Variable speed or not on ROS?


chopnhack

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What are your opinions on random orbital sanders?

 

I am looking for one that will be used almost exclusively with a shop vac so I am thinking to stay away from variable speed models as I read a few reviews that complain of the units dying prematurely. The reviewers speculated that it was from static electricity, but other reviews and sources say that the dust eventually makes its way into the more sensitive electronics and that's what gets them.

 

What do you think?

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My last variable speed ros was a dewalt and it only lasted six years. Then it was stolen off the job site. I used it every single day, either in the shop or on the job site. I bought it for the price and figured that if it didn't last but a couple years, I would get my money's worth.

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Interesting and varied results!

The higher end tools are out of the running - no Mirka :-O ! The Festool would be pushing the budget envelope on a ROS purchase too. 

I think I might be best served by a dual orbit model, fast stock removal and fine sanding ability. I doubt that there are many models that offer dual orbit, I will start searching there.

 

 

Anyone have a dual orbit? Any input on that? Make and model and likes dislikes would be really helpful! Thanks :-)

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PC low profiles are good and affordable.

I second this.

The 390 imo is the best of the affordable sanders and can be had for under $100. If people are burning up electronics, i think it would be much more likely to be because the vac they are using is to strong and thus always has the sander under load.

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I second this.

The 390 imo is the best of the affordable sanders and can be had for under $100. If people are burning up electronics, i think it would be much more likely to be because the vac they are using is to strong and thus always has the sander under load.

 

That is an interesting thought about the suction causing too much down force on the pad. I wonder if that would be different using the dust collector as it provides more flow, but less suction. I like the 390's price tag!

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==> PC low profiles are good and affordable.

+1

 

My value-line sanders are PC low-profiles... I believe the're about $115 for the kit (390K) or $75 for the bare tool (390).  I've used a lot of sanders, and the PC LPs are about the best 'value' sander around... Are they as smooth as a Mirka Air, Dynabride, CEROS, or FT?  Nope; but the're not $400 either...

 

In short: At their price point, they perform quite well...

 

==> suction causing too much down force on the pad

The Mirka, Fein, FT shop vacs have a variable speed control for exactly this reason... Folks that don't have a variable vac have developed some great DIY solutions... If you search WTO, you'll find several solutions.

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==> PC low profiles are good and affordable.

+1

 

My value-line sanders are PC low-profiles... I believe there about $115 -- I've used a lot of sanders, and the PC LPs are about the best 'value' sander around... Are they as smooth as a Mirka Air, Dynabride, CEROS, or FT -- nope... But at their price point, they perform quite well...

 

==> suction causing too much down force on the pad

The Mirka, Fein, FT shop vacs have a variable speed control for exactly this reason... Folks that don't have a variable vac have developed some great DIY solutions... If you search WTO, you'll find some great ideas that will help with this problem.

Currently to be had for $79 - I think I will pull the trigger on this one :-)

 

Variable vac? hmm.... possible to use my DC with a partially opened blast gate to reduce suction? I will do a search.

 

Thanks all :-)

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+1 on the suction issue, especially if you are using it with a shopvac. My ROS seemed to leave a lot of swirl marks - frustrating. Advice here on WTO was to modify it to reduce the suction, which I did by drilling a series of 3/8" holes around the adapter from the vac hose to the sander. Made a world of difference in the performance and dust collection is still excellent.

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I got this http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=ROS20VSK8 years ago and the electronics are still working as new. I used it along the dewalt for many years and the bosch vibrates differently than the dewalt. Almost feels like it has more power but is not as aggressive as the dewalt. I found my larger than normal hands becoming fatigued on the dewalt so i always pick up the bosch instead.

Once every two years or so, i'll take the whole thing apart and remove dust and debris that has built up inside. For $70 it has more than paid for itself. I hook it up to my rigid shopvac with a dust deputy using the 1.5" hose and it grabs about 95% of the dust ( picks up finer particles better than larger particles). I wrapped electrical tape around the male fittings to create a nice twist-on grip. I've had no suction or swirl issues with my bosch except when i was skipping grits or had debris jammed in the sand paper. I've been using ceramic sanding disks for most applications.

I use the bosch for all of my work and about 3/4 of it is reclaimed wood cleaning. Sand, dirt, paint, and splinters are the bulk of what i tackle with the bosch. I have gone through 18 of the hook and loop pads which are about $12 ea. online. The sander just keeps going so i keep buying the pads.

I read a post a while back from particle board who bought the PC's as a temporary solution and they ended up working very well for him.

Sent from my thumbs

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That is awesome Steve, I just can't justify for hobby level work the need for a Festool product. That is cool that you have gotten so much use out of your unit, but mine will spend more time idle than in use.

 

Thanks again for the suggestion Dan. I didn't like the reviews on Amazon, but your personal experience with the product and your work around seems like it would have alleviated the problem for the folks that posted negative reviews on Amazon! Many thanks and I did pick one up yesterday along with a 5 grit pack of Mirka discs. Maybe I can retire my hand paddle or at least use it less :-)

 

Damn Spencer!! 18 h&l pads - more than 2 a year that is impressive!!! Good tip on breaking down the unit and cleaning it out, I will have to keep that in mind, thanks!

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Wow, that sucks! I read all I could on the Ridgid and was surprised to see the poor reviews in light of their other excellent tools...

Yup, Ridgid has changed a lot. I have their TS3650, and it is incredible. I have had it for at least 8 years, and it still performs like a champ. I also have the tp1300, which is an awesome planer, and have had it for almost as long as the table saw. Most of their newer line up of tools are made cheaply and are almost disposable, at least from my experience and use.

Check out my thread on the issue I had with the sander. Do a search for ridgid sander and you should get it. Also, if you are so inclined, head over to ridgidforum.com and check out what others are saying. I have been a member of that forum for over 10 years, and have read A LOT of complaints about their newer products and customer service issues. I will not buy any of their newer machines, unless they go back to their previous quality. They are very close to ryobi now, and I demand more of my tools than they provide.

I sold a ridgid belt sander on kijiji a while back, and the guy buying it said he would not even consider their new belt sander and had been looking for the older model for some time.

I have some other ridgid tools that I quite like, but again, they are not newer models. I have the 23 guage pin nailer, as well as the brad and finish nailers, which are quite good and I would recommend. Not sure if the new guns are the same or not. Fortunately, homedepot has a good return policy and you can try before you totally commit.

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Yup, Ridgid has changed a lot. I have their TS3650, and it is incredible. I have had it for at least 8 years, and it still performs like a champ. I also have the tp1300, which is an awesome planer, and have had it for almost as long as the table saw. Most of their newer line up of tools are made cheaply and are almost disposable, at least from my experience and use.

Check out my thread on the issue I had with the sander. Do a search for ridgid sander and you should get it. Also, if you are so inclined, head over to ridgidforum.com and check out what others are saying. I have been a member of that forum for over 10 years, and have read A LOT of complaints about their newer products and customer service issues. I will not buy any of their newer machines, unless they go back to their previous quality. They are very close to ryobi now, and I demand more of my tools than they provide.

I sold a ridgid belt sander on kijiji a while back, and the guy buying it said he would not even consider their new belt sander and had been looking for the older model for some time.

I have some other ridgid tools that I quite like, but again, they are not newer models. I have the 23 guage pin nailer, as well as the brad and finish nailers, which are quite good and I would recommend. Not sure if the new guns are the same or not. Fortunately, homedepot has a good return policy and you can try before you totally commit.

Oh, no!!!! I was really interested in getting there oscillating spindle sander!! If they skimped out on their entire line up, its possible that the oss suffered somewhere too...

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Oh, no!!!! I was really interested in getting there oscillating spindle sander!! If they skimped out on their entire line up, its possible that the oss suffered somewhere too...

The OSS is from there old lineup and consistently gets great reviews. I would do a bit of homework first and make sure they haven't "updated" the model first. If they haven't, I would go for it.

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