Festool sander

[Dave Lehnert]

The old Ryobi sander is about to give up. Must be around 15 years old. Been a good sander. a 4 1/2" random orbit.

If a woodworker was going to treat himself with a new Festool sander what model should I look?

[Peter Pedisich]

The Festool 6" ETS 150/3 is everything a random orbit finish sander should be.

[James Arvanetakis]

Dave, I'm sure you'll get a lot of posts on this, so I'll just relate my experience.

the 150/3 is a great all around sander...you can pretty much control it with one finger...its quiet...and of course the dust collection is pretty astounding. The 150/3 gives you the 6" pad vs the 125 @ 5".

I've had nice Dewalt RO sander...but the vibration/dust collection doesn't even compare. My opinion for a first sander is either the 150/3 or 150/5...the second number being the movement of the orbit (in mm). I can put coarse paper (80-120) on my /3 and it will cut down wood plenty fast....I personally don't feel a need for the 150/5.

The downside here of course is the size of the pad. If you'll be needing to do more detail oriented work...you'll start to look at the other Festool sanders after your first. :D

Plenty of people also like the Rotex 150 (it is a dual mode sander), but it is on the 'bulki-er" side :) I'll let someone who has that one write about it...

[Jim Becker]

My go-to sander 95% of the time is the 150/3. It's easy to one-hand, unlike the Rotex, sands incredibly easily and has almost zero vibration compared to my previous PC sanders. I have not found the 6" pad size to be problematic in any way, in all honesty, but it's true that for some folks' work, the smaller 5" unit may be a better choice. I didn't find that one as smooth and vibration free as the 150/3, however, when I test-drove it.

[Tony Bilello]

I recently test drove the 150/3. All I can say is "totally amazing". If you have to stand behind a sander for hours, this is the one. From a safety/health point of view - noise and vibration are definitely not your friend and this sander has that under control.
Expensive as it is, I will own one within the next 6 months.

[Dave Lehnert]

My go-to sander 95% of the time is the 150/3. It's easy to one-hand, unlike the Rotex, sands incredibly easily and has almost zero vibration compared to my previous PC sanders. I have not found the 6" pad size to be problematic in any way, in all honesty, but it's true that for some folks' work, the smaller 5" unit may be a better choice. I didn't find that one as smooth and vibration free as the 150/3, however, when I test-drove it.

Thanks Jim.
I was concerned with the 6" size. The 5" model does not seem to get top reviews. That concerns me more.

[Bob Marino]

I would agree with the others, if you are considering a Festool sander, I think the 150/3 is their smoothest sander. If you will also be working with lower grits 60/80 and up; the 150/5 (3 and 5 are orbits sizes in millimeters) may be more to your liking, due to its larger orbit size/quicker sanding. If you generally sand 120 and up; the 150/3 would be the way to go, presuming a 6" sander is ok for your applications.


Bob

[Matt Meiser]

I find the ETS150/3 is as easy or easier to control as my old PC 5" sander. It can be used single handed when necessary. Its the only ROS sander I've used on all my projects for the last couple years.

[Steve Clardy]

I find the ETS150/3 is as easy or easier to control as my old PC 5" sander. It can be used single handed when necessary. Its the only ROS sander I've used on all my projects for the last couple years.


Ditto the 150/3

[Jim McFarland]

I've used both 125 & 150/3 and, out of the box, the 150/3 is much smoother. I can't explain why, but the 125 became smoother the longer I used it (and it wasn't so bad that I wanted to return it when new) and it is nice if you must sand overhead. That said, I gave the 125 to my son and continue using the 150/3 :D.

[Joe Jensen]

As most have said, the 150/3 gets the most time in my shop. I also have the RO150, RTS400, and the 1/2 sheet.