First Festool Purchase: ETS-125-REQ 250 W model

[Steven Owen]

My very first Festool just arrived today.  The new 250 W ETS 125.  I bought this unit for light sanding and for light sanding between coats of marine varnish and other finishes.  The 2 mm stroke is perfect for these tasks.

I was stunned to see a sander under $300 come with a systainer of any kind.  Most companies give you a flimsy case or cheap bag with a broken stripper. 

The overall feel and quality is much higher than many of the cheaper sanders I’ve owned in the past.  The initial impression is very good.  The sander is much better built and the build quality exceeds the expectations I had when purchasing the sander.

I’ll have to take it out for a spin on the weekend to see how it performs on a couple of regular tasks.

 

[MarkRWatts]

I hope you have or are planning to get some dust extraction - the sanders come into their own if you have some.

I've recently bought into the router system (OF1400 and the CMS-OF table) and I'm just gobsmacked by how little dust there is when hooked up to a CTL-26.

 

[Steven Owen]

I hope you have or are planning to get some dust extraction - the sanders come into their own if you have some.

I've recently bought into the router system (OF1400 and the CMS-OF table) and I'm just gobsmacked by how little dust there is when hooked up to a CTL-26.

I plan to buy a Festool dust extractor after Christmas.  I was going to limp off of my Rigid shop Vac until I can buy the dust extractor in January.

 

[RKA]

That's fine, just make sure you have some way to bleed off half or more of the suction.  The sanders (unlike a router) need very little suction to perform at their best.  Too much suction and they get pulled down into the work piece which is counterproductive.