Returned dts400.

Red Devil

Red Devil

Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2015
Messages
99
I just returned my first festool.
Bought a dts 400 to sand the interior panel corners on any raised panel millwork. Eg. Shaker doors;
What I didnt like was as follows:
The curved back two corners on the singing pad make the triangle into cn obtuse angle. So I was only able to get in tight tight with the front point of the sander. Once the point of the sandpaper wears out your done...need a new sheet and have only just used the tip of it.
I realize the sander has many more applications than this but for me it wasnt worth it.
I have a ro150 and a ets150. My next sander will be a mirka deros.
I may buy the dts400 again in the future but probably not.
In its defence it was really neat how it sucked itself yo the workpiece even with the vac turned all the way down, but not enough to justify 325.00.
I returned it to LV and walked out with a couple snappy new black and gold midi sys's snd 170$ in my pocket.
 
I started with an RO150 and picked up the dts a few months ago. Imo I like it. When it was new I tried to use it like the Rotex which is a mistake. I rarely take my Rotex out of dual action mode. Once I softened up on it, it does what I want.  Agreed on the corners wearing out. I suppose I just learned to move it around more. I can see how it didn't work, for me it does what I need.

And the suction thing is crazy with this little guy.

I have been eyeing a few mirkas
 
Nigel M said:
.....What I didnt like was as follows:
The curved back two corners on the singing pad make the triangle into cn obtuse angle. So I was only able to get in tight tight with the front point of the sander. Once the point of the sandpaper wears out your done...need a new sheet and have only just used the tip of it......
Click to expand...

Agreed, this is the achilles heel of the DTS.  It gets worse, not only does the the tip of the sandpaper wear out fast, so does the velcro on the tip of the sanding pad.  Once the velcro is done the sandpaper on the tip has little chance.  You need to exercise care with the DTS, too much for me to use it over the RO90.

It's funny the two above replies both mention suction.  I can't help but feel the newer generation vacs have too much suction for the small sanders.  I've found this to be a bigger issue on drywall than wood, but I'd still like to see the Festool bleeder valve offer here in N. America. 
 
I'm sure you realized this but you can turn the sandpaper to use all 3 corners. I do agree with you that the corners wear out first but there's not really another sander to get into those kind of places so it's angive and take for me.
 
rizzoa13 said:
I'm sure you realized this but you can turn the sandpaper to use all 3 corners. I do agree with you that the corners wear out first but there's not really another sander to get into those kind of places so it's angive and take for me.
Click to expand...

Not on the DTS, it's not a triangle like the RO90 and DX93. 
 
Nigel - your spot on with your assessment

I also have the DTS 400 and found out too late the fatal flaw with the tip and the two rear corners not being square

It is still a good sander, and I don't mind using it as a backup to my Ceros but I let the KoolAid drinkers get in the way of my decision making on this one
 
John H said:
Nigel - your spot on with your assessment

I also have the DTS 400 and found out too late the fatal flaw with the tip and the two rear corners not being square

It is still a good sander, and I don't mind using it as a backup to my Ceros but I let the KoolAid drinkers get in the way of my decision making on this one
Click to expand...
Isn't the Ceros a round sander? I fail to see how it would be better at getting into corners. If you aren't talking about getting into corners then uneven wear really isn't an issue.
 
It would seem that, no matter what detail sander you use, if it's used to sand into a corner for any significant period, the tip of the sandpaper will wear out. That's really the only part being used to sand, especially in a raised panel corner. However, what other good way is there to do that except with either a detail sander, by hand, or with a small square finish sander? With a square finish sander, the corners and edges of the paper would still wear out, although you'd have 4 sides instead of the 3.
 
There's a lot more to the DTS than just a small tip. I use its big fat bottom all the time.
 
The use as a finish sander was the main reason I bought the DTS400 as I had heard that it was great on flat surfaces. The corner sanding was just a side task for me.
 
Yup to the bellow stated.

Imop the DTS400 is a champ finish sanding 220 and above.

I start my sanding with the Rotex and take it through the grits to 180 then 220 and above and any swirl marks just evaporate.

 
grbmds said:
The use as a finish sander was the main reason I bought the DTS400 as I had heard that it was great on flat surfaces. The corner sanding was just a side task for me.
Click to expand...
 
I'm sure that above 220 and beyond its a great little tool.
I was a little harsh on it I know. I should have known better. Of course that little corner was gonna wear out right away....just like any other corner sanding pad. It's not a magical "doesn't ever wear out".....I just couldn't justify it right now. I think I will probably try one again. Eg. I bet I wish I still had it in the morning when I have to detail sand a white oak railing we just completed today. Aaah....the green kool aid, so tasty.
 
The DX93 is good for the corners and there are 3 corners on the pad, so 3 times longer to wear out all 3 together. However, if you go that route and have uses for the other possible tools, then the Fein MultiTool would probably be the most useful and best choice.
 
All y'all who are complaining about the tip wearing out prematurely are either not using it correctly or looking for a different tool.
ALL sanders are meant to be used with their full pad in full contact with the surface (unless you're sculpting.)

In the case of the DTS, I find the relationship of my hand position to the pad to be more direct than using a little triangle sander like a Fein or RO90 or DX93, and thus easier to control. . .
 
Joseph C said:
All y'all who are complaining about the tip wearing out prematurely are either not using it correctly or looking for a different tool.
ALL sanders are meant to be used with their full pad in full contact with the surface (unless you're sculpting.)
Click to expand...

I'm not so convinced it has something to do with using it incorrectly, a sander with a tip like the DTS invites you to use it that way. I mostly use it for stripping paint from windows and door frames, and then you get into a lot of corners all over the house. Very often the wood isn't even wide enough to fit the entire pad.

The trick is to balance the load to get full use out of your sheet of sandpaper. If you have to get into a corner you use the tip, but on other spots you use the back or the sides. Or the full pad if the board is wide enough. I got my routine set up so I never have to waste any paper.

And I agree with Brice, the tip of the velcro pad does wear out a bit fast, whenever I get a new pad, after a good 5 hours of use the velcro can be toast already. That really ticked me off the first time I noticed that, but now I'm used to it and just keep on using the pad because it still works. 
 
I love my RTS 400.  Not only is it my face frame sander, it's the sander I grab for generic tasks because it's so light.  I keep it sitting on my vac.  It gets into square corners pretty well and it has 4 identical corners on a pad.  You might want to give that one a try.

And maybe get an inexpensive mouse sander specifically for the tight corners.  My Ryobi mouse has served me well for years and years.  The Diablo hook loop paper is pretty good.
 
I'll take  look at the rts400.
Did really like the light weight ergonomics of the dts.
I bet I'll buy one again one day....
 
I agree with the tip of the DTS wearing out. But, it is great sanding along the edge of work and the rounded pad keeps it from skidding around. A new pad is not that expensive and I consider it a consumable. It lasts for a while. I do not have the RTS, but have thought about adding one because I too like this type of sander for face frames and edges. The RS2E is awesome, but can be too big for some of these sanding tasks. The DTS works well for this application too, but having square corners is appealing from some tasks.
 
I have an RTS 400, and I used it for corner work. It worked great. But, it did wear out the corners of the pad. Luckily the pad was easy to replace. Pads and papers are consumables, and if you use your sanders a lot you will replace consumables.
 
I do a fair amount of staircases. I use the RO150, DTS 400, LS130 and the RO90 as my mains.  After reading this I may look into the RTS.  What are your thoughts in the corner of a stair tread. Would it tend to walk?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top