ROS to buy?

[Oskar Scylla]

I have an old DeWalt ROS that is wearing out and thinking to buy a new one. Do you all think that variable speed is a good thing? Any favorite one? Thanks!
Oskar

[Tim Morton]

I have the PC133 and I think its pretty nice to use variable speed. Another one I have my eye on is the ridgid 6 1/2" big boy...looks to have nice dust collection capabilities.Lots of folks love the festool sanders, you might wait for them to check in. And if you haven't been properly greeted....

Welcome to the creek!!!!!

[Greg Mann]

I have an old DeWalt ROS that is wearing out and thinking to buy a new one. Do you all think that variable speed is a good thing? Any favorite one? Thanks!
Oskar

This is one area where nothing compares to the Festool sanders. I think the absolute best place to start is with a Rotex. They make a 125 (5") and a 150 (6"). They are random orbit sanders that also have a direct drive, also with orbit, so they can be as aggressive as belt sanders or as gentle as fine random orbit sanders, and can also buff and polish. The size choice, 125 or 150, would best be based on what size other ROSs you might want in the future, such as a 150/3 (6"), to complement the Rotex. There are folks out there, mind you, that think any other orbit based sander is unnecessary. Hooked to a vacuum, you can use these machines in the living room they are so clean.

Caveats? DC works best with their own sandpaper but it is high quality and reasonably price. They are not cheap. I cannot recall anyone who wishes they had not bought a Festool sander.

Greg

[Frank Pellow]

I'm with Greg. I am very happy that I purchased a Festool 6 inch Rotex sander, and it is more than worth the price. :)

[Oskar Scylla]

Thanks for the welcome Tim, and the suggestions from all. The Festool is $420? Is that correct? Wowie...

[Tim Morton]

Thanks for the welcome Tim, and the suggestions from all. The Festool is $420? Is that correct? Wowie...

The PC is around $70 and the ridgid is around $140. The festool must be nice, and i don't knock anyone for buying them, but for this frugal vermonter I say Wowie too:cool:

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Oscar, I used to have an ROS with variable speed, it was a very nice feature to have. 95% of the time I ran it at full blast. However there are times where you prefer a delicate touch.

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for the welcome Tim, and the suggestions from all. The Festool is $420? Is that correct? Wowie...
YES. But, sanding with it is like no sanding you have ever done before. Some folks have said that they now look forward to sanding. I would still not make that claim, but I will tell you that I will NEVER go back to one of the archaic sanders that supposedly compete with Festool.

[Christian Aufreiter]

Another vote for Festool sanders. I have the ES 150/3 and like it a lot. Festool offers such a great variety of sanders that you're very likely to find the type that serves your needs best.

Regards,

Christian

[Per Swenson]

Festool, when it comes to sanders, accept no substitute.
Please understand I am also not made of money.
Do not let my latest gloats fool you.
My truck is 16 years old, there are holes in my socks
and duct tape on my boots. Understand this though,
I think so highly of these tools, that if say, someone stole mine,
I would have my youngest selling lemonade to buy another.
Not really, I just wanted to try and convey my message
with the same passion I hold for these tools.
Per

[Frank Martin]

I too have one Festool sander, the smaller 5" one. Then after trying a Festool 6" sander and the Metabo 6" dual orbit sander, I decided to go with the Metabo sander. I liked the Metabo so much, never thought Festool was an improvement over it. Then I started thinking about the Festool Rotex. At the time, I was not even aware that Bosch had an equivalent sander, Bosch 1250 DVES. I found it out as a result of my internet search. Couple magazie reviews gave it top honors, better than the Festool. Then, I tried both of them for about 5 minutes each. To my surprize, Festool had about the same or slightly more vibration. I did not see any difference in material removal. And, Bosch has a bigger motor. As a result, I purchased the Bosch for $240 delivered. Somebody on eBay is actually selling it even cheaper at $209 plus shipping. I am extremely pleased with Bosch. I do have couple other Festool tools, but other than the circular saw, honestly, I personally do not think any other Festool offers good price/performance especially for someone using these tools as a hobbiest.

Therefore, my suggestion for you is to check out the Metabo (or Ridgid) 6" sanders. If you want something similar to Festool Rotex, definetely consider Bosch 1250DEVS for less than half the delivered cost of Festool Rotex. Another thing to consider, both Ridgid and Bosch use the same 6-hole pattern disks. Festool on the other hand uses a 9-hole pattern disks.

Hope this helps.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Festool - me too. Having used Porter Cable and Dewalt ROS for many years, I moved up to a Festool ETS 150/3 ROS. There is no comparison - the Festool is WAY better than either of the others I used to own. It sands with less effort and less vibration, and trhe dust collection is so good it is amazing. The ROS is not as expensive as the Rotex at $250. Do yourself a favor and get the two tool package with the dust extractor. See it here:

http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=11&prodid=P2571540

[JayStPeter]

The PC is around $70 and the ridgid is around $140. The festool must be nice, and i don't knock anyone for buying them, but for this frugal vermonter I say Wowie too:cool:

The PC compares more to the ES125, and the Ridgid to the ETS150 ($165 and $250). Not the $400+ Rotex.

I upgraded from a PC 333VS to an ETS150. With DC hooked up, the PC did a pretty good job. The Festool does a better job, but honestly not enough to justify the expense.
The Festool is smooth and low vibration. No more tingly hands. That alone is worth the extra for me.
Finally, the Festool is bigger and pretty aggressive. I spend about half the time I used to. That alone is also worth it to me.
The only downside to having the ETS is that I now want the more spendy Rotex. I want the more aggressive belt sander like performance plus the polishing capabilities.

Jay

[Corey Hallagan]

Hello and welcome to the site. I have an old PC 332 (not dustless - stick on paper) that is about 10 years old, still works great and also have a Dewalt 421 that I like alot and now use most of the time due to the dust collection. I really don't think you can beat either the PC's or the Dewalts myself. There are other good ones out there as well, many like the Festool set up, the Bosch, Ridgid etc.

Corey

[Jim Becker]

I used to use the PC333 series sanders and they did a great job with sanding. No question, good tools. But my hands were always numb from the vibration and the dust collection (with a vac) was hit and miss. I couldn't use them for more than a few minutes at a time although gel-filled gloves helped a lot. Then I discovered Festool. Great sanding. Stupendous dust extraction. Un-noticable vibration...I can sand for hours without numbness. And I discovered that before I bought, not afterward...which is the only reason I invested the money.

[Ian Barley]

I have a Festool 150/5. It is a great piece of kit that fits the job that I use it for perfectly. Vibration is virtually undetectable, collection is excellent. I can pick it up and use it all day without fatigue because it has such low weight.

I also own a Metabo. Before the end of the month I will probably own two. It is a great machine with good collection and almost undetectable vibration. If I had to pick it up and put it down all day it would get a bit wearing because of its extra weight but in the bench job that I ask it to do that weight is an advantage.

I have owned Dewalts in the past and frankly you could not give me a dozen of them for free.

[Pete Harbin]

I've got the 5" and 6" Ridgids. A world of difference from other sanders I'd used. Especially for vibration and dust collection. I've not used a Festool, so I can't make a comparison there, but compared to a PC, DeWalt and a Craftsman Pro that I've used, the Ridgid is a considerable improvement.

Pete

[Oskar Scylla]

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I'll report what I buy and how well I like it!

[jack duren]

pc,festool,etc. comes down to money. ive used everything pc has ever made and never had alot of numbness and ive used them fer hours at a time. but to each his own.

now i look at sanders like other tools. $70 vs $2-3-400 bucks. i get by just fine with a $70 pc sander. sanders are like biscuit jointers, youll pay $200 for a pc 557 but not $500+ for a lamello.

if it were me id buy the pc and get me a lamello or some other well priced tool :D .......jack

[Jim W. White]

I'll throw another endorsement in for the $140 Ridgid 6" which I've had for about a year now and am VERY happy with!! The dual orbit selections are real nice and the dust collection is excellent. :)

[Oskar Scylla]

Thanks to all who gave me advice! I bought the Rigid and seems very nice. I think also it has a lifetime guarantee!

[John Keane]

That's a stiff price for a shade tree woodworker

[Bill Neely]

Tightwad here.:) I've got a Makita BO5021K which is great and doesn't seem to bother my 62 yr old hands. You can get them reconned on ebay for ~55.00.