in no particular order are:

Bob Marino (google for his website)
Tool-home.com (Tom)
Festoolproducts.com (aka Tool Nut)

The best part is if you have a question about a product, usage, etc., these guys know a thing or two about what they sell!  You'll get honest advice and if they don't know, they'll find the answer and get back to you.  And they won't make you feel like you stepped into a car dealership!  They won't push a sale, they are just there to help.  The only knock is some of the websites aren't the best for online ordering.  But Festool USA's website is very good, so if you find what you want there, grab the 6 digit product ID and put it into the search box on the dealer's website and you'll find it, add to cart and the rest is easy.  If you still have trouble, call them.  You'll be surprised to see they may answer the phone at all [reasonable] hours!

 

[Runhard]

I would definitely recommend using one of the dealers that RKA listed. They are active on the FOG and I highly recommend Bob and Tom!

http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com
http://www.tool-home.com/products/catalog/

Personally I prefer the RO150 over the RO125. The RO150, ETS150 and RO90 are a great combination if you want to add to your collection over time.

I agree with the others and would not purchase the Ti15. You would be better served with a T15,or T18 and a Milwaukee Fuel 18v impact.

Good luck,

Daniel

 

[gsdvorak]

I was looking at the Ti15 when it was first released- my Festool rep (who was in town for a woodworking show) advised me to get the T18+3 set instead.  At the time I was hesitant to spend $600+ on a new drill since I had a couple nice Bosch drills; however, when I wanted to get a battery for my syslite, I compared buying the battery/charger vs. getting the drill and decided to take the plunge on the T18.  Since then, I have been extremely happy with the purchase and now I only use two drills- CXS and T18 for everything I do. 

Full disclosure:  I build furniture and have not used to build stairs or deck, but it drives screws in hard maple, oak, and other hardwoods I use without an issue.  I don't think you would be disappointed.

Concerning the RO125:  I have one- and just received an RO150 for Christmas from my 'Festool compatible wife'.  I LOVE my RO125 and use it along with my ETS125.  I have only sanded 3 table tops with the RO150 since receiving it, but I have to say that I like how that sands better than the RO125.  I thought it would be more difficult to control because of its size, but seemed very balanced and a joy to use.  Again, only used briefly but impressed so far.  I would be curious to know if others have had the RO125, got the RO150, and what their results were?

Happy New Year and good luck with your purchase.

Regards,
Gerald

 

[Staniam]

First off, thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the input.

Although I work at the Orange box, I don't get a discount as the company does not offer one for employees (they have absurdly great benefits, bonuses and other programs instead). The M18 Fuel I use every day in my shop is incredible, one reason I wanted to go with the Ti15 is because the people who said they use it as a dedicated impact driver say they love it (did the search here) and I also sold off all my 1/4" hex bits in November and bought the Installers kit.

This doesn't mean I have to with the Ti15, it just means I have a lot invested in Centrotec. So, if you guys think I shouldn't go with the Ti15, I can get the T18, sell off my T12 and use those funds for other Festool stuff.

As far as the RO 125, does anyone else have experience using the 125 and the 150? My heart was kinda set on the 125 for its medium size, price and because of the youtube videos I watched along with reviews. That being said I have noticed a lot of people liking the 150 or 90 better.

 

[VW mick]

Staniam

I've got the RO 125 it was my first festool sander and I love it .its  a bit lively but once you have the hang of it You can't fault it

As for drills I've recently got a CSX and a centrotec assembly set I really love it every thing is such good quality it makes you wonder why you've struggled with crap for so long .im also holding fire on the impacts (they have been discontinued in the uk)
I will stick to my Panasonic for a while and see what comes out

I'm thinking 18v impact

 

[ear3]

I can't speak to the 125 vs 150 comparison, I can only say that the 150 is amazingly well-balanced -- even more so than the 90.  I don't have any fear when sanding a piece that is slightly smaller than the 6" pad.  But one thing to consider is the long term planning of tool selection.  From a one size fits all perspective, the 125 might be ideal.  But if you plan on adding more sanders, it might make sense to get the 150.  When I was considering which Rotex to get, I was trying to decide b/w the 90 and the 125.  I ended up going with the R090, because I needed to strip some narrow boards for a house renovation project.  The delta pad is a huge plus as well, and sands better than any delta sander I've handled.  Then I was on a job, and I was faced with sanding many hundreds of square feet of paneling.  So I got the 150 to make quick work of it.  Now I have the 90 for small pieces and the 150 for large ones, and have yet to encounter a situation where I said to myself, I wish I had gotten the 125 instead.

The other thing to consider with the 150 is that it has the same profile as the Shinex, so you get to use all of those accessories if you want to use it as a polisher.

First off, thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate the input.

Although I work at the Orange box, I don't get a discount as the company does not offer one for employees (they have absurdly great benefits, bonuses and other programs instead). The M18 Fuel I use every day in my shop is incredible, one reason I wanted to go with the Ti15 is because the people who said they use it as a dedicated impact driver say they love it (did the search here) and I also sold off all my 1/4" hex bits in November and bought the Installers kit.

This doesn't mean I have to with the Ti15, it just means I have a lot invested in Centrotec. So, if you guys think I shouldn't go with the Ti15, I can get the T18, sell off my T12 and use those funds for other Festool stuff.

As far as the RO 125, does anyone else have experience using the 125 and the 150? My heart was kinda set on the 125 for its medium size, price and because of the youtube videos I watched along with reviews. That being said I have noticed a lot of people liking the 150 or 90 better.

 

[Staniam]

But....I have the IDH182 from Bosch on the way and that will probably be my mainstay impactor. It has a lot more power and the addition of the socket is useful. Also, I have the TI15+3 and have been using that a lot the last few days with my basement shop remodel. I bought it last winter and Absolutely love the drill. Super comfortable and really light. If your a pro though, you might want that 18v system. My 15v would out perform my old Milwaukee drill but the 18v has a lot more power and suits this poster just fine. I've used it in a couple of remodels and it is keeping up just fine.

ChrisK1970, I've looked into the Bosch IDH before and really liked what I saw. Now, I'm looking into it again and that starts with driving down the street to the blue box. I may get that and buy some needed accessories for my other Christmas tools and RO 125 which I've decided on going with.

 

[sae]

Heh, you can't buy the IDH182 at HD?

I swear I've seen plenty of other Bosch stuff floating around. The only thing I've gone into Lowe's for recently was varathane (rebranded at Lowe's actually as Ultimate Polyurethane), because someone cleaned out the HD. HD 99% of the time.

Anyways, I like my RO150 too. I'll pick it up before my RO90 if I'm working on a job where I could choose between the two.

 

[Staniam]

Heh, you can't buy the IDH182 at HD?

I swear I've seen plenty of other Bosch stuff floating around. The only thing I've gone into Lowe's for recently was varathane (rebranded at Lowe's actually as Ultimate Polyurethane), because someone cleaned out the HD. HD 99% of the time.

Anyways, I like my RO150 too. I'll pick it up before my RO90 if I'm working on a job where I could choose between the two.

My Home Depot, and really the Home Depots in my region, do not carry Bosch cordless drills in store. I'll also be the first to say that while I want to support my company first, shipping takes almost two weeks. I'm better off either going down the street or ordering it elsewhere.

 

[SS Teach]

Personally I prefer Bob Marino, or Tool Home for Festool purchases. Free shipping and no sales tax do it for me. The packaging is outstanding. It does take a week to get to me but what I. do order arrives unharmed. There have been posts on FOG which have been less than complimentary when it comes to packaging from Amazon. I have e-mailed both Bob Marino and Tom at ToolHome and recieved replies in less then 5 minutes.

 

[Wooden Skye]

RO150 would be my recommendation.  I have the ETS 150/3 and the hand sanding blocks and the 150 abrasives work with both.

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

I agree with everyone else not to buy the ti15.  I own a milwaukee impact and it works great.  I recently took off my riding lawn mower blades with it.  I think it was 1 1/4 in socket or 1 1/8 and it worked great.  I would look at getting a Milwaukee Fuel Impact or a a t15 or t18.  I personally hate the sound a impact makes and rarely use mine.