ROS is about at the end of its life

[Larry Browning]

The ole Makita ROS is on its last legs. So I am looking for a replacement. Now, I know that many of you will recommend a Festool, and I am totally convinced that it is the best one out there. But I am really struggling with the cost. Plus, I have a whole boat load of 5" 8 hole H&L disks that I think would not work on the Festool. In another post someone recommended getting a pneumatic ROS. I hadn't been thinking about this option, but I do have a nice IR compressor and I found this (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=200305265&R=200305265) over at Northern Tools. This seems like a pretty good deal to me. Does anyone have this? or one like it. Does the DC work well? How is the noise level compared to an electric?

[Dennis Peacock]

Feeesssstttttoooooolllllllllllll...!!!!!!!!! You'll never regret it!!! :D :p

[Andy London]

Larry, Back in October my PC POS gave up the earth so I called Dave Campbell over at WOOD Magazine and asked what he used in his home shop. He suggested the Rigid which I bought. I am here to tell ya this is one sweet little unit and what amazes me is it's dust collection abilities, I give it an A+++, it is my first Rigid toool but I will be considering others when my finish sanders wear out.

[Jim DeLaney]

...I have a whole boat load of 5" 8 hole H&L disks that I think would not work on the Festool....

Well... The 8 hole discs will work on the 5" Festool. For optimum operation, you need to punch a ninth hole, in the center, though.

I have the 5" Festool (ES-125?) an I really like it a lot. Since I got mine, they've come out with another 5" model that is dual mode. I tried one out at WoodWerks in Columbus a couple weeks ago, and was really impressed with it. The $345 price tag is hard to swallow, though. Maybe someday...

[Rick Shelton]

Larry, Back in October my PC POS gave up the earth so I called Dave Campbell over at WOOD Magazine and asked what he used in his home shop. He suggested the Rigid which I bought. I am here to tell ya this is one sweet little unit and what amazes me is it's dust collection abilities, I give it an A+++, it is my first Rigid toool but I will be considering others when my finish sanders wear out.

Hey, Andy. Is this the dual mode sander that Metabo makes for Ridgid that you are talking about?

[Pete Harbin]

I've got the 5" and 6" Ridgids and they both run like a dream. Very little vibration, both are variable speed (6" is also dual orbit, made by Metabo.) Both have been running strong for several years now.

I can't compare to Festool's dust collection because I've never used one. I use a little vac and Craftsman tool switch on the 5" all the time and it is virtually dust free. Just the very very fine stuff left behind that has to be wiped off with tack cloth.

Pete

[Doug Jones]

When my PC finally gives up, I'm going to go with Bosch. Heard nothing but good about their ROS.

[Andy London]

Hey, Andy. Is this the dual mode sander that Metabo makes for Ridgid that you are talking about?

Yes it is Rick, awsome unit and I think I'll pick up a new finish sander next week to try as one of my PC is on it's last leg.

[Mike Henderson]

Andy, Pete - What's the model number of that 5 inch Ridgid sander you like? Is it the R2600?

Is it a 5 hole or an 8 hole?

Mike

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I'd like a Festool, but I have to start drawing the line somewhere, I simply won't spend that kind of money on a sander. I have a rigid and it works well. Its smooth and effective.

[Kirk (KC) Constable]

I have a PC and two DeWalts. I much prefer the DeWalts...

KC

[Andy London]

Andy, Pete - What's the model number of that 5 inch Ridgid sander you like? Is it the R2600?

Is it a 5 hole or an 8 hole?

Mike

http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/R2600/

The one thing Dave liked about this unit and I have come to appreciate is you can't stall it something about the Permanent Magnet motor, he explained why and i forget the tech stuff....The dust collection is what really impress me along with no vibration, Without a vac attached it will actually pack dust into the bag so hard you need to pick it out. It's an 8 hole and I have been using the new Norton 3X paper in it.

[Larry Browning]

Ok, guys. All of this is great information, and I will be checking out the Ridgid ROS on my next trip to HD. But, the original question was about pneumatic sanders. I am interested in learning about the pros and cons of these, because I have never used one. It seems to me that they would give the ole compressor a pretty good workout. I know that when I am using my current sander, I turn it on and it stays on for 5 to 10 minutes or longer. All of my other air tools are using air in short spurts. Even the HVLP spray gun is not using air constantly like a sander would. The one I am looking at uses 9cfm, which my compressor should handle fine, but it seems that it would make the compressor really work hard.
I am also interested in how well the dust collection works on these type of units.

Thanks

[Jerry Todd]

I love my ROS DeWALT "DW423" but I always use my Porter Cable Speed Bloc Finishing Sander "330" on the last sanding.
Just my two cents.

[Jim Becker]

Ok, guys. All of this is great information, and I will be checking out the Ridgid ROS on my next trip to HD. But, the original question was about pneumatic sanders. I am interested in learning about the pros and cons of these, because I have never used one.

Pros...they run for a very long time. Cons, most don't have dust collection and most require huge amounts of air to run. There are some available with DC (Festool again is an example), however. Check the required SCFM before you buy anything...

[Howard Rosenberg]

why not stick with a new Makita?

If you've had yours long enough to do it in, there might have been lots of significant improvements since you bought your current unit.

I should add that I'm a big fan of Makita stuff.
When it comes to judging vibration, noise and longevity I find they consistently win out for my usage (check out what contractors and pro WW-ers typically use).
Not wishing to upset loyalists of the other brands mentioned above, I've been consistently let down by them.
And no, I've never owned Festool products - they're a real bite for me when it comes to the USD/$C conversion.

BUT .....
as the others have pointed out, pneumatic sanders need a honkin' big compressor ... and ... you'll end up using alot more electricity to run the big compressor than you'd use with just an electric sander.

HTH
Howard

[Pete Harbin]

Michael,

Andy beat me to the punch on the model and info. What's he doing up at that hour? :D


Pete

[Charlie Plesums]

RE: Air driven sanders. I talked to PC about their air driven sanders - bottom line: the cost of compressing the air is close to 10 times the cost of using electricity at the sander. So why do it? The answers I got were "quieter" (they didn't hear my compressor), lighter (didn't seem so to me), and usable in an explosive environment (maybe some spray booths, but not my shop). No sale to me.

[Curt Harms]

RE: Air driven sanders. I talked to PC about their air driven sanders - bottom line: the cost of compressing the air is close to 10 times the cost of using electricity at the sander. So why do it? The answers I got were "quieter" (they didn't hear my compressor), lighter (didn't seem so to me), and usable in an explosive environment (maybe some spray booths, but not my shop). No sale to me.

Hey Charlie-

One reason for pneumatic is for wet sanding the the automotive biz. Liquids and electricity in the same place at the same time can be problematic:eek: . I've never used one, but I think the pneumatic sanders are also faster than most electrics. If so, the increased productivity may offset the added electric costs in certain non-hobby environments.

Curt

[Lawrence See]

Jim D. and all,

The 8-hole pattern on the Festool disks is different (further toward the edge) than the Makita/Bosch disks. They're not compatible.

Regards, Larry

[Norman Hitt]

Yes it is Rick, awsome unit and I think I'll pick up a new finish sander next week to try as one of my PC is on it's last leg.

Is the model made by Metabo, the 2600/5", or is it the 2610/6", or are they both made by Metabo. The reason I ask, is that I remember reading an article a year or more back in one of the Mags, and I may have gotten the models mixed up, as I thought I remembered it being the 2610/6" that was made by Metabo.:confused:

Please clarify this for me, and help me get my "Memoryless" mind straightened out.:o :D

[Allen Bookout]

Larry, I have pneumatic ROS units. They do last a long time and do a good job. One thing is that the hose gets in the way a little more than a electrical cord. The other thing is that you are right, it takes a lot of air. You mentioned that you already had a good air compressor so if it is large enough and heavy duty enough to work its tail off go ahead and give it a try. I think that might be the way to go if you are using it five or six hours a day for four, five or six days a week.

As for me, I do not do much automotive stuff any more, so I rarely hook them up. I just find it easier and probably much cheaper to run electric sanders for the limited woodworking stuff that I do.

I think that it boils down to what you are doing with it. A heavy use tool for lots of hours, give the pneumatic a go. If not I think that electric is the way to go.

These are just my thoughts but I am sticking to them.

Good luck in your quest!!! Allen

[Larry Browning]

Thanks for all this great input! After reading all of this I think I need to stay with the electric sanders. I haven't made it by HD yet to look at those Ridgid sanders, but I was at Sears yesterday and saw this (http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_UseBVCookie=Yes&vertical=TOOL&pid=00927962000&subcat=Sanders) , it looks suspiciously like the Ridgid. They have a variable speed version for $69 as well that is 3 amp that I couldn't find a link to. Could this be the same sander with a different nameplate?

[Rick Shelton]

Is the model made by Metabo, the 2600/5", or is it the 2610/6", or are they both made by Metabo. The reason I ask, is that I remember reading an article a year or more back in one of the Mags, and I may have gotten the models mixed up, as I thought I remembered it being the 2610/6" that was made by Metabo.:confused:

Please clarify this for me, and help me get my "Memoryless" mind straightened out.:o :D

The 2610/6" is made in Germany (i.e. Metabo), the 2600/5" is made in China (i.e. like everything else :) ). I'm going to try out the 2610 next time Rigid goes on sale.

[tod evans]

Ok, guys. All of this is great information, and I will be checking out the Ridgid ROS on my next trip to HD. But, the original question was about pneumatic sanders. I am interested in learning about the pros and cons of these, because I have never used one. It seems to me that they would give the ole compressor a pretty good workout. I know that when I am using my current sander, I turn it on and it stays on for 5 to 10 minutes or longer. All of my other air tools are using air in short spurts. Even the HVLP spray gun is not using air constantly like a sander would. The one I am looking at uses 9cfm, which my compressor should handle fine, but it seems that it would make the compressor really work hard.
I am also interested in how well the dust collection works on these type of units.

Thanks


larry, sorry for the untimely reply. i chose to equip my shop with air for several reasons, the primary being tool quality and life. as far as r/o sanders go i recomend the cooper tools brands dotco and master power or those made by dynabrade. these sanders are far more ergonomic than an electric even with the airline attached. i`ve only used dynabrades sanders with dust collection and didn`t like the extra hose so i opted for the non-dust variety. if you are not toasting an electric every few months as i was they may be cheaper to operate in the short term. but please don`t discount air, thousands of industrial users in numerous different fields can`t all be wrong......02 tod

[Mike Henderson]

Based on the recommendations in this thread, I went out and purchased the Ridgid R2600 ROS. While it's not a bad sander, there are a couple of things that I do not like about it.

One thing is the air exhaust (I guess for motor cooling). For a right handed person, the air exhaust often blows directly into my face, along with some dust that gets into my eyes. I wish they would have put the exhaust on the other side of the sander.

Second, I really dislike the on-off switch. The way it is mounted, I continually hit it during use and turn the sander off. The first time it happened, I though I had lost power. I finally figured it out but I keep hitting the switch, and it only takes a small tap to turn the sander off. Quite irritating.

Vibration is okay and dust collection is fine. Power is fine and the price is good. But if I needed another ROS I would not purchase another Ridgid R2600 - I'd look at other brands.

Mike

[Matt Meiser]

You asked about pneumatic sanders. I tried out Mirka's pneumatic sander at Woodwerks in Columbus back in January. It has very good dust collection when used with their Abranet paper. It is pretty pricey, but might be worth a look. I ended up with Festool and couldn't be happier. I was able to sell my old sandpaper stock here for a decent price.

[Allen Bookout]

Based on the recommendations in this thread, I went out and purchased the Ridgid R2600 ROS. While it's not a bad sander, there are a couple of things that I do not like about it.

One thing is the air exhaust (I guess for motor cooling). For a right handed person, the air exhaust often blows directly into my face, along with some dust that gets into my eyes. I wish they would have put the exhaust on the other side of the sander.

Second, I really dislike the on-off switch. The way it is mounted, I continually hit it during use and turn the sander off. The first time it happened, I though I had lost power. I finally figured it out but I keep hitting the switch, and it only takes a small tap to turn the sander off. Quite irritating.

Vibration is okay and dust collection is fine. Power is fine and the price is good. But if I needed another ROS I would not purchase another Ridgid R2600 - I'd look at other brands.

Mike
It looks like that the Ridgid R2610 would be a much better choice but more money of course (funny how that works). A completely different switch location but I am not sure about the exhaust. Made by Metabo and looks like a carbon copy of the SXE 00458

[M. A. Espinoza]

Based on the recommendations in this thread, I went out and purchased the Ridgid R2600 ROS. While it's not a bad sander, there are a couple of things that I do not like about it.

One thing is the air exhaust (I guess for motor cooling). For a right handed person, the air exhaust often blows directly into my face, along with some dust that gets into my eyes. I wish they would have put the exhaust on the other side of the sander.

Second, I really dislike the on-off switch. The way it is mounted, I continually hit it during use and turn the sander off. The first time it happened, I though I had lost power. I finally figured it out but I keep hitting the switch, and it only takes a small tap to turn the sander off. Quite irritating.

Vibration is okay and dust collection is fine. Power is fine and the price is good. But if I needed another ROS I would not purchase another Ridgid R2600 - I'd look at other brands.

Mike

Why not just take it back if you aren't happy with it? Sanding is bad enough without having dust blown in your eyes and constantly hitting the power switch. If you can live with it, great; but you don't have to.

There is enough work involved with woodworking; no need to fight your tools.

I've heard good things about the Bosch 5" RO, its about $55 I think from CPO. This is the direction I'm planning when the PC craps out. The PC almost bought the farm recently so I was shopping but was able to revive the PC; don't know for how long.

Good luck.