Functional differences between the RO150 and RO125 Sanders

[waynew]

Hello,

I am considering the purchase of one of these sanders and want to be sure of the functional differences of these two.
The only difference I can see is the larger disk for the 150 (150mm). I'm not sure about sanding modes etc etc..

Thanks,
Wayne

 

[Bob Marino]

  Wayne,

There are differences, some subtle, some not so. The 150 is larger, heavier by about 1/2 lb, more powerful 720 watts vs 500, larger orbit 5 mm vs 3.6 mm, sealed motor, removeable dust port are some differences that come to mind.
Even though more powerful, the 150 is a smoother sander. Also, just by virtue of the larger pad, is way faster than the 125.
But it's what applications that you will be using the sanders for that should way heavier on your choice of sander.

Bob

 

[Lou Miller]

There's the ninny factor too. Some people think the 150's are too heavy for overhead use. They just need to eat their Wheaties

I'm kidding...

I had 5" sanders all of my life until I bought the RO150 and the ETS150/3. I'll never go back.

 

[jimg]

Lou, like Wayne I'm trying to figure out which sander I need. I was leaning towards the RO 150 FEQ over the ETS 150/3EQ until I had a chance to actually look at them side by side. I like the multi faceted aspect of the RO, but the ETS seems to be much more ergonomically designed and easier to use. Looking at the photos of your work I would guess that you use the ETS more than the RO, is that right? What type of job has you reaching for the RO rather than the ETS, and looking back are you glad that you bought both or could the ETS do it all? I'm not adverse to buying both if they get used, but I hate to see an expensive tool sitting on the shelf.

 

[Dave Rudy]

Lou, like Wayne I'm trying to figure out which sander I need. I was leaning towards the RO 150 FEQ over the ETS 150/3EQ until I had a chance to actually look at them side by side. I like the multi faceted aspect of the RO, but the ETS seems to be much more ergonomically designed and easier to use. Looking at the photos of your work I would guess that you use the ETS more than the RO, is that right? What type of job has you reaching for the RO rather than the ETS, and looking back are you glad that you bought both or could the ETS do it all? I'm not adverse to buying both if they get used, but I hate to see an expensive tool sitting on the shelf.

Jim,

My choice was the ETS, although I will be getting the RO when the pennies accumulate sufficiently.  They are quite different tools.  The RO is both direct drive and random orbit, so it is capable of many more tasks from rough stock removal to polishing.  The ETS is a dedicated random orbit sander.  It is lighter and works more easily one-handed in my estimation.  For less agressive, typical sanding vs polishing type operations, I think it is the best choice.

Dave

 

[John Langevin]

I have Rotex 150 E and love its versatility and rate of stock removal. My question is: Is there a visibly noticable difference when you get to the higher grits and polishing with the ETS 150/3? For those of you who own both, at what point do you switch to the ETS 150/3?

 

[waynew]

   Wayne,

There are differences, some subtle, some not so. The 150 is larger, heavier by about 1/2 lb, more powerful 720 watts vs 500, larger orbit 5 mm vs 3.6 mm, sealed motor, removeable dust port are some differences that come to mind.
Even though more powerful, the 150 is a smoother sander. Also, just by virtue of the larger pad, is way faster than the 125.
But it's what applications that you will be using the sanders for that should way heavier on your choice of sander.

Bob

The application is the number one factor but I'd also like to get to know about the other more subtle differences between the two. I'm strickly a hobbist doing everything from small fine furniture pieces to sanding old paint off the exterior of my house to sanding small sections of new wooden flooring. I'm now thinking I need two units, the RO150 and perhaps the ES125EQ (does this have DC port for vac?). ANy comments appreciated.

Thanks,
Wayne

 

[Bob Marino]

I have Rotex 150 E and love its versatility and rate of stock removal. My question is: Is there a visibly noticable difference when you get to the higher grits and polishing with the ETS 150/3? For those of you who own both, at what point do you switch to the ETS 150/3?

  John,

For me it is ergonomics. I use the Rotex for grits up to 150, then switch to the EST150/3 for higher grits. It is simply lighter and smoother. Also, theoretically, the 150/3 leaves a finer finish. I say theoretically beacause I have not noticed a difference.

Bob

 

[John Langevin]

Bob, that's the most obvious thing I can see, along with the more compact footprint. When using the RO 150E at what point(s) do you switch modes? Say you are removing a finish and you start with 50 grit in rotary mode, do you then switch to orbital mode (again with 50 grit) before moving up to 80 grit or do you simply use rotary mode for only the coarsest grits and then at say 150 grit switch to orbital and stay there for all subsequent grits?

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi John,

As you suggest, the rotary mode is only used when removing a lot of stock.  I always switch to RO mode with that same grit before proceeding to finer grits as the rotary mode can leave some relatively deep scratches.  Unless I am carving I seldom start with anything coarser than 60 grit and often I start with 120 grit.  Rotarty mode followed by RO mode with that same grit.  From there on you are only taking out the scratch marks left by the previous grit and putting in finer scratch marks from the grit you are using.  Progressing through the grits takes you to the point that you can no longer see the scratch marks left by the last grit you used.  So, I only use the orbital mode with grits below 120 and only RO mode from there up.

Jerry

Bob, that's the most obvious thing I can see, along with the more compact footprint. When using the RO 150E at what point(s) do you switch modes? Say you are removing a finish and you start with 50 grit in rotary mode, do you then switch to orbital mode (again with 50 grit) before moving up to 80 grit or do you simply use rotary mode for only the coarsest grits and then at say 150 grit switch to orbital and stay there for all subsequent grits?

 

[Bob Marino]

Bob, that's the most obvious thing I can see, along with the more compact footprint. When using the RO 150E at what point(s) do you switch modes? Say you are removing a finish and you start with 50 grit in rotary mode, do you then switch to orbital mode (again with 50 grit) before moving up to 80 grit or do you simply use rotary mode for only the coarsest grits and then at say 150 grit switch to orbital and stay there for all subsequent grits?

John,

Nothing written in stone here; others may do it differently. I do not sand 50 grit in rotary mode and then switch to ros mode. I use the rotary mode up to 80 grit most times. And at 80, after sanding in the rotary mode, I switch to the ros mode. All sanding is then done in the ros mode.

Bob

 

[Bob Marino]

The application is the number one factor but I'd also like to get to know about the other more subtle differences between the two. I'm strickly a hobbist doing everything from small fine furniture pieces to sanding old paint off the exterior of my house to sanding small sections of new wooden flooring. I'm now thinking I need two units, the RO150 and perhaps the ES125EQ (does this have DC port for vac?). ANy comments appreciated.

Thanks,
Wayne

Wayne,

All Festool tools, except the drills;>) have integral dc. What you have suggested is perfectly fine. Use the ES 125 for smaller items/applications where a 6" sander wouldn't be ideal and the larger sander for the rest of the "stuff". Some people like the Ro150 AND ets 150/3 combo as they share the same 6" paper. Truly your call.

Bob

 

[waynew]

Some people like the Ro150 AND ets 150/3 combo as they share the same 6" paper. Truly your call.

Bob

The idea of going with the ES125 is to have a smaller pad which would be more ideal for furniture work where there are lots of small pieces, if I were to go with the ets150/3 to save a few bucks on sandpaper I think this would be a mistake.

thanks for your input
Wayne

 

[Bob Marino]

he idea of going with the ES125 is to have a smaller pad which would be more ideal for furniture work where there are lots of small pieces, if I were to go with the ets150/3 to save a few bucks on sandpaper I think this would be a mistake.

thanks for your input
Wayne

  Agreed!!

Bob

 

[Lou Miller]

Lou, like Wayne I'm trying to figure out which sander I need. I was leaning towards the RO 150 FEQ over the ETS 150/3EQ until I had a chance to actually look at them side by side. I like the multi faceted aspect of the RO, but the ETS seems to be much more ergonomically designed and easier to use. Looking at the photos of your work I would guess that you use the ETS more than the RO, is that right? What type of job has you reaching for the RO rather than the ETS, and looking back are you glad that you bought both or could the ETS do it all? I'm not adverse to buying both if they get used, but I hate to see an expensive tool sitting on the shelf.

Jim,

You're correct in that most of my work requires just the use of the ETS150. When sanding panels, doors, cabinet carcasses, etc, the ETS is clearly the sander I prefer. Its so much easier to control. I've actually spent entire 8 hour days with it my hand from the the time I started until the time I quit and it never tired my arm out. I don't use it to remove tons of material though. Most of my work with it is finish sanding. I go right from the planer or jointer to the sander with 150 grit most of the time.

IMO, there's a huge difference in ergonomics between the two sanders (RO150 and ETS 150/3-5). I really like the versatility of the RO, but I'm not a big fan of how it feels in my hands. I like to hold tools with one hand and be able to do it comfortably for long periods of time. That just isn't the case with the RO. I do use it one handed, but doing it for long periods of time is tiring. I personally notice a difference between the scratch patterns produced with the RO and the ETS too.

For me, the RO is used much like a belt sander is used. Any kind of heavy sanding task and the RO gets pulled out. If I'm stripping something, or leveling something, it works great for that. Probably my biggest use of the tool is for scribing things. I much prefer to scribe things with a sander instead of a jigsaw (I don't like jigsaws all that much). The Rotex has almost made my jigsaw obsolete.

While the ETS gets probably 10 times more use with me, both tools have their place. I wouldn't give either of them up. As to whether or not you could get by with just one or the other, that really depends on the work you do. The Rotex is more versatile and it can be used as a finish sander if you want to deal with the extra weight and all. The ETS, doesn't have enough bite to handle some jobs though. The 150/5 is probably a decent compromise as it'll be more aggressive than the 150/3. I personally wouldn't have any use for a 150/5 though.

 

[jimg]

Thanks Lou, a nice summary, that is exactly what I was looking for. I was keen on the RO 150 until I had it in my hand. I think that I'll try the ETS 150 with the option of adding the RO if I need to.

 

[HowardH]

I only have the RO version but trying to use it one handed gets tiring.  I'm figuring once my mft arrives tomorrow, I can adequately hold the work so I can use both hands on the sander.  It's a substantial machine but the smoothness it leaves with the 180 grit is simply unbelievable. 

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Wayne,
This is a close call!

I've used both the RO 150 and the RO 125, and both of them are such great sanders.

As far as functional differences go, except for size, both sanders remove material equally fast, and both do a fine job (no pun intended) at higher grits.  In fact, a lot of people in this forum use their Rotex sanders for all stages of sanding (John Lucas is an example).  Then again, some people like to save it for the rough stuff (As Lou Miller mentions).

Both sanders have amazing dust collection.  Both sanders are a bit loud in their "Rotex" mode.  The design of most of the controls is the same (the rubberized gripping area, barrel handle, speed control, mode switch, and power switch).  Both sanders have round dust ports with ribbed walls that hold the hose on securely, and both use the Plug-It power cords.

There is a slight difference in the way the sanding pad is removed on the two sanders.

The main obvious difference is the size of the two sanders.  The weight difference between the two sanders is significant enough that you'll feel less fatigue if you have to sand a vertical or overhead surface for any length of time.  If you do a lot of vertical or overhead sanding, the RO 125 may be better.

On the other hand, if you are sanding a lot of horizontal surfaces, then the RO 150 is usually better, since it covers a wider area.  I say "usually because, many times, when I need to sand narrow horizontal surfaces, I reach for the RO 125.

Also, keep in mind that the RO 150 has an edge guard -- a terrific enhancement that allows you to get up close to an edge without damaging it (or the sanding pad).

Sorry if I've just gone and confused you!

By the way, I have posted two reviews of the new Rotex RO sanders in the forum.  One review discusses the RO 125 (comparing it to the older version of the RO 150), and the other review discusses the new RO 150, with some comparison between it and the RO 125.

Here are links to my reviews:
RO 125 Review
RO 150 Review

Feel free to post follow-up questions on this.

Stay in touch,
Matthew

 

[VictorL]

Also, keep in mind that the RO 150 has an edge guard -- a terrific enhancement that allows you to get up close to an edge without damaging it (or the sanding pad).

I received my RO-125 with edge guard.

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Victor,
I didn't receive an edge guard with my RO 125, and I don't see it listed as an accessory on the Festool USA site.  Also, when I look at my RO 125, I don't see the track that would accept the edge guard.

Is there perhaps an updated model of this sander?

Just to be clear, here's the part we're talking about:

Curious,
Matthew