Returning ETS 125

[Joe Smith]

I bought the ETS 125 and I do not like it. It is the perfect size that I need and the wight it great.  Also no problems with dust collection.  I love everything about it, except for its performance.  It is not aggressive enough.  I was thinking about returning it and getting the ETS 150/5, but I am unsure because of its size.  I sand mostly raw woods (Oak, Maple, Walnut) and a variety of sizes, from small rail and stiles to table tops. So, I am looking for versatility in a sander.  I already have a RO90, which handles alot of the small detail stuff I need, but I am lacking a good versatile ROS and am not quite sure another RO is what I need. What do you all of you think?

 

[mouppe]

If you want an aggressive sander get a rotex 125 or 150. The ets is a finish sander.

 

[Theshipstore]

I will agree that as an aggressive sander the ETS 125 isn't , you really need a RO 125 or 150 for your needs, consider it a big brother to your RO 90.
The ETS sanders are more finish work sanding than aggressive sanding.
In my mind there is always a need for both styles

Sal

 

[vwdave]

I love the ets125. I have a ro125 I use to do all my heavy sanding but finish up with the ets125. The ets125 is by no means aggressive but it delivers a super smooth finish and it's super easy to control. I thought the ets125 wasn't aggressive enough but when paired with my ro125 they complement each other nicely.

Dave

 

[nickao]

I bought the ETS 125 and I do not like it. It is the perfect size that I need and the wight it great.  Also no problems with dust collection.  I love everything about it, except for its performance.  It is not aggressive enough.  I was thinking about returning it and getting the ETS 150/5, but I am unsure because of its size.  I sand mostly raw woods (Oak, Maple, Walnut) and a variety of sizes, from small rail and stiles to table tops. So, I am looking for versatility in a sander.   I already have a RO90, which handles alot of the small detail stuff I need, but I am lacking a good versatile ROS and am not quite sure another RO is what I need. What do you all of you think?

I tried the ETS 125, twice. I really dislike that sander. I have a Rotex(5" and 6" ), still ,  for me, it is a piss poor follow up to the Rotex. I use my ETS 150/3 or my PC 390 if I need a 5". The ETS 125 is slow and the finish is , in my personal experience, no better than any other 5" sander. It is the worst of the Festool sanders and I have owned every electric Festool sander offers in America(just got the RO90). I love my PC 390 and it is a direct replacement for the ETS 125 in my shop. It is a fantastic sander for me and only 99.00 free ship, no tax!.

I think Festool should do a complete redesign on the ETS 125 and bring it up the the quality of their other sanders.

If you go 6" by all means get the ETS 150/3 or 5, but if you want a 5" go for that PC low profile 390, I love mine.

 

[semenza]

Since you already have the RO90 for small pieces and aggresivness, I think the ETS150/5 would be a very good choice. It is a finish sander but is a very versatile finish sander, especially if you add the hard pad and a good spectrum of abrasives. It will also cover large areas quickly. For a couple years it was my only sander and did  it  all.

Though it is larger and heavier than the ets125 I have had no trouble using it in a wide variety of positions.

I have been able to do a lot with the following selection combined with the super soft, soft, and hard pads. I have used this selection for several years and have just started to try some of the Granat.

Cristal 40

Cristal 80

Rubin 100

Rubin 150

Brilliant 180

Brilliant 220

Brilliant 320

Brilliant 400

Seth

 

[BMH]

ETS 125 is a great sander for what it was designed to do. It was designed to be a finish sander and I use it as such. I have 6 festool sanders out of a line up of 15. They are each design for a precise range of tasks and the sand paper associated with each sander reflects that. I always grab the sander the most appropriate for the task I am doing, some I use some more frequently then others, not because there are the "best sander", they are just adapted to the task I do more often.

Very few of the Festool Retailers are able to guide you in your selection and people get disapointed when the tool they brought doesn't do the task they require out of it. You have a choice of five sanders for the task you describe and you will probably need two of them to do the range of jobs you describe.

Bruce

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Have you considered one of the orbital sanders, such as the RS2E?  I know it is not one of the ones on sale, but I have to say that this has become my go-to sander for finish furniture components and it can be aggressive with the lower grit paper.  Just a thought.  The ETS 150/3 is a great sander too and works nicely as a pair to the 6 inch Rotex. 

Scot

 

[Kevin Stricker]

Get a Mirka Ceros. Best electric RO sander made. A ETS is a Cadallac Sedan, a Rotex a Escalade, the Ceros is a Ferrari.  Serious performance in both 5" and 6" models.  Step up Festool, you are loosing the battle.

 

[RONWEN]

Get a Mirka Ceros. Best electric RO sander made. A ETS is a Cadallac Sedan, a Rotex a Escalade, the Ceros is a Ferrari.  Serious performance in both 5" and 6" models.  Step up Festool, you are loosing the battle.

+1

 

[Joe Smith]

Thanks everyone.  I am leaning towards the 150/3, but I am not sold on the 6" size vs the 5".  That is why I am also considering the Low Profile PC sander.  Does anyone know about hooking a CT33 to it?  If it is anything like a Dewalt 5" ROS, then I really do not want to deal with the hose from my CT33 falling off of it all the time.

 

[Sam Murdoch]

I can't speak about the Mirka Ceros (though I am intrigued), nor about the 150/5. My experience is with the RO125 and the ETS150/3.
I think these are a great combination. The RO125 is a good size and can be ruthlessly aggressive or a good finish sander on hard wood. The RO125 is my "carpenter"/paint stripping sander these days. My finish work has been taken over by the ETS 150/3. This is an excellent finish sander in all respects. Can be made more aggressive with coarse grits but truly excels at finishing for hard woods but especially on soft woods prior to applying a finish. I would LOVE such a sander in a 125 size. As I don't own the RO 90 I can't say for sure, but with that and the ETS 150/3 I think I would have all my cabinet shop/furniture building sanding needs covered.

 

[junk731]

From what you initially said the ETS 125 was the wrong choice for your needs. Like Dovetail, I've tried several of them and found all of them to be lame ducks for my needs, they went back.. Also demoed a Ceros for a good week and while I liked it, the sander didn't integrate well with my vac and boom arm setup. If it had a Plugit setup it would have worked better in my situation. The Porter Cable 5" mentioned is a nice low profile sander, my son owns one and we made it more usable with the Festool vacs. We found taking the brake off made it work more like Ceros. The ETS 150/3 or ETS 150/5 both work flawlessly for me in most situations including edge sanding. I personally prefer the weight and balance compared to other sanders, Festool or not. You have the RO 90 which fills the times when you have to get into corners and smaller areas.

John

 

[MrToolJunkie]

Thanks everyone.  I am leaning towards the 150/3, but I am not sold on the 6" size vs the 5".  That is why I am also considering the Low Profile PC sander.  Does anyone know about hooking a CT33 to it?  If it is anything like a Dewalt 5" ROS, then I really do not want to deal with the hose from my CT33 falling off of it all the time.

Hi Joe,

I am curious why you are not sold on a 6 inch verses 5 inch?  I think a 6 inch is a great sander for sanding bigger areas and it is faster since you have more sanding disk working for you.  I used to use a 5 inch and went to a 6 inch and do not see myself wanting to go back.  As others have mentioned, the RO90 and the ETS 150/3 or 5 would be a great combination.

Scot