Mirka Ceros updated reviews anyone?

[Mark Levitski]

Now that some time has passed, any of you care to comment on the new Mirka sander?

Thanks............Mark

[Leo Graywacz]

I like it.

[Prashun Patel]

It is absolutely wonderful.
Theres nothing I don't like about except that the hose adapter is not standard.

[David Gillingham]

I've had one for around 4 months but only use it occasionally. At work we have air powered Dynabrades which I prefer but I don't have enough air at my home workshop. I find the price of the Mirka Ceros a bit ridiculous particularly when you add in an extra $95 for the hose (I think that was what it cost). Apart from that, the dust pickup is excellent, the sander is comfortable to use and it seems to be fairly economical in its use of sandpaper. All in all, I would buy it again
t

[Leo Graywacz]

Porta cable vacuum hose fits nicely.

[richard poitras]

I really like mine. Small, light, and comfortable to use with lots of power.

[frank shic]

what's so special about this sander?

[frank shic]

nvm... i want one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWMBW_Hga6s

[Leo Graywacz]

what's so special about this sander?

All the conveniences of an air sander in an electric.

Power, size, weight, aggressiveness and with a vacuum good dust collection.

[John Coloccia]

what's so special about this sander?


nvm... i want one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWMBW_Hga6s

Ha....that's the normal reaction to this thing.

[Van Huskey]

Ha....that's the normal reaction to this thing.

LOL, that is exactly what I was thinking. It also has a big draw based on form factor with people that have used air sanders quite a bit.

[John Coloccia]

LOL, that is exactly what I was thinking. It also has a big draw based on form factor with people that have used air sanders quite a bit.

I'm trying to get my hands on a 5" demo to see if it will work for me. I have played with one a bit, though, and I want one badly.

[David Kumm]

LOL, that is exactly what I was thinking. It also has a big draw based on form factor with people that have used air sanders quite a bit.

What makes it worth two to three times Dynabrade or 3M? I'm happy with those but haven't tried the Ceros. Dave Oops, didn't get it was electric.

[Van Huskey]

I'm trying to get my hands on a 5" demo to see if it will work for me. I have played with one a bit, though, and I want one badly.

I was just about to ask why you wouldn't get the 6" instead then I remembered your primary focus and realized a 6" would probably be cumbersome on guitar sized work.

[Leo Graywacz]

What makes it worth two to three times Dynabrade or 3M? I'm happy with those but haven't tried the Ceros. Dave Oops, didn't get it was electric.

No large (expensive and expensive to run) compressor required. I have a medium size compressor (11 cfm) and it really couldn't keep up with an air sander. My compressor has a 3 HP motor which draws 2200 watts. So eventually because the sander only draws 400w you will get a payback by not having to use a compressor. Plus if you don't have one in the first place you don't have to worry about getting gone to have an aggressive sander.

If it was about $350 it would be a very good price. But since woodworking is my livelihood and time is money, it was worth it for me to get this sander at that price. Festool sanders aren't much cheaper.

[frank shic]

you know what's sad? it's noticeably quieter than any other sander that i've ever seen or used but the vacuum easily makes up for the noise reduction!

[Leo Graywacz]

you know what's sad? it's noticeably quieter than any other sander that i've ever seen or used but the vacuum easily makes up for the noise reduction!

Get a quieter vacuum. Fien or Festool come to mind. Mirka has their own but its not that quiet.

[frank shic]

this forum is a great source of information... unfortunately, it's not good for my wallet lol

[Alan Lightstone]

Festool sanders aren't much cheaper.
You don't hear those words used together often. Festool and cheaper. ;)

[frank shic]

i'm sure the festool boys will catch up once the patent expires!

[Prashun Patel]

Some more specifics about why I like mine:

It's lighter than any ROS I've used, so my fingers don't lock into a claw after a few mins as they did with my Bosch (which is still a great ROS).

There's a switch on the sander that has two 'coarse' speeds of fast and slow. But the paddle switch on top provides finer, hand-pressure activated control. It just works and feels very natural.

There's less vibration than a typical ROS, which also contributes to reduction in fatigue.

The dust extraction is phenomenal. If the Bosch was a strong B+, this is a solid A to A+. I have mine connected with a shopvac hose to a mini-cyclone and then to a Shopvac with a HEPA filter. I am able now to sand inside with no dust build up on benches or walls or cabinets as before.

The hose connecting the transformer to the sander is thick and durable and a generous length. So, you can have it convenently out of the way when sanding.

The backing pads are replaceable with an included wrench and don't require a nut; it's about as easy a switch as one could design. I switch to the soft pad when I need to shape and smooth contours in things like scooped chair seats and transitions between joints in maloof-style joints.

What I like best, though is the results. I've noticed that it is simultaneously aggressive and gentle. I can't explain it, but I don't get swirl marks, or worse, depressions from sanding in one spot too long. These depressions sinisterly never show up until well into my finishing schedule...:(. I theorize that the above factors just make this sander more controllable in my sloppy hands, which lets me more more evenly and flatly across the piece. All's I know is my quality and speed has improved.

One more thing: the case is very nice. The cords have no memory, and as a result they coil easily into the generous space provided. It's nice to have a container that closes without having to wrestle the cords into the typical tight enclosure with crappy tabs.

People bemoan the price, but sanding is my least favorite part of any project, and this thing has really made it kind of "fun" now. I wish they'd make something for sanding turned work, now...

[frank shic]

egads! the list of future tool purchases now includes 10" jet jointer/planer, mirka sander AND a fein vacuum...

[Nick Sorenson]

Interesting to hear about the Dynabrades. I love my Dynabrade Silver Supreme. It's powerful, it's small, smoother than any other sander (air and electric by far) and fairly inexpensive at around $150, but I don't like the electric bill (5HP compressor). Because of that I bought the Metabo (Ridgid) random orbital for flat areas that I don't need easy hand motion. I find I don't use it much because it throws clouds of dust out the vac port and it's already too big and bulky, it'd make it worse to connect the vacuum hose. I'm interested in checking out the Ceros, but for $500, I'd have to use a LOT of electricity with my current Dynabrades. Looks like a great tool. I'd still be really surprised if it's as smooth as the Silver Supreme. But you never know! With as much spraying, sanding, metal cutting, working on cars, etc. I'm still glad to have a compressor that can hack it. That was a good buy too. I usually don't say HF tools are good buys but their US General Compressors (the bigger ones) are actually a pretty good deal with the 20% off coupons. They're made in the USA as well. Can't remember the company that makes them. But it's definitely been one of my best HF buys to date.


I've had one for around 4 months but only use it occasionally. At work we have air powered Dynabrades which I prefer but I don't have enough air at my home workshop. I find the price of the Mirka Ceros a bit ridiculous particularly when you add in an extra $95 for the hose (I think that was what it cost). Apart from that, the dust pickup is excellent, the sander is comfortable to use and it seems to be fairly economical in its use of sandpaper. All in all, I would buy it again
t

[George Octon]

A captain I work with made a very good point about this sander. I've been bitten byt the hype and considering spending the money for a job on a 60' hull. Now these are a lot of work and I'm older (they always were a lot of work). I' kind of thinking if the sander works as it's hyped (but I seriously doubt it), it could save my life.

Any way the captains idea was... if this sander is so good they ought to demo it! And he's right. They ought to lend you a demo to try out on your job. And really they ought to bring it to you. But I would go and get it. A demo they have in the store sanding a flat piece of wood on a table? What a joke! Anything would sand a flat piece of wood on a table. But if the sander's so good, put it out there and let's see it. It's either really good and it will do the job or not plain and simple. It's $500 for god's sake! I don't work in a shop on a table.

[John Coloccia]

A captain I work with made a very good point about this sander. I've been bitten byt the hype and considering spending the money for a job on a 60' hull. Now these are a lot of work and I'm older (they always were a lot of work). I' kind of thinking if the sander works as it's hyped (but I seriously doubt it), it could save my life.

Any way the captains idea was... if this sander is so good they ought to demo it! And he's right. They ought to lend you a demo to try out on your job. And really they ought to bring it to you. But I would go and get it. A demo they have in the store sanding a flat piece of wood on a table? What a joke! Anything would sand a flat piece of wood on a table. But if the sander's so good, put it out there and let's see it. It's either really good and it will do the job or not plain and simple. It's $500 for god's sake! I don't work in a shop on a table.

Have you tried actually asking a dealer for a demo? The point of the in store demo is to show the features and the dust collection. I think it's unreasonable to expect them to have a ships hull, or anything beyond a flat piece of wood, in the store, but there are people that have gotten demos. My local Woodcraft had a demo available for a while...I don't know if they're still doing that, or what was involved. I do know that dealers are far more willing to do stuff like this for people that have been using them for years, so if you have a good relationship with a dealer then I would think you stand a decent chance of getting a demo.

[Paul Johnstone]

A captain I work with made a very good point about this sander. I've been bitten byt the hype and considering spending the money for a job on a 60' hull. Now these are a lot of work and I'm older (they always were a lot of work). I' kind of thinking if the sander works as it's hyped (but I seriously doubt it), it could save my life.
.

Honestly.. I have one and I totally love it. It's better than the festool sander.
Now keep in mind, the festool rotex will remove material faster.. but this sander is so smooth and light, yet powerful.
Makes sanding a lot more pleasant.
If this would truly "save your life", why not buy it?
If you hate it (you won't), you could sell it for 90% or more of it's original cost in all likelyhood.
I guess the caveat is, I have no idea what sanding a boat hull involves.. I think there is a soft pad for this sander, but I don't know if it is suited for the job .. All I can tell you is that it is awesome for normal WWing sanding.. If you are currently using another ROS, this would probably work great for you.


The vac hose is not an issue.. Either use the porter cable hose (About $30-40) or use the tip from another forum (I am pasting, since we aren't allowed to link). I used the tip below.. works great.. The festool hose can easily come on and off with no modification.



I went to the HD plumbing section and bought a few items to test as a cuff. Turns out one works just fine. Its called "Tubular Drain Connector" - HD #628488987219. Basically its a piece of PVC with 2 hose clamps on each end. I removed the hose clamps and then forced the PVC rubber onto/over the Mirka port about 1/2" where it fits snugly. You can then take the Festool hose and push it into the other end of the PVC piece and right in so as to mate with the first 1/4" or so of the Mirka port. The other end of the PVC snugs up on the middle section of the Festool rubber end.

[Prashun Patel]

The 3 pack Ridgid hose adapters make the sander fit a standard vac hose.

[richard poitras]

The 3 pack Ridgid hose adapters make the sander fit a standard vac hose.

Prashum, do you know what part number it is at HD?

Thanks Richard

[Prashun Patel]

Online it is Vt1755

[Larry Edgerton]

I have Dynabrades and lots of air in the shop but I keep eyeing them for site work. At $500 I am kind of waiting to see how the last. Have not heard of any problems so far.

Larry

[richard poitras]

Online it is Vt1755

Prashum. Thanks for the info....
.
Richard

[Leo Graywacz]

I have Dynabrades and lots of air in the shop but I keep eyeing them for site work. At $500 I am kind of waiting to see how the last. Have not heard of any problems so far.

Larry

Has a 3 year warranty. Just about everything else only has 1

[George Octon]

Have you tried actually asking a dealer for a demo? The point of the in store demo is to show the features and the dust collection. I think it's unreasonable to expect them to have a ships hull, or anything beyond a flat piece of wood, in the store, but there are people that have gotten demos. My local Woodcraft had a demo available for a while...I don't know if they're still doing that, or what was involved. I do know that dealers are far more willing to do stuff like this for people that have been using them for years, so if you have a good relationship with a dealer then I would think you stand a decent chance of getting a demo.

You've got to be kidding. But I don't think you are.

[John Coloccia]

You've got to be kidding. But I don't think you are.

'Scuse me? Yes, I'm kidding around about getting a demo. Jokes on you. Ha ha.

??? :confused:

edit: Seriously, George, I'm just trying to help you out. You need to go to a dealer and ask for a demo. I don't know what you find so unbelievable about that. I'm fairly sure I can get a demo of the Mirka, most of what Festool makes, and a lot of other things too if I wanted. Maybe it's my sparkling personality, but I think it's more that I use my local stores instead of going online, and I'm a serious customer that doesn't waste their time. Doesn't mean I always buy, but I'm not a tire kicker. You said you think it should be delivered to you, so maybe going to a dealer and asking is too much effort? I don't know where you're coming from.

[Peter Kelly]

It is absolutely wonderful.
Theres nothing I don't like about except that the hose adapter is not standard.
The Mirka hose and fittings are same as Festool and Bosch. Think they're all made at the same factory in Germany.

[Prashun Patel]

Yup, a while after that post, Peter, I realized the Ridgid combo adapter pack makes it fit.

[Alan Lightstone]

'Scuse me? Yes, I'm kidding around about getting a demo. Jokes on you. Ha ha.

??? :confused:

edit: Seriously, George, I'm just trying to help you out. You need to go to a dealer and ask for a demo. I don't know what you find so unbelievable about that. I'm fairly sure I can get a demo of the Mirka, most of what Festool makes, and a lot of other things too if I wanted. Maybe it's my sparkling personality, but I think it's more that I use my local stores instead of going online, and I'm a serious customer that doesn't waste their time. Doesn't mean I always buy, but I'm not a tire kicker. You said you think it should be delivered to you, so maybe going to a dealer and asking is too much effort? I don't know where you're coming from.

My Woodcraft dealer gave me a demo of it last week. I didn't even ask. He insisted that I try it.

[Paul Johnstone]

The Mirka hose and fittings are same as Festool and Bosch. Think they're all made at the same factory in Germany.

That's true.. you can take the rubber hose tip off the end of the festool vac hose and screw it into the Mirka.
That's kind of a PITA though if you want to use the same hose for Festool stuff.
Festool vac hoses are kind of expensive (I didn't want to buy a second just for the mirka).
The thing I posted lets you keep the rubber tip on your festool vac, and just slide it in.
Maybe Prashan's adapters work just was well too.

[George Octon]

My Woodcraft dealer gave me a demo of it last week. I didn't even ask. He insisted that I try it.

And smart, just plain and simple. If you've got something that's good, you want to get it out there. It should sell itself. But then again, that guy at the Woodcraft store does not own that place. It might be a little different dealing directly with an owner. The one guy I deal with is a little grumpy and he takes his every opinion as gospel. I will talk to them about a demo.

[Peter Kelly]

That's true.. you can take the rubber hose tip off the end of the festool vac hose and screw it into the Mirka.
That's kind of a PITA though if you want to use the same hose for Festool stuff.
Festool vac hoses are kind of expensive (I didn't want to buy a second just for the mirka).
The thing I posted lets you keep the rubber tip on your festool vac, and just slide it in.
Maybe Prashan's adapters work just was well too.
I should mention that the Mirka anti-static hose is an excellent replacement for the Festool one that comes with the CT 26 or 36. $45 instead of $105 from Festool http://supergrit.com/MirkaCeros

[Greg Portland]

i'm sure the festool boys will catch up once the patent expires!
Yep, I can see the transformer in a Systainer or attached to the vac somehow and then use the existing wire routing on the vac's boom arm. Festool already sells air sanders in a similar form factor as the Mirka.

[Mike Heidrick]

Have you tried actually asking a dealer for a demo? The point of the in store demo is to show the features and the dust collection. I think it's unreasonable to expect them to have a ships hull, or anything beyond a flat piece of wood, in the store, but there are people that have gotten demos. My local Woodcraft had a demo available for a while...I don't know if they're still doing that, or what was involved. I do know that dealers are far more willing to do stuff like this for people that have been using them for years, so if you have a good relationship with a dealer then I would think you stand a decent chance of getting a demo.

I have a small woodworking shop about 3 miles from my house - Millworks. They have a large Mirka display just for giving demos of the the Ceros. Its next to their Festool displays (about every festool tool to demo).
They had that new Crazy Bench that is alum and green plastic topped - someone at IWF showed it off - it was not festool branded though. Next time I am in I will get a picture. Its huge! If this place can do it (Millworks in Bloomington IL) I am sure any woodcraft can.

[Peter Quinn]

The woodcraft in Manchester CT has a complete Ceros display with the sanding unit, the Mirka Hepa vac, a bench, block-o-wood, different grits of abranet disks to try. THey encourage people to try it, its right at the front door near the register. Its a fantastic set up, makes me drool, no budget for it. My little festool ROS is getting long in the tooth, maybe next year or too I'll go that way. Quiet, clean, great power, less vibration than a dynabrade.

[John Coloccia]

The woodcraft in Manchester CT has a complete Ceros display with the sanding unit, the Mirka Hepa vac, a bench, block-o-wood, different grits of abranet disks to try. THey encourage people to try it, its right at the front door near the register. Its a fantastic set up, makes me drool, no budget for it. My little festool ROS is getting long in the tooth, maybe next year or too I'll go that way. Quiet, clean, great power, less vibration than a dynabrade.

It was available for a demo for a while too. I'm not sure if they're still doing it now that it's in the display. I'm sure if it was a trusted customer, they most likely would lend it out without any trouble. Definitely worth asking for anyone that's seriously interested.

[Peter Quinn]

It was available for a demo for a while too. I'm not sure if they're still doing it now that it's in the display. I'm sure if it was a trusted customer, they most likely would lend it out without any trouble. Definitely worth asking for anyone that's seriously interested.


Your saying they let you take it home to try it in your shop on actual work? I could never do that, I'd have to give them a $500 deposit, I know I wouldn't be bringing it back!:D

[George Octon]

Your saying they let you take it home to try it in your shop on actual work? I could never do that, I'd have to give them a $500 deposit, I know I wouldn't be bringing it back!:D

How many people can wisely or unwisely throw five hundred dollars at a sander? And I would bet most of them are Harry Homeowner hobbyists.

[Prashun Patel]

I bet you are right. I'm one of them. I'm sure there's a lot of scorn for the hobbyists by some professionals. Too bad. I'm not givin' up the hobby, and until I can get a big compressor and convert to an air sander, I'm proud to be using my overpriced Ceros. And the price ain't so bad; you do get a free baseball hat and tape measure in the kit too.

I've regretted some tool purchases expensive and cheap; never have regretted the Ceros.

-Harry

[Andrew Pitonyak]

You've got to be kidding. But I don't think you are.

My local woodcraft dealer does such things for me when I ask.

[Leo Graywacz]

I bet you are right. I'm one of them. I'm sure there's a lot of scorn for the hobbyists by some professionals. Too bad. I'm not givin' up the hobby, and until I can get a big compressor and convert to an air sander, I'm proud to be using my overpriced Ceros. And the price ain't so bad; you do get a free baseball hat and tape measure in the kit too.

I've regretted some tool purchases expensive and cheap; never have regretted the Ceros.

-Harry

My buddy has the big compressor and several dynabrades. He likes the Ceros better. In the long run it will be cheaper to operate the 400 watt sander over the 7 HP compressor, which turns on quite a bit when you are sanding.

[Steven Hsieh]

Has anyone here compared the dynabrade vs the ceros?

I never touched the Ceros, so I cant comment how it sands.

[Leo Graywacz]

Pretty close. The dynabrade is noisier and a bit bigger, but still comfy. The Ceros is smaller and lighter and a bit more quiet. I have the 5mm swirl and it is as aggressive as the 5mm dynabrade if not more. I don't have any swirl problems on the wood with stain even with the large RO pattern.

I would say they are pretty equal in performance and comfort. The smaller height has it's advantages on occasion.

[Peter Elliott]

I'll add in another positive review for the Ceros. I've had it for about a yr now.. Absolute best ROS I've had in the shop. The price was tough to swallow at first. I sand a lot of hard maple and it's been a dream to use. I am sanding on average, 3-4 days a week. Mirka screen disks are also fairly good stuff to sand with, makes for almost dustless operation. My only gripe is it will tear pretty easy if you are sanding an inside corner or joint. Vibrations are much lower than my festools which reduced that "after-effect" you get when sanding for a few hours. Oh, I sold my festool stuff. Ceros has really been the best tool purchase in my entire shop. I use a Home Depot shop vac, the one that is pretty quiet, forget the model... but's one of the $99 pro models. You can talk to someone without screaming when using the ceros/hd vac... You won't regret spending the $$ on this tool.

[Leo Graywacz]

I spent my money on the Fein vac. It has the auto start feature and is really quiet. The sander is louder than the vacuum. I use it exclusively for the sander. I have a couple of the 4 gallon rigid vacs for my chop saws and some iSockets to make them auto on also.