NEW ETSC 2-125 & 150-18V battery powered
- Thread starter neeleman
- Start date
I acquired the ETSC2 150 and really enjoy using it. I have 2 Rotex (90 and 125) and an ETS 125, DTS 400. For me the built in light is awesome. I have very bright lighting in my garage but find the built in light so much better. Battery life is disappointing but the charging time is so quick compared to all my DeWalt batteries it's no big deal. If you always swap the 2 included batteries from sander to charger I find they charge in about the time the sander battery dies with constant sanding.
As a side note, the ETSC2 was my first battery powered Festool and has been a gateway drug for other Festool battery powered tools. I recently acquired two Festool drills and the reciprocating saw. All great and I really enjoy using them compared to my DeWalt tools. I didn't think there would be a reason to switch battery platforms but I will be investing in Festool replacements as needed and when available.
As a side note, the ETSC2 was my first battery powered Festool and has been a gateway drug for other Festool battery powered tools. I recently acquired two Festool drills and the reciprocating saw. All great and I really enjoy using them compared to my DeWalt tools. I didn't think there would be a reason to switch battery platforms but I will be investing in Festool replacements as needed and when available.
anthonymall
Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2024
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- 34
@Cheese I have the 150 pad on my 125, (ETSC2) but have yet to try it. Just saw a different post somewhere saying it doesn’t work “correctly” because of the the counterweight that comes on the 150. Have you noticed anything? Obv that would explain the vibration that @FestitaMakool was referring to, but I wanted to know from someone who has some actual usage time on it.Very interesting @FestitaMakool ...
I'm surprised at how the ETSC 2 "soils" itself compared to the ETSC sander. I noticed the pile of saw dust was smaller with the ETSC 2 but maybe that's because the ETSC 2 wears more of the dust.The removal rate appears to be the same for both sanders inspite of the different orbit sizes, is that correct?
The photo of the ETSC 2 minus the pad is also interesting. They chose an aluminum fan instead of the normal plastic variety, I wonder why?
Here's a photo of the ETS EC 125 without a pad vs your photo of the ETSC 2 125. Note that both sanders use the same bearing/retainer/shaft assembly, 200017.
Cheese
Member
I'm thinking about picking up my ETSC 2 125 from Woodcraft tomorrow. I paid for it 3 weeks ago to avoid paying for the Trump tariffs. I have 2 teak outside door mats to sand and have been saving these for the new ETSC 2 125 sander.
This will be fun as I will be comparing an ETS EC 125 vs an ETS 125 vs an ETSC 2 125 sander. Part of the fun will be to swap out the different 125mm & 150mm diameter pads and to determine if there are any pad compatibility issues.
This will be fun as I will be comparing an ETS EC 125 vs an ETS 125 vs an ETSC 2 125 sander. Part of the fun will be to swap out the different 125mm & 150mm diameter pads and to determine if there are any pad compatibility issues.
onocoffee
Member
I saw that guy too @anthonymall talk about that vibration. So I'm definitely interested to learn of your experience with the 150 pad, @Cheese.
Cheese
Member
Picked up my ETSC 2 125 from Woodcraft today. My initial observation is that it's really nice. 
There are just certain brands of tools that make you smile when you hold them...Festool is certainly one of them along with Mafell & Starrett.
My first thought is that this sander is heavy to use on vertical or overhead applications. I have a pair of teak door mats I made that need to be sanded and refinished. My plan is to compare the ETS EC 125 vs the ETSC 2 125 vs the ETSC 125 sander for this trial. I'll then throw in a bunch of 150 mm pads and see how that tweeks the outcome.
There are just certain brands of tools that make you smile when you hold them...Festool is certainly one of them along with Mafell & Starrett.My first thought is that this sander is heavy to use on vertical or overhead applications. I have a pair of teak door mats I made that need to be sanded and refinished. My plan is to compare the ETS EC 125 vs the ETSC 2 125 vs the ETSC 125 sander for this trial. I'll then throw in a bunch of 150 mm pads and see how that tweeks the outcome.
johnmpf
Member
I did not find the ETSC 2 125 to be too heavy for overhead work. Maybe all day sanding would be a problem. I really like the ability to use one hand while sanding while maintaining control. My old none Festool sander required two hands to get good results. Why no one put LED lighting on a sander before is beyond me.
Cheese
Member
I was just quickly comparing the weight of the ETSC 2 to the ETS EC as they were both sitting on the couch. I'm sure the light weight advantage of the ETS EC will soon disappear once a cord and a dust hose is attached to it as will the one-hand usage because one hand will have to control/hold the cord & hose.
Cheese
Member
Today, I was organizing a sander comparison that I want to start tomorrow? and as I was laying out the sanders to compare, I was once again struck by the weight of the ETSC 2 125...it's a nice small compact package but it definitely has some heft. It's the weight and size of a paver brick. 
Tomorrow, I need to bury some 120 volt UF-B in PVC conduit and when I become bored or annoyed with that process, then I'll switch to the sander project. This is how I initially think the comparison will roll out for sanding a teak door mat.
Tomorrow, I need to bury some 120 volt UF-B in PVC conduit and when I become bored or annoyed with that process, then I'll switch to the sander project. This is how I initially think the comparison will roll out for sanding a teak door mat.
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onocoffee
Member
Neil Lickfold
Member
I got the 150 etsc2 and have the 125 pad as well. I needed to recut the pad geometry to fit the 150 model, and added a shim to reduce the preload on the brake seal. I didn't notice any difference in the amount of vibration in the 2 setups. I have a vacuum hose attached when I use the sander. I have not noticed the build up of alot of dust on the machine as being reported. I am very pleased with the dust collection of the sander and surprised how long the battery lasts. I mean, the amount that gets sanded and the time frame, is very impressive. I have never used a Festool sander before. I have the sand paper that has the little relief area for better dust collection, and certainly seems to work very well. I have only used the 125mm pad once, as the 150 was too large to get into the area that needed to be sanded. 140mm wide. I like that there in minimal amount of vibration and hands don't feel funny after using the tool. Been sanding Pine, plywood, Kwilla
Neil
Neil
Cheese
Member
Neil, you may want to rethink the shim part.
I have new and used 125mm pads for the ETS EC & ETSC 2 sanders. I swapped out all 4 pads between the sanders and interestingly enough, in every case, the new pads produced less drag than when I replaced them with the used pads.Once the new pads are used for a while, the top surface of the pad is burnished by the individual brake segments along with the rubber surround that holds the brake segments in place. Here are a couple of photos that clearly show the burnished areas on the used pads. The pads shown are 492286 (soft) and 492284 (hard).
I also have a new 492288 (super soft) that I attached to each sander and the results were the same as I noted above.
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Neil Lickfold
Member
Is your sander the ETSC-2 125 ? If so, the height from the screw base, to the brake pad is shorter on the ETSC2125 than that of the ETSC2 150. I tried the 125mm pad initially , and it did not want to rotate at all. I measured the distance from the pad seat area to the rim area that the brake seat against. The height difference is 1.2mm. The 125 pad from the metal seat to the seal is 3.4mm, while the 150 pad from the metal seat to the seal is 4 .6mm. The shim that I added is 1mm thick and works very well. It may well be that the 150 pad on the 125 sander, has a small gap between the pad and the break ring. From your pictures it looks like the 150 pad is rubbing against the brake ring though.
The pads are different on the paper side, with the 150mm pad having vacuum ports to the outer edge, while the 125 does not have this feature built into the pad. The pad savers do effect the outer edge dust collection. So there is more surface dust when using the pad saver adapter piece, versus the paper directly on the pad itself. The 125mm sanding pad did leave more dust on the surface compared to a the 150mm pad. This has been my experience so far. I am yet to cut a portion of the outer ring to mimic the 150mm sanding pad on the pad protection ring and see if it then works the same in collecting the surface dust.
One day Festool may bring out a 125 pad with the outer edge vacuum porting like the 150mm pad.
The pads are different on the paper side, with the 150mm pad having vacuum ports to the outer edge, while the 125 does not have this feature built into the pad. The pad savers do effect the outer edge dust collection. So there is more surface dust when using the pad saver adapter piece, versus the paper directly on the pad itself. The 125mm sanding pad did leave more dust on the surface compared to a the 150mm pad. This has been my experience so far. I am yet to cut a portion of the outer ring to mimic the 150mm sanding pad on the pad protection ring and see if it then works the same in collecting the surface dust.
One day Festool may bring out a 125 pad with the outer edge vacuum porting like the 150mm pad.
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