I bought my 150/3 after someone made the point - It's not that it does a better job of sanding, the less vibration allows you to sand longer and do a more complete job sanding. less hand fatigue sells the sander, dust control is a perk.
Chuck
I bought my 150/3 after someone made the point - It's not that it does a better job of sanding, the less vibration allows you to sand longer and do a more complete job sanding. less hand fatigue sells the sander, dust control is a perk.
Chuck
I tried a Festool sander and didn't find any real advantage over my other sanders.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
I had an ETS 150/3 it lasted less than a year. Sent it in six months ago, still do not have it back and no one knows where it is. Nice while I had it.
I got my 1st one a dozen years ago because of the dust collection which is excellent. I have 3 now. Great sanders.
I have two: Rotex 90 and RTS 400. (Virtually all of my work is small scale.) They are both excellent sanders, yet over priced, IMO.
I thought Festool sanders were way overpriced until I got one (ETS EC 125). It's in a completely different class versus the DeWalt DW421 RO I had for years. You've heard about the dust collection, but I also think the brake system and variable speed is superior to others. Very powerful too, not easy to bog down. I can only imagine what the Rotex is like.
Is it too expensive? Personal call. I don't view this as a competition to pay the cheapest possible price for everything. If it makes you happy and/or you get a lot of use out of it and/or buying it doesn't put you in the poorhouse, it's worth the $$.
+1 on the 150/3 ETS and 150 Rotex (can't remember the last time I picked up a belt sander). The 150 ETS is quite a good tool from the perspective of function, dust collection and flexibility. I'm sure the Mirka is great too.
"the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius
I don't think so but it depends on why you want it. If you're just a hobbyist, it's vastly overpriced for what it gives you. It fails the cost/benefit analysis for me. I can do exactly the same thing with other products, why cough up all of the dough for something when I can spend that money on something that I actually care about. I don't have a production shop, I am a hobbyist. If my hand starts going numb, I just stop sanding and go do something else. Nobody is holding a gun to my head and forcing me to sand for hours on end. But at the end of the day, the decision is between you and your wallet. I made my decision long ago that I had no need for the big green cult.
Brian, you make valid points and if a particular tool isn't "right for you", then it doesn't matter what it costs...it's not a good investment.
On the numbness, thing, however, I need to point out that some of us are hit hard enough by that that it only takes a very, very short period of time for it to appear. For me, that was 2-3 minutes with the PC sanders I originally used. Stopping and starting with that kind of frequency was maddening. I can sand for 30+ minutes now with no noticeable numbness, tingling or pain. So for me, the 150/3 has paid for itself several times over. It's also over 10 years old and still works like new. I was replacing the old PC sanders about every two years because they just didn't hold up. And I was an "occasional" woodworker. In that respect, the Festool unit really wasn't more expensive.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
I think Festool tools are worth the money. I think the Rotex series Sanders are beasts and that’s what I want for heavy sanding jobs. But for precise finish sanding, the Mirka sanders are king. A palm style, low profile sander is just superior in comfort and control. Quite, smooth, and amazing dust collection just add to their appeal. I think one day all electric sanders will look and feel like air sanders. Mirka just beat everyone else in the electric sanding world.
I bought my Mirka Ceros over 5 years ago, it was the first time I ever thought "I could have saved some money and bought a Festool". How many times can you say that? But the Mirka felt like the old Sioux air sanders I cut my teeth on, just without the noise and the need for a really big air compressor. The dust collection was great hooked up to my old Fein vac, no need for a variable speed vac and a big improvement over the old air sanders that never heard of dust collection.
I've played with just about all of the Festool sanders, the closest they've come to the Mirka is the ETS, the rest are special-purpose tools and good at what they're designed for. I'm not that picky about sanders, I just want one go-to tool that does most of what I need done. YMMV.
But there's no way I'd swap my Ceros or Deros for the ETS, sometimes you get what you pay for.
Last edited by Bill Graham; 11-14-2017 at 8:42 PM.
Been sanding many years, with many hours on a whole lot of different brands - both pneumatic and electric.
Currently, we use 2 Mirka and 5 Festool sanders in the shop. I really like the FEstool ETS EC - prob the best all around sander IMO. They all seem to hold up to a production environment.
Andrew J. Coholic
I've pretty much given up commercial work and am mostly a hobbyist. But as I mentioned earlier, the Festool dust collection system is what makes it worth the extra cost from a health viewpoint. That's because it collects nearly all of it. One of my upcoming projects is to sand and finish some 100 year old storm windows that certainly have a lead paint. I'll obviously still take other precautions, but knowing that the sander/HEPA vacuum will capture nearly everything is comforting. This should also be a consideration for anyone with a basement shop that wants to keep dust from entering the HVAC system. And last, Festool tools and vacuums hold their value much better than any other brand.
+2 on the Mirka. No regrets.
I assume you have some documentation, including the original receipt, registration online with Festool, and/or something from when you sent it in. They should send you a new one. If you aren't getting satisfaction from Service, go on the Festool Owners Group site (FOG) and post in the Ask Festool section. If you're not already a member you will have to join. Usually there a response from a Festool employee quickly and your problems should be resolved.