My new Festool RO 90

[Toolabundant]

[attachimg=3][attachimg=4][attachimg=5]  Bought this to sand glider and parts of my deck. Also can use on small woodworking projects . Here’s the review I based my decision on:https://topcoatreview.com/2013/01/festool-ro90/ in gear driven mode I set speed at 3 and used 80 grit garat paper. It’s hard to control in gear driven mode. I like that it can be converted to detail sander.

 

[Toolabundant]

Almost took it back . When I bought it things were out of place in box. The guy at Paul b Zimmerman didn’t really want to go up top to get another one. Then when I got home I found a scuff but it matched up where it fits in molded case. Rub point? Plus the manual was have under molded case insert . But I really couldn’t find any sawdust anywhere . [attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3][attachimg=4]

 

[Toolabundant]

The detail sander sandpaper loads easily . I ripped the one piece of sandpaper with a piece of wood protruding from deck. Little upsetting that this is a $480 sander. I have a 5” porter cable and a Bosch 3107 5” random. The detail sander attachment sands better than the attachment for my fein multi master [attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3]

 

[squall_line]

I ripped the one piece of sandpaper with a piece of wood protruding from deck. Little upsetting that this is a $480 sander.

I'm not sure I follow.  It's an expensive sander so the paper should never rip if it snags?

 

[Toolabundant]

I ripped the one piece of sandpaper with a piece of wood protruding from deck. Little upsetting that this is a $480 sander.

I'm not sure I follow.  It's an expensive sander so the paper should never rip if it snags?

I don’t want to
Damage backing pad. It probably won’t but the dang thing was so pricey.  But it is a tool.

 

[Toolabundant]

I got it cause my 5 inch random orbits and palm sanders have trouble sanding stain off deck. I even bought the little makita 1 1/8x21 belt sander to sand under deck railings  I  even have a makita 3x18 and the massive PC 3x24. But belt sanders can’t do it all. I did play with the RO 150 it’s 6 inch and very heavy[attachimg=1]

 

[Cheese]

I ripped the one piece of sandpaper with a piece of wood protruding from deck. Little upsetting that this is a $480 sander. I have a 5” porter cable and a Bosch 3107 5” random.
The detail sander attachment sands better than the attachment for my fein multi master

Holes in sandpaper along with the fast rotary motion of the disc adds up to trouble when protruding wood slivers are added to the mix. A DA sander avoids this torn paper issue by having the pad stop its rotation when it encounters wood slivers.

I'd use a solid sandpaper disc in a RAS or right angle grinder to sand down these problem wood areas.

The detail sander attachment on the RO 90 will do a better job than a Fein style tool. The Fein head oscillates in a 3º arc so all the sanding is done at the edges of the pad and as you get to the middle of the pad, the sanding removal approaches zero.

The RO 90 attachment moves in an orbital motion so that the entire sanding pad is used. It also produces a smoother, less visible scratch pattern than the Fein sander.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I have a couple of thing to add here.
First is the snagging factor. This can be mitigated, at least somewhat, by sanding with the snag, rather than against it. The gear-driven rotation is predictable, rather than random. So if you keep that in mind and come at it from the right direction, it will take it right down flush. Pet your dog the wrong direction and see what happens

As cheese said, the RAS 115 would be better, but the RO sanders will do it.

The other part about controlling the sander itself. Speed it up. I run my RO90 at full speed in almost all situations where it is in rotary mode. The more course the abrasive you use, the more intensely it will react.

 

[Toolabundant]

I really like that I can sand the slats on the glider with the 3 1/2 round pad. With my 5 inch random orbits it would overlap to other slat and cause problems. With the 3 1/2 you can sand each slat with minimum overhang.

 

[Toolabundant]

Grit used in photos is 80 Garat. I may get the $199 sustainer with sandpaper assortment.

 

[sancho57]

You have 30 days to return it with a full unconditional refund or replace it if you are not satisfied with your tool.

 

[Toolabundant]

Loving it on the glider . Sometimes the pad hits the board next to one I’m sanding but it definitely fits better than my Bosch 3107 would. [attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3][attachimg=4]

 

[Toolabundant]

No way can I get all the stain off.  It I can get close. [attachimg=1][attachimg=2]

 

[Toolabundant]

It seems like now that it’s broke in that it spins real slow in random orbit mode and of you quit moving sander it stops. Spins at a nice clip freehand. Both repair and product application support say this is normal. My Bosch 3107 which has double the orbits of the RO 90(.  Bosch is max 13,000 where Festool is 7000) cannot be stalled and never has pad not spinning. Even though is supposed to be normal , it seems slow and when it’s stationary and pad stops all together . It does this on lumber that is already sanded. Maybe I’ll try it later on lumber with stain on it. If I can find any I’m about done with the glider.

 

[Toolabundant]

Well the young kid stopped it with his thumb in random orbit. Your thumb wouldn’t stop the Bosch 3107. But at least I feel better.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

When it is in random mode, the spinning is pretty easy to stop, but don't try that when it is locked into orbital mode. It will not stop and may remove some skin if the paper is course enough.