Help me choose new ROS-please

[Frank Pratt]

If I ask for advice on a tool purchase and list my desired features, I would hope that the suggestions were all over the map, icluding suggestions that are far outside my stated parameters. Otherwise, I may never learn of other great products with features that may have been overlooked.

[Mark Bolton]

Well..........................not really. $319 is more that $200

Irregardless of the OP, anyone (well maybe not anyone, but anyone with some future foresight) would see that $200 for the Festool, plus whatever sanders one lumbers through prior to.. equals the 300+ number. Thats been my repeated point. We all lumber through with "this will be ok for what I do", etc.. only to find we soon have a pile of sanders in the drawer that likely cost $1000.00+ when we supposedly only had $xx to spend. I could snap you a photo of the sander cab in the shop. Its sick.

Convenient place to come from (and I still have a long way to go) but I would hope to save someone a stubbed toe or a pile of long ball cash if it were possible. A long standing mantra in my life has been to learn from others mistakes and not fight to have to learn them for myself. Call me an idiot.

Likely not the OP, but information is information. If you seek to control/constrain information I guess you should be looking to a future in politics or something but you wont find me in your camp. Free flow of information is imperative to growth whether hobby or otherwise.

By that same token I could make a case that the Mirka on which your sander was copied, uh, I mean based would be a considerable option too.

Again, these are not "my sanders". These are not even "my preferred sanders". I would much prefer more of the original Mirka Cero's we are currently running for perhaps 6-7 years though they have been discontinued for the Deros which, for the tail heavy reason you mention (though many I know personally love them) we have not purchased. You need to get your facts straight or learn to not speak of that which you have no knowledge. The Air Vantage envelope (which I believe the Mirka Ceros' we currently have were the initial incantation though made by whom I have no care nor idea) is far and away the most compact and balanced envelope out there (hence the unanimous comparison to the industry standard... Dynabrade). I would much rather prefer the Mirka for many of the reasons you mention. That said, the Mirka's were a $500-$650 sander (very painful). No different than Festool, you cover your 100% satisfaction policy by burying it in the cost of goods.

Again, as Ive said, if the Mirka Cero's were the option at 500-600 it would be off the table and even brutal for a small shop like mine. But at 319, game changer.

I have no idea what AirVantage's customer satisfaction policy is but in this day and age pretty much everyones customer satisfaction policy is Amazons customer satisfaction policy and if the vendor doesnt like it tough luck they will eat it, or Amazon will. So that would be the least of my concern. Order one and run it for a job and return it and you'd likely get a full refund. Heck people buy and wear shoes, clothes, underwear, and return it. Im not sure what your concern would be but I really dont care.

I feel for you man... Its a lonely life beating yourself against the rocks. Dont know how you guys do it. Order a couple extra bottles of tum's on your next Amazon... Gosh,.. and Im the grumpy one lol. Its done dude.. If you want to control the free flow of information go get a job at F*x News.