Sander Options

[Petey83]

Not sure if this is the right place for this but here goes.

I am looking to upgrade my sanders - currently have a Metabo SXE450 Turbotec and a Bosch GEX 125-1AE

I have been looking at a Mirka Deros as it seems to replace both sanders in terms of head size but i am not sure if the deros can do heavy stock removal as well fine finishing?

I know with festool Sanders i would need to buy at two different one which negates the potential space savings the deros provides.

Jobs wise the main one i have coming up is sanding down all the wood work in our place ready for painting! Looking to the future it will be same sort of tasks as well as finish sanding ready for oil finishes etc.

Budget wise id say between £400 - £500 tops as i will recover some money selling the other 2 sanders.

also will a festool ct midi attach to a mirka?

any advice greatly appreciated

 

[Peter_C]

I am looking to upgrade my sanders - currently have a Metabo SXE450 Turbotec and a Bosch GEX 125-1AE

What is wrong with using the Metabo? I can't really comment on the other sanders.

Jobs wise the main one i have coming up is sanding down all the wood work in our place ready for painting! Looking to the future it will be same sort of tasks as well as finish sanding ready for oil finishes etc.

I would highly recommend a Festool RO90. You will use the heck out of for sanding case work etc. Check out a couple of videos and you will see just how useful it will be.

 

[ear3]

The ETS-EC 150 would be closest to the Metabo. 

You will want something for corner and edge work, however, which is why the RO90 (or the DTS400) would be a great complement.  i would tend to recommend the RO90 over the DTS, just because you can do a lot more with the Sander, and have the benefit of the aggressive gear driven mode for narrow flat surfaces, like door casing.

Either way you slice it, though, plan on spending some $$$$ if you opt for the Festool sanders you need and the CT, which is what makes the dust extraction on the sanders work so well, especially when sanding materials in situ.

 

[yetihunter]

You currently own some well built sanders in the Bosch and Metabo. 
I feel you'll only get a significant upgrade with either the Mirka or the ETS EC series.
Bells and whistles, however. 
The metabo changes it's stroke size from 5mm ("turbo mode") to 3mm (finish mode). 
Something to keep in mind.

The Mirka Deros accepts the 26mm CT hose.  I believe the Ceros requires an adaptor. 

 

[Holmz]

My Mirka attaches to the CT hose. It is a nice unit and the ETS EC is close to it in terms of feel. The DEROS hauls off material quick-smart and finishes too.

Another option is to use the sanders you have (which you said were good), and if they have dust collection then why not continue to use them?

Then if you need something else... perhaps get a used dx93 for corners, or a LS130, or a belt sander to compliment what you have... Or just get a stack of Mirka Abraidnet screens to use the Metabo or Bosch?

 

[jacko9]

I have several sanders but, the RO90 is a very nice all around tool.

 

[WelshWood]

Bought the Rotex 125 about a month ago, been using it pretty much everyday since for my current projects,

The dual modes are incredible, so much versatility I can't see why i'm going to need another sander anytime soon!

It was a toss up between the RO125 and RO150, but in the end I went for the smaller of the two, purely for comfort issues, I felt the RO150 would be a bit trickier to use with one hand rather than the RO125 which i'm completely comfortable using one handed.

However, to put a spanner in the works, I was told by an axminster employee that the Mirka sanders are considered the 'best' - take from that what you will, but after investing alot of money into Festool and their system, I won't be changing anytime soon..

All the best,

~WW

 

[Petey83]

probably worth adding in some more detail.

I have a fein multimaster that i am using for corners and tight spaces. It does a decent job although i have been wondering if an RO90 would be that much better to justify the cost.

The metabo is decent it just has a fair amount of vibration and is not as good at dust collection. The dual orbit feature is a bit of a pain as i find it hard to see which mode its in and there is no indicator on the switch.

i could keep both and add something else I suppose.

the job in hand is sanding down a lot of pine doors before undercoating and then some sanding between layers, sanding back a lot of door frames that have years of paint on them (using a heat gone first where damage possible to avoid damage to wall paper)

in the wider context i want a sander to use on pure wood projects such as MDF / ply cabinets, reclaimed wood furniture and some smaller hard wood projects.

i will also say i am not a pro and do this as a hobby but as my current Festool collection shows i am happy to spend money for the best tool for the job  ;D

 

[rst]

I also have the Fein Multimaster and Supercut and have used them to sand.  I have the RO 90 and the DTS 400 and they are worlds above for effectiveness and efficiency, no comparison.

 

[Holmz]

...
However, to put a spanner in the works, I was told by an axminster employee that the Mirka sanders are considered the 'best' - take from that what you will, but after investing alot of money into Festool and their system, I won't be changing anytime soon..
...

The CT hooks up to both my DEROS and my 1/2-sheet 115e.
There is no "system magic" that makes a non-FT sander out of the question.
In fact the worst of the bunch is the DX93 with the oval dust port... That is difficult to slide the hose onto.

The Festool RO, RAS and LS Sanders are unique. Once you get to the random orbital and 1/2 sheet there are other sanders that can be considered to be good.

 

[jacko9]

I was using the Fein Multimaster for sanding but, it was not up to the task so I bought the RO 90 and I'm sure glad I did.

 

[WelshWood]

...
However, to put a spanner in the works, I was told by an axminster employee that the Mirka sanders are considered the 'best' - take from that what you will, but after investing alot of money into Festool and their system, I won't be changing anytime soon..
...

The CT hooks up to both my DEROS and my 1/2-sheet 115e.
There is no "system magic" that makes a non-FT sander out of the question.
In fact the worst of the bunch is the DX93 with the oval dust port... That is difficult to slide the hose onto.

The Festool RO, RAS and LS Sanders are unique. Once you get to the random orbital and 1/2 sheet there are other sanders that can be considered to be good.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound as though I wouldn't use Mirka, as i'm fully aware you can use their products with a Festool Vac; But more-so the fact that my experiences with Festool so far means I have no reason to stray over to another brand.

~WW

 

[Peter_C]

Because of the RO125 or RO150 being a great sander to have in the stable, and sandpaper being common to the ETS125/ETS150 (EC) staying with Festool makes at least some sense.

For instance since I already have an RO150, if I wanted another sander of that size I would buy a ETS150/3 EC without even considering other brands just because I already have a large stock of sandpaper.

 

[Petey83]

So a little update on what i have ended up doing..... lets say now that it's been an expensive week.  [eek] [eek]

I bought a Mirka Deros with the 125mm and 150mm heads as well as a load of 10 packs of various grits in both sizes. Still need to get some of the higher grits above 240 / 320 but i have a good selection for now.

I then decided i could totally justify an RO 90 for an intial task of stripping down a load of door frames that habe 40+ years of paint build up on them. Getting small quantities of sanding disks for the RO 90 is difficult but i sorced some in the end and only needed to buy the 40 grit in a box of 50. using Brilliant 2 for the dealta and Granat for the disc.

So what capability have these 2 machines given me....

Well the Deros can be a gentle and fine or as aggressive and harsh as you want it to be. Traditional thought suggests that you need a smaller 2mm - 3mm stroke for fine sanding with a random orbit sander but i can say now that my initial tests this wek show that the Deros with the higher grit Abranet disks is very capable of fine sanding in the same way that 40g Abranet HD disks and the Deros on full power will strip paint off a flat panel door in a respectable amount of time and effort - not as fast as a belt or rotex type sander but still more than capable.

The Rotex 90 is a totally different beast and i really do want to highlight that it is a BEAST!! In Rotex mode with a 40g Granat disk it has decimated the thick layers of paint on the door frame i tested it on yesterday. I have not had a chance to fully test the random orbit or delta modes but initial quick play with both suggest they will be good. if honest i would say these 2 modes are a bonus as the rotex mode's effectiveness along with the dust collection are worth the price of admission lone IMO.

anyway i may put up a mini review and some pics at a later date but for now i will say thanks to all for the advice on this thread.

 

[jacko9]

Petey83 - The RO90 will tame down a bit after it breaks in to the point that I can now use mine with one hand (not something I could think about doing when it was new).

I find that I use the Granat for all of my sanding and I do have four Festool Sanders and the Granat seems to work better in all situations I have used them for so far.  I have a bunch of Brilliant that I bought initially before the wide spread use of Granat and it's just sitting ion a box.

I look forward to your review - "happy sanding" and that's something I never thought I would be saying 40 years ago when I dreaded sanding dust.

 

[nickao]

I dont believe that break in period thing at all. I believe a person becomes accustomed to the tool over time.

For me proof of this is how I can sand with my Rotex 150 easily with one hand, no problem, even lefty. But anyone in my shop that tries to use it for the first time or even several times over a week or so can't even handle it with 2 hands, as I watch it skip over the surface and gouge the work.  [eek]

Proving I am the thing broken in, not the sander.

 

[Holmz]

So a little update on what i have ended up doing..... lets say now that it's been an expensive week.  [eek] [eek]

I bought a Mirka Deros with the 125mm and 150mm heads as well as a load of 10 packs of various grits in both sizes. Still need to get some of the higher grits above 240 / 320 but i have a good selection for now.

I then decided i could totally justify an RO 90 for an initial task...
...
So what capability have these 2 machines given me....
...
anyway i may put up a mini review and some pics at a later date but for now i will say thanks to all for the advice on this thread.

I look forward to your review.
The DEROS seems to do it for me.

I am thinking I may look at the RAS or a belt sander for difficult removal work.
I would just use the disc and the makita grinder, but the dust is a problem, and the speed is way too fast. Hence a RAS.

Anyhow I have sense that I can believe someone's comments who has both the DEROS and the RO... And I would blow most of the 30 day window figuring it out myself.

 

[Petey83]

so this has reminded me that i need to do this review and having just finishe dthe last of the sanding tasks in the flat this weekend before moving onto painting it would be a good time to do the reviews. I will do a joint review and get it up in the reviews section later.

One thing i will say is the Deros and the RO90 compliment each other really well. Chuck in the no name cheapo belt sander i have and i am pretty happy with my set up.

review will be up later tonight