RTS 400/DTS 400 Which one to buy?

[Guy Ashley]

Hi

Any of you who have these palm/detail sanders, if you had the choice, as in can really only afford one or the other, which would you go for? I take it the bases are not interchangeable. [unsure]

Guy

 

[Bob Marino]

Hi Guy,

Take a look at this link to a thread on SMC forum. See Jim Dailey's response; it's a good one.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=133644

Bob

 

[Guy Ashley]

Bob

Thanks for that. A very informative article and has convinced me that the RTS is the model for me. Shame they don't do an interchangeable base!!

Thanks again!  [big grin]

Guy

 

[AlexThePalex]

At one moment I had this same dilemma. After a lot of considerations I decided to buy the RTS. I already had the DX93 to get into corners so I didn't necessarily needed the DTS for the corners. As it turns out, the RTS can get into a lot of corners too. What sold me most though, was the fact that consumables for the RTS are cheaper than for the DTS.

Anyway, the RTS hasn't let me down yet. I later had an opportunity to buy the DS400 for cheap. The DS400 is the precursor of the DTS400 and exactly the same in shape as the DTS except for some minor internal changes. Turned out, the DS400 did nothing extra for me and I sold it again without regret.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi Alex

Thanks for your post. It is reassuring to hear from someone who has tried both and has reached a decision on the merits and practicalities of each one.

Regards

Guy

 

[Wood_Junkie]

Shame they don't do an interchangeable base!!

Not intentionally anyway...  See post dated 2/7/2010.
http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-jigs-tool-enhancements/converting-an-rts400-to-a-dts400/

In retrospect, I wish I had just bought the RTS.  The sandpaper can be reversed on the RTS, to extend the life of the corners.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi Wood Junkie

Thanks for that thread, so it would appear to be possible.

However on reading further on it seems there is a belief that Festool may be about to release a combination palm sander that is a RTS400 with both bases?

Does anyone know if that is the case? Bearing in mind we tend to get the new kit on this side of the pond before you guys I wonder if there any UK festool dealers monitoring this thread that can give us a clue?

Guy 

 

[Forrest Anderson]

However on reading further on it seems there is a belief that Festool may be about to release a combination palm sander that is a RTS400 with both bases?

Does anyone know if that is the case? Bearing in mind we tend to get the new kit on this side of the pond before you guys I wonder if there any UK festool dealers monitoring this thread that can give us a clue?

I'm interested in where you got the idea that was one was about to be released.

There was one thread recently in the Festool Wish List board which read...

Multi-sander ETS/DTS/RTS

I was at Rockler a few weeks ago taking a look at the ETS125, DTS400 and RTS400 sander.  They all appear to have the same body, and the only difference is the pad and pad adaptor.  I recognize that one sander is ROS and the other two OS so there may be a difference in the inner works of the routers.  It would be nice to have one sander body with a fastfix mechanism that would take the three pads (triangular, circular and rectangular).  I can see that this would cost more money that any single sander mentioned above , but the upside is that you won't be carrying around 3 separate sanders.

Let's call it the EDR-TS EQ sander.

...and in another thread recently I said...

Personally, I think it would be great if Festool offered this type of sander as a kit with two easily interchangeable pads - you just clip on the pad you want for the job in hand, and off you go. Maybe the next generation of palm sanders will be like that...

...however I don't remember it going further than saying that it would be a good idea!

Forrest

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Hi Alex

Thanks for your post. It is reassuring to hear from someone who has tried both and has reached a decision on the merits and practicalities of each one.

Regards

Guy

Good post by Alex, but do not overlook that he said he had a Deltex 93 to deal with those tight inside corners.  I approached a similar question regarding my choices of sanders somewhat differently.  Because I already had an RO 125 and Deltex 93 that I much used for remodeling (mostly removing old varnish from hardwood trim), I chose an ETS 125 because it uses the same sanding supplies as the RO 125 after trying an RTS 400, and later added an LS 130 which uses the same sanding supplies as the RTS 400.  BUT, if you plan to work with only one orbital sander that can reach into inside corners and you are on a limited budget, the DTS 400 might be a better choice because it can reach into corners whose angle is less than ninety degrees.  There are reasons Festool makes a wide range of sanders!

Dave R.

 

[Guy Ashley]

Hi

I have heard from a very reliable source that in about a month Festool are releasing a combination RTS/DTS palm sander and will be available in the UK.
How long after that it will be before it arrives in the US I have no idea.
That solves my original dilema.

Regards

Guy