Festool Rotex questions

[julie Graf]

hi,

my pc right angle ros just died, so i'm looking to replace.

any drawbacks with the festool rotex 5inch?

can you use any dust collection? (shop vac?)

Also - can you use any sandpaper, or do you have to buy festool paper? with the hole in the middle?

any opinions/feedback/advice is helpful.

thanks!
Julie

[Jason Roehl]

You can use any shop vac, but you'll need the Festool adapter, plus you may need another adapter to go from the Festool adapter to whatever your hose is. That or duct tape.

You need paper that has the exact same holes for dust collection to work properly. I don't recall if anyone other than Festool makes it. Air actually flows outward from the center hole to the outer ring of intake holes. Dust collection is not the only purpose, either--the airflow helps the paper stay cooler which allows the paper to last longer.

Our company has had the 6 inch (Rotex 150) for several years now. Wear hearing protection, especially in the eccentric-orbit (more aggressive) mode. We use it for taking edger scratches out of wood floors when we refinish them (an extra step over our competition). I wouldn't see much use for the EO mode in finer woodworking, though--you may be satisfied with one of their "plain" RO sanders, unless you need something to be used day-in, day-out.

[Paul Johnstone]

hi,

my pc right angle ros just died, so i'm looking to replace.

any drawbacks with the festool rotex 5inch?

can you use any dust collection? (shop vac?)

Also - can you use any sandpaper, or do you have to buy festool paper? with the hole in the middle?

any opinions/feedback/advice is helpful.

thanks!
Julie

I have the Rotex FEQ. One of the few Festool tools worth the price premium, IMO. Other people use a regular shop vac with an adapter to Festool hose (or some other kind of adapter, it can work).

I use Klingspore sanding paper. At one time they made sandpaper that was compatible with Festool. However, now that Klingspore's stores sell Festool stuff, I don't know if they still manufacture paper for it. When I bought mine, it was a special order and the guy was pushing Festool paper. But you can call them and see. IMO, the Klingspore paper is superior. But to answer your question, yes, it's a special paper with a special hole pattern.

[Loren Hedahl]

I've had the 5 inch RO for almost three years; I think they had just come out when I bought my RO125.

It's a great sander. I use it a lot, both for sanding and for polishing.

You can adapt it to just about any smaller vac with the stepped adapter available at your local Home Depot. The only problem with that is most shop vacs don't filter out the fine particles as well as the Festool vacs. Some shop vacs can be converted with a special filter element, quite easily.

Sanding discs should be purchased from Festool. I purchased a bunch at the time I bought the sander, and the price was just about the same as what you would pay for generic discs. As was mentioned above, hole placement is different and Festool sanders also use a center hole. I suppose if you were so inclined you could build a punch set-up, but I have better things to do with my time.

Would I buy is again. Yup! Wouldn't even think twice. I just wish they would make a quarter-sheet sander so I could retire my old Porter Cable.

Remember, if you buy it and don't like it, you can exchange or get a refund for 30 days, I'm told. I have never had buyers remorse with Festool, so never even considered the option.

[jason lambert]

Yes the hole pattern is different. That waht makes the dust collection so much better. But fest tool paper is also great and worth the cost.

As for the vac any vac will work but what I have found with the fest tool sanders is the dust collection is so good the vac will actully suck the sander to the surface of the work piece making it vibrate more. The sander and paper is suppose to float onthe wood if that makes sence.
You may want to add some sort of suction reducer in line if needed this can be as simple as a hole in a small piece of hose.

[Jason White]

I have the 6" ROTEX. By far my most-used Festool sander because of it's versatility. I once stripped and refinished an entire white oak floor with it. It's great for both aggressive and fine sanding and the dust collection is amazing.

Yes, you have to use the Festool paper, but it's not that expensive and it lasts longer than most other types (Norton, etc.). Plus, you can get it almost anywhere now (Rockler, Woodcraft, etc.).

I'd get the 6" instead of the 5", unless you do a lot of overhead work or just a lot of small projects.

Jason



hi,

my pc right angle ros just died, so i'm looking to replace.

any drawbacks with the festool rotex 5inch?

can you use any dust collection? (shop vac?)

Also - can you use any sandpaper, or do you have to buy festool paper? with the hole in the middle?

any opinions/feedback/advice is helpful.

thanks!
Julie

[Jay Jolliffe]

The Rotex 6" is a great sander. I wasn't going to get one because of the price but I'm glad I did. I had to make about 100' of bookcases out of birch plywood & there was a lot of sanding. It did a great job & a lot fasterthan a regular sander. The vac works really well with the sander. I use the hard pad for flat work, sands nice and flat.

[Gary Curtis]

About the paper. The claim made by Festool for the extra hole (9-hole) is that the improved dust collection and cooling keep you from grinding the sawdust over and over.

The result is 70% improvement in sandpaper life. I haven't done a comparison test using my 6" RO 150. The paper sure does seem to last a long time, though. I like the relatively soft vibration and the balance of the machine. Sure a lot easier on the bones than my old Sioux sander/buffer for automobile finishing.

Gary Curtis:rolleyes:

[tim rowledge]

I just bought a CT33 vac and the Rotex 150. Yes it was expensive but as an example I sanded a stack of parts for an adirondack chair a couple of evenings ago in my (relatively) smart clothes. No dust on me, no headache from the earsplitting noise of my old vac, no white knuckles from the vibration of my old PC 6" ROS. Oh and since the wood was yellow cedar, getting no dust on me meant I didn't stink afterwards. I think it was money very well spent.

[Bill Wyko]

I just got the ROS150 and sanded some very hard Bubinga. It is by far, the best sander I've ever layed hands on. As agressive as it is, you can still control material removal and you don't have to tip it to get the job done. You better clamp your work and hold on with both hands though, it's an animal.:D

[Bob Aquino]

Someones's gotta be different so I guess it will be me. The Rotax is sweet, I've played with it in the store, but you may want to look at the Bosch 1250devs as well. Dust collection is awesome and it has the power and weight of the larger Festool sander. Don't get me wrong, I like Festool, have the guided circular saw, but having owned the bosch now for a couple of years, I can tell you it does everything I want it to do for over a hundred cheaper.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41X56ECT4KL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

[Jesse Cloud]

Wouldn't trade my Rotex for the world. Agree with the following points above:

- incredibly versatile, in one mode it is a lion, in the other its a lamb. I've used it for fast material removal and for polishing high gloss finishes.

- you do need Festool paper

- the paper lasts wayyyy longer than paper with a regular hole pattern

- consider the 6 incher, almost 50% more area in a 6 inch circle than a 5 (pi times r squared), gets the job done faster

- it will work with another brand of vac, but speed control is a good idea. I have had pieces stick to the sander at high speed.

Additionally, Festool is a very safe investment. You can find used Festools for sale on craigslist or other classified listings for darn near retail, probably more than the seller paid originally, given annual price increases.

[Doug Shepard]

Rumor has it that some dummy actually turned his family room into a workshop last winter - because he could get away with it using Festools
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=87566&thumb=1&d=1209727258
Both a 6" Rotex and router with Festool CT33. No muss, no fuss.

[julie Graf]

thanks for the input.

i'd take a look at the bosch, but i am looking for a 5 inch because of the smaller size. i tend to do a mix of sanding, and the time saved on the big pieces doesn't seem worth the extra effort on the small pieces (holding the sander vertically and in odd angles)

i think i'll bite the cost bullet and give it a try. not a good time to make a tool purchase, given the tight budget. but if it's worth it, it's worth it. also looking to replace my belt sander, which is on it's last leg (the switch broke, so when you plug it in, it's on!) so i am thinking the rotex can replace my belt sander and my pc.

cheers!
julie

[Joe Scharle]

My F 150 connects to my Fein thru a soft RIGID hose ($16.00). 3 turns of blue tape on the Festool and it's a snug fit. Klngspor has the paper too.
I had a PC 7224 that was a bear to use (vibration). This thing feels like palm sander in smooth mode, but is a handful in Rotex mode with coarse paper, but even then is less than the PC 7224. I've stopped using my belt sander.