Howdy from Bee Cave TX

[dirt_dobber]

1st post Intro - Hobbyist woodworker, retired and hope to be buying very soon...
I will be buying my first Festool very soon - the Random Orbital Sander ETS 125 REQ-Plus.
I just finished my largest project to date - a Pecan Slab dining table 86"x 43". Sanding through all the grits about wore me out.
When talking with other woodworking friends they suggested I get the Festool sander and said that I wouldn't believe the performance increase and ease of use.  One of my questions is - Do these ever go on sale as everywhere I look these are $249 and I mean everywhere Amazon, Rockler, Woodcraft, eBay etc - they are all the same price so Festool keeps a pretty tight lid on the pricing.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Festool pricing is controlled, but they regularly have promotions. The ETS is a mighty fine sander and you'll love it, but I'd actually consider an ETS EC instead for a first sander, unless you have a preference for 125mm over 150mm?

I've got a well used ETS 150 myself, but the newer ETS EC brushless low profile sanders are just out of this world and blow it away.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Welcome to the FOG.

I agree completely with luvmytools. The ETS EC has a far superior form-factor, IMHO. This is the main reason that I switched to an electric sander over the pneumatics that I have used for years.
I was using RO sanders for the heavier work and appreciated the dust collection ability of them, but always went to the old stand-by pneumatics for finishing, until the EC models caught my eye. Now I use one of them to keep with the dust collection.
Personally, I have the 125 because it uses the same abrasive discs as the RO that I already had, which is also the same size as the previous pneumatic. The size should be pretty much determined by the projects you work on. If you do a lot of big tables, the 150 covers large areas much faster, but its a bit much for small boxes, cabinet face frames, etc.
The ETS (non EC) does have a smaller orbit, so is technically finer, so if you are familiar with and agreeable to the form factor, it will do a nice job too. Albeit slower

 

[Ron B]

There is a classified section on FOG that you could check for used items.  Also check Festool Recon (Or Festool oneanddone).  They sell items that have been returned, dealer old stock, or repaired items at a discount.  This is pretty much a crap shoot.  Discount usually is around 15-20% and for that discount you loose two years warranty-so only one year warranty instead of three.  However, they sometimes have deeper discounts.  They recently sold an old style Planex drywall sander for 75% off.  So the question is if that discount is worth losing two years warranty. 

Recon listing may show a number of items. However (usually) they sell one item at a time-so the first item in the list is the one for sale.  Then when it sells the next item is up.  The time a item can be up can be from a couple of minutes to a couple of days.  For example, if they put up a 115 sander or vacuum clamp it would probably be gone in less than a couple of minutes.  Some items they may be only selling one or a pallet full.  Just know the item part number so you know if you are getting the current model.  A couple of years ago they changed the systainer so that meant a new part number.  Same exact tool, just different systainer so old stock was discounted.  Dealers can also discount old stock but current price is fixed.

 

[Ron B]

This is pretty much a junk shoot.

Spellcheck changed my wording.  I wrote "crap" and it changed to junk. 

 

[Ron B]

I guess it will not let me say c r a p

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I guess it will not let me say c r a p

I ran into that myself once.  I don't remember what the word was though? but it just would not allow it, looks fine on-screen as typed, changes in the software as uploading

 

[dirt_dobber]

Thank you to all for the advice and pointers. I'll let y'all know as soon as I purchase my first Festool. Looking forward to contributing my projects I'm working on and maybe adding even more tools.

 

[Vondawg]

Maybe ?…….haha…..welcome!

 

[rst]

The sanders are the gateway drug.  They started my collection.  I own them all now.  As wood dust does my eyes in, they let me stop using my Trend power filtered mask.  It's been so long that I used it that I thought I should sell it, turns out the batteries are no longer available.  Would be easy to convert to other power sources but I have many other fishes to fry.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I don’t have ALL of the Festool sanders but I too have had the first generation Trend filtered mask. Bought for the same reason and abandoned for the same reason.