Recommend me a plug in 5" ROS

[Tom Hoppe]

I currently have 2 ROS's, the 5" 18V cordless Rigid along with the 6" big heavy Rigid. The 18V was my first sander and I bought it as I had the rest of the Rigid cordless tools. It's great for rando jobs or quick sands, but sucks for middle length sands as it's heavy (with the battery) and pretty awkward to hold. The 6" is great for big sanding jobs (like a cabinet) but it's not great for that middle length sanding job.


So, any recommendations for something for that middle length sanding job, where I'll be holding the sander for a while, but don't want to break out the giant 6" sander? Needs to be easy to hold and use, light, be able to hook up to dust collection and can't be $500 like the Mirka that all the YouTubers use.

Perhaps the Festool ETS 125? It says it requires 9 hole sanding pads, but I have a WHOLE BUNCH of 5" 8 hole pads already. Will it totally not work with those?

Or am I overthinking this, and I should just buy the $30 Skil sander off Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/SKIL-Random-Orbital-Sander-SR211601/dp/B07FKBDNNQ)?

[Bill White]

If my trusty American made PC 333 ever dies I'll buy a Bosch.

[Tom Hoppe]

Hmm, that one happens to be on special for $50 on Amazon with great reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BD5G9VA

[Jon Nuckles]

Tom, I have the Bosch that you linked to, and it is good for $49. I think there is a better Bosch that is more expensive, and maybe that is what Bill has in mind. You might be happy with the $49 Bosch, but don't expect to love it the way people love their Festool sanders. (Which is what is on my list when my Bosch dies.)

[Randy Heinemann]

I have the ETS125 and love it. I believe the only sandpaper that will work with Festool sanders is Festool sandpaper. Granat is the best (I think) for prepping wood.

There is a little bit of a learning curve with the ETS 125 in that you must make sure it is "balanced" when in use. The dust collection hose tends to drag it down in back a little. Also, while you certainly can use any vac with Festool sanders, this one seems to be particularly sensitive to too much suction. Since Festool vac suction can be turned down, they are particularly suited to their sanders (and, I believe, this one in particular). The connections to vacs might need adapters if you don't have a Festool vac. Festool vacs are HEPA and quiet, which are also plusses. I used mine with my Fein and a HEPA filter when I first got it. It worked OK.

Also, the ETS150 is a great sander; either the /3 or /5. It's like a 6" but is more stable and does a terrific job (for me anyway). The same things do apply to that sander - Festool paper, vac settings, etc.

[Jim Becker]

I believe the only sandpaper that will work with Festool sanders is Festool sandpaper. .

That's not true. There are multiple non-Festool sources for abrasives for the Festool sanders with the appropriate hole patterns.

-----
OP, you can use your existing 8-hole abrasives to "use them up" with reduced dust collection performance if you carefully try to get as many of the holes to have some level of exposure. Ideally, you'll punch that "hole in the middle" because that's actually one of the reasons for the elevated level of collection in the Festool system. But you will absolutely get better results with 9 hole abrasives long term. Festool abrasives are pretty good quality wise and most of the time I've been able to take advantages of sales or "closeouts" (when they make a minor change to the formula, etc) to keep my cost down. I also buy the boxes of 50...bigger nut up front, but less cost over time. Abrasives are disposables and are part of the cost of using the tool. I have not tried other brands personally, but as I responded to Randy's comment, there are multiple sources of alternatives.

One of the things I really appreciate about the Festool sanders is the huge reduction in vibration they have given me over the PC333s I used previous to buying my 150/3 and Rotex over ten years ago. The "better" Bosch tools get good ratings on this. I cannot emphasize how important this can be when you are sanding for a long time. My hands used to go numb. That's not been an issue since I made the change.

[Bill Lyman]

I purchased a Surfprep 5" random orbital palm sander SPES5 3/16 orbit. It is easy to hold and use, light, can be hooked up to dust collection; but, it is close to the $500 like the Mirka.

[Ole Anderson]

I really like my Dewalt 5" ROS, does a pretty good job of dust collection with just the supplied filter.

[Dylan Wyatt]

I have the Bosch that the OP linked to, definitely wouldn't recommend. It is sorely under powered unless sanding little tiny pieces with fine sandpaper. Dad has this one
https://www.boschtools.com/us/en/boschtools-ocs/random-orbit-sanders-ros65vc-5-29852-p/
and it is fantastic for the price, lots of power but still nimble enough to use one hand to soften edges. The problem with the smaller one is that it has problems "pulling" 80-100 grit paper. I will be upgrading to either the Bosch ROS65VC-5 that I linked to or the ETS125 preferably sooner than later. The time wasted using an under powered sander makes the upgrade very justifiable.

[Robert Engel]

If you do a lot of sanding, the ETS125 is an excellent choice IMO. When coupled to the dust extractor the collection is nothing short of amazing.

Standard pads will not work but you can always use them for hand sanding. I get Festool compatible discs from Industrial Abrasives.

[Tom Hoppe]

Ok sweet, so lots of positives for the ETS125.

I did realize that I can use my 8 hole 5" sanding pads for when I use the 18V Rigid.

So in the end, this is like a $300 buy, $200 for the ETS125 (ha! found it on Amazon Warehouse open box for $175), then $35 each for 50 80, 150, and 220 grits and an adapter for my 2" Rigid vacuum hose. That's not bad.

I went ahead and bought that $50 Bosch and the ETS125 on Amazon. I'll compare the two, and if the ETS125 really is better, I'll keep that one :)

Thanks for all the help/opinions

[jack duren]

If I was a young man I would get a good compressor and start using air sanders. Lot better than electric...

[David Utterback]

Do the mesh abrasives work with ETS125?

[Stan Calow]

I have two of the aforementioned Bosch for a few years now. No complaints. I like that the replacement pads are readily available.

[Jim Morgan]

Do the mesh abrasives work with ETS125?

Yes! Have used both Mirka Abranet disks and the new DeWalt mesh disks. Predictably, the Abranet performance is superior. Be sure to use an interface pad between the sander and the disk.

[Tom Hoppe]

So I ended up choosing the Festool.

Got the Bosch and the Festool in hand, and the Festool felt better. I liked the way it was stable while hooked up to the vacuum. Also, the Festool is lighter, has less vibration, and stops the pad really quickly. Was $125 more, so not insignificant money, but not that much. So might as well get the better one to make sanding suck less.

Should be the perfect sander in my collection. I'll probably use this one the most, the 18V when portability is needed, and the 6" one when I need to remove a lot of material or have something giant to deal with.

Thanks for all the help!