Help me pick a sander/vac Is the CT Sys ok with RO sanders.. newbie!

[Holmz]

Ok ETS EC 125 and a mini looks like what the majority recommends.. I like that you can get a 150 pad for the 125 too. it seems very versatile.

Cementitious floor.. it's milestone which is made by Rudd Co in Seattle (am in the US but east coast) so it's a very thin cement with an even thinner waterproof sealer so I have to sand very lightly, just scuffing really. Need to change the color then apply a new sealer as it makes a waterproof bathroom floor.  It's actually more like 40 sq ft not 100 sq ft. Sorry I think in metric and got conversion wrong.

I will go to my nearest dealer tomorrow and play with some of the sanders to get a feel for them. I hope it's OK if I post more questions after have been. I can't say enough thank to you all ou for cutting through the fog of uncertainty about these sanders..!

Cheese - your comment about the cart and suction really helped me

Please remember that the EC 125 has a 3mm orbit. It will not sand aggressively by design, not sure if that's a problem with your floor work... [sad]
If the rougher sanding really does require a more aggressive unit, you could always rent something for a day or two .

^Here^ is a point.

Having done some DIY concrete I generally used the 5" grinder pads like from Braxton Bragg.
Kicks up a S-load of dust. There is also the scarab which is expensive.
If you can rent what you need it is better for big jobs.
But your jobs sound small.and I would not use the grinder if the material is thin.

If you cannot rent what is needed then a simple Bosch or other machine may be better for this and about the same as renting.
With Festool you pretty much can get either the /2, which also have low power, the /5 but only in 150, and the /3 but only in 125.
And hence they recommend 2+ sanders.

Personally I would skip the sanding screens and sand papers, and start looking here:https://www.braxton-bragg.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/store7catalog.level/bc/0,8442,10020,10022/
You will see that there are sizes which define what size sander you need.
The sanding media in this case is more important than the sander, but I can tell you grinder does little for dust and one with a dust port need a lot of vacuum to grab the dust.

My yellow sander (Mirka DEROS) has a /5-mm stroke and comes with 125 and 150 pads.
I doubt that that more than a just curiosity for you, as the 5650 (5"/6") kit was only available in 230v.
If the pads only come in 5" then it is better to get the ETS/EC 125.

You still have homework to do.

 

[Cheese]

Hey [member=60993]carpenterchick[/member]...one more thought, if you do get the ETS EC 125, ask the vendor where you purchase it from to remove and then reinstall the standard 125 pad. I think the pads are originally installed by some disgruntled German employee because they are almost impossible to remove without an impact wrench.  [eek]
That way, if it gets buggered up, its the vendor's problem and not yours.

 

[carpenterchick]

cheese and holmz - thank you for those last super useful comments! I'm off to the dealer today..

 

[carpenterchick]

i did look up the mirk demos with the 125 and 150 pads and seems it's available in 110v now. but think for ease of everything will go with  retool (i like green more than yellow.. sorry just kidding.. it's just that have invested a lot of time learning about the different models..)
http://www.southernfilters.com/product/mirka-110v-deros-sander-introduction-offer/