Sanding Pad Delamination

[anthonymall]

@anthonymall My condolences! But a bit of construction adhesive and they'd be good for another few years I reckon! ;-)

By the time I walked through the parking lot to the car both soles had completely gone leaving a trail of white/yellow foam crumbs .

 

[anthonymall]

I've purchased a few of the Rotex sanding pads. I am a hobby woodworker so don't regularly use my rotex. I keep the sanding pads in the house because the one I got with the tool delaminated after a few years. The temperature in the house is about 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year at its warmest. A new sanding pad never used delaminated and was probably a couple of years old. Is this normal where the white spongy material deteriorates that quickly? I wish the materials were more durable as these are expensive sanding pads. I assume these pad don't have a warranty.

This issue extends beyond FT truth be told. I have a Dewalt DW849X(?) rotary polisher where the foam hook and loop pad fell to pieces. This was however after being stored “incorrectly” and not being used. The relative humidity of a basement of a 125y/o home in a city in the northeast can have major fluctuations from different seasons and can wreak havoc on lots of things.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

This issue extends beyond FT truth be told. I have a Dewalt DW849X(?) rotary polisher where the foam hook and loop pad fell to pieces. This was however after being stored “incorrectly” and not being used. The relative humidity of a basement of a 125y/o home in a city in the northeast can have major fluctuations from different seasons and can wreak havoc on lots of things.

Right, it's not a Festool-specific problem. It's just a side effect of the foam chemistry. It might be better or worse, depending on brand (and of course your storage conditions)

 

[Cheese]

Anyone that uses foam in their products owns this issue:
1. Here's a piece of 3/4" thick foam that's used to protect machinist tools.
2. A Dewalt sander that lasted about 5 years.
3. A S&W presentation gun case made from mahogany with a thin foam liner for the gun to rest on. This last item is really unnerving in that you pay a premium price for the gun case to protect the firearm, gently place the firearm inside and then 5 or 6 years later you open the case and find the foam stuck to the gun. The deteriorated foam actually attacked the nickel plating... ...not good.
4. The side of the barrel that was laying on the foam.
5. The underside of the barrel that was not touching the foam.

 

[JWM1]

Anyone that uses foam in their products owns this issue:
1. Here's a piece of 3/4" thick foam that's used to protect machinist tools.
2. A Dewalt sander that lasted about 5 years.
3. A S&W presentation gun case made from mahogany with a thin foam liner for the gun to rest on. This last item is really unnerving in that you pay a premium price for the gun case to protect the firearm, gently place the firearm inside and then 5 or 6 years later you open the case and find the foam stuck to the gun. The deteriorated foam actually attacked the nickel plating... ...not good.
4. The side of the barrel that was laying on the foam.
5. The underside of the barrel that was not touching the foam.

Why do they keep using foam if it doesn’t hold up?

 

[Packard]

Why do they keep using foam if it doesn’t hold up?

There are probably some characteristics (density, compressibility, etc.) that make that foam desirable. If it were not Festool, I would add “cost” as a characteristic also. I’m sure they look at cost too, but perhaps less closely than Skil, or Wen or Craftsman.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Why do they keep using foam if it doesn’t hold up?

I would guess that it's because of the short-term characteristics. Foam seems to fit the requirements, to the point that there aren't many alternatives. If a viable alternative existed, someone would be using it, even if it did cost more. It would likely become a selling point and be used justify the price increase.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I bought the first electric random orbit sander available in the US about 40 years ago. It’s a Porter Cable and the original pad is still functional. Bosch pads are not quite as durable but Festool pads only last a few to several years even when stored in the original,packaging.

 

[Cheese]

I bought the first electric random orbit sander available in the US about 40 years ago. It’s a Porter Cable and the original pad is still functional. Bosch pads are not quite as durable but Festool pads only last a few to several years even when stored in the original,packaging.

Ya it's weird...here's a National Detroit DA pneumatic sander that I purchased close to 40 years ago and the pad is still serviceable. Caveat, the pad is made from a rubber material as opposed to a pure foam material.

 

[luvmytoolz]

My oldest sander is somewhere around 45 years old, and it along with several others have a black foam/rubber type pad that is in pretty much mint condition apart from normal wear and tear.

However, thinking about it just now I suspect the foam Festool uses quite possibly has a lot to do with the vibration reduction, as the black foam pads on my other sanders definitely don't have anywhere near the same level of low vibration.