Festool Sander stroke

[Mike Heidrick]

A good friend here is into Festool now. He is going to buy a sander today.

150/3 vs 150/5

Which travel should he get 3mm vs 5mm? He is making finishing cabinets and furniture for his house.

Down the slope he goes.

[Rob Wright]

Mike,
Let me start out by saying that I do not own the ETS, however I do have an RO150 and a RS2E. Having stated that, everything that I have ever read or heard has stated that if you were going to get one sander the ETS 150/3 would be the sander of choice. Many people prefer the this sander and is their goto sander of choice.

Let me guess - your friend is trying to beat the April 1 price increase?

[Jesse Cloud]

I have and love the 150/3, extremely smooth, great for using on finishes. I use the Rotex for aggressive stock removal. A friend has the 150/5 and loves it. He is happy with it on finishes and finds it aggressive enough that he doesn't need a Rotex...FWIW

[jason lambert]

I have a all three the Rotex the 150/3 and 150/5 if you go over to the festool owners group there is much discussion. But to sum it up the the 150/3 is more popular unless you are doing stock removal. But Jesse has a good sugestion you should look at the Rotex it is a 150/5 and a aggrissave ros sander in one because of the transmissions and the different modes.

[Dave Falkenstein]

I find the ETS150/3 perfect for finish sanding. I also have a Rotex RO150 and use it for jobs requiring a more aggressive sander, like flattening glue-ups. The ETS150/3 is easier to use compared to the RO150 - the RO150 requires two hands, at least for me. You can easily guide the ETS150/3 with one hand, switching hands when needed.

[Jeff Wright]

I second (third, or fourth?) the 150/3. I just sanded some panel doors where the rails meet the stiles. A couple had some misalignment and the sander did a quick job of leveling the mating surfaces. If you are going to buy one at a time (so you don't break the bank!), you may want to do as I did and get the 150/3 first and then add more later as funds permit.

[Mike Heidrick]

Ok. 150/3 it is. In fact we are both buying one now. Hope it compliments the right angle Porter Cable 7336 (good for stock removal) I have and has to be better than the B&D palm sander I have.