What will I miss if I sell one?

[bluecpu]

All,

Earlier this year, I bought some used Festools and in the mix I have two sanders.

1) RO 150 FEQ-Plus USA
2) ETS 150/3 EQ-Plus USA

I really need a TS75 Saw and some rails for my upcoming projects.

Since Tool money is limited, I was considering selling the ETS 150/3 and just sticking with the RO 150 for all my sanding needs.

I looked up the technical info on the RO150 and it seems in RO mode it has a 5mm stroke vs. the 3 mm stroke of the ETS 150/3.

Please give me your opinions.

Thanks in advance!!

Bluecpu

 

[Bob Marino]

I think that you might miss the lighter weight, lower noise level, the ease with which can "one hand" sand, sheer smooooooooooooooooooooothness and perhaps the ability to  attain a slightly finer finish. I say 'perhaps" because so much more depends on user technique than the smaller orbit on the 150/3.

Bob

 

[Frank Pellow]

My opinion is that you should sell it.  My only Festool random orbital sander is the Rotex 150 and it has done it all for me and done it very well for over 5 years.  I have tried a ETS 150/3 and, for me, the difference was not worth having another sander.

I upgraded from a smaller Festool circular saw to a TS75 a couple of years ago and really like it.  Go for it!

 

[justinmcf]

hi bluecpu.

can you please tell us some more info such as.....

are you a tradesman?
are you a weekend warrior?

if you are a tradie, i would recommend keeping the rotex, as it will be more versatile for your needs.
if you are a diy'er, i recommend the ets 150/3. the reason for this is that you can buy your timber dressed all round and therefor the rotex would be overkill for you.

i am a tradie myself, but i still have not bought the rotex. the reason being that i mostly build new houses and work on new shop fix out. most of the timber i work with is already prepared/ dressed all round.
i use the ets 150/5 onsite and the ets 150/3 for making furniture at home in my workshop/ single garage.

obviously everyones needs are different, but this is how i justify buying tools for my own needs.
if i was renovating more, i am sure the rotex would be first on my hit list along with a few more of the protool range of tools.

btw, you will not be disappointed with the ts-75. it is a great saw with heaps of grunt. 1600 watts. i recently used mine with the cms-ge tablesaw to rip a couple hundred meters of pine facia. it never missed a beat and the blade is still very sharp.

fyi, just be careful you dont rip all the rubber splinter guard off when you use it with the rails for the first time.
you can search on the forum about this issue.

regards, justin.

 

[wnagle]

All,

Earlier this year, I bought some used Festools and in the mix I have two sanders.

1) RO 150 FEQ-Plus USA
2) ETS 150/3 EQ-Plus USA

I really need a TS75 Saw and some rails for my upcoming projects.

Since Tool money is limited, I was considering selling the ETS 150/3 and just sticking with the RO 150 for all my sanding needs.

I looked up the technical info on the RO150 and it seems in RO mode it has a 5mm stroke vs. the 3 mm stroke of the ETS 150/3.

Please give me your opinions.

Thanks in advance!!

Bluecpu

I am  not a pro, I build furniture type projects in a home shop.  I have both sanders.  In my opinion, I would keep them both.  I bought the rotex first and then added the 150/3.  I use the 150/3 about 95% of the time.  The 150/3 is the smoothest and nicest sander I have aver used and covers most of my needs.

However the rotex is much better at heavy stock removal.. but is more difficult and heavier to use as a finish sander than the rotex. 

So if you had only the  Rotex, you could do anything but would have tired arms if you do a lot of finish sanding.

And if you had only the 150/3 you'd use it and love it but would be lost when you need large amount of stock removal.

If you get rid of one, I think you'll miss it.  I know I would.

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I agree with Wayne.  I would keep them both.  I'm am amateur furniture maker and DIYer.  My first Festool purchase was a RO 125 when they first came out. (Mine doesn't even have provision for the edge guard!)  Since then I have acquired four more Festool sanders (Deltex 93, LS 130 and ETS 125) to add to my collection which includes several older sanders (Bosch and Milwaukee brands and one commercial model from Craftsman) that I bought and used for many years prior to Festool coming to USA.  The ETS 150/3 is the smoothest running sander of the entire bunch and has become my "Go To" sander wherever it can possibly be used.  The Rotex is used when I need something more aggressive, and also redeems itself a few times each year when I use it to wax my cars.  I find the ETS 150/3 exceptionally good for leveling out any elevation mismatch that occurs when cabinet door frames are glued up, much more easily controlled than doing the same task with my RO 125.

Dave R.

 

[butzla]

Couldn't have said it better myself, Wayne.

 

[RONWEN]

It's great to have you posting (again) Wayne, hopefully you'll find the time to get back into the workshop!

All,

Earlier this year, I bought some used Festools and in the mix I have two sanders.

1) RO 150 FEQ-Plus USA
2) ETS 150/3 EQ-Plus USA

I really need a TS75 Saw and some rails for my upcoming projects.

Since Tool money is limited, I was considering selling the ETS 150/3 and just sticking with the RO 150 for all my sanding needs.

I looked up the technical info on the RO150 and it seems in RO mode it has a 5mm stroke vs. the 3 mm stroke of the ETS 150/3.

Please give me your opinions.

Thanks in advance!!

Bluecpu

I am  not a pro, I build furniture type projects in a home shop.  I have both sanders.  In my opinion, I would keep them both.  I bought the rotex first and then added the 150/3.  I use the 150/3 about 95% of the time.  The 150/3 is the smoothest and nicest sander I have aver used and covers most of my needs.

However the rotex is much better at heavy stock removal.. but is more difficult and heavier to use as a finish sander than the rotex. 

So if you had only the  Rotex, you could do anything but would have tired arms if you do a lot of finish sanding.

And if you had only the 150/3 you'd use it and love it but would be lost when you need large amount of stock removal.

If you get rid of one, I think you'll miss it.  I know I would.

 

[bluecpu]

hi bluecpu.

can you please tell us some more info such as.....

are you a tradesman?
are you a weekend warrior?

if you are a tradie, i would recommend keeping the rotex, as it will be more versatile for your needs.
if you are a diy'er, i recommend the ets 150/3. the reason for this is that you can buy your timber dressed all round and therefor the rotex would be overkill for you.

i am a tradie myself, but i still have not bought the rotex. the reason being that i mostly build new houses and work on new shop fix out. most of the timber i work with is already prepared/ dressed all round.
i use the ets 150/5 onsite and the ets 150/3 for making furniture at home in my workshop/ single garage.

obviously everyones needs are different, but this is how i justify buying tools for my own needs.
if i was renovating more, i am sure the rotex would be first on my hit list along with a few more of the protool range of tools.

btw, you will not be disappointed with the ts-75. it is a great saw with heaps of grunt. 1600 watts. i recently used mine with the cms-ge tablesaw to rip a couple hundred meters of pine facia. it never missed a beat and the blade is still very sharp.

fyi, just be careful you dont rip all the rubber splinter guard off when you use it with the rails for the first time.
you can search on the forum about this issue.

regards, justin.

I am a DIYer wanna be, definitely not a tradesman!

Most of the work I aspire to take a shot at is Interior Architectural type applications (Doors, Cabinets, Picture Frames, Columns, etc).

You guys are passionate about your sanders!  Well I promise not to make a hasty decision, but I am still on the prowl for the TS75.

Seems to me the right place to start, Then rails, then 1010, etc. sigh.

Thanks,
Bluecpu

 

[wnagle]

Thanks Stoolman and Ronwen for the kind words.  I was down for the count from a back injury and surgery in June.  And since September I've been in Texas living on the road in hotels on a new Job setting up dialysis clinics.  My home and shop are still back in Ohio.

Even thought I haven't been in the shop, I still keep buying tools and send them to Dave Ronyak to hold until I get back!  Hopefully I'll be ordering bridge city JMP soon and Micro fences Plunge base along with some domino accessories. (4mm cutter and Rick Christopherson's domino fence)

Getting back to the sanders, in my opinion, each festool sander shines above the rest in one way or another in a special way.  You can get by fine with one or two, but as you use them and realize how special each one is, that opens the door for the specialties of the others.  My favorites are the 150/3, Rotex, Deltex and LS 130.

 

[Frank Pellow]

...
Getting back to the sanders, in my opinion, each festool sander shines above the rest in one way or another in a special way.  You can get by fine with Rotex, Deltex and LS 130 [/b.

That's a pretty good list.  I have three Festool sanders and they happen to be Rotex, Deltex and LS 130 -all which do quite different things.

But, speeking just  for me, I found that the Rotex was just as good a finishing sander as the 150/3, so I could not justify the 150/3.  Maybe my finishing sanding is not as good as that done by folks using a 150/3 but I can not notice the difference.

 

[wnagle]

Frank,

In my shop, almost everything goes through the jointer, planer then drum sander first which helps me get most use of the 150/3 over the Rotex.  However, my list of projects is small compared to all the things you have shared with us on the forum.  You have a tremendous variety of indoor and outdoor projects some small and some very large.  So what you say also makes perfect sense.  The Rotex is definitely a great go to sander.  And while you have a really nice shop, you also show us less experienced "tool nuts" that a person doesn't need every new tool on the market to to make quality work.

When I started down the Festool slope,  the Festool rep told me if I only had one sand it should be the Rotex 150.  Your work certainly backs up that statement!