Too Many Sanders

[Sourwould]

So, I just bought a lot of 3 Sanders. Got a RO90, an RTS 400 and a Pro 5 (which I guess is the same as an ETS 125?). I already have an ETS 150 3, my first crappy orbital and a belt sander. I do not need six Sanders!

I am thinking of just keeping the Rotex for rough work/leveling/paint stripping and the RTS for finish sanding.

I love a belt sander for leveling and stripping paint, but the dust is horrible and I work with/around lead paint weekly. Can the rotex replace a belt sander?

Is there any reason I should keep the pro 5 or ets 150? Or can the rotex replace those as well?

I'm a carpenter and not a woodworker, so I'm not polishing hardwood table tops. When I get to work with real wood, I mostly work with SYP, cedar, Cypress, and old heart pine with old lead paint.

PS. I've read the festool sander guide. Seems like a lot of overlap in the models.

Thanks!

 

[nclemmons]

Rotex can go from very aggressive to finish sanding.  It's a very versatile sander.  However the advantage of the ETS in my view is ergonomics.  It's much easier to sand with one hand and the sander will literally glide over the work very easily.  Even for carpentry work where you might be sanding overhead or large flat surfaces, the Rotex will be more of a challenge but certainly doable if you want to use two hands. 

The RTS if most useful in corners or tight areas that the circular sanders don't fit.

I think you could easily get rid of the Pro 5.

 

[peter halle]

I would love to be a woodworker, but like you I am a carpenter.  I have the RAS, RO150, ETS-150/3, and the DTS 400.  Could I get rid of the ETS?  Yes from an accountant view, but heck no from a practical view.  The others all fill niches and carpenters have to do varied things all the time.

Consider carefully and don't shoehorn yourself into a situation where you really wished you hadn't got rid of...

Take you time and see what evolves.

Peter

 

[Sourwould]

Maaaaaaan, you're probably right.

I have very limited storage. It takes so many tools to do remodel work. Sometimes you look around and you're like "Man, there must be something here I don't need."

I actually find the ets 150 to be pretty unruly with one hand. The balance is weird by the rear handle, it's too tall to hold by the top handle. I try to hold it low right above the disc, but I keep turning it off by bumping the trigger. Maybe it would be better if I hand things clamped to a workbench, but I'm usually just working off saw bucks.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I agree with Peter...let it play out a bit. IMHO, Rotex doesn't "replace" anything...it's a specialized tool and the 90mm version is even more specialized because of its small size. 95% of my sanding is with my 150/3 and my Rotex comes out the other 5%. It's also the 150mm version. I only use it when I need the rotary function because it's a two-handed tool. The 90mm version may actually be a good fit for you in the carpentry world because it can get into places that larger tools can't when you still need the bigger bite to shape wood and other materials. The RTS is also a more specialized tool, in my opinion. The Pro-5 is a base level 125mm/5" sander and can be handy for general utility when the larger 150mm sander isn't the best fit. Again...see what pans out before you divest any of them.

 

[Cheese]

No, the RO 90 will never replace a belt sander because it’s so small. The RO 125 or 150, maybe in a pinch. Belt sanders flatten surfaces, the RO 90 will dish surfaces if you use it in the same manner as your belt sander.

I’d keep the belt, keep the RTS because of its capability to get into corners and keep the Pro5 to sand between top coats. I’d also keep the ETS 150 because you already own it and it costs you nothing.  [big grin]

Just today, I was sanding window frames with the cordless ETS EC 125 (same as the corded Pro 5) for leveling in-between coats. Nice, a light touch and 320 grit produces a nice finish.

 

[Sourwould]

Looks like I'm probably keeping everything. Maybe I'll ditch the pro 5 or ets 150, after I see what I actually use.

:'( When you realize you have 4 Sanders that take four different kinds of proprietary sandpaper.

I wish festool would bring their belt sander stateside, that thing looks like a beast. I'm thinking I might ditch the Makita I have (with it's square dust port) for one that I could at least attempt to hook up to the extractor.

Does anyone know if these are all the same basic machine? Or is this a trick of the eye?

 

[Gregor]

:'( When you realize you have 4 Sanders that take four different kinds of proprietary sandpaper.

Pads are available in different sizes

 

[AlexThePalex]

Does anyone know if these are all the same basic machine? Or is this a trick of the eye?

Festool acquiered a company called Holz-Her about two decades ago. Holz-Her made these belt sanders in two sizes, one with a 75 mm wide belt, and a bigger model with a 105 mm wide belt. Holz-Her licensed their belt sander designs to quite a few other brands like for instance Metabo and AEG. When Festool bought Holz-Her, they kept the licenses in place, and made these two sanders for themselves as the BS75 and BS105, but with a stronger motor. 

So the Metabo is the same as the Festool, but has a less powerful motor.

The Bosch and the Ryobi are totally different designs. Looks like Ryobi more or less copied the Bosch.

 

[rst]

I've been using Makita 9924DB belters for forty years in a punishing environment...grinding glass.  They last incredibly long considering.  I made connectors for mine to attach my vacs.  The no longer available Fein flexible connectors are great for these sort of connections, the new Rockler connectors should also work.  When all else fails I've used a heat gun to mold a piece of PVC pipe to make a connector.

 

[broseiden]

I wish festool would bring their belt sander stateside, that thing looks like a beast. I'm thinking I might ditch the Makita I have (with it's square dust port) for one that I could at least attempt to hook up to the extractor.

Heat gun and a cheap vac adapter worked for me, although with the nature of the belt sander it definitely doesn't eliminate dust.

 

[Sourwould]

Need something like a sanding frame, but vacuumized.

 

[Milvus]

Hi,

I have both Festool BS75 and BS105. They both are beasts I'm happy with, but if dust collection is your main concern, don't count on them to be as good as Rotex or other Festool sanders. They let scape much more dust than the others.

Milwaukee had their own version of that sandere, but in red of course!

Antonio.