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Thread: Considering first festool

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
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    Central Missouri, U.S.
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    1,263
    Brian, have you used mesh discs? Dust collection is excellent.

  2. #77
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Milwaukee WI
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nick Decker View Post
    Brian, have you used mesh discs? Dust collection is excellent.
    Yes. As I think about it, though, they've always been low grit disks. So the dust flying everywhere might have been more about the quantity of material I was removing than the dust collection capabilities. So I probably spoke too fast on that...

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
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    So.............. it’s done. Hopefully this works out to be a good all around starting point. Just ordered the following from Highland Woodworking while the 10% discount was in effect on the extractor. Thanks for all the feedback.


    CT26 Dust Extractor
    Boom Arm Kit
    ETS EC 125/3 EQ Sander
    Abrasive Systainer with 50 granat sample pack

  4. #79
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Milwaukee WI
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    30
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    So.............. it’s done. Hopefully this works out to be a good all around starting point. Just ordered the following from Highland Woodworking while the 10% discount was in effect on the extractor. Thanks for all the feedback.


    CT26 Dust Extractor
    Boom Arm Kit
    ETS EC 125/3 EQ Sander
    Abrasive Systainer with 50 granat sample pack
    Congrats!! You will really, really enjoy using Festool products. Remember to turn the suction down on the vac when using the sander. Otherwise it'll rock and jump all around on you due to the suction.

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    LA & SC neither one is Cali
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    9,447
    Quote Originally Posted by Derek Cohen View Post
    I have not been on the power tool forum that long, having come from the hand tool side. I think that the guys here like tools even more than over there. And they cost a LOT more over here!
    The general power tool forum protocol is to rarely suggest a cheaper alternative, in fact, the accepted answer to what tool to buy is to stretch the OP's budget by exactly 23%, not so much that they ignore the suggestion but just enough so a very short stint in Top Ramen solitary will cover the difference.

    I once quipped "SMC where grown men gather to have their budgets torn asunder like the arm of Grendel at the hands of Beowulf".

    I will admit our Jedi mind tricks are less effective on those that preferred non-tailed tools since we are sometimes talking about a single purchase that would cover a full set of LN planes.


    On a more serious note as I mentioned before there are often tools that are better than Festool (for similar or more money) or very close to Festool for often much less. The advantage Festool has is the system and how everything is designed to work within the system. It is also why Festool is a slippery slope and how the initial purchase may continue to influence future purchases for years.

    The issue of whether it is the archer or the arrow comes up across the internet daily and in general the archer always wins the debate, that said even the best archer would prefer to shoot a modern carbon arrow with +/- .002 inch straightness and sorted in +/- .5 grain batches than one made from a green twig. It is simply up to each archer to decide what arrows work best for them and fit their budget and given for most of us this is a hobby the pleasure of using the purchase can't be diminished.


    To the OP's later question about the RO vs ETS EC models. The RO's (except the 90) are two-handed beasts that are great for fast stock removal but I find them far too unwieldy to comfortably handle normal ROS jobs. I much prefer a 6" ROS to a 5" while the 5" is easier to handle in certain situations the brushless sanders close that gap significantly. One good thing that has not been mentioned is the ETS EC 125 WILL accept the 6" pad so for $50 bucks more you get "two sanders" (note while odd the 150 will NOT work with the 125 pad). I would suggest you also try the 3mm vs 5mm stroke, I get just as good of a scratch pattern with the 5mm as I do with the 3mm and the 5mm is so much faster. All of my brushless ROS are 5mm (or 3/16") stroke for this reason. I do have several 2.5mm 5" sanders but they usually only come out with very high grits when I am essentially polishing film finishes. My suggestion for the most useful Festool brushless sander is the 125/5 and add a 6" pad.
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
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    1,950
    Van, I looked but can’t find a 125/5. Only the 150 seems to come in the 3 and 5 version. I ended up with the 125/3 and will consider the need for the 6” pad after trying it.

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    LA & SC neither one is Cali
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    Van, I looked but can’t find a 125/5. Only the 150 seems to come in the 3 and 5 version. I ended up with the 125/3 and will consider the need for the 6” pad after trying it.
    You are right, they don't make a 125/5, the other brands I have do have 5mm / 3/16" options for their 125mm sanders and I had forgotten that Festool doesn't!
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,678
    Greg, congrats on your purchase! the /3 will work just fine for you I suspect... my 150/3 has been stellar for all these years and i don't ever feel the need for it to be more aggressive. If I really need the /5 orbit, I have my Rotex 105 which in ROS mode provides the /5 action. But that unfortunately also requires two hands to handle it...nature of the Rotex.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  9. #84
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Atlanta
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    1,592
    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    Thanks Brian. So this stuff doesn’t work either? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Diablo-5...H10I/301439866

    Mesh abrasives like SandNet will work fine.

  10. #85
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Northern Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Van Huskey View Post
    You are right, they don't make a 125/5, the other brands I have do have 5mm / 3/16" options for their 125mm sanders and I had forgotten that Festool doesn't!
    IIRC you can swap in a 150/5 pad onto the 125/3

  11. #86
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    LA & SC neither one is Cali
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jared Sankovich View Post
    IIRC you can swap in a 150/5 pad onto the 125/3
    I mentioned that in the earlier post, but you can't put a 125 on the 150 since the 150 has a keyed arbor.

    ets-arbor.jpg
    Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.

    Deep thought for the day:

    Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.

  12. #87
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    1,950
    Thanks. Is the motor and build the same or does the 150 pad put stress on the 125?

  13. #88
    Join Date
    May 2013
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    Northern Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Parrish View Post
    Thanks. Is the motor and build the same or does the 150 pad put stress on the 125?
    Someone on FOG did a parts number comparison and the important parts were identical between them.

  14. #89
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Florida
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jared Sankovich View Post
    Someone on FOG did a parts number comparison and the important parts were identical between them.
    Cool, thanks. The specs looked the same but you never can tell.

  15. #90
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Flower mound, Tx
    Posts
    514
    My two cents:
    The 1010 router is my all-time favorite router.
    The 1400 router is too tall and top heavy and the plunge is not smooth.
    The CT36 vac is ok. I liked my old Fein better.
    Didn’t like the ETS 125 sander. Too weak!
    Never tried a Rotex but they look like awesome sanders especially because the “mode” option.
    For me, the Mirka Cero’s sanders are king. Don’t know if I would say that about the Deros.
    I am a fan of festool and own a bunch of their tools, but I think there are some better options for a few of their tools.
    I have come close to buying a Domino but my Multi-Router can do so much more.

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