Have any of you guys review the RS 2E sander vs the Bosch 1293D

[fidelfs]

I am planning to buy a new sander (I already own the RS 125 and happy with it).  I have to sand long surfaces and I was thinking to buy a drum sander but there are 2 reasons why I didn't go that route:
1. Price
2. Not much room left in my garage.

So I have being using the RS125 for all my sanding needs, but I need something that makes my hobby easier.  I have been looking into the RS 2E and it is a great sander but I wonder if the Bosch 1293D is similar or close so I can buy this less expensive option.

RS 2E [attachthumb=1]
Bosch 1293D [attachthumb=2]

With the bosch I can buy this attachment [attachthumb=3] and hook it to my CT22 and
this [attachthumb=4] to punch holes in the sanpaper.

So my question is the Festool 100% better or the Bosch is a viable option.

Any comments?

Fidel

 

[sw1211]

There are 7 reviews on Amazon, all 5/5 stars.  No comparison to Festool, but all highly praise this sander.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1293D-Orbital-Finish-Sander/dp/B00004SUOS

 

[Warrior]

I have the RS2 and love it. I have not hear good things about the bosch sander. If I didnt have the RS2 I would get the Makita 1/2" sheet sander.

 

[MarkF]

I have the Bosch.  Works well for me but I don't use it for hours every day.  I couldn't appreciate the extra cost.  The Bosch hole punch leaves neat holes on regular weight paper.  On heavy weight "F Grade" paper you have to punch it twice.  Dust collection is very good with the Fein Turbo II in "Sander Mode".  ( Details/discussion towards the bottom of page 2 in this thread: http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=2096.0 )  Dust collection is not good with full suction.  The base plate gets sucked down tight to the workpiece and chokes the make up air.
CPO Bosch has reconditioned 1293Ds rarely: http://bosch.cpotools.com/index.html

 

[festoolfan1000]

I have neither unit.

However the RS2 is considered a very good 1/2 sheet sander, by many. Is there really much of a cost difference? It retails for $340. The Makita or Metabo units regarded as good by many as well, retails for around $200 (not including the apparently hard to find hole punches.) With the RS2 you get a great sander, built in dust collection with no fiddling and a useful (as apposed to worthless blow molded) systainer 2 case (a $63 value alone.)

I'd give it a shot and return it if you didn't see the value (though sometimes a takes a little longer then 30 days too appreciate thoese little things.)

M

 

[fidelfs]

Well the Bosch 1293D in Amazon is $163.25 and it has the paper hole punch included.  The festool being 340 there is a difference of $176.75 or almost 52%.

This makes you to think twice. 

???    :-\

 

[festoolfan1000]

It does. As a business owner (contractor) I'm very pragmatic about my tools. That is to say I don't bleed any brands particular colour. I have however been bitten a few times with what I precieved as a better value over Festool. This is true for their sanders for a few reasons:

These may or may not be of value to you, it really depends on what your doing (I'm sure there are more

- Availability and variety of abrasives. Its hard to beat the line up of types of abrasives that are available for the Festool sanders. If all your doing is sanding raw hardwoods or plywoods then this may not be of value to you.
-Availability and variety of pads, hard soft medium etc. just a phone call away not "special order"
-Systainer (true for all of Festool's tools.) If your in the shop all day, again this is not important. I love them and would gladly purchase them from anyone not interested in keeping them...
-Dust collection without fiddling
-Plug it cord, means only one power cord needs to be on the vacuum hose to work with all Festool's... a great time and annoyance saver.
-Warranty

Assuming that only the systainer has value to you, the difference in price is more like:

Bosch - $114
Makita - $84 I think the paper punch is around $20-25 I'm sure someone more enterprising then me could find one for you.
Metabo - $87

Just thoughts.

M

 

[fidelfs]

Well, I made my mind and bought the Bosch 1293D and I received this afternoon.
I am using Norton 80,120,180,220,320,400 with the punch hole and the dust removal is close, very close to my RO125.
I have the adapter and the hose match the adapter so I was able to use my CT22.

I have never liked the systainer, for me they are made with hard plastic and that caused to cut my fingers so many times when I open/close the lid.  Do I use the systainers? Yes, because I try to have some order in my chaos.  It look like a mess but it is my mess and I know where is everything.  When my wife tries to help and reorder things, I have headaches trying to find things.

So the systainer does not make a difference to me.
About the cord I saw another post here and with that contraction, there is no need to change cords.

I made a test and sanded two wood pieces,same species using the same abrasives (80,120,180,220,320,400) but one with my RO125 and the other one with Bosch 1293D.  I know they are different animals but I wanted to test the results, not how each machine performed.
My test proved something.  The dust collection was very similar and the end result by touch and looks was the same.  There was a little tiny dust accumulation in the norton sandpaper than the festool.
Handle of the 1293D it is very nice, not difficult to move and easy on the hands.
I think, I am going to be happy with this option.  I am not a contractor, but I am a serious hobbyist but I don't have to go to client sites so I can keep the tools without systainer in a big drawer, and if there is something not available locally, I can wait for internet delivery.

Why I bought it, well I try to buy the best tool that I can afford and I found a great value in festool, I have RO125, OF1400, Domino, CT22, MTF 1080 and TS55.  I don't see any other brand competing close to those tools, but I have a bosch jigsaw, the 1293D and the bosch PS10-2. Because I think those tools are better than other brands.

 

[nickao]

Well I know the Bosch version of the Rotex kicks butt, so I do not see why your new sander would not be just as good as the RS2.

You can always put a "plug it" on your Bosch if you wanted to also.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

The RS 2E does not have a Plug-It cord, nor does the Deltex 93.

A Festool 27mm hose should fit onto the end of the Bosch DC nozzle.  I have a 1/4 sheet Bosch sander with a similar adapter and the Festool hose fits, with a little coaxing.  The hose from my Fein Turbo II vac fits also, sealing against the O-ring supplied with the Bosch sander.

Dave R.