Which festool sander to buy?

[franklin pug]

I am interested in buying an RO sander from your offerings, but I am unsure of which is most appropriate.

I am a custom furniture maker (hobbiest with some commission work), and I only sand wood and wood products.  The sander will see use 2 to 3 times a week for about an hour per session (on average).  Typical projects include face frames, doors and drawers, table tops, aprons, legs, etc.

I currently use a combination of RO sanders from other brands (dewalt, ridgid, PC) but each one of them has an issue I would like to eliminate.  Some are uncomfortable, and they all have moderate dust collection at best (with vac and DD).

I need a sander mostly for prepping projects for finish, usually using the grits of 100 to 220.  I typically don't use a sander for flattening or levelling ( done with hand planes).  I will sometimes use an RO sander to level uneven joinery if I'm doing an odd glue up, have reversing grain, or some such thing.

I was thinking the ETS 125, or 150/3.  Are these reasonable choices for my needs?  I would like to purchase only one sander at this time.  Also, do other abrasives fit on the these units, or only the festool brand?

 

[Stephen B]

[size=12pt]

Given your description of your woodworking, you would be happy with either of the ETS models you list. Both are excellent for finish, but work well even with 100grit. If you want quicker stock removal consider RO; maybe later as next sander.

 

[roblg3]

ther's a youtube video of a man polishing wood going from 40-something like 1000 with an RO 150FEQ.  The 150/3 is considered a "fine finish" sander.  I have a RO90dxfeq that i think is the greates thing ever.  I can actually use it for hours on end with no hand numbing vibrations. I have never found a sander that i liked, but i actually enjoy using it.  the 90dxfeq has alot of options.  aggressive, less aggressive and a deltex setting with a seperate pad (included) that can get into corners.  The best thing about FESTOOL is that buy whatever you want and if you don't like it, return it within 30 days for a full refund!  Any you choose you will be happy with, trust me, i've owned many of the brands you listed and none of them can touch a FESTOOL sander.

 

[wow]

Get thee to a Festool dealer...

And try the ETS 125 and the RO90. Based on your comments I think you may find the ETS 150 a little large for an 'all around' sander. No matter what you decide on, don't spend too much time worrying about whether you are making the right decision...as it absolutely, positively won't be the only one you will ever own!

Ask me how I know? Or just check out my signature...

[big grin]

 

[semenza]

I am interested in buying an RO sander from your offerings, but I am unsure of which is most appropriate.

I am a custom furniture maker (hobbiest with some commission work), and I only sand wood and wood products.  The sander will see use 2 to 3 times a week for about an hour per session (on average).  Typical projects include face frames, doors and drawers, table tops, aprons, legs, etc.

I currently use a combination of RO sanders from other brands (dewalt, ridgid, PC) but each one of them has an issue I would like to eliminate.  Some are uncomfortable, and they all have moderate dust collection at best (with vac and DD).

I need a sander mostly for prepping projects for finish, usually using the grits of 100 to 220.  I typically don't use a sander for flattening or levelling ( done with hand planes).  I will sometimes use an RO sander to level uneven joinery if I'm doing an odd glue up, have reversing grain, or some such thing.

I was thinking the ETS 125, or 150/3.  Are these reasonable choices for my needs?  I would like to purchase only one sander at this time.  Also, do other abrasives fit on the these units, or only the festool brand?

Hi,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

   RO being random orbit and also RO as in Festool Rotex line. Just something to keep track of in this thread.

   ETS150 /5 or /3 would be my recommendation based on your description.  And if I was choosing one with no plans for a Rotex it would be the /5. The ETS125 is probably a good choice too. I personally prefer the larger size , design , and more all purpose performance of the 150/5 over the 125 if you are going with just one sander. The hard pad will extend the versatility.

Seth

 

[AlexThePalex]

Typical projects include face frames, doors and drawers, table tops, aprons, legs, etc.

Based on that I'd say the ETS 125 is the right choice. It is great for finish work, light, controllable and just the right size. The 150 is a tad too big for my taste.

 

[cliffp]

I have the RO90, RO150 and ETS150/3. I find the two RO models a bit awkward to use in the eccentric (less aggressive) mode compared to a conventional random orbit sander like the ETS. The RO models are great if you want both aggressive and random orbit. The ETS is a fantastic sander for finish work. As someone has already said, you will be very likely to want more Festool sanders so it doesn't matter if you don't get the decision 100% perfect with your first purchase. Nothing would separate me from any of my sanders - they are all amongst the most useful tools I have ever bought. People who buy more than one type of sander (eg the RO150 and ETS150) often standardise on one size to avoid having to stock two sizes of paper as this is a considerable expense. The good thing is the discs never seem to wear out due to their quality and the way the dust extraction (which is essential to use) avoids clogging.

 

[junk731]

Based on what you have said I would go with the ETS 150 3 or 5. I have worked day in and day out with this sander for the last 6 years and it will cover all aspects of what you are doing. You will be disappointed in the small ETS 125 unless you are only going to use it for very fine finishing with no major material removal. There are many discussions on this subject if you do a search. I've tried to like the ETS 125 on a couple of occasions but was I was always disappointed. Starting with the ETS 150 also makes it easy to get the more aggressive RO 150 later on if needed. Another hint is get the hard pad, makes keeping work flat a breeze.

John

 

[franklin pug]

I am interested in buying an RO sander from your offerings, but I am unsure of which is most appropriate.

I am a custom furniture maker (hobbiest with some commission work), and I only sand wood and wood products.  The sander will see use 2 to 3 times a week for about an hour per session (on average).  Typical projects include face frames, doors and drawers, table tops, aprons, legs, etc.

I currently use a combination of RO sanders from other brands (dewalt, ridgid, PC) but each one of them has an issue I would like to eliminate.  Some are uncomfortable, and they all have moderate dust collection at best (with vac and DD).

I need a sander mostly for prepping projects for finish, usually using the grits of 100 to 220.  I typically don't use a sander for flattening or levelling ( done with hand planes).  I will sometimes use an RO sander to level uneven joinery if I'm doing an odd glue up, have reversing grain, or some such thing.

I was thinking the ETS 125, or 150/3.  Are these reasonable choices for my needs?  I would like to purchase only one sander at this time.  Also, do other abrasives fit on the these units, or only the festool brand?

Hi,

  Welcome to the forum!  [smile]

   RO being random orbit and also RO as in Festool Rotex line. Just something to keep track of in this thread.

   ETS150 /5 or /3 would be my recommendation based on your description.  And if I was choosing one with no plans for a Rotex it would be the /5. The ETS125 is probably a good choice too. I personally prefer the larger size , design , and more all purpose performance of the 150/5 over the 125 if you are going with just one sander. The hard pad will extend the versatility.

Seth

Good catch!  By RO, i am referrinf to "Random Orbit".

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

Based on your requirements and applications, I do believe the ETS 150/3 would be a great choice for you.

I would recommend that you consider getting the optional hard pad, which will help you on surfaces like those face frames. Also, consider the optional interface pad if you those table legs are contoured or rounded.

 

[jacko9]

I'm a furniture builder and I have the ETS125, ETS 150/3, LS130 and the RO 90.  The sander I use most often is the ETS 150/3 with Granat sanding discs.

Jack

 

[RC]

+1 for the ETS150/3 or if you are prepared to look outside of the Festool sandbox maybe have a look at the Mirka Deros which offers both interchangeable 125 and 150 pads and at least as good dust extraction as a Festool one. Pingvin Lakrits just posted a mini review of his Mirka last week here on FOG.

I'm very happy with my RO90 + ETS150/3 combo, but sometimes feel that the ETS is a bit too tall for no apparent reason (most likely the motor just takes all that vertical space in the handle).

I would also like to note that even thou the ETS150/3 is classified as a finish sander it did a jolly efficient job of sanding down a table which was boat lacquered down to wood with my ETS starting with 60 grit Granat and going up from there to 180. Plenty aggressive with that paper. Tried 40 grit too, but that was a bit too much for the ETS (caught on, made it wobble,etc. could be operator error or maybe I should have eased up the DC suction at that point).

I would say that unless you're in a mad rush you could very comfortably use 80 grit and up on an ETS and coarser grits on Rotexes and still remove material fast. 

The sander has a very standard looking hook-and-loop pad so I would assume that you could use any paper on it, but you have to realize that with the Festool specific extra DC holes in the abrasive pads you will either lose out on some DC capability or use something like Mirka Abranet which is just as expensive as Festool abrasives. On a side note I must point out that with the Festool DC combined with their Granat paper I'm getting ridiculously long lifetime from every paper compared to the no-name paper I used to use on my previous sander. No clogging, it just runs until I screw up and hit a sharp corner or the edges get worn out. I bought the abrasive systainers with full boxes of 40 - 60 - 80 - 120 - 180 - 220 for 150mm, 90mm round pads and RO90 triangular pad and I'm probably set for life on abrasives - I used up something like 1-2 papers of each grit on the whole backyard table and two benches sanding project last summer...  [eek]

 

[Kev]

On abrasives, I have other compatible abrasives I purchased with my first Festool (ETS150/5). No problem using them. At the time I purchased about 6 large boxes of various grits (Rhino). Since I tried Granat I haven't gone back ... I'll probably die  with the Rhinos still on the shelf!

 

[dpetrzelka]

+1

Once you've used Granat for wood  and finishing sanding it would be tough to go back to any other paper. This is one area that I can clearly see a savings of both time and money. Festool abrasives really are that much better than the alternatives ( or should I say compromises).

. Since I tried Granat I haven't gone back ...

 

[Runhard]

My vote would be for the ETS 150/3 and add the hard pad. Festool abrasives are the best that I have ever used and it is almost unbelievable how long they last, Granat and Rubin2 are awesome. You should seriously consider purchasing a Festool CT dust extractor as a package deal with your sander, you save 10% off the dust extractor this way. It is very important to have control of the suction when using a Festool sander and the CT's are amazing, the are pretty quiet as well.

Daniel

 

[franklin pug]

If a hard pad or soft pad are optional accessories, does the ets come with a "medium" pad as OEM?

 

[tbellemare]

If a hard pad or soft pad are optional accessories, does the ets come with a "medium" pad as OEM?

Yes, the medium-stiffness pad is called "Soft". That is the pad that the sanders normally come with from the Factory.

Tom

 

[Administrator_JSVN]

If a hard pad or soft pad are optional accessories, does the ets come with a "medium" pad as OEM?

As was stated, the "soft" pad is what's included with our sanders. The optional pads are hard and super soft.

From the abrasives search on our website:

Super Soft Pad (Light Grey)
For less aggressive work. The softer pad has more give which makes for a smoother finish.

Soft Pad (Black)
For most sanding tasks and materials; standard pad supplied with most random orbit and orbital sanders.

Soft High Temperature Long-Life Pad (Black)
For aggressive sanding with Rotex sanders and other random orbit sanders.

Hard Pad (Blue)
For forming and shaping tasks and maintaining a crisp edge with a stiffer, firmer pad.

Polising Pad (Green)
For polishing tasks, slightly undersized to prevent contact of the backing pad with the work piece.

Interface Pad
For super smooth finishes on flat or contoured surfaces. Acts as a cushion between the sander and the abrasive.