RO90 vs DX93?

[alltracman78]

Is there any reason I should purchase a DX93 over an RO90?

I'm painting my house, so I'm probably going to be doing some (a lot of[crying]) vertical sanding.
I have the opportunity to buy a DX93. Or I can buy a new/used RO90.
Price isn't an issue.
I already have a DTS400.
I'm aware the DX93 is ~1/2 inch shorter than the RO. Won't be an issue on the house. May be an issue with future projects, but the RO has the extended pad available.
RO obviously is more versatile, and I'm guessing will sand more aggressively.
I've sold myself on the RO90; I'm curious if anyone disagrees?
Even potentially down the road are there any advantages at all to the DX? I can easily find an RO, the DX not quite so much.

I'm mainly wondering because I got my hands on an RS2. I find it more enjoyable to sand with than the orbital Festools I have (mutiple).
Did Festool screw up getting rid of the DX as well? Or has the RO90 completely replaced it?

TIA!

 

[luvmytoolz]

As an owner of an RO90 even if you don't think you need it, you really do!

It is a sensational sander, and a bit of a gateway drug to the RO150, but it really packs a punch, I found t amazingly useful while renovating and now use it for more mundane tasks.

Given it comes with a triangular pad I think it's probably a lot more useful and less task specific than the DX93.

You won't regret buying the RO90!

 

[Cheese]

I have both, but for some quirky reason I find myself grabbing the DX 93 more often than the RO 90. I think it's the smaller size of the DX 93 that makes it more enjoyable to use. It also seems to be lighter in weight than the RO 90. At any rate, I prefer the DX 93 for detail sanding.

 

[guybo]

Hi, my dx93 came with an extension  pad, great as cheese said for detail and a real beast in corners don't think you will go wrong with either

 

[squall_line]

If you have the space, get the DX93, which can be used in more places than the delta pad on the RO90, and then get the RO90 later if you still find yourself needing/wanting the round pad.

Reason being, you'll still be able to find another RO90 again in the future, but DX93s in good shape at a good price don't come along that often.

 

[Bertotti]

I only have the RO90 not the DX. It works very well vertically. The only place it has ever been an issue was under a toe kick corner even with the long delta pad it didn’t quite reach but if your outside vertical it works great.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

As I see it, the advantage of the RO90's triangular pad is that it is symmetrical. You wear out the tip area of the sandpaper first, just as a side effect of the pointed shape. The true triangle gives you three on the same sheet vs the elongated version. There may be some advantage to the larger overall pad of the delta shape, but I have never used one of those. The RTS and RO90 seem to fill the same space for me.

 

[Cheese]

As I see it, the advantage of the RO90's triangular pad is that it is symmetrical. You wear out the tip area of the sandpaper first, just as a side effect of the pointed shape. The true triangle gives you three on the same sheet vs the elongated version. There may be some advantage to the larger overall pad of the delta shape, but I have never used one of those. The RTS and RO90 seem to fill the same space for me.

My first Festool purchase in 2007 was a DTS 400 sander and a CT 22 vac for a stairs project. That meant sanding lots of corners and because of the single point on the DTS, I went through a ton of DTS sand paper.
That caused me to think about modifying the DTS sand paper to accept DX 93 triangle sandpaper. I came up with this idea but never fully implemented it because I decided to purchase a DX 93 for my next stairs project.  [big grin]  The green circles are where I needed to punch holes for the dust collection.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Holzhacker]

I periodically tell myself I'm going to buy a dx93. Between the dts400 and ro90 just don't seem to need to. I guess if I worked with smaller pieces I probably would have bought one by now.

 

[luvmytoolz]

As I see it, the advantage of the RO90's triangular pad is that it is symmetrical. You wear out the tip area of the sandpaper first, just as a side effect of the pointed shape. The true triangle gives you three on the same sheet vs the elongated version. There may be some advantage to the larger overall pad of the delta shape, but I have never used one of those. The RTS and RO90 seem to fill the same space for me.

This! And it's amazing how fast the corners wear down in serious use!

That's another great thing about the Fein multi-tool, the triangular pad is also symmetrical.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That is where I discovered it first. I had a Fien multitool before I got the RO90.
I don't really use the triangular pad very often, especially since getting the RTS 400, but I do really appreciate the ability to convert the RO90, rather than needing another sander.

 

[alltracman78]

Well, I ended up with the RO90.
The DX93 was fairly far away (several hours drive one way), a little on the high side price wise, and most importantly the seller wouldn't answer my queries (still up FS now).
Plus I had forgotten I had a massive pile of Amazon points, so I ordered from Hartville (I normally use my local dealer, this is one of the rare exceptions).
I guess instead of price doesn't matter I should have said price isn't a huge issue.
I will keep an eye out for a DX, I may pick one up in the future, especially since it uses the same paper.

Thank you everyone for your input.

As I see it, the advantage of the RO90's triangular pad is that it is symmetrical. You wear out the tip area of the sandpaper first, just as a side effect of the pointed shape. The true triangle gives you three on the same sheet vs the elongated version. There may be some advantage to the larger overall pad of the delta shape, but I have never used one of those. The RTS and RO90 seem to fill the same space for me.

I think you're confusing the DTS400 and the DX93.
The DX 93 uses the same paper as the triangular pad for the RO90 (I guess technically the RO90 uses the DX paper since it was around first). So both can rotate paper to all 3 tips.
I believe the pads aren't interchangeable, just the paper. The pads are the same shape, just different ways of attaching.
I believe each also has 3? different types of triangular heads. I know they both have a regular and an extended tip.
I haven't fully absorbed all the options for it yet.

I only have the RO90 not the DX. It works very well vertically. The only place it has ever been an issue was under a toe kick corner even with the long delta pad it didn’t quite reach but if your outside vertical it works great.

Would the DX93  have fit? It's supposedly a half inch shorter.
If I ever run into that I do have the LS130 with the extended tip pad. For now this is for sanding the outside of the house to paint, so shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Michael Kellough]

"I think you're confusing the DTS400 and the DX93."

Answering for CRG, nope, the DTS400 is good for the application, as long there is vertical clearance.

And it has 33.3% more corners than delta pads. [wink]
Since the vast majority of inside corners are 90 degrees the DTS400 works very well.

 

[alltracman78]

"I think you're confusing the DTS400 and the DX93."

Answering for CRG, nope, the DTS400 is good for the application, as long there is vertical clearance.

And it has 33.3% more corners than delta pads. [wink]
Since the vast majority of inside corners are 90 degrees the DTS400 works very well.

I wasn't saying the DTS wouldn't work; the comparison was between the DX93 and the RO90 and specifically excluded the DTS.
He mentioned only being able to rotate the pad on the RO90, and spoke about the "elongated pad", which the DX93 does not have, but the DTS does.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That's my fault. I thought the DX93 was one of the longer units, like the DTS.

 

[alltracman78]

That's my fault. I thought the DX93 was one of the longer units, like the DTS.

Gasp! My faith has been shaken....

 

[Crazyraceguy]

That's my fault. I thought the DX93 was one of the longer units, like the DTS.

Gasp! My faith has been shaken....

[big grin] [big grin] [big grin] I have never seen one.

 

[alltracman78]

That's my fault. I thought the DX93 was one of the longer units, like the DTS.

Gasp! My faith has been shaken....

[big grin] [big grin] [big grin] I have never seen one.

Hahahaha!

I got a chance to use the RO90 the other day. I installed a cantilevered beam (I mortised a 4x6x12 into a 6x6 post) for a swing onto my daughters playset. I was too lazy to make a tennon checker, and the beam was too large/high (12 feet up?) to easily take in and out for fitting.
The joint ended up being slightly too tight once it was partially installed so I fired up the round pad on the RO and cleaned off a tiny bit from the tennon. I started without the vacuum attached but quickly switched to the vacuum (was in rotex mode). It was very pleasant to use. I'm glad I started with the RO90 vs the DX93, though I may still pick up a DX at some point.

 

[Cheese]

I'm glad I started with the RO90 vs the DX93, though I may still pick up a DX at some point.

An RO 90 is definitely a better all-around sander...the DX 93 though is the corner champion. It's niche like the LS 130.

 

[Kevison]

If you’re leaning towards the RO90, I’d say go for it! It’s super versatile, and with your DTS400, you’ll have a solid setup for different projects. The RO90 can definitely tackle aggressive sanding, and the option for an extended pad is a nice bonus for those future projects.
As for the DX93, it might be great for specific tasks, but if you’re mostly working on your house now, the RO90 seems like the better choice. I think Festool made a smart move focusing on the RO lineup; it really covers a lot of ground.