Looking to Upgrade my ROS...

[ryan feasel]

Good morning,

I currently have an older Bosch 1295 DVS. I am looking at the Festool ETS 125 Req Plus. This would definitely be a finishing sander for me. Any thoughts on this tool? Thank you.

[glenn bradley]

. . . and so it begins . . .

I have a couple of 1295's that I have used for many years. I have yet to find anything that beats their scratch pattern. If you are looking for other features like dust collection, the Festool will win hands down. I have managed to get by with this.

369091

I run one with a hard pad and one with the standard pad. I grab one or the other depending on use.

[Prashun Patel]

I hate it when I ask for advice about product A and I get back, "I don't have A, but have you looked at B?"

...I don't have that sander, but I have a Mirka Ceros, which I highly recommend: low vibration, long cord, excellent dust collection, light. The dust collection is the big sell for me. I can sand inside now.

[John Sincerbeaux]

The only Festool tool I didn't like was the ETS 125....very weak!
Purhased A Mirka Ceros and like Prashun, I would highly recommend it.

[Greg R Bradley]

The 1295 was an outstanding sander. Sadly, its been replaced by Bosch with a much poorer tool. If I saw a Bosch 1295 that was tucked away on some shelf and still new after all these years, I would consider it worth buying for $100.

The ETS 125 is only superior to the 1295 in dust collection since it has the improved hole pattern & air flow that Festool uses. It really isn't worth $195. If you are going to buy one Festool sander, make it a ETS150/5. Possibly a ETS150/3 if you are only interested in very fine finishing.

If you are really stuck on a 5" RO, then check out the ETSC125, which I haven't tried. Or look at the Mirka that allows you to choose 5" or 6" pads. Or consider the Bosch ROS65VC-5, which is probably the best choice if you need to work with the attached dust cannister instead of a vacuum.

[ryan feasel]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

[Victor Robinson]

The ETS125 has been recently upgraded with a more powerful motor, which addresses some of the complaints people had about it being underpowered. It was a promo item for a little while, dubbed the Pro5, and is now the ETS125 REQ.

If budget allows and you must stick with a 5" finish sander, the ETS125 EC is a much better option. The downside to this sander is that it MUST be used with dust extraction (can't use a bag). The reason is that the motor doesn't have any other way to cool itself. Aside from being compact and light, the other little plus to the 125EC is that it can accept the 6" (150mm) pads. Festool of course discourages this but many do it with no problems. I won't admit to doing it but if I did I'm pretty sure it'd be just fine. ;)

Finally, if you're ok going with a 6", then the ETS150/3 would be an excellent choice for a finish sander. It does not NEED to be hooked up to dust extraction (can use a bag). The 150/5 is a little better all-rounder with a slightly more aggressive stroke, but still ok as a finish sander. And there are the EC versions if you like their smaller lighter form factor and are ok with always hooking up to dust extraction. Note that the 6" EC sanders do not accept the 5" pads.

[John TenEyck]

I don't think there's a better all around sander for the money than the Bosch ROS65VC. Invisible (to me) scratch pattern, very low vibration, the best on-board dust collector but can easily be connected to a vacuum, available with 5" or 6" pad (I have both), and costs a lot less than anything that comes close. Of course it's not green so I must be mistaken.

John

[Martin Wasner]

The Ceros is the only orbital worth owning in my opinion, but is no longer available here. The Deros isn't terrible, I was sure I was going to hate it, it sands well and it's more maneuverable than it looks. We've got one on the down draft table to replace a Ceros that was nuking the inverters. I need to order another one for that station since people think it's fun to throw away a 20% used disk when changing grits.

[Wade Lippman]

I had two Bosch ROS65VC and got rid of them. Yes, they are nearly vibration free and work well, but they are so freaking big! I suppose if I were doing something large for hours I would appreciate them, but since I don't...

I was thinking about trying the ETS125. Whats the difference between the EC and the REQ? I always use a vacuum.

[Victor Robinson]

I had two Bosch ROS65VC and got rid of them. Yes, they are nearly vibration free and work well, but they are so freaking big! I suppose if I were doing something large for hours I would appreciate them, but since I don't...

I was thinking about trying the ETS125. Whats the difference between the EC and the REQ? I always use a vacuum.

The main differences:
- EC uses a brushless motor at 400W, compared to the REQ's 250W brushed motor.
- EC has a 3mm stroke, compared to 2mm for the REQ. Both are technically fine finish sanders and you wouldn't be able to discern a difference between 3 and 2mm IMHO, but if you want the smallest stroke for the finest sanding, REQ wins. Head to head the EC does feel like it sands faster, which is a combined effect of the slightly larger stroke and the more powerful motor.
- EC can take 6" pads, so it's like getting a 125/3 and 150/3 in one. Of course, this voids the warranty from Festool's perspective.
- Ergonomically, the EC is shorter in height, longer in length, and lighter. It has a lower center of gravity. It feels more akin to a pneumatic sander or a Mirka Ceros. A matter of personal preference which form-factor you like to hold.
- It has a pad brake that stops the pad almost instantly after switching the sander off.
- It is a little quieter particularly at low speeds. At the highest speed the difference isn't as much as I thought it would be.
- The EC has a dust extraction hose sensor that can stop the sander if the hose falls off...this feature can be switched off.
- EC shouldn't be used without dust extraction. Could be relevant the day you have to sand some exposed beams on a 20ft ladder...but then again, a 2mm stroke sander is probably not going to be the best tool for that job either.

I have both so if there's something I missed feel free...

[Wade Lippman]

Thanks Victor. I was upset over missing the Pro5 promotion, but it probably isn't something I would have wanted anyhow. I may try a EC.

[Steve Jenkins]

Another "have you considered ". If you have a large compressor 12-15cfm you might consider a dynabrade brand air random orbital. They have models with dust collection.

[Martin Wasner]

A dynabrade will be very disappointing at 10cfm. They max out what a 1/4" connector will flow at almost 16cfm

[Bill Dufour]

look and see how much you have invested in disks. I stay with a 5 hole model because I have more invested in paper then a new sander would cost. I have bought paper over the years form the bay at good prices o nbrands I never heard of so competition was limited and the prices stayed down. Anything made in Finland, Sweden or Switzerland seems to be good quality but research before bidding.
Bill

[Brian W Harris]

I bought the ets 150/5 ec and love it. The vibration is minimal and makes a great finished product. Used it to make a black walnut door and made easy work of it. I would recommend it. Did lots of research about a year ago and decided on that or the mirka. Didn’t want the extra box the mirka plugged into.

[Julie Moriarty]

After my Bosch 5" deep sixed, I bought the Festool Rotex RO125 sander and CT26 dust collector. I loved the quiet of the CT26 but the Rotex was too aggressive to replace the Bosch. So I bought the ETS125, because I couldn't justify the cost of the 150. After a while, I found the 125 to be a bit anemic and finally bought the ETS 150-3 and later the ETS 150-5 because I loved the performance of the 150-3 so much.

I used to dread sanding but no longer. I actually enjoy it, as long as we're not talking all day... :rolleyes:

Were I to do it all over, I would buy the ETS 150-3, the 150-5 and the CT26 and never look back. Oh, and I'd add the Rotex RO90, too. That is one sweet little sander.

[Jim Becker]

Like Julie, I love my ETS 150-3...it's my go-to sander 95% of the time and I have a Rotex for "heavy" work if that's needed. I bought these sanders to cure the numb hands issue I had with previous sanders and also benefited from the outstanding dust extraction and good finish. I can use that 150-3 for hours without fatigue or numbness.

[Gary Muto]

I have a ETS 150-3 and totally agree with Jim. I got one of the Festool PRO 5 LTS sanders and it is a little jumpy by comparison. The 3 mm stroke is great for finishing and I can remove old finishes with it as well. I don't know how the other 5" (125mm) sanders work but I highly recommend the 6" (150mm), especially the ETS 3.