Trying to decided on Finish Sanders and Small Hands

[Ken Slemmer]

Hello All,

I plan to purchase a finish sander.   

I purchased the RO 125 based on searching and reading the many post here regarding Rot ex Sanders.  I do not have large hands for 5? 9?.   
A few members mentioned the RO 150 was a bit large for smaller hands.  When I received the RO 125 the fit of my hand around the barrel handle was comfortable for me. 
If the barrel were a tad larger, the fit would have been a little unwieldy, at least for me.         

I am rehabbing an 1851 farmhouse.  The original construction (framing) was done by real craftsmen, most of the framing is still plumb.  The work I am in the mist of now, is fixing what the last two owners/yahoo's have done to the house.       
No doubt, the professional trades reading this know of what I mean.

The Festool System makes sense for the work I am doing.  Finally wising up in my old age. 
I do not have a dedicated shop and dust collection has become a primary concern, especially working inside the house.

My thinking is to keep with the 5? size for now, and go with the ETS 125 EQ. 
The 6? ETS 150/3 - /5 EQ might the better selection in the long run.  I am not sure if my sanding hand would be fatigued in a short time sanding with the 6?. 

I am a good 40 minute drive from the nearest Festool Dealer.  It?s out if my way and rarely drive over the river if I cannot help it.   

Your suggestion will be most appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[tbellemare]

Ken:

I have a customer that recently bought an ETS 125 as an additional finishing sander. He already had the RTS 400 for finishing and the Rotex RO 125. He has a cabinet shop and works with a lady with small hands, who does a lot of the sanding.

The logic behind getting the  ETS 125 was in stocking abrasives. It uses the same paper as the Rotex RO 125. 

There is a Promotional Set out now where you get the ETS 125 and a Promo Abrasive Selection in a Systainer.

Tom

 

[rwdawson]

Ken,

I own the Rotex 150 and the ETS 150/3, have slightly larger than average sized hands, and am happy with both sanders.

At one time I thought the abrasives argument made a lot of sense and do see logic in having both sanders the same size.  However, at least for my purposes, I see very little overlap in abrasive use between the sanders.  I'll use 120 grit on both, but that's about it, so I don't see that as compelling.

The ETS 150/3 is very smooth and easily operated by a seven year old.  I didn't take pictures to prove the point, but my grandson handled the task with aplomb, so I don't see any issues there.

What it boils down to is which sander, or combination of sanders best suites your needs.  I like the fact that the ETS 150/3 covers 44 percent more area than the ETS 125 and it gives a great finish, which I'm sure the smaller sander does.

I'm afraid that you'll have to make the long trip to the Festool dealer and test drive the sanders.  You do have the 30 day return option, but I think you will find that regardless of your decision, you will be happy.  I know I am.

Good luck, I hope this helps,

Richard

 

[Dan Clermont]

Personally I am a Rotex fan as it does so much more then the ETS sanders. However, the is a better finishing sander IMO and you will most likely find the ETS 125 to be a good fit for small hands.

The sanders are very quiet and have low vibration so fatigue should be a non-issue.

Cheers
Dan Clermont

 

[nickao]

If you want a 125 I have one I used once and would be glad to sell it to you.

The ETS 125  sander is weak and not nearly as good as many other 5" sanders. Among them the Porter cable and many others, search WOOD magazine the Festool is near dead last for speed. It's really, smooth but super slow.

If you are interested message me and you can save a few dollars. I received as a gift after I sold my first one only turned it on once.

Nick

 

[Ken Slemmer]

First, thank you all for your insights of the sanders.

Nick, yesterday I ordered the ETS 125, FedEx just delivered the package to my door. 
With the Abrasive Promotion including the few Festool purchases I?ve made, it seemed like a no brainier to get the sander.

I have a lot of vertical and overhead surfaces to sand.  The lighter weight of the ETS125 was a big plus in my decision. 

That said, I was really tempted to go with the ETS 150/3 due to the larger sanding area. 
 
The ETS 125 fit and feel in my hand is very comfortable.  I?ll give it a go this weekend and see how it performs.

Ken 

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Ken,

I bought an RO 125 three years ago and last year an ETS 125 because I, too, don't have large hands, much of my home restoration work would require sanding on vertical and overhead surfaces (including most of the plastered ceilings), and I could use the same sanding supplies.  Three years later I am still satisfied.  However, I am thinking of acquiring an ETS 150/3 in the future because it is reputed to be much smoother in operation, obviously much faster to cover the same area, AND a much wider range of sanding and polishing supplies is available for the 150 diameter machines.  Now that I most of my work is making furniture, the Rotex sees little use compared to the ETS 125 and the LS 130.  During restoration of the woodwork of my home, I also found much use for a Deltex 93, especially for the trim around the doors and windows.

Dave R.

 

[Ken Slemmer]

Dave,

Your thoughts are on track, as to mine.  My immediate concern is what I am doing now, the house restoration.  I was truly tempted to get the 150/3 or /5, but the lighter weight of the ETS 125 was the major feature/benefit in my decision  Four pounds of sander can become heavy and strenuous after a while.

Once finished with most of the restoration, I plan to invest in ETS 150 for what I truly desire, cabinet and furniture.  That is, after I purchase one of the TS saws. 

Ken 

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Ken,

I owned an assortment of Bosch, Craftsman and Milwaukee sanders when I started my home restoration project, and I bought two more Bosch sanders (quarter sheet orbital and Vario narrow belt sander) during the process before I discovered the value of Festool's special purpose sanders for removing the old varnish from the wood trim  (mahogany and red oak).  I wish I had discovered the Deltex 93 and LS 130 much earlier, they would have saved me a lot of time and a lot of hand sanding, especially for the many inside corner situations where various pieces of molding come together!  Note there is a 90 V-shaped pad for the LS 130.  Before buying the Festool machines I purchased a Proxon oscillatory sander having an ~2 x 2 triangular pad and no dust collection.  This Proxon is like a reduced scale version of Fein's Multi-Master with its triangular sanding pad.  Even after acquiring the Deltex 93, I still find the Proxon useful for getting into areas for which the Deltex is too big, and the smaller pad and less aggressive action of the Proxon are useful for more delicate work.  For dust collection, I hold the Proxon with one hand while holding a vacuum hose just below the sanding action with the other hand.

Dave R.