Originally Posted by
Derek Cohen
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.