Which 5" ROS?

[Jeff Clow]

My wife is getting me a 5" random orbital sander for my birthday. Which ones are good, which ones are not? I have looked at the Dewalt at rhe BORG. I have a few recent Dewalt tools and have been pleased with them. I checked a review of the Dewalt & a weak point seems to be the dust port. I would like to use it connected to a shop vac, so having a dust port connection that doesn't fall off would be nice.
What else is out there & what other features should I be looking at?

[Jamie Buxton]

I've been through four 5" DeWalt ROS. The first lasted for years, but finally smoked. It was so good I bought a replacement without shopping for any other models. The next didn't work well. I could stand the unit on a bench, and rock the motor housing from side to side. That floppiness didn't give me good control while sanding. I returned it immediately. #3 was no better. I took that one to a DeWalt repair depot and sorted through the refurbs they had for sale, looking for one as good as my original. I found #4, which was okay but not good. Eventually I upgraded to a Festo, and I don't use the DeWalt much any more.

This fiasco was about 8 years ago. I hope DeWalt has fixed whatever manufacturing problem they had. However, I'd examine a new one pretty carefully before I bought it.

[Bill Huber]

I got a DeWalt a few years ago and had the problem with the dust bag falling off and blowing dust everywhere. I called Dewalt and they sent me a new bag and o ring that holds it on at no charge.
That worked for a few sandings and then starting falling off, I called them again and they sent me a whole new unit and a return slip for the old one.
The unit that I have now has given me no problems in the last 4 years and I would say I use it a lot and it still keeps going.

I do take the bag off a lot and connect my DC (shop vac) to it with a small hose and that does work very well. In fact I can't believe how much fast and better it sand with the vac on it.

I think like just about any tool you get now days there are some bad ones and then there are some good ones of the same manufacturer and the bottom lines is how does the tool feel to you when you use it.
If it fits your hand and feels right then that is the one you need, you will do your best work with it.

[Brian K McDermaid]

My wife wanted me to make some end grain cutting boards for xmas gifts this year. I used it as an opportunity to buy a new ROS :). After looking around at reviews on Amazon and other sites i picked the Porter Cable 343k.

I've been using the sander ~2 hours every night for the past few weeks (please... make the end grain sanding stop!!!!!) and the thing keeps chugging away. Hooked up to my shop-vac the dust has been almost non-existent and the dust port/connector/thingy hasn't fallen off once.

I'm sure there are better sanders out there (festool) but i honestly thought I'd kill the sander before i finished this project. Thats why i picked the 'low-cost-decent-quality-if-it-dies-i-can-get-a-better-toy' option. Now that I'm almost done Im sure I'll have this sander for quite a few more years.

Cheep labor... got to love it.
http://www.lostbyte.net/tmp/shopbuddy.jpg



~brian

[Bill Ragland]

The Bosch Variable Speed 5" got the highest rating in a test by some forgotten (by me) wood magazine. It had the best (think smoothest) random pattern of all the 5" ROS that were tested which included PC, DeWalt, Craftsman and others. The tester used plexiglass to show the sanding patterns and the Bosch was the most uniform and random. Wish I could remember which Mag it was in but too many birthdays have wreaked havoc on the memory.

I have the sander and have used it alot making cabinet doors and frames. I works great.

[Brian Kent]

The test was in Fine Woodworking magazine. The Bosch 1295 DVS got Best Overall and Best Buy.

I bought one because of the article and have been very happy, though I have not yet purchased the shop-vac adapter.

[Jeff Clow]

Both the Dewalt & the PC in Brian's picture have oval dust ports & I presume require an adapter to connect to a shop vac. Do they all do this, or will any connect directly to the vac hose?
(By the way, Brian, you look really young in that photo; LOL)

[Jamie Buxton]

Adapters are pretty readily available. They're often rubber tubes about 3" long, sometimes tapered. You can cut them off at either end so they fit over the port and the hose, and you can shape them so they fit to an oval port. They cost less than $5. I have one on my DeWalt to hook it to a Fein shop-vac. It also fits a Festool vac.

[Bob Childress]

Unless they have changed it (and maybe they have) the PC has a round dust port which can hook directly to a shop vac, though you may need an adaptor, depending on which vac you have. :)

I used the PC before I went Festo and hooked to a vac it did a nice job for the money.

[Edit: Jamie is fast on the trigger! ]

[Gary Keedwell]

My wife wanted me to make some end grain cutting boards for xmas gifts this year. I used it as an opportunity to buy a new ROS :). After looking around at reviews on Amazon and other sites i picked the Porter Cable 343k.

I've been using the sander ~2 hours every night for the past few weeks (please... make the end grain sanding stop!!!!!) and the thing keeps chugging away. Hooked up to my shop-vac the dust has been almost non-existent and the dust port/connector/thingy hasn't fallen off once.

I'm sure there are better sanders out there (festool) but i honestly thought I'd kill the sander before i finished this project. Thats why i picked the 'low-cost-decent-quality-if-it-dies-i-can-get-a-better-toy' option. Now that I'm almost done Im sure I'll have this sander for quite a few more years.

Cheep labor... got to love it.
http://www.lostbyte.net/tmp/shopbuddy.jpg



~brian
Brian.....Just for the record...I could see your picture earlier today but now I can only see a big empty box with a small red "X":o
Gary

[Nancy Laird]

Hubby replaced our PCs ROSs with the Bosch 3725 DEVS. It's going for $147.79 at WWS right now. It's aggressive, it's smooth, it doesn't numb his hand like all the others, and, by the way, there's some really good sandpaper available now too. It's called Black Max -- it's ceramic with a cloth backing and available as hook-and-loop, in 80, 100, and 120---and it's like the Energizer Bunny, it lasts and lasts and lasts.

Nancy (43 days)

[Jerry Allen]

I've had a Ridgid ROS with variable speed I got a couple of years ago at HD. I have been very happy with it. No problems. Smooth. I especially like the long cord and variable speed. The dust pickup is good.

[Jeff Clow]

Based on all the above, and some other things I have read, I am leaning towards the Bosch. Thanks for all the input.

[Michael Weber]

I have had the Bosch and have had trouble with the speed control failing. I also believe the brushes are undersized and mine have heated to the point of removing the temper from the springs which push them inward. If you get the bosch find a source for replacement velcro pads as they don't seem to last very long at all. Just my .02 YMMV

[Nancy Laird]

Michael, I believe that you may have gotten a lemon unit (if it's the same unit we have), as the Bosch units are highly thought-of and just seem to keep on running. Yep, our mileages vary.

Nancy (43 days)

[glenn bradley]

I use the 1295VS with the adapter (look around, price varies greatly, should be just a few bucks). It has worked quite well. I have not had brush or temp problems but, I do not run a production shop. I do let the sander do its job and don't bear down on it.

No Velcro problems either with good paper. I did have a pack of BORG discs that failed to hang on long enough to wear out but Norton 3X and similar quality discs have been no problem. If I find a good price on one, I'll probably pick up a second one just to have it handy.

[Darren Ford]

Not a 5", but the Ridgid 2610 6" is by far the best thing I have ever bought from HD. I picked it up after reading a lot of praise for it, its essentially the same sander as the Metabo SXE 450 Duo.

[Bill White]

Tell us more about the Black Max. That's a new one on me.
Bill

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I like the PC quarter sheet Speed Bloc.

[Brian Penning]

Another vote for the Ridgid. I don't even look at my PC333 anymore.
Smoother, quieter, more aggressive, 10 ft. cord. lighted plug is useful too.

[Nancy Laird]

Tell us more about the Black Max. That's a new one on me.
Bill

Here you go, Bill:

OUR BLACK-MAX™ CERAMIC ABRASIVE SANDING DISCS ARE AMONG THE BEST SANDING DISCS ON THE PLANET - WE GUARANTEE IT!!
EVEN AFTER ONE HOUR OF SANDING, A BLACK-MAX™ DISC STILL OUTPERFORMS A NEW PREMIUM ALUMINUM OXIDE DISC! Black-Max™ ceramic abrasive sanding discs give you better results with less labor and they last longer:

Last up to 5 times longer than Premium Aluminum Oxide discs.
Durable J wt. cloth backing for extended service life and less edge wear.
Cloth backing is super flexible.
Anti-static coating reduces wood dust loading.
Available in the most popular 5" H&L or PSA attachment configurations - 80, 100 and 120 grits.
Manufactured in Germany exclusively for Woodworkers Supply®.

http://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=148-475
Nancy (43 days)

[Don Bullock]

The test was in Fine Woodworking magazine. The Bosch 1295 DVS got Best Overall and Best Buy.

I bought one because of the article and have been very happy, though I have not yet purchased the shop-vac adapter.

Brian is correct. I also bought one based on the article and many posts that I read. I bought the ShopVac adaptor but haven't used it yet. I too am very happy with the sanding quality I get from this sander, but read on.


I have had the Bosch and have had trouble with the speed control failing. I also believe the brushes are undersized and mine have heated to the point of removing the temper from the springs which push them inward. If you get the bosch find a source for replacement velcro pads as they don't seem to last very long at all. Just my .02 YMMV

My speed control failed after using the sander for a short period of time. Fortunately there was no problem getting it fixed under the warranty. As I mentioned, I bought the ShopVac adaptor. I hope it will help keep the dust out of the switch. I have a feeling that dust may have been partly to blame for the switch failure.


Michael, I believe that you may have gotten a lemon unit (if it's the same unit we have), as the Bosch units are highly thought-of and just seem to keep on running. Yep, our mileages vary.

Nancy (43 days)

Nancy, I hate to disagree with you because you usually are "right on." When my variable speed switch quit I took my sander to the local repair facility. When I asked the guy there if it would take long to fix the problem he stated that he keeps the switches in stock all the time. That tells me that the switch failure isn't unusual and after reading numerous posts here and on other forums I've discovered that this is a fairly common problem with both, the on/off switch and the variable speed switch on these sanders. Yes, the sander is fantastic for sanding. It does a great job. I only wonder when one of the switches will fail again and if it will be after the warranty expires.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,
I picked up the DeWalt 5".
It came down to a choice between it and the Bosch.
At the time, there was a considerable amount of "traffic" (posts) here about switch failures w/the Bosch, so I went DeWalt.

The Fesstool was also in the running, but for some odd reason, my wife just punched me in the arm hard when I brought it up.:confused:

[Jeff Clow]

I wasn't even considering Festool. Its just not in the budget, not gonna happen. Wife is buying, so can't stretch the budget, rationalize, fib, make up stories, etc. Oh well.

[Brian K McDermaid]

I wasn't even considering Festool. Its just not in the budget, not gonna happen. Wife is buying, so can't stretch the budget, rationalize, fib, make up stories, etc. Oh well.

Just do what i do.. Enter the Wood Whisperer's FesCool giveaway (http://thewoodwhisperer.com/festool-giveaway) each month and cross your fingers :)

[James Phillips]

I wasn't even considering Festool. Its just not in the budget, not gonna happen. Wife is buying, so can't stretch the budget, rationalize, fib, make up stories, etc. Oh well.

If you can buy the Bosch for $150, the Festool 5" Random Orbit is only $165. The Rotex is more, but if I was spending that $$ I would spend the extra $15...

[Jeff Clow]

The Festool that I looked at was a 6" for $260.00 (thus my sticker shock comment). They do have a 5" for $165.00. Bosch has something in the $150 range, competitive with Festool. These are still out of my price range. Everything I have looked at have been in the $70 to $80 price range.
It still looks like the Bosch 1295 DVS gets the nod. There have been a few problems cited on this model, but similar problems on the Dewalt & PC. There has been no clear winner, so based on the FWW test, I'm going to try the Bosch.