Finishing Sander Conundrum....

[Dan C]

I am sure this question has been asked and answered, but I could not find past topics that helped. 

I am Currently looking for a new, compact, fine-finish sander.  I currently use the RO150/90 and ETS 150/3 for most all of my sanding.  I was looking to pick up a slightly more compact sander to use for finishing work on 'typical' case work type projects.  Considering the DTS/RTS or the ETS 125.  I am pretty sure the DTS is out, since the RO 90 does pretty much everything it can, and then some.  I read a lot of conversation that the ETS 125 is a great finish sander as long as you understand that it is all it really does and don't expect much more aggressive sanding.  Wondering if anyone out there has experience with both/either that can shed some light on which would be a better choice.  Thank you all for your help!

 

[jacko9]

Dan, considering the sanders that you already own, the ETS125 would be a great addition.  I purchased this sander first but, returned it after two weeks to get the ETS150/3 and the RO90.  If I get another sander the ETS125 will be the one, it is a nice lightweight machine that allowed me to do vertical sanding on case sides without fatigue (I'm going on 68) and the only reason that I returned it was I needed a 6" sander for quicker material removal.  I do have regrets about returning that machine but i couldn't justify buying 3 sanders along with a supply of sanding disks at the same time.

 

[promhandicam]

I'm not sure if they are available in the US, but the Mirka Ceros is the way to go for the best ROS - very light, choice of 8mm, 5mm or 2.5mm orbits (not interchangeable) superb dx and easy to use one handed.

 

[Scott B.]

I'm gonna vote rts400 on this one, as a finish guy. There are times when rectangular is so handy.

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[score0matic]

If you want something more compact look at a mirka

 

[Kev]

Don't write the DTS400 off as being the same as the RO 90 with the delta pad - big mistake. I can imagine people bypassing the DX 93 when they have a RO 90 as the pad size is the same and does similar work.

The DTS & RTS 400 sanders are very fine finishing sanders ... as is the ETS125. Any of the 3 will do a good job for their intended purpose.

You'd be surprised how much area you can cover quickly with te DTS400. It's a good little sander.

PS - I looked at Mirka Ceros. The inconvenience of the transformer, lack of local support and price killed it for me.

 

[andvari]

I own a Mirka Ceros 6" 8mm and a ETS 150/3. The Mirka's strong point is the separation of the transformer from the head. It makes for a very light weight easy to handle unit with a lot of power. It's particularly good if you are working on vertical surfaces or if you are working with grits in the 60-200 range. I really don't do the sort of roughing work that an RO 150 would excel at.

However I would not call it a fine finish sander or really compact. The ETS 150/3 is nicer in the 200+ grit range. I was really shocked by how nice it was when I first turned it on.  When I first bought it I was wondering if I was buying something I wasn't going to use much. WRONG.

I also have a RO 90 for more compact uses. My next sander will probably be an LS130 - it seems to me that sanding profiles and such is really what I am missing. Maybe that would be something for you to consider.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I have the DTS 400, the RTS 400 and the ETS 125.

If we're talking solely about the quality of the finish, then I would go for the ETS 125, simply because it's a Random Orbit sander and the RO motion will leave a better finish than the pure orbital motion of the DTS/RTS sanders. The scratch pattern is randomised, hence the "random" in the name, and in my opinion, that makes a lot of difference. I have 6 Festool sanders in my arsenal, and the ETS 125 is definitely the one that leaves the smoothest result.
 

 

[jvang]

I am old school and have the ETS 125, love it for fine finish sanding. i have made several projects using cherry and are for my grand daughters and found no bad spots before finish and after. I also have the rts400 and love it also.

john

 

[Dan C]

Thank you all for the input...  I think that I will end up picking up the ETS 125 and go from there. 

 

[Timtool]

Dan, imagine you would have also ruled out your ETS150 because your RO150 could do all that already!
As finish sanders i have both the ETS125 and DTS400, the latter one does about 90% of my finish sanding, simply because the ETS is unsuited for most of my finish sanding!
As soon as there is one corner it drops out of the boat. It's great for pre-assembly sanding, but oftenly i don't bother and do that with my ETS150 anyway.

 

[promhandicam]

I own a Mirka Ceros 6" 8mm  . . . . However I would not call it a fine finish sander or really compact.

With an 8mm orbit what do you expect? If you want to do fine finishing only then you need the 2.5mm orbit.

 

[andvari]

I own a Mirka Ceros 6" 8mm  . . . . However I would not call it a fine finish sander or really compact.

With an 8mm orbit what do you expect? If you want to do fine finishing only then you need the 2.5mm orbit.

1. As far as I can tell the 8mm Mirka is the only stroke option available in North America.

2. I don't do only fine finish sanding. If that were the case I would have sold my Mirka after using the ETS150/3. What I don't seem to have much of a need for is a rotary mode like the Festool RO 150 has.

 

[Scott B.]

Dan, imagine you would have also ruled out your ETS150 because your RO150 could do all that already!
As finish sanders i have both the ETS125 and DTS400, the latter one does about 90% of my finish sanding, simply because the ETS is unsuited for most of my finish sanding!
As soon as there is one corner it drops out of the boat. It's great for pre-assembly sanding, but oftenly i don't bother and do that with my ETS150 anyway.

Tim,

I kind of feel the same, even though I love the ets family for the things I use them for. On finish sanding as prep for finish or in between coat knock down smooth off tools, the rts and dts are so hard to beat. The rts even shares abrasives with one of my other essentials, the ls130.

And the dust extraction is unmatched...this is with the extraction all the way down even...(which is the setting that makes it happiest in float sanding)

Non Scientific Dust Extraction Test

 

[ScotF]

I love my DTS400 for finishing and if you need bigger areas I would highly recommend the RS2E as a nice finish sander.  This bigger brother to the RTS is very maneuverable and it guarantees flat surfaces.

Scot

 

[Kev]

I love my DTS400 for finishing and if you need bigger areas I would highly recommend the RS2E as a nice finish sander.  This bigger brother to the RTS is very maneuverable and it guarantees flat surfaces.

Scot

I think the battleship could make your arm pretty tired on verticals  [big grin]