sander

[griffs]

  Looking to buy a Festool sander in the near future, Any thoughts on  a rotex 125 or 150.

    Clive.

 

[Birdhunter]

I have the 90 and 125 Rotex sanders as well as the ETS125. Most of my projects are medium to small so the 150 Rotex is an overkill.

I found the 125 Rotex worked fine for me in building the few bookcases I do. If I did a lot of large surface area projects, I'd buy the 150 Rotex sander.

I don't use the RO90 all that much. When I do, it is almost always with the triangular pad.

My favorite sander is the ETS 125. It is a pleasure to use and not nearly as sensitive as the Rotex machines.

I do have to concentrate on my technique with the Rotex sanders. If I don't, they tend to skip around. I also find I have to dial the dust collector down to about 50% to get the smoothest sanding.

The dust collection on all of my Festool sanders is excellent.

 

[nickao]

I politely disagree, the 150 is a far better choice, especially if a person owns the RO 90!

I never had an instance where I wish I had a 5" sander instead of a 6"(knowing I have the 90). I actually got rid of all my 5", I either use the 150 or the 90. The time savings the 150 offers is far and away worth the small difference in price. SImpler to get flat surfaces with the 5 as well.

For me the 5" category lost a huge amount of ground when the RO 90 came out.

The RO 90, ETS 150/3 and an RO 150 is a fantastic combination of sanders and what I recommend.

 

[Zacharytanner]

I agree with Divetail 65. I have the ro90 and ro125 and after using the ro150 at Festool I would buy the 90 and 150 and the ets150 an the full sheet flat sander

 

[dltflt]

The RO90 and 150 is a great combination.

 

[travisj]

My first Festool purchase was a 150/3.  I was hesitant as I have never used anything larger than a 5" sander.  I have only used it a few times, but I am hooked.  My 5" will collect the wrong kind of dust as it has been relegated to the loaner pile (not worth enough to sell).

 

[Kev]

This really begs the question .. "what sort of sanding will you do?"

The RO90 is a fantastic do almost anything utility sander. It's do coarse to very fine sanding and let you get into tight spaces and corners. From old window restorations to custom chair making, etc it'll do it all. But it's not the sander for large flat areas (obviously).

When it comes to the big flat bits, do you need to do coarse sanding? If not I'd skip the big ROTEX and go straight to an ETS150/3.

I'll use the RO150 for doing things like taking thick varnish off a table top, but I'll switch to an ETS150 for finishing .. Yes, you can get a fine finish with the RO150, but the ETS150 is a lot more comfortable and delicate to use.

I personally haven't invested in 125's. My first Festool sander was an ETS150/5 and I found it a dream to use and never wanted anything smaller for large areas.

Another often overlooked Festool sander is the DTS400. This is a little gem. The DTS400, RTS400, ETS125 have a lot in common and are all in the fine finish family, but the DTS400 seems to handle some rough stuff pretty well.

Just another thing with the RO150, there's a learning curve. It can be a beast and and as a result takes a bit of practice to let it do it's job.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I am also a RO90 & RO150 guy.

I do use the RO125 once in a while when I borrow it from a friend, and I think it is a very nice sander, but the 150 is just nicer, because it is bigger and more powerful and gets the job done quicker. I only borrow the 125 when the 150 doesn't fit on the surface I have to sand.

I do love my ETS 125 though, a very nice sander for the fine stuff. Gentle and controllable, and it leaves a very nice surface.

But my go to sander is the DTS400, and my most used sander. Very good for paint prep, sanding window and door frames, putty, and lots of other stuff like for instance drywall.

I've got a couple of other Festool sanders also, but these 4 mentioned are my golden quartet and between the 4 of them they can do almost any job as efficiently as possible.

I am thinking of ditching the RO90 though. The tool itself is very nice and very useful, but it is very uneconomical because the sandpaper is just too darn expensive. For every square centimer sanded the RO90 costs more than double that of the other sanders. Not cool. I find myself using it less and less lately, and only because of cost.

 

[Kev]

I am thinking of ditching the RO90 though. The tool itself is very nice and very useful, but it is very uneconomical because the sandpaper is just too darn expensive. For every square centimer sanded the RO90 costs more than double that of the other sanders. Not cool. I find myself using it less and less lately, and only because of cost.

I must admit I do notice how quickly you can whiz through the abrasives with the RO90, but I tell myself that I'm probably getting carried away with the wrong sander when I do. (It's my party and ...)

 

[sae]

I was an RO 90 and RO 150 guy, now I'm an RO 150 guy and a Bosch detail sander guy.

The RO 90 in Rotex mode was simply too difficult to keep flat and made for lots of cupped rails and boards. It worked okay in delta mode, but the ergonomics were fussy and the short height between the pad and the dust collection tube meant it was impossible to reach over certain obstacles while keeping the pad flat.

For times where I think I'd want to use an RO 90 in the open, the RO 150 was better at staying flat. And for the corners and details, the Bosch detail sander form factor simply works better than the RO 90 ever did (or find an old DX 93 if you want to stay in the Festool family).

 

[SS Teach]

I wondered which sander to  get and asked similar questions previously. It all depends on what the current project calls for. I had a Ro 90 when a larger Ro was needed. I borrowed a Ro 125 used it and decided to go with the 150. I have found it an easier beast to handle. The versatility of the Ro 90 comes in very handy when I need to get into tight places. I got the hard pads for both sanders, really useful. For the Ro 90 I bought the edge guard set, need to refinish around windows. Good luck with deciding. I'm sure you will be happy with your choice. Festool sanders attached to a CT are superb.

 

[griffs]

  Thanks for all the replies ,

    I was looking at the rotex 150 as a one tool do it all ,at the moment I have a bosch and metabo 150 and dont do any paint strip removal,  but it would be good to have a sander that could remove a bit of oak when needed perhaps I am  expecting to much and what would be the benefits of uprating to festool?

 

[AlexThePalex]

Biggest benefit of Festool sanders to me is still the excellent dust collection. I have not seen any other brand come as close to dustless as Festool.

And then the Rotex 150 itself ... it's just a very nice and powerfull sander. It is especially usefull when you have to remove a lot of material, like the oak you speak about. In other tasks, your Bosch and Metabo will perform similar to the RO150, so the way you present it, you don't seem to have a lot of reasons to upgrade to the Rotex.

 

[TheTrooper]

The RO90 and 150 is a great combination.

Agree

 

[Holmz]

Biggest benefit of Festool sanders to me is still the excellent dust collection.
...

Yep

...
I have not seen any other brand come as close to dustless as Festool.
...

Really?
I beg to differ. What are you comparing them to?

The red sander I have (Mafell UVA 115e) does and awesome job.
Even the $40 Bosch I picked up works like a champ when attached to a vacuum.

There are not that many things that make a sander being dust free.
There are holes in the pad, ports on the machine, and the machines exhaust.
Assuming we are not talking "a machine and a bag", but into an actual vacuum.

To say that Festool sanders are better is a bit of an overstatement these days.
It is all vacuum and almost zero sander.
It seems easier to claim that the FT's are the worst because one needs to turn down the vacuum. The Mirka screens are screens, so like a screen door the air flows through. I do not have have to turn down the vacuum with my 1/2 sheet sander to sand with it, as the air comes in the sides.
The worst sander made and connected onto a vacuum is better than any sander without a vacuum.

The worst one I have is the Festool. But that is mostly because the DX93 has such a barstard of a fitting to get the hose over, it gets most of the dust up just dandy too.

If there is some evidence based measure about how much better they are I would be interested.
But everyone claiming it is so, does not make for fact.
(And I could be wrong)

The CT vacuums (IMO) are a game changer and the whole Festool system is designed around dust collection.
However in the last few years so is everyone else's gear designed to hoover up the dust, and everyone sells a vacuum.

Maybe it is just semantics, and it is more accurate to say that "pioneered" or "have a system" than to say that "they are the best".

 

[Scott B.]

It might be partly semantics. When people say "Festool has the best sanders", I see that as "Festool has the best across the board system for sanding".

In other words, I am not aware of another manufacturer that has 14 sanders and a family of extractors in different sizes that are designed to work together.

We did it for years with Bosch and Dewalt sanders on Fein vacs. It "can" be done, but it is definitely easier to focus on the work surface when the system is designed to be together.

 

[tjbnwi]

I have the RO 90, ETS 125, RO 125, RTS, DTS Planex  and various CT connectable hand sanders, never once have I wished I had any 150 series sander, never found a need for the 150 series.

I currently (I mean at this very moment) wish I had the LS 130.

Edit---I have the RAS also, it is oner great sander.

Tom

 

[MrToolJunkie]

I would try them out and see what fits for the work you do. I really like my RS2E and in the UK you can get the updated one with a Plug-it. That is the best machine I have used for flat surfaces. I also have the 6 inch Rotex and ETS and the RO90 and they are all great sanders...as is the RAS. They all have their purpose.

 

[Holmz]

It might be partly semantics. When people say "Festool has the best sanders", I see that as "Festool has the best across the board system for sanding".

In other words, I am not aware of another manufacturer that has 14 sanders and a family of extractors in different sizes that are designed to work together.

We did it for years with Bosch and Dewalt sanders on Fein vacs. It "can" be done, but it is definitely easier to focus on the work surface when the system is designed to be together.

^Well put^

For Festool there are some unique models...
- I am not aware of an equivalent to RO-# series with the "geared mode".
- The LS130.
(Personally I am not certain I have the skill to run an RO-90/125/150, so I stick with a 1/2 sheet)

For RO sanders, then everyone makes one, and the same for 1/2 sheet sanders and belt sanders.

I do have the DX93 and for corner work it is a champ.

 

[Kev]

The RAS sanders are quite impressive too, the little 115 is a weapon with 40 grit !