RO150 vs. Bosch 1250DEVS vs. Mirka Ceros. Could use some advice.

[ohoen]

Hi all, just looking for some guidance here. I need a sander and after doing a lot of reading these three are what I'm thinking about.

Tasks for the near future-
Edging a plank pine floor (new install)
Refinishing all the rough sawn timbers in my house
Probably a lot of deck/exterior sanding
Some cabinetry, but that's secondary

So, really, I'm looking for something to do rapid removal. Above and beyond that is gravy.

What I'm thinking-
RO150
Pros-
I'm going to buy a Festool vac so I may as well buy the package and save a few bucks (though they seem to be backordered for now)
I get a T-loc
It's a solid RO sander
Excellent Dust collection

Cons-
Expensive
Heavy and requires two hands
Noisy
May become somewhat redundant if I add an ETS later

Bosch
Pros-
Does what the Rotex does (maybe) for half the price-ish

Cons-
Probably as heavy and noisy as the Rotex, I dunno
No T-Loc
Dust collection?

Mirka
Pros-
Comes with Systainer, though not T-Loc
Light
Great finish sander
Dust collection looks good

Cons-
Expensive
Have to deal with the transformer. Not a big deal in the shop, maybe not so good elsewhere
Not as good for rapid material removal

I included the Mirka only because, from what I've read, people seem to think it can work well for rapid removal. Maybe I'd be expecting too much.

Anybody know how the dust-collection is on the Bosch?

My first choice is certainly the Rotex. My only other RO sander is a Ridgid that I don't have any love for so it could take over its duties as well. My fear is that once I get a dedicated finish RO later the Rotex becomes a $500 belt sander (I know, that's going a bit far).

At this point I am the proud owner of 3 Systainers, so I'm basically starting from zero in the Festool column.

Thanks for any input, hopefully this is the appropriate forum....

 

[duburban]

I went from numerous RO sanders to the Bosch 1250 to the Rotex 150. If i could do it over I would most likely end up with a RAS and the 150/3. I think I've read the following observation on here before and I really agree that when you need an aggressive sander you really can't get aggressive enough. So having a RAS on hand to beat things into shape following with a really comfortable finish sander is appealing.

Having the rotex and the 150/3 is nice because they share the same paper. But ultimately i'll probably own them all sooner or later.

Rotex comes with the edging guide for floors also...

 

[ohoen]

Thanks duburban, interesting that you bring up the RAS. That's another thing I was thinking about. My only concern with the RAS was flattening. That's more of a technique issue I suppose. I'd certainly like to have one for paint/finish removal and coping/scribing. I mean, for the cost of the vac and Rotex I could have vac, RAS, and the bosch(reconditioned cost). That's pretty tempting.

 

[ghostofhoward]

I have owned and used both the Bosch 1250 and now the RO150.I actually liked the bosch a little better just because the Rotex is so gratingly LOUD.The reason I switched is because of dust collection integration.I own other festool sanders and got tired of switching out the cords.The dust port on the bosch works just fine with the festool hose though so thats really no concern.I would say that material removal speed is very similar.

 

[Kev]

RO 150 plus headphones ... with some relaxing sanding music is my suggestion.

You can always buy a systainer for the Bosch .... and you can always swap the Mirka systainer and put it in a T-Loc.

RAS is aggressive only, the ROTEX covers multiple needs.

Anything that covers multiple bases will be a compromise at some level - but if you have a need for all of its personalities, the ROTEX is a good choice.

I have both RO 150 and RO 90 - but I lean towards the ETS and DTS for finishing. I never thought about the RAS at the time.

I'm moving away from Rupes, Makita and Bosch because the Festool path is so much cleaner (all of those are just sitting waiting the be Ebayed).

 

[andvari]

The primary reasons I bought a Mirka were the light weight makes it great for vertical surfaces and the brushless DC motor is a strong design.

I don't plan on doing much rough work.

Otherwise I own a RO 90 and an ETS 150/3. Someday I think I'll get an LS130.

 

[Kevin Stricker]

The Mirka is an amazing sander, but unless you got the 7mm stroke I don't think it would be right for smoothing out a bunch of rough sawn lumber.  Honestly I wouldn't take that job with any sander.  Maybe if you put a hard sanding pad and started at a low grit it might work with the 5mm stroke Ceros, but flattening rough stock is not its strength.

The RO150 will do better, but it gets pretty hot,loud, and heavy.  Not a sander I would want to be holding at shoulder level for extended periods.  The RO 150 is a great outdoor sander when it is 30 degrees, your hands stay nice and toasty. Maybe with the aux handle it would be better.  The problem I find is that the longer you spend on rotary mode the longer you have to spend on RO mode.  Getting those deep scratches out can be a PIA.

Good luck with your decision, if you start with the RO 150 and it's weight becomes a major problem you at least have 30 days to return it.  Not sure if you can say the same for the other sanders.

 

[ohoen]

Thanks so much for all the replies. This is really helpful. I'm leaning towards a vac/RAS + Bosch because I think that will be the most versatile combination that's within budget at the moment.

Weight may be an issue with the Rotex or the Bosch (which is partly why I thought of the Mirka) but I don't see any great way around that. Maybe a first pass on all the rough sawn with the RAS.

Sounds like I'd be happy with the RO150 but I think this combo will cover more ground for the same money. If the lack of Plug-It drives me nuts with the Bosch I can always pigtail it. I don't particularly care what color my tools are. I'll update if I have anything useful to report!

 

[Rembo]

why do not you look at the Makita bo 6040?
it is also a powerful machine!

 

[ScotF]

Thanks so much for all the replies. This is really helpful. I'm leaning towards a vac/RAS + Bosch because I think that will be the most versatile combination that's within budget at the moment.

Weight may be an issue with the Rotex or the Bosch (which is partly why I thought of the Mirka) but I don't see any great way around that. Maybe a first pass on all the rough sawn with the RAS.

Sounds like I'd be happy with the RO150 but I think this combo will cover more ground for the same money. If the lack of Plug-It drives me nuts with the Bosch I can always pigtail it. I don't particularly care what color my tools are. I'll update if I have anything useful to report!

One thing you might also want to consider is the cost of sandpaper over the long-haul.  If you decide to get an ETS at some point in the future, then it would be nice to be able and share sandpaper across multiple sanders and Festool makes some of the best paper out there IMHO.  Just a thought with a Rotex and ETS vs. Bosch and possibly an ETS later.  I love my Rotex and depated for a long time between it and the Bosch and ultimately decided Festool for this reason.  The other main reason was after sales support/service.  If you are unsure about any of these, I would highly recommend going to a dealer to try them out and see first hand what feels good in the hand and how they work.

Scot

 

[AlexThePalex]

I agree about the sandpaper. Festool sandpaper is excellent and if you don't use it you're missing out on something.

First, the cost of a package seems high but I find the cost per square meter/foot sanded as one of the lowest amongst the many different brands I have used, at least here in Europe.

Second, Festool gives you a whole lot of choice with their multiple lines of different types of paper so you can always get the optimal paper for the task at hand, increasing your work speed and optimising the result.

Third, the dust collection on the Rotex is unrivaled. Festool's 8+1 hole pattern is not just a bit, but a whole lot better than the traditional 6 holes in the middle of the paper. Thirty years ago, when I was just a wee bit lad and never heard of Festool, I already wondered why they put the holes in the middle of the paper and not near the edge. Seems Festool became the only manufacturer who realised the same, and when I see how Bosch (and most other manufacturers) still use the traditional 6 hole pattern 30 years later, I have to shake my head in disbelief. If you want a cheaper dual mode sander than the Rotex, at least get the Makita Bo 6040 as Rembo suggested. At least they did realise the benefits of Festool's hole pattern. BTW, nice avatar Rembo.

Bosch vs Rotex:

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Makita:  

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[ohoen]

Good point regarding the paper. I will also look at the Makita, hadn't seen that one before. I've been mostly happy with Makita stuff in the past. Thanks guys.

 

[Scott B.]

I have some Bosches if anyone wants them.

 

[mikeneron]

Mirka
Pros-
Comes with Systainer, though not T-Loc
Light
Great finish sander
Dust collection looks good

Cons-
Expensive
Have to deal with the transformer. Not a big deal in the shop, maybe not so good elsewhere
Not as good for rapid material removal

I included the Mirka only because, from what I've read, people seem to think it can work well for rapid removal. Maybe I'd be expecting too much.

If you use the Abranet HD, it removes stuff in a hurry.  I also have the RO90 and was using 40 grit Granat paper and found that it was slower to remove material than using the Mirka with Abranet HD.  This was when I was removing old old paint from a cupboard door.  The Abranet HD (40 grit) went through the stuff a lot quicker than the Granat did.  I realize they are a world apart in sizes, but I don't have the bigger Rotex to make a really fair comparison.  Just my experience for what it's worth.

 

[Rembo]

I assure you, Makita "hack" is not worse than the RO .. (sandpaper number 40 - is generally a beast!)
I tried to Mirka, it is better to take the RO ..
Let's make a video? with equal material. I'm ready ..