Get your RS2 E ON!

[Stephen B]

I'm pretty sure that's because the Brilliant abrasive line is being discontinued.

Yes these 1/2 sheet sanders seldom get mentioned on the FOG despite their more than usefulness in sanding larger surfaces. Although I have a Makita, I encourage others to take up erock's invitation.

And just in case you are wondering if I am hijacking the thread by mentioning another brand of Sander, have a look at the first image.  [smile]

This is the first time I have seen something from Festool actually go down in price.  The box of sandpaper in your picture, #492820, is now listed for $12.00, whereas you paid $15.00.

[size=13pt] Well gentlemen, actually that box has a sticker price in Australian, not US dollers!  [smile]

And it is now A$19.00 !  [eek] [smile]

[size=8pt][member=60452]McNally Family[/member]  [member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]

 

[McNally Family]

[size=13pt] Well gentlemen, actually that box has a sticker price in Australian, not US dollers!  [smile]

And it is now A$19.00 !  [eek] [smile]

So all things considered, a pretty good investment!

 

[Stephen B]

Well gentlemen, actually that box has a sticker price in Australian, not US dollers!  [smile]
And it is now A$19.00 !  [eek] [smile]

[size=12pt]So all things considered, a pretty good investment!

[size=13pt]
Yep, it pays to plan ahead!  [smile]

[size=8pt][member=60452]McNally Family[/member]

 

[McNally Family]

Well gentlemen, actually that box has a sticker price in Australian, not US dollers!  [smile]
And it is now A$19.00 !  [eek] [smile]

[size=12pt]So all things considered, a pretty good investment!

[size=13pt]
Yep, it pays to plan ahead!  [smile]

[size=8pt][member=60452]McNally Family[/member]

The night before this years April 1st price increase, I visited my local WoodCraft store, just to make sure there was not anything I wanted to pick up before the new prices kicked in.

In the middle of the store floor, was a huge Festool order that had just been delivered (and I do mean huge).  There was a note on the pile that said not to sell until the next day, after new pricing was coded into the store system.  Essentially, the dealer purchased these items from Festool for yesterday's price, with the intent of selling them at tomorrow's new higher prices.

In business, every little bit helps! 

 

[McNally Family]

Never understood why the US didn't get the upgraded RS200 with Plug-it [scratch chin] [sad]

I suspect North America was selected as the place to sell the remaining "corded" versions of the Festool 567696 RS 2 E Orbital Sander, and once that supply runs out, we will also get the new and improved model.  Decision now is do I wait, or just accept the cord and move on.  I really like the concept of this sander, and have several low-priority projects it would be perfect for. 

As an alternative (or runner up if you will), I am also looking at the new Festool 571897 ETS EC 125/3 EQ Compact Brushless Finish Sander.  I'm into the new technology, and suspect it is only a matter of time before all Festool sanders are brushless.

Decisions, decisions......

 

[DrD]

There have been more than one RS2 E's converted to "pigtail Plugit's" here in the US.  I cannot locate the associated threads.  Does anyone either have the parts nos or can point to a thread which gives the needed parts nos?  That info would be most helpful.  Thanks.

 

[rvieceli]

[member=19075]DrD[/member]

Those pigtail kits are NAINA (not available in North America)

Although there have been some folks that have brought some back from overseas trips or ordered from overseas dealers or eBay.

 

[idratherplaytennis]

Going back to the OP or the second post, or tying it together- I really love half-sheet sanders. I grew up sanding ONLY on a Milwaukee 1/2 sheet and when I went to buy one found out they quit manufacturing them. So I looked at the only two alternatives I would consider, Festool or the Makita (exact model in the second post). Bought the Makita and love love loved it, and I used it for EVERYTHING... until a few months ago when I bit the green bullet and got an RO 90 DX and ETS EC 150/3.

Now as others have said- I wouldn't sell it for anything, and if it ever dies, of course I'll upgrade to the Festool which I can finally afford, but until then-

A great tip I recently came across is using it on the more "rough grits" to flatten out your surface, and follow that up with some of the awesome random orbits like the ETS EC 150/3. I don't like the performance of my Makita when I tried the dust extraction- maybe because I was so used to it without it, but I've found a great work around is hit the panel with the 1/2 sheet with some 150, then follow that up with a dust attached 150/3 and it sucks up all the dust, and helps with eliminating any extra swirl marks- at least the way I use it. The way I see it though is the swirls are a fact of life, and you need to just be careful and practice a lot to avoid/minimize them.

 

[Holmz]

...
IMG_3396 by Brad Taylor, on Flickr

Looks like a plug-it sourced from Lichtenstein on that Bosch.

 

[thedude306]

Looks like a plug-it sourced from Lichtenstein on that Bosch.

Yup, I've got them on all my tools, regardless of color.

 

[idratherplaytennis]

Looks like a plug-it sourced from Lichtenstein on that Bosch.

Yup, I've got them on all my tools, regardless of color.

[eek] I never knew those existed. That's seriously cool.

 

[sae]

Looks like a plug-it sourced from Lichtenstein on that Bosch.

Yup, I've got them on all my tools, regardless of color.

[eek] I never knew those existed. That's seriously cool.

They're 3 conductor too, so you can convert non-double insulated tools that require grounds.

 

[thedude306]

they even work on festool plug its!

Untitled by Brad Taylor, on Flickr

 

[Holmz]

[member=42010]thedude306[/member] - They work best on a Mirka, as the colours are coordinated perfectly...  8)
But I should not have added the red/black sleeve cover on the Mirka...

Looks like a plug-it sourced from Lichtenstein on that Bosch.

Yup, I've got them on all my tools, regardless of color.

[eek] I never knew those existed. That's seriously cool.

They're 3 conductor too, so you can convert non-double insulated tools that require grounds.

Yep - the cord from the wall does ground, and the double insulated to not use it... But the others can or do.

Male - tool input
female = outlet from wall or extension cord.http://www.neutrik.com/en/video/powercon/powercon-true1-cable-connectors/
I have Au -> male-Nuetric.
Eu -> male-Nuetric
US220-v -> male-Nuetric

And female-Neutric -> Eu-Female
This last one is solely to use a 230 Eu charger, and a tungsten grinder, and test Eu tool before I fix up the cords.

If one was doing 110v and 230v, then they should run different connectors on different voltages:
I would use these on 110v:http://www.neutrik.com/en/video/powercon/powercon-20-a/

The good things are:
- Bayonet that cannot come undone easily
- You can buy the replacement parts
- You can connect them live and loaded.
- All the "plug-it"(s) become the same (A "system" of sorts like a DIN or SAE or ISO)
- You can have 14ga extension cords (I have 1 ~65' (20M) one), and use 16ga for the last 13' on the vacuum hose.
(Or whatever one desires to use, in SJOOW or SOOW cord)

Disadvantages:
- modification of cord.

 

[McNally Family]

One sander that you don't hear much about, the RS 2 E.  One of my favorites.

Got some boards glued up and want to keep it flat?  RS 2 E will help.
Who needs a big drum sander?  [cool]

[attachimg=1]

Let's go guys ! Share your pictures of the RS 2 E in use.  This is a woodworking forum, right?    [tongue] [tongue]

Eric

Well, just received my new (567696) RS 2E Sander today, complete with the (485647) MPE Sanding pad and (481523) Hole Punch I also ordered.  All three items arrived about 30 minutes after my VSM Vitex sheet sandpaper, 60 sheet sampler package (80,100,120,150,180,220 grit) fromhttp://vsctools.com. 

I am ready to go!

 

[Cheese]

All three items arrived about 30 minutes after my VSM Vitex sheet sandpaper, 60 sheet sampler package (80,100,120,150,180,220 grit) fromhttp://vsctools.com. 

OK, I'll bite...what's so special about Vitex sandpaper? I also noticed they don't offer anything above 220 grit.

Here's an interesting video.

 

[McNally Family]

Well, this is the same sandpaper being used in the video you provided, by the owner ofhttp://vsctools.com/shop/product-category/vsm-vitex-sandpaper/.

For the higher grits, he suggests Mirka Gold (the three samples on the right of the screen are the Mirka).  I also ordered 220 and 320 of the Mirka fromhttp://beavertools.com, but it has not yet arrived.  They have even higher grits in the Mirka Gold of 400, 500, 600 and 800, but the highest I ordered was the 320.

As you already know, the fellow in the video is "AskWoodMan", and he has produced many video's for You Tube.  Here is another one concerning how to use the RS 2E's hole punch.

 

[McNally Family]

I forgot to add this link for VSM that will explain their product line and history.  They are a German company, located in Hannover, Germany.  The paper in the video is listed in their catalog as KP508E Paper (which is "E" weight paper).  It shows you can go as low as 24 and as high as 220 with this particular series.  They have other products that have both higher and lower grits.
http://us.vsmabrasives.com/wp-content/uploads/literature/1419/vsm-product-solutions-for-web1.pdf

Here is another link where he shares all his sanding tips, with links to his youtube videos and his company site:
http://askwoodman.com/2010/06/12/important-sanding-tip-for-all-woodworkers/

Here is one of my favorite video's he has made, this one dealing with the idea of extending the life of your sandpaper and not throwing away paper that can still serve a purpose:

 

[McNally Family]

**It would not surprise me at all if it turned out VSM, or a company just like it (German),  made Festool sandpaper.......

 

[Holmz]

**It would not surprise me at all if it turned out VSM, or a company just like it (German),  made Festool sandpaper.......

You can take it for Granit  [wink]