Recommendations for a ROS

[Andy Sowers]

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm looking for recommendations on a nice ROS for my Christmas wish-list. I already have a 1/4-sheet sander, and a 3" belt sander, but I dont have an ROS. I'm thinking that I'll probably go with a 5" model for economic reasons and since 5" sanding disks seem to be a little easier to find...

Any recommendations, or models to avoid?

Thanks

Andy

[Don Selke]

Don't know how serious you are about woodworking, if it were me I would save my pennies and quarters and go for Festool. It will last you a lifetime.

[glenn bradley]

A Festool would be nice. I went for the Bosch 1295VS (http://bosch.cpotools.com/sanders/random_orbit_sanders/1295dvsk.html?ref=googaw427&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D)which won a few bake-offs based on a superior pattern and smoothness of operation including FWW's 2008 tests. I agree on both points. It is not however, a heavy dudty machine for a production shop. That being said, I have used mine for all of my sanding for the last couple years and it is still rock solid. I should have bought two before all the prices went silly.

[Per Swenson]

Festool 150-3

Per

[Russ Massery]

Ditto On Per's Reply.

[Brad Townsend]

I just got one of the new Porter-Cable 390s. So far, I'm very impressed. I know there has been much talk lately about the watering down of the PC brand with inferior new releases, but this one really seems to be a quality tool. At $130, it's also priced like quality, but still not in league with Festool. It operates very smoothly with little vibration, but the thing I like most about it is that when you shut it off, the motor brakes and it stops spinning almost immediately. You're not standing there holding it the air waiting for it to spin down.

[Joe Mioux]

i have a pc and a makita. I like them both. The pc easily hooks up to my shopvac.

The only drawback with Makita (I haven't had to do this with the pc so I don't know) is that if the pad goes bad and flies apart, the cost is almost as expensive as the whole ros. Something like $40 (not including shipping)for the pad and the ros cost $69 ish.

that is how I wound up buying the pc. Later on I decided to repair the Makita. Long story short I am glad I did because now I can have two grits. Yea i know that sounds lazy..... ;)

joe

[Bill Arnold]

... The only drawback with Makita (I haven't had to do this with the pc so I don't know) is that if the pad goes bad and flies apart, the cost is almost as expensive as the whole ros. Something like $40 (not including shipping)for the pad and the ros cost $69 ish. ...joe
Replacement pads are the same for the PC and Makita. Both have a three screw mount. Pads range from $15 to $20 depending on what you want.

[Joe Mioux]

Replacement pads are the same for the PC and Makita. Both have a three screw mount. Pads range from $15 to $20 depending on what you want.

hmmmmm??????

I bought the pad online and found them around $40.

The Makita is a model from the late 80's. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

anyway, thanks for the update Bill

Joe

[Karl Brogger]

Nobody ever talks about pnuematic ROS on here. Why?

I have 3 different brands.
Dynabrade- Vibrate like crazy, but remove matieral quickly and well.
Porter Cable- Ok material removal, good finish, very ineffiecent use of air. I can tell the difference between the two, from how often the compressor runs.
3M- Really good finish, good material removal, easy on the hands. The pads they come with are too hard though. Not a good one for sanding profiles.

[John Bailey]

I think all the above are good choices. I got the 6" Bosch and love it.

John

[John Peterson]

As usual, the Festool groupies have come out when anyone asks for a tool recommendation! :eek:

Sing a few choruses of "If I Were a Rich Man". If you have deep pockets and want to impress people, then spend your money freely and brag about it here. However, if you're a wise person, you'll look at all your options and determine what will be best for YOU, not just what will impress people on the forum.

I have two ROSs -- a PC and a Makita. Both do the job well. Plenty of other people will tell you the same thing about these and other machines that are affordable for us "regular" folk! ;)


Back to the sanders, I read that the PC 390 tested very good, I like the brushless motor idea. But like Brad stated the issue about PC's new trend is still up to debate.

I personally think, as long as you stay away from the Skill and Black and Deckers, and stick with the major brands, its probally pretty hard to buy a bad sander. My father has an older PC and complains about the sanding disk compatibility. I think alot has to do as how much you use you sander.

I know I have to buy a sander soon, I personally like the PC 390 and the Festool 125 or 150/3. Although the $70 price tage for the Dewalt is pretty tempting.

[Andy Casiello]

I have the Dewalt VS ROS. Great unit. Easy to handle, works well, dust collection works well, hooks up to a shop vac hose easily, rated highly by most reviews I've seen. For $ 78 or whatever it cost me it's been fantastic.

[Jim Becker]

The 2009 Tools and Shops issue of Fine Woodworking (#202) has a review of ROS. The Festool 150/3 was rated the best overall (this is my go-to sander for 95% of the time) with the Bosch 3727DEVS and Makita B06040 rated "best value". The latter is also a dual mode sander similar to the Festool Rotex, but is also somewhat of a two-handed tool, IMHO.

[Jason White]

I use Festool sanders and consider myself "regular folk."

You might also notice that those of us who recommend Festool sanders do so because they are well-built machines.
Many, if not most of us "Festool" folks used other types of sanders for years and simply upgraded.

Have a nice day.

JW

[Paul Ryan]

I recently bought the older modle PC 343 off amazon for 29.99 single speed model. it works great and the dust collection is alot better that what I had before. But is does leave plenty of dust around. It also vibrates plenty, but the price was right and it does a good job. I have sanded alot with it recently and though it vibrates, it didn't bother me. The only RO sander I have heard stay away from was the milwaukee it was almost uncontrolable but I have never used it, just word of mouth from a friend.

[Mike Henderson]

I used a Festool ROS at school - and for an extended time over a semester (many months). It was okay but not that much better than other ROS I've used. The dust collection was good. If someone was working in a client's home where you really needed the better dust collection, it would be worth it because it would save you the time to put up plastic curtains. But for regular shop use, it's not worth it to me.

If I was going to buy a ROS right now, I'd buy the PC 390 because of the brake on it. It's a pain on all sanders to have to hold them until they spin down.

Mike

[Ken Milhinch]

Here's another "regular folk" who recommends Festool. The ETS 150/3 is a lovely finishing sander and the Rotex is a multi-purpose unit. Like all Festool products, they will make your wallet lighter, but you generally get what you pay for in this world.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I had (wore out) a Bosch and liked it. I found a cheapie single speed Makita at a woodworking show a number of years ago for less than thirty bucks which I got for a backup and it works very well. I bought a Porter Cable variable speed about three years ago that does a reasonable job. The reason for variable speed is to go as slowly as possible when sanding off (getting rid of nibs) on some base coat finishes. All three are relatively vibration free. My gripe is that I have yet to use one with a decent dust collection (without hooking a vacuum to it). A friend has a Ridgid and hates (as I do) the switch on it; it's located right where you grip it and turning it on and off inadvertantly is a nuisance.

The main thing I wanted to mention is something my friend got the other day that I didn't know existed. That's a PSA hook and loop pad. No need to buy the hook and loop base for your sander...just stick one of these on. The one that was put on a couple months ago has seen a good bit of use and is performing very well. I don't know what they cost as he was given two of them but can't be very expensive.

[Dennis Puskar]

I won't tell you which one to buy but get one that has 8 holes, less dust.

Dennis

[glenn bradley]

Nobody ever talks about pnuematic ROS on here. Why?

As to why, I don't see that many posts from folks here with the compressor for it. As to the superiority of a pnuematic for fast removal, I would love one ;-)

[James Hart]

As to why, I don't see that many posts from folks here with the compressor for it. As to the superiority of a pnuematic for fast removal, I would love one ;-)

Glenn,

To your point, the Festool air sander setup requires an 80 gallon compressor. Don't know a whole lot of people with one of those.

Jim

[Don Eddard]

Glenn,

To your point, the Festool air sander setup requires an 80 gallon compressor. Don't know a whole lot of people with one of those.

Jim
The number of gallons has very little bearing on the equation. It's all about cubic feet per minute of air. Granted, an 80 gallon compressor will most likely have a pump with higher CFM output than a pancake compressor, but the size of the tank the pump is attached to doesn't make a lot of difference.

[Jason White]

Get one with 9 holes...

ever "lesser" dust!
:D



I won't tell you which one to buy but get one that has 8 holes, less dust.

Dennis

[Greg Hines, MD]

I have a Craftsman combo sander, that can convert from a ROS to a pad sander. I have used it for years, and while it generally stays ROS, it is convenient to have the pad and detail sanding option.

As to paper, I use 3M discs with slots, not holes. Then they can fit any configuration.

Doc

[Dave Malen]

Bosch 3725EVS 5 inch sander for 10 years with only 1 minor problem. I found out that Bosch service was pretty good. If you are a hobbyest this will serve you well. It has low vibration and removes wood aggressively if desired. If you work day in and out in the shop the Festool is a great buy. (A new one like mine 3725DVES costs about $125)
Just my 2 cents.
Dave

[Derek Stevens]

Porter cable has served me well for years. All I know of this festool stuff is that where I buy my boxes of mirka sandpaper they were pushing it pretty damn hard. the circular saw I saw didn't do a thing for me with all the plastic on it. Thats all I have to say about that stuff. a sander is something that should fit your hand well, not weigh a ton, and not screw up your work. period.

[Mike Heidrick]

The PC390 is beefy. It is a lot more vibration than a Festool ETS 150/3 though. With the 150/3 - you can use it for hours and its vibration will not bother you. I had issues with the PC390 vibration after a 3 minute demo at IWF. The PC390 is supposed to be less vibration than a lot of other sanders.

My advice - try them out for yourself. If you have to buy without testing them, and can afford the 150/3 - you will love it. It has nothing to do with impressing anyone. The first time you do not have vibration issues after you are done sanding or your wood surface needs very little touch up after the first coat of finish you will know why you bought it. Good luck.

[Brian Penning]

I had a PC and then bought a Ridgid. Gave the PC away.
The Ridgid is smoother, quieter, and a lot less vibration.
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=940558&Ntt=940558&catalogId=10051&storeId=10051&langId=-15&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

[Rick Fisher]

Air sanders use upwards of 18 CFM. You need a serious compressor to use one.

I have had a makita small 5" Random orbit for 10 years. It simply wont die. It has done some horrible jobs, (sanding cast iron etc.. ). Stubborn old sander..
I also have a 2 handed Bosch. Its heavy, more powerfull etc. The Bosch vibrates quite a bit and after 20 minutes of use, I have had enough.

When I buy another, it will be a Festool, or a Makita.

[Greg Narozniak]

A Festool would be nice. I went for the Bosch 1295VS (http://bosch.cpotools.com/sanders/random_orbit_sanders/1295dvsk.html?ref=googaw427&kw=%7Bkeyword%7D)which won a few bake-offs based on a superior pattern and smoothness of operation including FWW's 2008 tests. I agree on both points. It is not however, a heavy dudty machine for a production shop. That being said, I have used mine for all of my sanding for the last couple years and it is still rock solid. I should have bought two before all the prices went silly.

I own the same sander. As a Hobbiest I doubt I will wear it out anytime soon. I looked @ the Festool and for me I could not justify the price. Others may disagree, but As good as this sander works I doubt I gave up much.

[Cary Falk]

I have a 6" Makita 6030. All of my sanders are Makita. IF any of then die they will be replaced by Makita.

[Jason White]

It's like anything. I would never buy a tool just because it had a Festool label on it, or any other kind of label for that matter.

I have a handful of Festool machines. Some I could justify the price, others I could not. My new-ish Bosch jigsaw is a great example. A terrific saw for about $100 less than Festool and very respectable dust collection. I'm sure it will outlive me.

Jason




I own the same sander. As a Hobbiest I doubt I will wear it out anytime soon. I looked @ the Festool and for me I could not justify the price. Others may disagree, but As good as this sander works I doubt I gave up much.

[Ed Kilburn]

I love my Bosch 6" duel mode.
http://bosch.cpotools.com/sanders/all_sanders/1250devs.html

[Cody Colston]

I use a 5" DeWalt I got from the bargain bin at Home Depot. I have it hooked up to a small Rigid vacuum I got on sale there. The vacuum is in the attic of my shop with the cord run to a switch that's located at the assembly table.

That set-up is quiet, efficient and cheap. Dust collection is excellent and all for less than $100.

Vibration is no problem, either since I'm a hobbiest woodworker. I read all the time about how one can sand for hours with a Festool sander without fatigue but other than pros, who sands for hours? I never have and don't ever expect to. Even one hour is a long time to be non-stop sanding.

By all accounts, Festool makes some fine tools, but they also have some ridiculously high prices attached to them. Not everyone needs or wants to pay for the "best" when there are many alternatives that are more than adequate at a price point which can make them much more attractive to the consumer.

I think a recommendation on a tool purchase should give the buyer an option of price versus features rather than assuming that the highest priced tool is ultimately the most suitable. YMMV

[Paul Greathouse]

I'm kind of in the middle, I probably use my tools more than the majority of woodworkers but I don't use them as much as the guys that make a living at it. I have killed two ROS so far, an older model Dewalt and an older Porter Cable, neither of which are still made.

I picked up a Bosch last year because of all the good things I've heard about them. I like it alot, the only gripe I have on it is, you have to buy an adapter for it to work with a vacuum. Their new filter works pretty good so I use it for smaller, quicker jobs.

I also have one each of the newer Porter Cable and Dewalts that look almost identical. I think Dewalt recognized a good thing when they purchased Porter Cable and changed their design to match the PC. They both connect to my shop vac. Dust collection is just fine on these sander with my 6.5hp shopvac but not as good with my small shopvac.

Vibration is not a big problem for me, all three of mine vibrate somewhat but not enough to make me not want to use them.

I guess what it boils down to, for me at least, is the sanders I have are adequate for for the amout of work I do now. If I wasn't in the process of outfitting my shop with new stationary tools right now I might spend the extra cash and try a Fesstool ROS. Or, if I were in business to make a living at this I would also be more inclined to try Fesstool.

For someone who is purchasing thier first ROS and dosen't do an extraordinary amount of work I would recommend one of the three that I have. At least later, if you do decide to go the Fesstool route, you will know what you had been missing.

[Burt Waddell]

I currently have Bosch, PC, DeWalt and Makita Random orbit sanders. The bosch tend to be aggressive. The DeWalt is a light sander and great for final finish. The Makita and PC are more middle of the road. Over all the Little Makita 5010 is hard to beat. Normal price is about $70 and they can often be found as refurbs for $39 or less.

One thing to keep in mind is that a "Palm" style is more comfortable for long runs of sanding.

[Al Gustafson]

I have the Ridgid 2610 which is the old model. This model was made by Metabo and is an excellent sander. This thing has excellent dust control and directly fits my Fein Turbo II hose since it is a German made tool. You can still find them reconditioned for under $100. A lot of the older Ridgid tools that people love are made by Metabo.

[Bob Genovesi]

I have a Makita and a Dewalt. I've had the Dewalt fixed twice and since getting it back the second time it sits in the cabinet. The Makita is an incredible sander and will sand circles around the Dewalt.

[Ken Milhinch]

....... I ignore any recommendation in which the writer insists that "you get what you pay for" so you MUST spend big! ;)

Bill,

I agree that everyone should spend according to their own circumstances, but the truism "you get what you pay for" is a truism simply because.....it is generally true.:rolleyes:

[Don Selke]

OK guys, As a seventy year old groupie who happens to like Festool sanders and as a guy who voiced my opinion, I must agree that what ever turns you on, go for it. I have been woodworking for 55 years and still going strong. I started out with nothing more then a piece of sandpaper, a hand saw, hammer and good old plane.
I have used a lot of ROS sanders during my woodworking tenure and have settled on Festool as my tool of choice for ROS sanders. I like the fact that after sanding, my hands no longer tingle from vibration and I am not
experiencing mounds of dust. My Festool tools are a gift from my three sons and my loving wife.
It is just great to have three wonderful groupie sons and a loving groupie wife.

[Pat Germain]

FWIW, I visited a professional woodworker's shop last year where there was a Felder slider and a whole bench full of Festool. He also had a Fein ROS and said it sanded circles around the Festool. So, if you want what seems to be the ultimate random orbit sander... At around $550, it should be.

I'm thinking the Bosch will be the best bet for me.

[Andy Sowers]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses everyone!!!

I tried to summarize all the responses so far in the table below (sorry I didn't include the pneumatic operated models). If a specific model was included, then I included that in each section as well.

102340

What I found interesting was the diversity of the responses across several makes/models. There's also a fair amount of variability among several ww mag reports... yeah... Festool sanders usually fare well, but they don't always take top pick and in some cases, one editor's pick is the other mag's dog tool...:confused:

What I've taken away from all of this is that one can get good results with several ROS models out there. I think for me it will largely come down to how it fits in my hand, ease of connecting to a vacuum, price point, etc.

Personally, I'm intrigued about the new PC390 (esp with the motor brake), but I'll need a bit more investigation before pulling the trigger...

Thanks again everyone!!

[Dewey Torres]

Go to your nearest place that carries the magazine and flip to page 62. They just did a rather comprehensive review of the sanders and categorized them into 'Course' and 'Fine' modes.

Best overall was the Festool ETS/3 EQ ($275)

Best value was a tie between these two:
1) Bosch 3727DEVS ($150)
2) Makita B06040 ($250)

One caveat these were all 6 inch models.

[Dewey Torres]

FWIW, I visited a professional woodworker's shop last year where there was a Felder slider and a whole bench full of Festool. He also had a Fein ROS and said it sanded circles around the Festool. So, if you want what seems to be the ultimate random orbit sander... At around $550, it should be.

I'm thinking the Bosch will be the best bet for me.

Pat,
FWW mag said said the Fein was too aggressive:rolleyes:

Also, (off topic) the new UNI is tentatively priced at $2900:eek: ... guess ya go 4 the Griz!

[Andy Sowers]

I think I've seen most of the recent writeups in the WW'ing magazines:

FWW (2006, not so recent):

Tested: Bosch 1295DVS; Craftsman 279890; DeWalt D26453; Festool 125 EQ-Plus; Klingspor 1893 DVS; Makita BO5012; Porter Cable 333VSK; Ridgid R2600; Ryobi RS 281VS.

Bosch 1295DVS given title of Best overall AND Best Value...

FWW (Tools & Shops 2009):

Tested 6" models: Bosch 1250DEVS, Bosch 3727DEVS, Dewalt 443, Fein MSF 636-1, Festool ETS 150/3, Festool RO150, Makita BO6030, Makita BO6040, Metabo SXE450, Ridgid R2611.

Festool ETS 150/3 listed as Best overall, Bosch 3727DEVS and Makita BO6040 listed as Best Value.

Woodworker's Journal (Aug '08):
Tested: B&D RO410, Bosch ROS20VS, C'man 25927, C'man 27673, C'man 27675, Dewalt D26451K, D26453K, Festool ETS125, Festool RO125, Makita BO5012K, Makita BO5021K, Metabo FSX200, Milwaukee 6021-21, Porter Cable 343VS, Porter Cable 390K, Ridgid R2600, Ryobi RS290, Skil 7490, Triton TCROS

Liked Festool ETS125 & RO125. The PC390 and Bosch ROS20VS listed as close behind. The Bosch ROS20VS named as "Best Bet"

Popular Woodworking (Oct '08):
Tested: Bosch ROS20VSK, Craftsman 11218, Dewalt D26453, Festool ETS125, Hitachi SV13YA, Makita BO5012K, Milwaukee 6021-21, Porter Cable 343SVK, Porter Cable 390, Ridgid R2600

Festool ETS125 was listed as the smoothest to operate but the least aggressive among models tested. The editors choice went to the Ridgid R2600 for overall performance. It was mentioned that the Bosch ROS20VSK was hard to control "almost to the point of being unbalanced"

Wood Magazine (Oct '08):

Can't find my copy right now... but seemed to recall they touted the new PC390.

[Clifford Mescher]

Go to your nearest place that carries the magazine and flip to page 62. They just did a rather comprehensive review of the sanders and categorized them into 'Course' and 'Fine' modes.

Best overall was the Festool ETS/3 EQ ($275)

Best value was a tie between these two:
1) Bosch 3727DEVS ($150)
2) Makita B06040 ($250)

One caveat these were all 6 inch models.
I often get frustrated with the slowness of 150/3 and switch to Makita. Then finish up with the 150/3. Makita is a real workhorse. Clifford.

[Bill Arnold]

... and in some cases, one editor's pick is the other mag's dog tool...:confused: ...
Yep. And, when that happens, it destroys the credibility of both reviewers. That's why I depend on the information from forums such as this. ;)

[Andy Sowers]

Which is precisely why I posed the question here! Nothing like real world experience.

Thanks again all!!!

Andy

[Andy Casiello]

Which is precisely why I posed the question here! Nothing like real world experience.

Thanks again all!!!

Andy


Well, that about wraps it up, folks. How about a big groupie hug! :-) Now where is that Festool dealers list?? :D

[Jim Becker]

Now where is that Festool dealers list??

Fellow Creeker Bob Marino (http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/) is my choice for that one...