Toolpig
Member
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2007
- Messages
- 399
Let me begin by saying that the DX93 is my absolute favorite Festool sander. Handy, super-aggressive (when I need it to be), and totally bomb-proof.
I'm renovating my house and use it for just about every single job. I've used it to strip hardwood floors in corners, removed old lead-based exterior paint from windows and trim, and the list goes on and on. However, since I have spent many hours with this sander I believe there's some room for improvement...
1. Put a "plug-it" cord on this sander. This is a no-brainer!
2. The oval shape of the dust port makes it slightly more difficult to get the hose on and off compared to the other Festool sanders with round ports. I'm sure Festool had their reasons for having the oval shape, but I'd like to see a round port as long as it doesn't sacrifice the overall compact design of the sander.
3. I'm often switching between the two pads -- both the long one (product #488036) and the short one (product #488717) -- and switching between the two is often a real pain. You need a phillips-head screwdriver to remove the two tiny mounting screws that hold the pad and there's never a screwdriver around when you need it. Also, the two screws are very easy to strip and easy to drop and lose forever. Please find a way to make a quick-release feature so that I can switch between the two pads on the fly (without a screwdriver).
4. As good as this sander is at getting into tight spaces, I feel it could be better. I'd love it if the longer of the two pads could be "flipped" over instead of having to turn the entire sander upside down when trying to sand the underside of something. An example of why I think this feature is needed: Yesterday I was trying to strip paint from the underside of a window sill on a doghouse dormer (on a steeply-pitched roof). I had the sander turned upside down (using the longer pad) with the sandpaper facing up, but the top of the sander's body kept hitting the roof, making it impossible to get the tip of the sanding pad all the way under the window sill. Hand sanding became my only option. If it's not possible to design a pad that can be mounted both ways, perhaps the entire sander could be made to have a lower profile (i.e. made shorter or more "squat"). If neither of these ideas are feasible, perhaps Festool could make another pad that's maybe 1-2" longer than the longest one they currently make. I'd even be willing to give up a little dust collection efficiency for those rare instances where I just need to get the tip of the sander in a little bit farther.
These are very minor problems considering what a terrific tool this sander is. However, if Festool is thinking about ways to improve it, I hope they will consider my suggestions.
Thanks for listening.
JW
I'm renovating my house and use it for just about every single job. I've used it to strip hardwood floors in corners, removed old lead-based exterior paint from windows and trim, and the list goes on and on. However, since I have spent many hours with this sander I believe there's some room for improvement...
1. Put a "plug-it" cord on this sander. This is a no-brainer!
2. The oval shape of the dust port makes it slightly more difficult to get the hose on and off compared to the other Festool sanders with round ports. I'm sure Festool had their reasons for having the oval shape, but I'd like to see a round port as long as it doesn't sacrifice the overall compact design of the sander.
3. I'm often switching between the two pads -- both the long one (product #488036) and the short one (product #488717) -- and switching between the two is often a real pain. You need a phillips-head screwdriver to remove the two tiny mounting screws that hold the pad and there's never a screwdriver around when you need it. Also, the two screws are very easy to strip and easy to drop and lose forever. Please find a way to make a quick-release feature so that I can switch between the two pads on the fly (without a screwdriver).
4. As good as this sander is at getting into tight spaces, I feel it could be better. I'd love it if the longer of the two pads could be "flipped" over instead of having to turn the entire sander upside down when trying to sand the underside of something. An example of why I think this feature is needed: Yesterday I was trying to strip paint from the underside of a window sill on a doghouse dormer (on a steeply-pitched roof). I had the sander turned upside down (using the longer pad) with the sandpaper facing up, but the top of the sander's body kept hitting the roof, making it impossible to get the tip of the sanding pad all the way under the window sill. Hand sanding became my only option. If it's not possible to design a pad that can be mounted both ways, perhaps the entire sander could be made to have a lower profile (i.e. made shorter or more "squat"). If neither of these ideas are feasible, perhaps Festool could make another pad that's maybe 1-2" longer than the longest one they currently make. I'd even be willing to give up a little dust collection efficiency for those rare instances where I just need to get the tip of the sander in a little bit farther.
These are very minor problems considering what a terrific tool this sander is. However, if Festool is thinking about ways to improve it, I hope they will consider my suggestions.
Thanks for listening.
JW
