RO Sander Power

[Birdhunter]

I was curious about my subjective judgement that my RO 90 was a lot more effective than the RO 150 I returned.

After a few calculations, I found the 90 has 10.4 watts/square inch, the 125 and 150 both are about 6.4 watts/square inch.

So, the RO 90 has a lot more power applied per square inch than the two larger sanders.

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Those numbers are probably correct, but consider that I can put my full weight (~180lbs) on the RO 150 and it will take me for a ride. How much power do you need?

Also, the RO 90 is belt driven and the RO 125/150 are direct gear drive.

All three are phenomenal machines with more than enough power and capability to do any task thrown at them.

 

[Birdhunter]

I agree the numbers are largely immaterial, just interesting.

If I have a large project in the future, I will have to make the 125 vs 150 decision. My guess I'll buy the 125. I have an ETS125 and I can stock just the 5" paper.

 

[Scott B.]

Thats an interesting way to look at it. If an ro90 has 39% more power per square inch than an ro150, I guess it would depend on the sizes of the surfaces I was sanding. If looking at it strictly by numbers, the ro90 should take 42% more time to complete a task compared to its 6" counterpart.

I love the 90 and use it for a ton of things, but its strength is not open road, large surface sanding. There are so many factors that go into sander selection for tasks. Usually I look at which one will do the best job, the quickest and with the least amount of user fatigue. The ro90 gets the nod alot.

All that matters is that you found the sander that best suits your workstyle. Congrats by the way, the ro90 really is a little hot rod.

p.s.
when you do get to the point where you are limited by the size of the ro90, get a RAS. Not sure the w/si spec on it, but it will twist your wrist and make some dust.

 

[semenza]

Those numbers are probably correct, but consider that I can put my full weight (~180lbs) on the RO 150 and it will take me for a ride. How much power do you need?

Also, the RO 90 is belt driven and the RO 125/150 are direct gear drive.
All three are phenomenal machines with more than enough power and capability to do any task thrown at them.

Thats interesting and I think would make  quite a difference in really heavy stock removal.

Does the 90 need as much break in time as the 150?  That might also skew the power perception.

Seth

 

[Alan m]

i wasnt aware that the ro90 was belt driven. you wouldnt know by the feel.
by the feel i would have guessed that the ro150 had more power per inch 2 . it feels that way
i have never felt that either of them were under powered for any situation i put them in.
even with 36 grit my ro150  wont bog down

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Seth,

I don't know the answer regarding break in time. All of the sanders come with brand new brushes that must conform to the armature for maximum power. I'm not sure about the rate at which that happens for each of them.

Even though the RO 90 is belt driven, I can't stall it either with all my weight on it. I should have said that originally.

My point was more that all three are adequately powered for material removal even using the lowest grit and lots of pressure on the pad. I still believe the OP may have gotten a bum RO 150 if he thought it was that underpowered.

Shane

 

[skids]

Agreed Shane...My 125 takes me fore a ride whenever I make the mistake of bearing down on it. I have learned pretty quickly to let this refined beast just do the work on it's own rather than help it along too much.

I looked at the 90, it's awesome, but seemed like an accessory sander to me. The 125 and 150 are probably going to be able to see more tasks in the hands of most contractors. I have used my 125 for MANY different tasks, all with superb performance and the durability is astounding on these tools. That said, the 90 is on my list when I get to my next furniture refinish.

 

[Birdhunter]

I tried the triangle pad on the RO 90 this morning. I have a Fein triangle sander and was expecting the Festool to be a "weak sister" to the Fein.

Not so. I was pleasantly surprised how well the Festool worked. It's also a lot quieter than the Fein and has the advantage of dust collection, absent on my older Fein unit.