Prolonging life on RO90 delta pads?

[ear3]

Was at the lumber yard this morning, which also happens to have become a Festool dealer in the past year, so picked up an extra pack of the RO90 delta pads just to keep myself in stock since they have a tendency to wear out rather quickly.

Got me thinking about whether anyone's come up with a method or adjustment of technique that helps prolong their life.  The problem is that the wear is uneven -- it's the tips that go first, with the velcro portion no longer adhering to the abrasive.  You can obviously rotate it twice to make sure the front tip is holding the sheet, but my experience is that these things wear down a lot sooner than they should.

Has anyone figured out a secret on these?  Does reducing the sanding speed help?  Is it just a question of being more delicate when running it along the edge of a board/butt joint?  I'm wondering if an interface pad might help prevent it from digging in so much and thus degrading the velcro -- if only they made interface pads for the delta head!

 

[bobfog]

I'd also be interested in the solution to this. I don't personally rate the RO90 in delta mode. In my experience if you try to be delicate, keeping the pad flat it's slow and ineffective. If you move the balance so more weight is on the front of the pad  and apply greater pressure it becomes more effective but destroys the pad and paper.

I love the forced rotation mode, think the RO mode is acceptable, but think it's very poor as a delta sander.

 

[Mort]

I'm glad it's not just poor technique on my part. Mine wore down almost instantly. I thought running it into corners was the point.

I still like it though.

 

[tiralie]

Has anyone figured out a secret on these? 

I try not to use mine unless I absolutely have to. I trash mine every time I use it.
Tim

 

[peter halle]

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders.  We buy the tools for the points and they tend to get used.  At least on the RO90 you can rotate.

Peter

 

[bobfog]

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders.  We buy the tools for the points and they tend to get used.  At least on the RO90 you can rotate.

Peter

True, but it seems to wear out quicker than any other delta sander I've owned.

 

[ear3]

And especially the way I use the delta pad, where the majority of the time I'm employing it to get those 90 degree edges where there is glue residue after assembly, and so requires a lot of digging.

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders.  We buy the tools for the points and they tend to get used.  At least on the RO90 you can rotate.

Peter

True, but it seems to wear out quicker than any other delta sander I've owned.

 

[bobfog]

And especially the way I use the delta pad, where the majority of the time I'm employing it to get those 90 degree edges where there is glue residue after assembly, and so requires a lot of digging.

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders.  We buy the tools for the points and they tend to get used.  At least on the RO90 you can rotate.

Peter

True, but it seems to wear out quicker than any other delta sander I've owned.

Precisely!

 

[AlexThePalex]

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders. 

Not true for all delta sanders. In the past I've complained here often about how fast Festool's delta pads wear out. The pad's life is counted in hours, and it's a low number.

My Metabo on the other hand, went 4 years with 1 pad.

 

[peter halle]

Alex,

I admit that I don't had an RO90.  I based my response on posts I have read here and my experiences with a pointed pad  my old Multimaster, my older Ryobi detail sander, and my DTS400.  Perhaps my usage is different than others.

Peter

 

[Scott B.]

As long as the leading edge has healthy hook and loop it works. There are three sides in the pad and the abrasive. Important to watch all 3 on both.

In my experience, delta sanding with a 90 is usually low grit, which is inherently aggressive (pointing into places no other Festool sander can reach - even the DTS). At some point we do have to consider value vs results. Hand sanding into tight corners is a waste of time.

 

[ear3]

4 years [member=5277]Alex[/member] !!!

I reckon I've spent at least $125 on delta pads since I got the RO90 -- thankfully most of them expensed though.

The use of the point and the wearing out is pretty normal with all the delta type sanders. 

Not true for all delta sanders. In the past I've complained here often about how fast Festool's delta pads wear out. The pad's life is counted in hours, and it's a low number.

My Metabo on the other hand, went 4 years with 1 pad.

 

[leakyroof]

I think the greater power level of the RO90 versus the older DX 93 sander shows that with Delta Pad sanding usage , technique will help in prolonging pad life .  Keep the sander level, resist the urge to tilt the tip into a problem area that isn't sanding fast enough for you.
Really watch the heat build-up from clogged sand paper near the tip since this can break down the hook and loop pad.
I rotate the discs as needed but will toss them to prevent pad wear since the discs/sheets are fairly cheap .

 

[ScotF]

Yeah - I have experienced ear in my MM, DTS400 and the RO90 - the key for me I have found is to resist the urge to put downward pressure on the tip - just let the sander and abrasive do its work. They seem to last a little longer that way. Not perfect, but if I can get just a little more usage it will pay off.

 

[Brent Taylor]

The only thing that I have found that works for me is to use a grit or two lower, no pressure and rotate.  B

 

[s1301950]

i'm debating between ro90 vs ets ec 125... i noticed only ro90 can use the delta pad you're talking about. I'm currently using a dewalt oscillating multitool to do my sanding. I enjoy very much of the triangular shape of the pad, to reach cabinets corners. If i get the ets, i'm stuck with a circular shaped pads and won't be able to reach those corners. Is that the general reasoning to pick ro90 over ets? among other things of course with a ro.

thanks guys.

 

[Holmz]

i'm debating between ro90 vs ets ec 125... i noticed only ro90 can use the delta pad you're talking about. I'm currently using a dewalt oscillating multitool to do my sanding. I enjoy very much of the triangular shape of the pad, to reach cabinets corners. If i get the ets, i'm stuck with a circular shaped pads and won't be able to reach those corners. Is that the general reasoning to pick ro90 over ets? among other things of course with a ro.

thanks guys.

For what exactly?

If you are doing Cabinettes it can be hard to beat an RS2E.
But if you are making picnic tables then a different sander,it needed.

 

[DB10]

i'm debating between ro90 vs ets ec 125... i noticed only ro90 can use the delta pad you're talking about. I'm currently using a dewalt oscillating multitool to do my sanding. I enjoy very much of the triangular shape of the pad, to reach cabinets corners. If i get the ets, i'm stuck with a circular shaped pads and won't be able to reach those corners. Is that the general reasoning to pick ro90 over ets? among other things of course with a ro.
thanks guys.

like Holmz says, depends on what your requirements from a sander are going to be, If you are new to FS sanders, try looking at YouTube for videos of the different uses each sander can perform. If I was only allowed one sander from FS then it would be the RO90 for its versatility, but if I was mainly building cabinets each day which I'm not, then my answer would be a different sander.

 

[ear3]

Two different sanders.  The RO90 I think should be looked at as a complementary tool to a more general, finish sander, for when you need to get into corners, do some very narrow pieces, strip narrow or hard to access surfaces in geared mode, and sand contours with the interface pad.  It has some more oddball uses, but those are the main ones.  I rarely use the RO90 in random orbit mode these days, because I find the ETS-EC sanders are stable enough on all but the narrowest surfaces, and if I'm doing edge work I break out the RTS400 or even the HSK sanding block. 

 

[leakyroof]

Two different sanders.  The RO90 I think should be looked at as a complementary tool to a more general, finish sander, for when you need to get into corners, do some very narrow pieces, strip narrow or hard to access surfaces in geared mode, and sand contours with the interface pad.  It has some more oddball uses, but those are the main ones.  I rarely use the RO90 in random orbit mode these days, because I find the ETS-EC sanders are stable enough on all but the narrowest surfaces, and if I'm doing edge work I break out the RTS400 or even the HSK sanding block.

. Well said...