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Thread: Experience with Surfprep or Airvantage RO Sanders

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Mackay, ID
    Posts
    32

    Experience with Surfprep or Airvantage RO Sanders

    Just wondering if anyone has extensive run time with an Airvantage or Surfprep brushless random orbit sander and can comment on reliability compared to the other premium brushless sanders (Festool ETS EC or Mirka Deros). While searching on this forum for information on Airvantage and Surfprep sanders I found that at least two forum members own one or the other. I’ve had a Festool ETS EC150/5 for a little over a year and a half now and it’s going back to Festool for the second time to get failed electronic modules replaced. Last repair was February 2019 and it had less than 10 hours of run time on it since that repair. Just wondering if the Airvantage or Surfprep sanders offer more reliable performance. Also, I noticed that Airvantage offers their brushless sander in 2 versions, one with a separate external power source and one with the power source built in. Wondering if the sander with the external power supply would provide more robust electronics since the electronics don’t have to be reduced down to fit into a self-contained sander.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Mackay, ID
    Posts
    32
    Bill Lyman and Van Huskey, any input/comments on the Airvantage or Surfprep brushless random orbit sanders?

  3. #3
    I'd be interested in reviews too compared to a 5" rotex festool.

    I have the 5" rigid ROS and looking to upgrade.

  4. #4
    We had a Surfprep in the shop to try for a bit. Still on the Mirka Ceros sanders here, luckily ours are stil going strong. The surfprep was great and was on the list for a couple 6" sanders but havent purchased yet. I have two of the 6" Airvantage saved in my cart but havent pulled the pin yet. Have 2 5" Ceros' and love them. Was happy to see companies keeping the small envelope as I didnt want to buy a Deros even though most people really like them.

    My guess is they are likely all rebranded.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Patrick Irish View Post
    I'd be interested in reviews too compared to a 5" rotex festool.

    I have the 5" rigid ROS and looking to upgrade.
    I dont think any of these will compare to a rotex. I would think you'd be in the Bosh/Makita dual mode sander catagory to compare to a rotex. The rotex, and possibly a domino, would be the only two Festool tools that interest me but I bought one of the bosch dual mode sanders and its a horse so was happy not to have to spend the money on the festool.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Seattle, WA
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    152
    Mark,

    Bosch makes an identical model sander to the Festool Rotex, for about half the price.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Ben Grefe View Post
    Mark,

    Bosch makes an identical model sander to the Festool Rotex, for about half the price.
    Right. That's what j said in my post. I have the bosch.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    152
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Bolton View Post
    Right. That's what j said in my post. I have the bosch.
    Re-reading your post, I’m honestly now sure what I saw the first time. Oops.

  9. #9
    Just bumping this one back to the top to see if anyone else has feedback on the Airvantage sanders? The main bearing on my 6 inch Bosch sander seized up yesterday and I am trying to decide if I should rebuild it (again) or buy one of these new brushless sanders.

    To be fair, the Bosch has a LOT of hours on it and has held up great, I just want something lighter if possible.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    San Francisco, CA
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    10,301
    Got links to the sanders you’re considering? The ones I’ve found under those brand names don’t appear to have dust collection. That would be a complete non-starter in my shop.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Got links to the sanders you’re considering? The ones I’ve found under those brand names don’t appear to have dust collection. That would be a complete non-starter in my shop.
    Here you go:

    https://www.airvantagetools.com/prod...entral-vacuum/

    https://www.airvantagetools.com/prod...entral-vacuum/

    There is a seller on ebay and amazon that has some of these listed. I messaged them today, and they don't have all the different models listed for sale, but I can order whatever I want.

    They look really similar to the brushless sanders from Surfprep and 3M, but they are a lot cheaper. I am trying to decide if it is worth the gamble. I thought someone on here had ordered a couple of these sanders in the past, and I was hoping for some real-world feedback.

  12. #12
    We use SurfPrep pneumatic 3x4’s at work and they are excellent especially with the flexible pads and abrasives for sanding profiles in cabinet doors and moulding. I would imagine their orbitals to be of good quality as well. I personally love our Festool RO sanders but the duel mode Bosch is great too. If you are building any cabinetry or furniture the Rotex or Bosch duel mode sanders are pretty much the most important thing to have because of the time they save.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
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    Van Huskey has played with a number of these, but I think he fell off the Creek’s deep end again - haven’t heard from him in a while.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Mackay, ID
    Posts
    32
    After I started this thread I ended up purchasing a Surfprep sander. I had to move forward with the purchase since my recently repaired Festool ETS EC150/5 was again malfunctioning and I needed a sander while the Festool was back to Festool for repairs (for the third time). I really like the Surfprep. I bought the model with the external power supply and really like the compact size of the sander. It has much the same feel as the older Mirka Ceros. So far it has been far more dependable than the Festool. I did have one malfunction with it and contacted the seller. He had me send in the old unit (head only not the power supply) and sent me a new unit to use while my old one was being repaired so that there was little impact to the work I had going on in the shop. Shipping was free on the backup unit as well as the one I sent in for repairs. Best of all, the seller told me to keep the backup unit at no charge in case I ever needed a backup in the future. The repaired unit was returned promptly and works fine now. I couldn't ask for any better customer service on the Surfprep. The Festool sander that I returned for repairs was replaced with a new unit instead of being repaired for a third time. I can't really fault Festool customer service although I would have preferred not having to use their service so frequently. Each time I sent it back there was a 3 week turnaround for repairs during which time any sanding was shut down in my shop.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    West Lafayette, IN
    Posts
    6,527
    That’s good to hear about the surfprep. I’ll keep them in mind. Thanks for sharing.

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