Orbital palm sander vibration help!!

[John-Paul Murphy]

I have searched past post and see many recommendations but no actual comparisons.
I have a Dewalt dw423 that has continued to serve me well for many many years. Now I am beginning to have pain and lingering throbbing in my hands after use. Will someone who has used the Dewalt recommend another that has better dampening for the vibration?
Thanks

[Joe Jensen]

I'll be first. I used maktia 1/4 sheet orbitals for 15 years, towards the end I used a Porter Cable 6" Random orbit too. I started to get lingering problems from the vibration. I ended up going to four Festool sanders. The best of the bunch for limited vibration is the 150/3 Random Orbit 6". Super low vibration, sounds like a sewing maching when running. The other awesome one is a 1/2 sheet. Another joy to use. The other Festools have awesome dust collection, but IMHO they are only slightly better on vibration control.

[Bill Wyko]

If you want minimal vibration the Festool is a great sander. I have the cheapest one, the 125. The first thing that blew me away was its lack of vibration. It really is worth the money.IMHO:) My last one was a PC and it would make my hands turn numb.

[Bob Goldsmith]

I'm sure you've thought about this, but is your hand hurting at other times also?

I've got/had carpal in both hands. I've had surgery on one so far. Using a palm sander for extended periods of time is just the type of thing to aggravate that problem.

[John-Paul Murphy]

Thanks for the response Bob and others.
At this time it is just with the palm sander. I first developed the problem using air chisels. I try to minimize the use time with the sander but it still persist after only 10 - 20 minutes of use. Of all the tools I use the sanders are the ones that vibrate the most. I have found workarounds for other tools but the palm sander really seems to be the best tool for that final light sanding prior to application of finish.

[Jim Becker]

I had the same issue with the PC sanders I used to use. For awhile, I used gel-filled gloves. They helped a little, but I still had numbness and had to keep my sanding sessions very short. That all changed when I picked up a Festool 150/3 sander for the first time thanks to Bob Marino. I can now sand for hours if necessary with minimal discomfort. A bit of an investment, but well worth it. Oh, BTW...the sanding results are much better than the previous tools I used, too.

[Howard Acheson]

Keep in mind that palm sanders--as well as other sanders, except for belt sanders--work by vibration. That's what removes the material. In general, the more vibration and the more aggressive the vibration, the faster the material removal.

There are anti-vibration gloves that I have seen some woodworkers use but I have no experience with them myself.

[Art Mann]

The July/August 2006 issue of Fine Woodworking did a comparative evaluation of random orbital sanders. From a vibration standpoint, the Festool and Makita sanders came out on top. Overall, they liked the Bosch better because it was more aggressive and produced a smoother sanding pattern, while still producing low vibration. The article was well done and is interesting reading if you can find it.

[Brian Kent]

I purchased my Bosch 1295DVS based on a 2006 Fine Woodworking reviews of ROS's. The Dewalt tested as the second worse of the group in vibration. Best for vibration were the Festool ES25-EQ-PLUS ($165) and the Makita BO5212K ($80). The Bosch was rated "Very Good" rather than "Excellent" in comfort. Looking at all the categories again, I might have bought the Makita.

[John-Paul Murphy]

thanks for all the replys and comments. Has anyone tried the Festool Rotex Sander I was about to order the 150/3 when I saw this design.

[Bob Michaels]

I agree with Jim regarding the Festool 150-3. Arguably the best friend your hands will have for finish power sanding. It's a wonderful machine and the dust collection is excellent. I also have the Rotex, which I use for larger and more agrressive jobs, although I know woodworkers who use it for finish sanding. My hands down favorite for finish sanding is the 150-3. BTW, 150 indicates 150mm sanding discs (6") and the -3 indicates the machine has a 3 mm stroke which is less aggressive than the 5 mm stroke on the Festool 150-5.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

When safety isn't an issue, when using a tool that has a lot of vibration (sander or jig saw (especially when cutting hard wood with the jig saw)) I wear a heavy pair of gloves. No specific brand recommendations other than using a good quality tool. I tried using a friend's cheapie 1/4 sheet sander yesterday and quit that in short order. Vibration matched the sanding job.....awful.

[John-Paul Murphy]

Just an update
The 150 / 3 is on the way along with the ct22...:rolleyes:
took a while to swallow the $642 pill:(.

[John-Paul Murphy]

Thought I would go ahead and post a follow up to this thread. The 150 / 3 has been in use for some time. A couple of weeks a go I used it to finish sand a hard wood floor rather than rent a larger floor sander. It was a small room about 15 x 15. Took a few hours to sand and finish. The 150 / 5 is great. No problems with vibration and the dust collection system is superb.
Many thanks to all who participated in this thread. :)