Tried both and the Mirka wins. The Festool was too bulky ...I I have the 3m which I thought was better than Festool....
[OP]
Contributor
Tried both and the Mirka wins. The Festool was too bulky ...I I have the 3m which I thought was better than Festool....
Contributor
Does the Mirka require a dedicated vacuum?
Member
Interested to know what difference there were to make you choose the Mirka
i am looking to alternatives to Festool, there pricing is just getting too steep for me to justify.
How did dust collection compare?
Can you connect the mirka to the festool vaccuum without any adapters?
Moderator
"How it feels" is very important. There's no bad choice between these two sanders here.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Member
I bought a couple Bosch ROS65VC-5. They were powerful yet vibration free; but were so bulky they were unpleasant to use. I sold them and went back to my PC333.Originally Posted by jack duren
Anyone know how the ROS65VC-5 compare in bulk to the Festool? I would really like to upgrade my sanders.
Member
For finish sanding.... Mirka Deros
For aggressive, course sanding... Rotex 150.
Different animals!
Mirka is compatible w Festool vacs.
Mirka Ceros/Deros sanders are like air sanders...low profile, palm held, very comfortable.
Mirka sanders w abranet discs are virtually dustless.
Mirka’s, like Festool are not cheap.
[OP]
Contributor
Mirka was better on the hands and arms. The Festool was too bulky and difficult to manage... The 3M was close to the Mirka but pneumatic. Mirka $1100 with vac. Salesman said many skip the vac and do shopvac...
Festool lost for production work.
[OP]
Contributor
Mirka felt better..."How it feels" is very important. There's no bad choice between these two sanders here.
Member
Tried them both and in my case Festool won. I'm using a boomarm off the vac. I don't like paddle sanders and the instant off found on the ETS EC 150 works great. Again comes down to comfort. I tried and don't like Mirka Abranet for daily use, especially the price and the ease of ripping. I don't like the pricing of Festool now as I feel its in the stupid zone and really have a hard time justifing any future purchases. To each his own and like Jim said in the long run both sanders work well for sanding. My dealer told me at the time of my decision if going with Mirka that to be happy you should buy 2 of Deros, so you always have one while the other is out being repaired. I know 2 other Mirka dealers that expressed the same thing and only carry the sanders because they want the abrasive line. This was 2 years ago and Mirka may have their act together now.
Member
I came to the same conclusion as John did. I used them both side by side, in all positions for over a week.
The Mirka was slightly smaller, but definitely less power, and not as smooth.
Oh, and if you think Festool is pricey, the Mirka was about $100-120.00 more!
I couldn't stand the paddle switch and pushbutton setup on the Mirka. A paddle works if you only sand horizontal, but I prefer a simple on/off switch for multipositional sanding.
Contributor
Mirka Deros comes with either 2.5 mm or 5.0 mm orbits. Which did you choose? Why?
-- Jim
Use the right tool for the job.
[OP]
Contributor
Hopefully neither. 15 sanders and vacs pretty expensive . Hoping to push.........
[OP]
Contributor
A dozen guys who sand 8hrs a day made this decision. They use pneumatic and the Mirka was the closest...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py0w4PylbGE
Member
Jack it will be interesting hear how they hold up over a couple of years. I can see how the air guys would like the Mirka, how long did each of your guys get to test each sander and curious why an operation like yours would want to move from air to electric. I would assume something like a Kaeser screw compressor, a bunch of dynabrades with dust collection would be a good long term purchase.
Contributor
As your post states, I think your information is a bit out-dated. Mirka had some issues with the Ceros however we have had them for years (bought just after the Ceros issues) and have never had an ounce of trouble out of them. I was not happy when they did away with the Ceros and went to the Deros with the onboard transformer but look forward to getting my hands on one before we add more. If we dont care for the Deros it will either be SufPrep's electrics or the 3M electric version that looks identical to the air model pictured in a previous response.
Last edited by Mark Bolton; 12-31-2017 at 1:06 PM.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote