Have a Rotex RO 150 want to buy an ETS EC 150 - 5mm or 3mm stroke???

presidentsdad

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Jan 15, 2019
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Hey all...I could swear I'd seen this conversation before, but for some reason I cannot find it tonight.  Anyway...I have an RO 150 and like it, but it is a bit heavy for larger projects.  So...I'd like to add an ETS EC 150 sander to my collection, but which would be better for my situation, the 5mm stroke or the 3mm stroke?  I mainly do cabinets, shop type projects, and some furniture building.  Probably nothing anyone would call fine furniture.  Mainly wondering if the 3mm would be a better addition since the RO 150 will already do 5mm in ROS mode.  Or if the 5mm would just be better overall for my needs and just stick the RO 150 in Rotex (geared) mode.  Need some help please!  :)
 
presidentsdad said:
Hey all...I could swear I'd seen this conversation before, but for some reason I cannot find it tonight.  Anyway...I have an RO 150 and like it, but it is a bit heavy for larger projects.  So...I'd like to add an ETS EC 150 sander to my collection, but which would be better for my situation, the 5mm stroke or the 3mm stroke?  I mainly do cabinets, shop type projects, and some furniture building.  Probably nothing anyone would call fine furniture.  Mainly wondering if the 3mm would be a better addition since the RO 150 will already do 5mm in ROS mode.  Or if the 5mm would just be better overall for my needs and just stick the RO 150 in Rotex (geared) mode.  Need some help please!  :)

If you truly need an ETS EC, and a 3mm stroke, the usual recommendation these days is the ETS EC 125/3, with a 150 pad.

I've spoken to at least one person who says that an ETS EC 150/5 would be completely redundant if one already owned an RO 150.  That said, the ETS EC 150/5 is still easier to handle than the Rotex for extended periods of time if you want/need the 5mm stroke.
 
Presidentsdad is.correct the RO150 has a 5mm stroke. So buy a 150/3 or a 125/3 and change the pad.
 
I have an RO150 and an ETS EC 150/3.

I do cabinetry and furniture, mainly solid hardwood, and would not be without either.

I find the 3mm stroke ideal for fine finishing.

I didn’t bother with the 125 with the 150 pad option as I wanted to stick with one abrasive size.

I rarely use the RO150 in random orbital mode except for outdoor furniture/deck restoration where I can get away with a single sander.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If you have Rotex, a 3 mm sander as complement seems a no-brainer to me. Get the 125 with an extra 150 mm pad for versatility.
 
I am in the same situation as Ceejay. I have both the RO150 and the ETS EC 150/3 and wouldn't want to part with either of them. For economic reasons I wanted to stick to just one size of pads (150 mm), because I already had a sizeable collection of those. Already owning a DTS 400 played a significant role in that decision. To me this combination of sanders is just about perfect. With this combo I can do very rough sanding, finish sanding, large surfaces, and areas you can't reach without a delta sander.

I have thought of getting the ETS ES 125 because of the new angle attachment (AH-ES-ETS), but now that I know you can adapt it to fit on the DTS I will probably do that. I know the paper will not wear evenly, but a few more sheets of paper are cheaper than a whole new sander with differently sized paper.

I copied an idea from a fellow FOGer here (I think it was Cheese) that I hope will help somewhat. With this jig (the upper one) you can easily cut the sheets of abrasive for the DTS and rotate them. I suspect it might not fix the whole issue with uneven wear, because it helps only for the tip of the paper. But it might offset it just enough to be helpful. I will find out by the time I finally get the AH-ES-ETS. We'll
see.

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presidentsdad said:
Hey all...I could swear I'd seen this conversation before, but for some reason I cannot find it tonight.  Anyway...I have an RO 150 and like it, but it is a bit heavy for larger projects.  So...I'd like to add an ETS EC 150 sander to my collection, but which would be better for my situation, the 5mm stroke or the 3mm stroke?  I mainly do cabinets, shop type projects, and some furniture building.  Probably nothing anyone would call fine furniture.  Mainly wondering if the 3mm would be a better addition since the RO 150 will already do 5mm in ROS mode.  Or if the 5mm would just be better overall for my needs and just stick the RO 150 in Rotex (geared) mode.  Need some help please!  :)

Lol it was probably me that started the thread. I have a RO150 and only want one size of abrasive and was thinking the ets ec 150/3 as well. I haven’t gotten around to buying yet but that’s what’s next. 

I’m just a diy guy and didn’t want to take up more space with a diff size abrasive and didn’t want to spend the additional money .
 
hdv said:
I am in the same situation as Ceejay. I have both the RO150 and the ETS EC 150/3 and wouldn't want to part with either of them. For economic reasons I wanted to stick to just one size of pads (150 mm), because I already had a sizeable collection of those. Already owning a DTS 400 played a significant role in that decision. To me this combination of sanders is just about perfect. With this combo I can do very rough sanding, finish sanding, large surfaces, and areas you can't reach without a delta sander.

I have thought of getting the ETS ES 125 because of the new angle attachment (AH-ES-ETS), but now that I know you can adapt it to fit on the DTS I will probably do that. I know the paper will not wear evenly, but a few more sheets of paper are cheaper than a whole new sander with differently sized paper.

Hey snap hdv, I also have a DTS as my third and final sander. I got the edge-guide attachment and it works great. I don’t think it wears the paper much rather than the paper needs cleaning off fairly regularly as usually the holes don’t cover the edge so the paper tends to clog unless it’s scrubbed off regularly.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I've had all three. If you think the Rotex is on the heavy side and you have no problems with the current 5mm stroke I'd get the 150 5mm. Otherwise it's likely you'll end up sanding everything with the 150 3mm rather than starting with the Rotex and finishing with the 3mm.
 
Thanks all. I appreciate the responses.  I recently made a 7.25' (88") wooden countertop and corresponding cabinet and used the RO 150 to do the whole thing.  It was fine except it's pretty heavy for that many hours of sanding and a bit cumbersome on the edge of the door frames.  I realize the RO 150 in ROS is a 5mm stroke.  Is there any disadvantage to going with the 3mm stroke on the ETS EC 150?  In my head, I was thinking 5mm stroke for an all around kind of device and that 3mm might be a bit slower, but was looking for some folks (like you all) with actual experience to weigh in on one vs the other.  At the time I bought the RO 150, my financial situation dictated an "all-in-one" solution, but some finances have freed up and I'd like to keep the RO 150 for coarse and medium stuff and add the ETS EC for medium to (potentially) fine work.  Although probably won't ever go past 320 grit on any of them.  Thanks for your help.
 
[member=72399]CeeJay[/member] : that's good to know! Thanks for that information. I already do regularly clean all my abrasives with a stick during use, so that habit will come in handy when I finally do get that edge-guide.
 
presidentsdad said:
Thanks all. I appreciate the responses.  I recently made a 7.25' (88") wooden countertop and corresponding cabinet and used the RO 150 to do the whole thing.  It was fine except it's pretty heavy for that many hours of sanding and a bit cumbersome on the edge of the door frames.  I realize the RO 150 in ROS is a 5mm stroke.  Is there any disadvantage to going with the 3mm stroke on the ETS EC 150?  In my head, I was thinking 5mm stroke for an all around kind of device and that 3mm might be a bit slower, but was looking for some folks (like you all) with actual experience to weigh in on one vs the other.  At the time I bought the RO 150, my financial situation dictated an "all-in-one" solution, but some finances have freed up and I'd like to keep the RO 150 for coarse and medium stuff and add the ETS EC for medium to (potentially) fine work.  Although probably won't ever go past 320 grit on any of them.  Thanks for your help.
I see the 3mm stroke the "universal" one with the finish sanders being 2mm or so and the non-rotary RTS/DTS being even finer than that.

The 5mm stroke ETS is in my view a good choice if one wants to have something more aggressive on hand, avoiding the need for a Rotex.

If you have the Rotex 150, combination with the ETS EC 125/3 (+ 150 pad) is very popular for the flexibility as one can avoid a need for dedicated finish sander that way. Then you only need a DTS or other delta and are set for a full range of tasks.
 
For what it's worth - I had a ETS EC 150/3 on backorder since late November 2020 and recently gave up my wait, cancelled backorder, and purchased the ETS 150/3 which is more readily available. It has far exceeded any expectations and is a pleasure to use. Mostly working on cabinets made of ply...6-inch disks are speeding up everything (vs. ETS 125 I was previously using), getting a terrific finish, and no hand fatigue. I especially like the trigger and the sander does the work with little effort. 
 
SDWW2019 said:
For what it's worth - I had a ETS EC 150/3 on backorder since late November 2020 and recently gave up my wait, cancelled backorder, and purchased the ETS 150/3 which is more readily available. It has far exceeded any expectations and is a pleasure to use. Mostly working on cabinets made of ply...6-inch disks are speeding up everything (vs. ETS 125 I was previously using), getting a terrific finish, and no hand fatigue. I especially like the trigger and the sander does the work with little effort.

Well that all makes sense because before the ETS EC was released the ETS 150 was promoted to be the Cadillac sander of their line.
 
mino said:
presidentsdad said:
Thanks all. I appreciate the responses.  I recently made a 7.25' (88") wooden countertop and corresponding cabinet and used the RO 150 to do the whole thing.  It was fine except it's pretty heavy for that many hours of sanding and a bit cumbersome on the edge of the door frames.  I realize the RO 150 in ROS is a 5mm stroke.  Is there any disadvantage to going with the 3mm stroke on the ETS EC 150?  In my head, I was thinking 5mm stroke for an all around kind of device and that 3mm might be a bit slower, but was looking for some folks (like you all) with actual experience to weigh in on one vs the other.  At the time I bought the RO 150, my financial situation dictated an "all-in-one" solution, but some finances have freed up and I'd like to keep the RO 150 for coarse and medium stuff and add the ETS EC for medium to (potentially) fine work.  Although probably won't ever go past 320 grit on any of them.  Thanks for your help.
I see the 3mm stroke the "universal" one with the finish sanders being 2mm or so and the non-rotary RTS/DTS being even finer than that.

The 5mm stroke ETS is in my view a good choice if one wants to have something more aggressive on hand, avoiding the need for a Rotex.

If you have the Rotex 150, combination with the ETS EC 125/3 (+ 150 pad) is very popular for the flexibility as one can avoid a need for dedicated finish sander that way. Then you only need a DTS or other delta and are set for a full range of tasks.

So you are thinking since I have a RO150 (that can do 5mm on ROS mode) that the ETS EC 150/3 would be a better addition than the 150/5?
 
presidentsdad said:
So you are thinking since I have a RO150 (that can do 5mm on ROS mode) that the ETS EC 150/3 would be a better addition than the 150/5?

I can't speak for mino, but it seems the general recommendation is the ETS EC 125/3. You'd then purchase any pads you want, but instead of pads for the 125, you're purchasing ETS EC 150 pads as those fit the ETS EC 125. Then, you have a 5" and 6" sander. Share abrasives with your RO 150 and have the ability to go smaller if you want.
 
Chainring said:
presidentsdad said:
So you are thinking since I have a RO150 (that can do 5mm on ROS mode) that the ETS EC 150/3 would be a better addition than the 150/5?

I can't speak for mino, but it seems the general recommendation is the ETS EC 125/3. You'd then purchase any pads you want, but instead of pads for the 125, you're purchasing ETS EC 150 pads as those fit the ETS EC 125. Then, you have a 5" and 6" sander. Share abrasives with your RO 150 and have the ability to go smaller if you want.
What is the advantage of going smaller?  I would imagine the ETS EC 125 is, give or take, pretty close in size with the exception of the pad.
 
Chainring said:
presidentsdad said:
So you are thinking since I have a RO150 (that can do 5mm on ROS mode) that the ETS EC 150/3 would be a better addition than the 150/5?

I can't speak for mino, but it seems the general recommendation is the ETS EC 125/3. You'd then purchase any pads you want, but instead of pads for the 125, you're purchasing ETS EC 150 pads as those fit the ETS EC 125. Then, you have a 5" and 6" sander. Share abrasives with your RO 150 and have the ability to go smaller if you want.

This doesn't overwork the ETS EC 125/3 using 6" pads?
 
My first sander was an RO150 and I love that thing. It gets abused errr...put to work routinely with 24 or 36 grit in Rotex mode. When I want to sand out of Rotex mode I am quick to switch to a ETS EC 150/5 which is my most used sander. I do not have an ETS EC 3mm stroke sander but someday I will pickup an ETS EC 125/3 for its ability to use a 150mm pad. My Pro 5 sander has an even smaller stroke and does the fine stuff when needed, but I find the 150/5 with the speed turned down using the correct grit sandpaper gets the job done efficiently.

The ETS EC 125 and 150 both have the same motor so no worries for overworking them.
 
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