5" ros?

[Wade Lippman]

I have several PC333 that are getting old and I am thinking of replacing them.
Any that are better than others?
I expect the Festool are great, but I have trouble believing they are worth the price. (I have several Festool tools and love them, but have never paid full price!)

I have a couple Rigid 6" that I bought at half price when HD closed out the German ones for Chinese; they are pretty good, much better than the PC333 ever were. Are the 5" Rigid good also?

[Sam Murdoch]

If you have a good compressor I would encourage you to consider some Dynabrade sanders but for electric ROs I have found no better finishing sander than the Festool ETS 150/3. This is a 6" model though. I haven't heard good things about the ETS125. Reports are that it is pretty wimpy. Those in the know, and who have had a chance to compare to the Festool, will tell you that the Mirka Ceros 5" is the best of the best in that category. I have not had the pleasure of spinning the Mirka.

[Jim Mackell]

Since a 6 inch sander has 44% more surface area than a 5 inch sander, why would you choose to go with 5? Just curious.

[Jesse Busenitz]

I have a Bosch and it's worked great for me, and I use it almost everyday. I thought about getting a 6" but then you can't get into as tight of places.....

[Ellen Benkin]

I also thought the Festool could not possibly be worth the price until I got one for Christmas and now I will never go back. Not only is it the smoothest ROS I've ever used, but it almost vibration free.

[Kevin Groenke]

If you decide to spend less than $100 (ie not festool, mirka, 3m, etc) you cannot go wrong with the milwaukee 6021. We burned through one each of several brands (dewalt, bosch, rigid, ryobi, metabo) in a college shop before finding one that didn't have a fragile vacuum attachment, speed controls that fail, brake discs that require frequent replacement or other issues. We've now been running the first milwaukee we got nearly daily for 4 years without issue. It's a smooth machine, comfortable to use, the vac attachment is functional, secure and seems indestructible (a big thing for us). IMO it can't be beat for $59. If you use it connected to a vacuum (you really should) get an extra dust bag/vacuum adapter (a whopping $.83!) and trim off the excess plastic to make it more streamlined.

http://www.ereplacementparts.com/milwaukee-602121-ser-b19a-random-orbit-palm-sander-parts-c-131_5230_9905.html

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[Bob Potter]

Hello Wade
I have the Rigid 5" and it is a great sander for the money. I had two P.C before that did not hold up but this Rigid has been great. I think I have had it for at least six years and no problems.

Hope this helps, Bob

[Rick Potter]

+1 on the Milwaukee. I have used one for a couple years and love it. Sold my Bosch. Add Mirka Abradnet and you have a winner.

Rick Potter

[Wade Lippman]

Popular Mechanics says the Milwaukee and Rigid are identical, but found the Rigid works much better. Hmmm
OTOH HD reviews on the Milwaukee are better than those on the Rigid.

Will a festool hose fit on either/both? It fits inside my 6" Rigid and on my 5" PC333 perfectly.

How do you attach a hose to the sanders with oval holes?

[Brent Ring]

Love my DeWalt low Profile 5"

[Troy Turner]

Bought this one back in Oct. http://www.lowes.com/pd_294221-353-ROS20VSK_0__?productId=1269577

Replaced my worn out Craftsman. Guess it's been a while since I bought it, but the virbration was reduced and the operation was smooth. Dust collection isn't bad with the stock collector, but I hook up my back to it anyway most of the time.

[Wade Lippman]

I bought the Bosch because it fit my Festool hose and the Rigid and Milwaukee didn't.
Much better than the PC333 was new, and hugely better than they are now that they are old and worn.

Beats me what the variable speed is for though; it doesn't seem to do anything except vibrate on the lower settings.

[scott vroom]

I have several PC333 that are getting old and I am thinking of replacing them.
Any that are better than others?
I expect the Festool are great, but I have trouble believing they are worth the price. (I have several Festool tools and love them, but have never paid full price!)

I have a couple Rigid 6" that I bought at half price when HD closed out the German ones for Chinese; they are pretty good, much better than the PC333 ever were. Are the 5" Rigid good also?

Wade, to aid folks in responding to your question it would be helpful to know how much you plan to spend. Without knowing that, you're going to get the full gamut of responses from a $500 Mirka down to a $23 Harbor freight sander.

[Larry Frank]

I have the Festool sander and love it. It is low vibration and the dust pickup is extremely good. As I have gotten older and parts are wearing on me, the ergonomics, vibration and dust collection have become very important to me. If I needed another sander, it would be the Festool.

Is it worth the extra money...that is up to you.

[Jim Becker]

I went from a series of PC333 sanders to the Festool 150/3. And yes, it was worth the cost to me. My hands no longer tingle, there's no dust lying about and the quality of the work is very, very good.

[Scott T Smith]

I went from a series of PC333 sanders to the Festool 150/3. And yes, it was worth the cost to me. My hands no longer tingle, there's no dust lying about and the quality of the work is very, very good.

Me too. If I had to start selling my woodworking tools, my Festool 150/3 would be one of the last items to go. It is a fantastic finishing sander.