Which Festool finishing sander? RS2E or ETS 150/3?

[John Myers]

I looking to buy a Festool finishing sander for finishing flat table-tops, desk-tops, and such. Anyone use the RS 2 E? How do you like it?

[Gary Keedwell]

I looking to buy a Festool finishing sander for finishing flat table-tops, desk-tops, and such. Anyone use the RS 2 E? How do you like it?
I heard it is the unsung hero of the Festool line. I have the 150/3 but the RS 2 E will be my second Festool sander. They say it can't be beat for large flat surfaces.

Gary

[Dan Clark]

John,

I have the Rotex 150 and love it, but for you needs, the RS2E is probably better. Jerry Work put together a great guide on Festool Sanders: http://www.festoolusa.com/Web_files/Getting_the_most_from_Festool_sanders.pdf. It covers all of their current sanders. About the RS2E, Jerry wrote:
That big flat sanding pad (the right most media pictured above) simply cannot be beat for smoothing out large surfaces.Regards,

Dan.

[John Myers]

Thanks for the reply. I'll go read that article. I do have my eye on the Rotex 125 too. But that may have to wait until later. I do have a need for a sander to do some aggressive work. And a small sander for using with small boxes. And another sander for ... Ugh! You get the picture.

[Greg Pavlov]

I looking to buy a Festool finishing sander for finishing flat table-tops, desk-tops, and such. Anyone use the RS 2 E? How do you like it?
I have the 150 and the RS 2 and I usually use the RS 2 for larger flat surfaces.

[Dave Falkenstein]

...I do have my eye on the Rotex 125 too. But that may have to wait until later. ...And a small sander for using with small boxes....

John - If you are interested in the ETS150/3, then you might want to be looking at the RO150, simply because both use the same paper. A great sander for small surfaces is the DTS400.

[Jim Dailey]

Hi John,

Like Greg I have both the 150/3 & the RS 2. And I agree with Greg on the RS 2 for large flat surfaces would be the one I'd use.

The only negative on the RS 2 is that it does not have a "plug-it" cord, but still has the fixed cord. Once you have multiple Festool power tools with the "plug-it" cord you get annoyed when you have to stop & run another cord. The benefit of "plug-it" cord really pays dividends when used with a CT 22 or 33 vacuum with over head boom arm and you start using the tools as a system.

Hope this helps,
jim

[Joe Jensen]

John, I have the RS2E, an RO150, and a 150/3. I bought the RS2E specifically for finishing table tops and flat surfaces. IMHO, the RS2E is the lowest vibration sander Festool makes, and it does a fabulous job on surfaces you want to be flat...joe

[Greg Pavlov]

John - If you are interested in the ETS150/3, then you might want to be looking at the RO150, simply because both use the same paper. A great sander for small surfaces it the DTS400.
Yeah, that one's on my list....

[Greg Pavlov]

Hi John, ...................
The only negative on the RS 2 is that it does not have a "plug-it" cord, but still has the fixed cord. Once you have multiple Festool power tools with the "plug-it" cord you get annoyed when you have to stop & run another cord. The benefit of "plug-it" cord really pays dividends when used with a CT 22 or 33 vacuum with over head boom arm and you start using the tools as a system.
jim
Agreed, and since the Festool system has some variations, it would have been nice to have included a second outlet on the CT22s and 33s..... I suppose one could plug in and secure a multiway adapter.

[Don Bullock]

John, great question and the answers are very helpful to me especially the link that Dan included. I had seen that report, but hadn't had time to really look at it. It looks like my next sander will be a RS2E. If my woodworking plans hold up I'll be doing several table tops this year. Thanks.

I bought the RO 125 and finally have had a chance now to use it (guess this is a hidden gloat). I'm amazed at how aggressive it is, but also how well it can still produce a smooth surface. On the zebra wood I'm working on I just had to do some light hand sanding to finish up after using it.

[Jim Becker]

The 150/3 gets the majority of sanding work in my shop.

[Rob Wright]

My wife gave me a RO150 EQ and CT 22 last year for building some boat piers for he parents. I love that sander - it takes a little getting used to but leaves a great finish and I am able to hog oout a lot of wood in the forced rotation mode when working on curved surfaces. I do think that it works equally as well on flat surfaces and is very fast and dust free.

Having said that - I received an RS2E last week from her for my B-day. It was a total surprise. I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth - but I was a little disappointed that it did not come with a plug-it cord as shown on the Mcfeeley's website (and listed) but the sander is great. I agree with a previous poster that the vibration is minimal, and there is a great accessory to "punch" your own half sheets of paper to use on the sander. I do think that the Festool paper is great - however being able to use some of my existing supply is an added bonus. I have also picked up partial rolls of belt paper at flea markets and have tried that this past weekend and it works well when punched for use on the RS2E.

I think that overall this will be my goto sander for flat case work type of sanding. You will not be disappointed!

- Rob

[Chris Padilla]

The Rotex can hardly be beat for versatility due to it's two modes so I always start with it and finish up with the 150/3.

You can get two sanders for one if you buy the DS 400 EQ (triangular shape) and then the parts ($30 in parts as I recall) to convert it to a RS 400 EQ (rectangular cousin).

However, I must admit that I never paid much attention to the RS 2 E and it does look nice for large flat surfaces!

Let's face it, all of Festool's sander are the schlitz and all perform their tasks EXTREMELY well. You can hardly go wrong throwing a dart at a board of Festool sanders....