Rotex 150 or ETS EC 150/5

[Henninne]

Hi all,

I have just started building up a Festool family in my garage and now I want to add a sander. I have a small Metabo sander which is terrible for most work, so basically this new sander will be my only one. So I was thinking to buy RO150 or ETS EC 150/5, any one have a opinion on which to choose as my one (for now) sander? I know they are two quite different sanders, but the size of the ETS150 is interesting. I build mostly furniture so the use will be 90% sanding of planned oak and other hard woods.

Thanks for all answers.

 

[Stephen B]

[size=14pt]Welcome to the Forum Henninne.
[size=13pt]
RO150 because you state that you only want one sander and it has the abilities of polishing and buffing as well as two sanding modes. You can also quickly change pads - soft, hard, polishing. Down the track you might consider a ETS EC 150/3.



[size=8pt][member=56231]Henninne[/member]

 

[Holmz]

I only have 3 sanders. Some people have many many more. I mostly use a corner sander or a 1/2 sheet sander.
I rarely even think about the 5" (125) RO sander, unless I am sanding metal.
The 1/2 sheet by far is my most used.

If it is mostly oak, maybe some scrapers can be used?
Then that would determine what you cannot use a scraper for, which would then result in a some specific sander.

 

[AlexThePalex]

So I was thinking to buy RO150 or ETS EC 150/5,

For furniture I'd suggest you have a look at one of the /3 models instead. The standard ETS150/3 is very nice for furniture, or the EC model if you want to spend a little bit more and get the latest technology.

You say you mostly work on planed wood, so you don't really need a sander that has a high removal rate, but rather one that leaves a nice finish.

If you occasionally do want to take on tasks that need a little bit more aggressive removal, then the ETS EC 150/5 would be a good compromise. I'd save the Rotex 150 for heavier tasks.

 

[Timtool]

Yea for furniture making and sanding of planed wood the ETS 150 (EC or not) is the best option for me anyway, the rotex is heavy, noisy and difficult to handle. It's great when you need to do aggressive removal of stock/paint or polishing, for all the rest it's a pain in the ***

I would however opt for the No 5 stroke models, a bit more versatile/all round than the No 3 models and the difference in finish quality can't be told by the eye. The No3 may be a bit less aggressive when sanding finish coats, the No5 goes through it quickly.

 

[Kev]

My first Festool sander was the ETS150/5. At that time I also had a couple of Rupes sanders (Delta and 150mm DA), Makita 1/2 sheet and the Fein multi.

The 150/5 seemed to do everything better (obviously apart from getting into corners), so I found myself using the ETS150/5 and Rupes Delta pretty much exclusively.

Since those days I've acquired most of the Festool sander range and got rid of (or given to my son) my other sanders.

Despite the fact that the RO150 can do more (be it noisier and heavier), the 150/5 is an incredibly useful sander.

Make certain that you keep the abrasives you're going to use clearly in your equation. I've found having a substantial range of Granat on hand and making sure the abrasive sheet I'm using is effective makes a dramatic difference in all circumstances.

The 150/3 will do everything the 150/5 can do ... just slower - and will ultimately give you a better ultra fine finish up beyond the 300 grit window.

 

[Henninne]

Thanks for all good input. Looks like I will go for the ETS 150/5. The heavy duty stock removal functionality on the ro150 sounds nice, but will not be that useful for my work so the size of the ETS is more attractive.

 

[semenza]

Thanks for all good input. Looks like I will go for the ETS 150/5. The heavy duty stock removal functionality on the ro150 sounds nice, but will not be that useful for my work so the size of the ETS is more attractive.

Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

  Yes, the ETS150/5 makes very good all around sander (barring special purpose / shape sanders) for furniture making. It can easily handle coarse through fine sanding. Adding the hard pad increases versatility and helps with lower grit stripping and material removal when needed. The Rotex 150 is more all purpose but the style isn't as nice for the work you have in mind.

Seth

 

[Stone Message]

I agree with what appears to be the majority above. The ETC EC 150 is the one for you. I have both the RO 150 and ETS EC 150/3 and I have not tried the ETS EC 150/5.

The 150/3 can do some quite reasonable material removal if you use 60 or 80 grit. It is the finer of the two and should provide the highest quality finish suitable for fine furniture making. It is especially good on large flat surfaces.

Here is a link to my ETS EC 150/3 video:



and here is my Rotex 150 video:



Good luck.

Peter

 

[Tayler_mann]

If you are going to be using one sander only than the RO 150 is your best choice. Than you can have the aggressive Rotex mode and the eccentric mode that I belive has a 5 mm stroke as well. Once you get the dust collection dialed in with the RO it is an excellent smooth sander. However, the ETS ec is much smoother after using it. For me I am going to have both sanders as they are for different uses. My most used sander in he shop is my RTS and than my RO 150's. The last thing to remember is since you are building furniture you want a very perfect fine finish. The 5 mm stroke will get you there but the three will ultimately give you the better finish just not as fast.

My opinion for you is to buy the RO 150 and the RTS sander since you are doing mostly furniture. With those two sanders there will be nothing you cannot do.

 

[Zebt]

Another option is the RO125, i've just got it and am very impressed, aggressive yet fine if I want it. Am part way through various bits of furniture restoration/sprucing up.

 

[Staniam]

I'm torn between re-purchasing my beloved RO125 or going with the ETS EC 150/5. For those of you who have worked with the EC 150/5, how good is it at stock removal? I'm I'm the same boat as the OP and want one all around sander for the time being for furniture both fine and rough.

I held the EC 150/5 a couple weeks ago when a Festool rep came by and was shocked at how light it is. I love that it's Brushless as well but am worried about the stock removal as often times I'll be sanding 2x doug fur or pressure treated.

 

[www.jbbinnenwerk.nl]

Hi Guys,

My first post over here, I will post some more detailed info about my work and workshop later on. I'm struggling with exact the same issue of choice. I have a BS75E, a DS400Q (most common sander?), a RS200EQ and a DX93 (which I never use). I can hear you people think: "If he has a RS200EQ, why buy an ETS EC? Mainly because I'm getting tired of the handeling of the big and heavy machine. Your hand is to far away of the surface so you don't get the 'feeling' with the material you're working on.

Sometimes I wish for a machine which can take a lot af material away, but that can be done by the BS75. but is makes a very raw surface, and always with "tracks". Is this easier with the RO 150? And how does a circulair sander perform on the side of a 19 mm MDF board?

(I apologize for my language, I'm from Holland and trying to make the best out of it)

 

[rizzoa13]

Using the ro150 on the side of a 19mm board is a pain in the butt. You can clamp the board down and grip the sander tightly and get decent results but it's not easy. For removing a lot of stock from the edge of a board your belt sander is the way to go. I have the ro90 which is much nicer to use on end grain just because of the size and how it fits your hand.

The ro150 is my least used sander for general caprentry work but i use it for finishing wide pieces all the way through the grits. If I had an rs2 i feel like id only use the ro150 in the lower grits so in my opinion stay away from the ro150 as it overlaps with a lot of the tools you already have.

 

[Timtool]

Hi Guys,

My first post over here, I will post some more detailed info about my work and workshop later on. I'm struggling with exact the same issue of choice. I have a BS75E, a DS400Q (most common sander?), a RS200EQ and a DX93 (which I never use). I can hear you people think: "If he has a RS200EQ, why buy an ETS EC? Mainly because I'm getting tired of the handeling of the big and heavy machine. Your hand is to far away of the surface so you don't get the 'feeling' with the material you're working on.

Sometimes I wish for a machine which can take a lot af material away, but that can be done by the BS75. but is makes a very raw surface, and always with "tracks". Is this easier with the RO 150? And how does a circulair sander perform on the side of a 19 mm MDF board?

(I apologize for my language, I'm from Holland and trying to make the best out of it)

No need to apologize for being from Holland, it's not your fault

Looks like you have a nice collection of very specialized sanders, but none of them is a general use sander.
Going for the RO150 will just add another specialized sander to your collection. In my experience the RO150 does about the same tasks as a belt sander, and does it better. Another plus is that it can be used to polish.

But aside from that it's not a good general use sander, more difficult to use than any of your current sanders.
I used to say that the king of sanders was the ETS150 and all the rest were specialty sanders for specific and limited tasks. I have a wide range of Festool sanders, the ETS 150 still does 95% of my sanding, can sand edges of 5mm plywood if you want.

 

[zapdafish]

Rotex 150 rocks. After glue ups  I slap on 40/60 grit and go at it in Rotex mode depending on how much glue squeezeout I failed to wipeoff. Then go from 80 grit in ROS mode up to 150/200 grit. Never had any problems when I hit it with finish where if you missed something, you will see the swirl marks. And since I got a refurb ETS/3 I do a final pass with it, more to justify me having bought it  [big grin]

I work mostly with Maple, Red/White oak. Never used it on MDF, I usually seal mdf edges with several coats of canned shellac or something like that sanding by hand in between coats.

 

[Nippychippy]

Just go for it

 

[AlexThePalex]

Sometimes I wish for a machine which can take a lot af material away, but that can be done by the BS75. but is makes a very raw surface, and always with "tracks". Is this easier with the RO 150? And how does a circulair sander perform on the side of a 19 mm MDF board?

Removing a lot of material is easier/faster with the BS75 than with the RO150. But with the belt sander you have to do a lot of clean up sanding to get the surface smooth again. The RO150 doesn't leave such deep scratches as the BS75, so you can win some time there.

On the side of a thin piece the RO150 is a bit tricky. It can be done, but you have to hold it really tight because it has the tendency to grab the edge and jump. Having the hard pad helps.

 

[Kev]

Sometimes I wish for a machine which can take a lot af material away, but that can be done by the BS75. but is makes a very raw surface, and always with "tracks". Is this easier with the RO 150? And how does a circulair sander perform on the side of a 19 mm MDF board?

Removing a lot of material is easier/faster with the BS75 than with the RO150. But with the belt sander you have to do a lot of clean up sanding to get the surface smooth again. The RO150 doesn't leave such deep scratches as the BS75, so you can win some time there.

On the side of a thin piece the RO150 is a bit tricky. It can be done, but you have to hold it really tight because it has the tendency to grab the edge and jump. Having the hard pad helps.

[member=5277]Alex[/member]

I think we should invent the rotating belt sander. That'd give an interesting scratch pattern! [huh]

 

[Wuffles]

Sometimes I wish for a machine which can take a lot af material away, but that can be done by the BS75. but is makes a very raw surface, and always with "tracks". Is this easier with the RO 150? And how does a circulair sander perform on the side of a 19 mm MDF board?

Removing a lot of material is easier/faster with the BS75 than with the RO150. But with the belt sander you have to do a lot of clean up sanding to get the surface smooth again. The RO150 doesn't leave such deep scratches as the BS75, so you can win some time there.

On the side of a thin piece the RO150 is a bit tricky. It can be done, but you have to hold it really tight because it has the tendency to grab the edge and jump. Having the hard pad helps.

[member=5277]Alex[/member]

I think we should invent the rotating belt sander. That'd give an interesting scratch pattern! [huh]

Just loosen the adjustment wheel on a belt sander and slam it in top speed for that "buckin' bronco" feel.