Festool ETS 150 question...

[John Grabowski]

I am getting ready to take a sip from the kool aid. I have a ridged 6 inch already that is good for removing lots of wood and leaving big swirl marks. I really don't want to spend rotex money right now since I already have a decent 6 inch. I just want something more comfortable to go up in the grits with.

My question: what's the difference between the 150/3 and the 150/5? I am going to be using mine mainly for 100 grit and up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

John G

[Brian Libby]

looks like the 150/3 has a smaller swirl pattern (random orbit) than the 150/5

[Steve Rowe]

The /3 has a 3mm orbit and /5 a 5mm orbit. The 5 is a little more agressive. For grits you intend on using, get the 150/3.

[John Lanciani]

Hi John,

You might want to take a look at the Bosch 3727dvs. It is super smooth and it uses the same paper as the Ridgid 6". The 3727 is 99% as good as the Festool, for a LOT less dough, and it's made in Switzerland. The Bosch 1250 is absolutely equal to a Rotex if you're looking for a dual mode sander. (Before the haters come out, I've got more than my share of Festool, but their sanders are not worth the $$ in my opinion)

[Ray Newman]

John L: in your experience, how does the DC on the Bosch 3727dvs compar to the Fe$tool anders?

[John Grabowski]

Interesting info so far...if anyone is going to offer alternatives, compare vibration and dust collection while your at it. Those are the main reasons I am going to drink from the green kool aid cup.

Thanks again,

John G

[Jim Becker]

I use the 150/3 as my "go to sander"...it gets about 90%+ of the work. I only pull out the Rotex when I need its special abilities for "hard work".

[John Lanciani]

Ray and John,

The vibration is virtually equal, I suffer from mild carpal tunnel syndrome and the 3727 does not irritate it (nor did the festool 150/3 when I had borrowed it for a few weeks), unlike any of the 5" sanders that I've ever tried. The dust collection on the 3727, when paired to a Fein T2 vac, is just a tiny bit worse than the 150/3 but that is understandable considering the hole configuration on the sanding pads. If the Festool collects 99% of the dust, the Bosch collects 98%.

[Tim Sproul]

Get the 150/5. It is faster and leaves just as fine a finish for wood furniture that will be further finished. If you leave your projects as raw wood, you might consider the 150/3 a better sander but as long as you apply oil or a film finish, the 150/5 preps wood just as well and gets you there a bit faster. That's my take having both the 150/3 and 150/5.

[John Morrison60]

+1 on 150/3 as go to tool. dust collection, sound, and ease of use.

Rotex very rarely.

[Mike Gottlieb]

+1 for Tim's recommendation. 150/5.

[Don Bullock]

John, I had another reason for switching to Festool sanders. My Bosch was a good sander, but after light use the switch failed. They sent me to a local repair shop for a new switch. Thy guy at the repair shop was very familiar with the problem and had a large supply of Boch sander switches in stock. I thought that was interesting and perhaps an omen of things to come. After some additional, but again very light use, it failed again. I must say that Bosh was very generous in returning my money when I returned the sander according to their warranty and I do have some excellent Bosch tools. I'm very happy with the Festool sanders that I have now along with the Festool Dust Extractor. They have turned out to be fantastic tools and very reliable.

[Rick Fisher]

http://i335.photobucket.com/albums/m455/jokerbird_photo/P1170369.jpg

The Bosch 3727 sander has the same stroke as the ETS-5.

I have both, and prefer the ETS-5. I agree that its faster and leaves the same finish. If I had to get rid of one, I would keep the 5... Having said that.. The 3 is a fine machine.

[John Grabowski]

I appreciate all the info...I am going to the wood working show in Columbus in a few weeks where I hope to do some demoing...I am assuming that festool will have a booth to try em out. I am surely leaning towards the 150/5.

Thanks so much,

John G

[Leo Vogel]

John - I own the ETS-5 and their mini vac. I bought the 5 because I like to start sanding with 80 grit after the drum sander, and then the finer grits. Most people said they could not tell the difference in finish between the 3 and 5, but the 5 was a bit more aggressive. This sander combination is just wonderful. After I do a piece of cherry, I can't believe the finish. The only Bosch sander I have is a belt sander, so I can't say much about that. You will be happy with the Festool sander, but be sure to couple it with their vac or something comparable.

[Ray Newman]

John: thanks for the response. Soon, I maybe 'in the market' for a new sander and will look more closely and the Bosch and the Fe$tool. I have not handled either one, but DC is important in my situation and shop surroundings. Thanks again.

[Callan Campbell]

+2 the 150/5 Festool sander. I've owned mine since 2004 and never had an issue with the slightly larger/more aggressive orbit over the 3mm version. Your choice of paper and how well the dust collection is working via what ever vacuum you're using can play a great deal into your results with either Festool 150 model. Rubin for bare wood at lower grits, and Brilliant for fine grit sanding always seems to work for me. I use Cristal or Saphir for certain sanders and applications that need it.

[Brian Kincaid]

I have a 5 and don't see why anyone would want a 3 for woodworking.

For more aggressive I use a belt sander.

-Brian