Should I get the ETS 125

[eweber]

Hi,

I currently own a RO 125 (and liftime supply of 5" sandpaper). I love my rotex for rough sanding and polishing but I find it a little "bulky" to use for fine sanding.
How does the ETS 125 compare both in term of comfort and finish quality?

Thanks for you input

 

[The Dude]

eweb, you will like the ETS 125!  It is a little peach.  Two reasons to purchase the ETS 125 in conjunction with your RO 125: 1.  You will be able to utilize your 5" discs that you now have and will certainly purchase in the future interchangeably and  2.  The ETS 125 will compliment the RO because it has a tighter stroke pattern in Random Orbit. The RO 125 stroke is 9/64... and the ETS 5/64...thus your 5" finish sander.

Timmy C 

 

[Bob Marino]

 
I agree with Tim 100%. Also, the ETS 125 being so small and light is a "nice break" from the RO 125, much the same as the ETS 150 is with the RO150. Lastly, it's a pleasure to use on vertical And over-head surfaces.

Bob

 

[CharlesWilson]

I have found the ETS 125 to be real easy on the hands in addition to all of the above pluses.

I may be jumping over too quickly, but I usually switch over to the ETS when I get above 120 on the Rubin scale. (And I sometimes keep going up on the Brillant and Platin grits.)

Charles

 

[eweber]

Thanks for the answers,
I am a little slow and I just realized that the housing of the ETS 125 is the exact same as the DS 400 (which I own). Are they also comparable in term of vibration ?
If yes the will make it an easy decision as I love the little critter.

 

[The Dude]

eweber, my opinion is they are exactly the same only different.  I think the feel is different due to the round pad.  The DTS is more of a "vibrating" deal rather than the oscilliscopic (sp) motion of the ETS.  The balance of the ETS is superb however, like Bob said, it makes a great little sander to handle, even on the vertical surfaces.

My .02 cents

Timmy C

 

[bill-e]

Caveat:  I never tried the ETS-125 but I have used the ES-125 extensively.

Based on my experience if you have a need for a smaller sander (like I do) and you want it to be a Festool then the 125 is the sander.  It has been my experience though with the ES-125 that it is not as smooth as either the Rotex or the ETS-150 and has a tendency to bounce even with the vac suction turned down.

The ES-125 is very light and can be considered a palm sander and is very easy to use in any orientation.

The new ETS has a redesigned balance system and air vents in the brake so it should be smoother and bounce less but that's only an assumption on my part.

 

[tvgordon]

I don't own one of the rotex sanders, but I do have the 125.  I was using PC and DeWalt sanders before getting one of the Festools.  The 125 has less vibration and MUCH better dust collection but seems to remove material a little slower than the others.  Of course you would only use it to finish sand after the rotex so I think you will be happy with the 125.

Tom.

 

[eweber]

Thanks everybody. I guess I will just go for it.

Also one question I am having is do I have a way to differentiate between the new model that has just been release and older one ?

 

[Brice Burrell]

Thanks everybody. I guess I will just go for it.

Also one question I am having is do I have a way to differentiate between the new model that has just been release and older one ?

Yes the older model is the ES125 and the new model is the ETS125.

 

[eweber]

Thanks

 

[eweber]

I received my ETS 125 couple days ago and have since used to to finish 3 cabinets  before assembly.

I used it for surface preparation using 180 and 220 brillant.
I also use some platin 500 between layers of finish and 2000 for the final coat.

Here are my comments:

I could not see any difference in terms of quality of the finish compared to what I can get with the rotex.
Dust collection is excellent as expected. Maybe even better than the rotex but that might be just in my head.
Now the real improvment is the comfort of the tool. It is much lighter, has far less vibrations and is much easier to control.

Definitively a keeper.

Emmanuel

 

[bill-e]

Congrats on the new tool.  The finish quality should be just about the same (strokes are just a tiny bit different IIRC).

As you noticed is size and weight which are the big differences between the two and that lighter, more comfortable, easier to manage ETS might be less prone to "oops" than the larger Rotex.