Looking for a new sander what do you suggest

[Bill Stoffels]

Just smoked my 8 year old Porter Cable orbital sander, looking for a new one that is excellent quality and will last .
What do you suggest?

[Ian Barley]

Personally - Festool. not a cheap option but good value. Mine takes all the abuse I throw at it and just keeps doing the job. Seems to meet your criteria if you are ready for the cost.

[Chris Dodge]

I must say that I am more and more convinced on the Festool. I don't personally own one but have seen the work they do and have read many testimonials on them and am convinced that they are the way to go. I will not purchase one until my PC sander dies (it has lasted five years of abuse so far and shows no signs of wear except for a replacement pad) but I do look forward to that day.

[Matt Tawes]

There are alot of good sanders out there that will no doubt last for a pretty long while. I've got a Makita BO5021K that I've used hard for about 8yrs. and it still performs well with very little vibration, however when it's time to move on I'm looking at the Festool sanders. I already have a Festool saw and dust extractor vac. (I actually use the vac. with Makita as well). Though pricey they do make quality, long lasting tools (they have a 3yr. warranty too) so you may want to take a good look at them.

[Russ Massery]

Bill, I suggest festool. Maybe I could bring mine by when I come to see your MM16:rolleyes:

[Michael Pfau]

Bill, if you used that Porter Cable for 8 years, and used it hard, thats pretty good! I would stick to Porter Cable. I love mine.

[Bill Esposito]

Bill,
Here's a look at three of the Festool sanders; the 6" ETS150/5 and the 5" Rotex 125 and ES125
http://nhwoodworker.com/sanders/sanders.html

[Brad Schmid]

I smoked a Crafstman, then a PC, then a Makita... replaced with a Festool 150/3 over 2 yrs ago. Excellent qualit tool, superior dust collection and lower vibration. 'nuf said;)

[Jeff Singleton]

I have PC, Bosch and Dynabrade. The Bosch is a great sander for finer grit paper. The PC is a right angle DA and it is very agressive and great with coarser paper. The Dynabrade Supreme is a great all around DA and I use it the most along with it's vibrating brother the Dyna Bug and it's a little beast, can be a workout to hang on to. Just buy them all, like the Boy Scouts motto says " Be Prepared".

Jeff Singleton:)

[Per Swenson]

Bill,

Quentin Tarantino made another movie besides Pulp fiction,
called Jackie Brown. In it, Samuel L. Jackson plays a pscyho arms dealer
who made this famous quote which I have changed to fit the topic.

"When you absolutely, positively have to sand every #%&*%&&^%$ in the room, Festool RO150. Accept no substitute.

Per

[Paul Atwood]

As a relative newcomer to Festool, I have to say the decision is Festool or something less. The effectiveness of the dust collection, system approach and overall attention to detail put Festool (at least in my limited experience with the RO150 and CT22) in a class by themselves. It was not an easy decision to invest that much money in a sander and vac (myDW and ShopVac together totalled about $150) but I have yet to regret it.

If you are at all like me then sanding is not an aspect of ww that you actually enjoy, I'd much rather be planing, carving, cutting - anything but sanding.
The Festool combo is so good that I almost enjoy sanding and I definitely appreciate the results.

Per: great quote, nice to know there is another QT fan on this board.

HTH

Paul

[Al Garay]

I have been very happy with the newer Bosch sanders, low vibration, very smooth, good ergonomics and very good dust collection. Bought one while building 5 large MDF speaker cabinets. Sure the Festool and Fein look excellent. I have not tried them. And have a hard time justifying their costs (at least for my needs) when the Bosch sanders work really well.

For instance, consider the Bosch 3727DEVS, 6" variable speed, made in Switzerland, and only costs about $145 - 10% from Amazon. The Fein is $389 and the Festool is $420. Perhaps a pro who has tried them all can explain the price difference.

[Alex Shanku]

I just picked up a 5" Bosch 1295dvs ROS and I think its great. Nice filter and only costs 75 bucks.

[larry merlau]

Bill,

Quentin Tarantino made another movie besides Pulp fiction,
called Jackie Brown. In it, Samuel L. Jackson plays a pscyho arms dealer
who made this famous quote which I have changed to fit the topic.

"When you absolutely, positively have to sand every #%&*%&&^%$ in the room, Festool RO150. Accept no substitute.

Per


hey per which RO150? the 3 or 5

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I really like my PC Speed Bloc. It takes 1/4 sheets of paper so I can buy it cheap and it virtually sands all by itself. I have two of 'em.

It does not have a DC system on board but I don't care about that. I'd rather not have stuff projecting from my sander anyway.

[Bob Marino]

hey per which RO150? the 3 or 5

Larry,

Per is referring to the ROTEX 150 - Festool's 6" dual mode sander. You are referring to the ETS 150/3 and 150/5 - which are pistol grip random orbit sanders.

Bob

[M. A. Espinoza]

I just picked up a 5" Bosch 1295dvs ROS and I think its great. Nice filter and only costs 75 bucks.

Alex,

What else have you used to compare the Bosch? The Bosch is on my list to replace the PC which is on its last legs.

I picked up the Bosch 1/4 sheet sander and am really happy with it. Way less vibration than other 1/4 sheet sanders (PC and Makita) I've used and pretty light weight.

I use a 1/4 sheet mostly to break edges so the light weight is a nice bonus.

[Jesse Cloud]

Larry,

Per is referring to the ROTEX 150 - Festool's 6" dual mode sander. You are referring to the ETS 150/3 and 150/5 - which are pistol grip random orbit sanders.

Bob

What does 'dual mode' mean?
Is there a "Festool sanders for dummies" guide anywhere. I still don't understand the difference between the product lines, not to mention the accessories.
BTW, I have the CT-22 and the plunge saw - absolutely love them. Next purchase is going to be a sander - but which one???
Thanks,
Jess

[Alex Shanku]

M. A.,

Hi. I have been using a buddies 5" Dewalt 421K for quite some time. That, too, is a good ROS, but I think the vibrations felt are less with the Bosch, and the dust filtration/collection is much better as well. Prices on the two are similar.

I also have a 6" ROS from PC. This unit doesnt have any dust collection, so its kind of comparing apples to oranges, but I do like that sander, too.

Oh yeah, I have a Makita 1/4 sheet that I never use anymore since picking up the Bosch.




Alex,

What else have you used to compare the Bosch? The Bosch is on my list to replace the PC which is on its last legs.

I picked up the Bosch 1/4 sheet sander and am really happy with it. Way less vibration than other 1/4 sheet sanders (PC and Makita) I've used and pretty light weight.

I use a 1/4 sheet mostly to break edges so the light weight is a nice bonus.

[Dan Clark]

Hi. I started buying Festool equipment about two months ago. IMO, they are the best. Currently, I have the TS55 circular saw, several sections of their rail guide system (plus accessories), the C12 drill, and the CT22 dust collector.

Next on my list is a new sander. I'm leaning toward the NEW RO150 FEQ - the replacement for the current RO150. They are dual mode - a forced rotary mode for heavy sanding and an RO mode for finish work.

Another option might be the ETS 150 (I believe that's the correct model number). It has the advantage of being easier to use one-handed. But it's RO only.

Regarding the RO150, the current model is on sale.

Besides being good sanders they are probably the best out there for dust collection. (That's a hot button for me.) Combined with a CT22 or other Festool dust collector, you should see very little dust. According to reviews, the abrasion material last longer too.

One other advantage of the RO150 is that it makes a great polisher with the polisher pad. There's a lot of discussion on the auto-detailing forums about this. The RO150 is supposed to give you 95% of the benefit of a rotary buffer in forced rotary mode plus you have the RO mode for lighter work. And, you have very low risk of burning the paint (which is a big issue with rotary buffers).

There are several good sanders out there. But if you want the best, that would be Festool (in my ever-so-humble opinion). :)

Regards,

Dan.

["Gary Brewer"]

I just went through the same process. I had a PC and was happy with it but it kept falling apart and as I did more projects the dust started to bother me. I have enough problems without intentionally adding to it. I researched and got the Festool 150/3 and CT dust extractor. It is a wonderful sander and the center hole in the sandpaper helps remove more dust than others. The sandpaper from Festool is unique but is reasonably priced. You really do need to use some kind of a dust collector with it though. The little dust collection bag that is used if you don't use a dust collector is not as effective in dust removal.

[Bob Marino]

What does 'dual mode' mean?
Is there a "Festool sanders for dummies" guide anywhere. I still don't understand the difference between the product lines, not to mention the accessories.
BTW, I have the CT-22 and the plunge saw - absolutely love them. Next purchase is going to be a sander - but which one???
Thanks,
Jess

Jesse,

The Rotex has 2 modes or sanding patterns - one is a low rpm rotary mode which is very aggressive and the other is a random orbit mode with a 5 mm orbit. This video from Festool's site best illustrates the modes.

Also, check Bill Esposito's review of the sanders in this thread.

Bob
http://www.festoolusa.com/images/spacer.gif <TABLE width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=reg>http://www.festoolusa.com/upimages/windows_media_80.jpg (http://interface.audiovideoweb.com/lnk/il81win15076/Sanders_High.wmv/play.asx)>View RO 150 video (http://interface.audiovideoweb.com/lnk/il81win15076/Sanders_High.wmv/play.asx) http://www.festoolusa.com/upimages/apple_quicktime_80.jpg (http://interface.audiovideoweb.com/lnk/il81quick35025/Sanders_High_H.mov/play.qtl)>View RO 150 video (http://interface.audiovideoweb.com/lnk/il81quick35025/Sanders_High_H.mov/play.qtl)


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[Frank Pellow]

Another vote here for Festool. I have three of their sanders and they make (most) sanding fun! If I had to limit myself to just one Festool sander, it would be the RO150.

[Joe Unni]

Rigid 6" with Rigid vacuum. Fantastic combination at a great price.

-joe

[Allen Bookout]

I think that the best choice depends on your situation. If you are able to write it off as a business expense and if you use it a great deal (however much that may be) the Festool sanders could be the best choice. Other situations might be that you just have more money to spend than you need or having the best that is available is important to you.

However, I think that many of us here would only use the tool a limited amount and are not able to write off our tools, so something more economical that still does a good job and holds up well such as the Ridgid 6" or a Bosch or Metabo would be a better choice.

For me it is the Ridgid 6" ROS. The one made by Metabo. Could be that the 6" ones that are starting to come from China for Ridgid are a lesser unit. Would not supprise me a bit. If that was the only one that I could get I would go with another brand.

Allen