Took the plunge and got the 150/3 sander yesterday. I'll be trying it out a bit over the next week so I'll let you know how it works out for me.
Tried out the ETS 125, the RO 125 and the ETS 150/5 along with the RTS 400 and DTS 400.
The RO125 was interesting, it'd take some getting used to and honestly after playing with it in the gear driven mode, I am positive that I just don't need the rotex gear drive, just way too aggressive for what I do.
The ETS 125 was nice but it seemed like it was a little grabby no matter what setting I used it on or what the vacuum was at. It also seemed to trail the grain. One of the pieces they had at the show for testing the sanders on was a rail and stile door similar to the ones I am making. When the ETS125 got to the corner and hit the grain at a 90 degree angle, it got jumpy and wandered a bit. Seemed to have decent power and removal rate though. I was expecting it to be less aggressive then it was. That's not to say it was chewing through wood at any great rate, even with 100 grit. It was slower then my PC333 by any measurement but it wasn't nearly as anemic in power as I was led to believe.
The ETS 150 just felt more stable and controllable even though it is quite a bit bigger then the ETS 125 and I like the two handed grip a lot and it just seems to be rock solid. I can see having this around for a very long time. I can see myself using finer grits but haven't had any need to go more corse so the /3 made more sense to me. I can use my Craftsman 5" if I ever need to do something at 60 grit
Now I just need to think about corner sanding a bit. Time to start saving for the RTS 400 I think
Thanks for the help with the choice everyone.
-Jim
Tried out the ETS 125, the RO 125 and the ETS 150/5 along with the RTS 400 and DTS 400.
The RO125 was interesting, it'd take some getting used to and honestly after playing with it in the gear driven mode, I am positive that I just don't need the rotex gear drive, just way too aggressive for what I do.
The ETS 125 was nice but it seemed like it was a little grabby no matter what setting I used it on or what the vacuum was at. It also seemed to trail the grain. One of the pieces they had at the show for testing the sanders on was a rail and stile door similar to the ones I am making. When the ETS125 got to the corner and hit the grain at a 90 degree angle, it got jumpy and wandered a bit. Seemed to have decent power and removal rate though. I was expecting it to be less aggressive then it was. That's not to say it was chewing through wood at any great rate, even with 100 grit. It was slower then my PC333 by any measurement but it wasn't nearly as anemic in power as I was led to believe.
The ETS 150 just felt more stable and controllable even though it is quite a bit bigger then the ETS 125 and I like the two handed grip a lot and it just seems to be rock solid. I can see having this around for a very long time. I can see myself using finer grits but haven't had any need to go more corse so the /3 made more sense to me. I can use my Craftsman 5" if I ever need to do something at 60 grit
Now I just need to think about corner sanding a bit. Time to start saving for the RTS 400 I think
Thanks for the help with the choice everyone.
-Jim
