Retiring my random orbit sander


TheFatBaron

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My 5" Ridgid sander is finally nearing retirement. It's had a decent life for a few years now. Replacing the brake (prevents gouging, and various other nastiness) used to be a once-every-6-months thing, even with regular use. Now, I'm replacing it on every other use, even after replacing the bearing, the hook & loop pad, and a couple other parts that supposedly cause premature wear. I'll use up the last of my spare parts, but it's time to sent it to the old tool home.

Short of stepping up to a Festool or Mirka, is there anything interesting in the sub-$200 ROS market?

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Makita or bosch are the only sanders I'd buy other than festool or mirka.   I've owned makita, dewalt, bosch, festool and porter cable and to me makita is a cut above the other mass market brands. 

Edited by Guest
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So, when I say that I'm not looking to spend $200 on a sander, the recommendations are mostly for a $195 Festool? Well, it is technically under $200.

I'll check into what Bosch offers. I like my Makita tools, but I remember they had issues with dust collection hookup. Maybe they changed the fitting lately.

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I have an ancient Dewalt ROS that is just great. With a vacuum attached, dust collection is virtually 100%. Never get pigtails. Vibration isn't too bad. I have to replace the velcro pad & the ring shaped friction thingy every few years but that's about it. Oh, except for the switch that likes to turn itself back on if not firmly turned off.

I don't dare even try out a Fesstool or Mirka cause I might realize my trusty Dewalt is really just a POS. Right now I'm one of those guys that just shakes his head when people start going on about FT stuff & I can't afford to change that by trying some of it out.

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I don't dare even try out a Fesstool or Mirka cause I might realize my trusty Dewalt is really just a POS. Right now I'm one of those guys that just shakes his head when people start going on about FT stuff & I can't afford to change that by trying some of it out.

As a fellow Canadian ?? I think it's my responsibility to encourage you to try the Festool ETS150 sander... I have one so I'm sure you would love it.

Us Canadians need to stick together and enjoy our Festool - after all with the exchange rate it feels like they cost almost $10,000 each ?

But seriously, the Festool sanders are great.  Just ask Shaneymack, I think he owns 2 of each model ?

Edited by ChrisG-Canada
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As a fellow Canadian ?? I think it's my responsibility to encourage you to try the Festool ETS150 sander... I have one so I'm sure you would love it.

Us Canadians need to stick together and enjoy our Festool - after all with the exchange rate it feels like they cost almost $10,000 each ?

But seriously, the Festool sanders are great.  Just ask Shaneymack, I think he owns 2 of each model ?

I have pre-ordered the new ets ec 150/5. I will post my experience with it and then you can run out and buy one as well. Let's keep this Canadian economy going! Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk
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I've said it several times before but it's worth repeating: sanding is such a dreadful part of woodworking...anything that makes it any less dreadful is a worthy investment IMO.  What's the difference in cost between a Bosch and an ETS 150/5?  A hundred bucks or so?  Maybe a little more?  And what's a hundred bucks or so over the course of the next ten or twenty years of sanding you'll be doing with your new sander? (That is if your sander lasts that long...the Bosch may or may not, the Festool probably will...another consideration.)

The ETS sanders I think are actually one of the better values in the Festool lineup.  A Festool jigsaw or drill is just money down the toilet if you ask me (and I own one of those so don't blow a gasket Shane)...but a Festool sander is worth bucking up the little extra cash for.  It is not one of those tools that goes far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

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I've said it several times before but it's worth repeating: sanding is such a dreadful part of woodworking...anything that makes it any less dreadful is a worthy investment IMO.  What's the difference in cost between a Bosch and an ETS 150/5?  A hundred bucks or so?  Maybe a little more?  And what's a hundred bucks or so over the course of the next ten or twenty years of sanding you'll be doing?

The ETS sanders I think are actually one of the better values in the Festool lineup.  A Festool jigsaw or drill is just money down the toilet if you ask me (and I own one of those so don't blow a gasket Shane)...but a Festool sander is worth bucking up the little extra cash for.  It is not one of those tools that goes far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

 

I agree completely with the sander comment. It is not a huge price difference to be able to have one of the best sanders out there.

I get your point about the drills but don't necessarily think it is "money down the toilet". Definitely a better product than other drills out there but I don't know if it's worth such a huge price difference for a woodworkers. Construction is another story.

Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk

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I've said it several times before but it's worth repeating: sanding is such a dreadful part of woodworking...anything that makes it any less dreadful is a worthy investment IMO.  What's the difference in cost between a Bosch and an ETS 150/5?  A hundred bucks or so?  Maybe a little more?  And what's a hundred bucks or so over the course of the next ten or twenty years of sanding you'll be doing with your new sander? (That is if your sander lasts that long...the Bosch may or may not, the Festool probably will...another consideration.)

The ETS sanders I think are actually one of the better values in the Festool lineup.  A Festool jigsaw or drill is just money down the toilet if you ask me (and I own one of those so don't blow a gasket Shane)...but a Festool sander is worth bucking up the little extra cash for.  It is not one of those tools that goes far beyond the point of diminishing returns.

Am I mistaken or did I see the 150 for about $350? My Bosch was $50. That's a big enough difference for me to use this for a while. I would like to try the festoool and won't down play the advantages until I do, but that's a lot of scratch. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk
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The Festool 125/3 was the first green I bought at the recommendation of my brother. Having owned many RO sanders in the past, and having owned a DeWalt at the time - Wow! what a difference $100 makes! Almost no vibration, able to be controlled by holding the cord and letting it do its thing across the surface, excellent dust collection... Sold! Make the investment!

 

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Am I mistaken or did I see the 150 for about $350? My Bosch was $50. That's a big enough difference for me to use this for a while. I would like to try the festoool and won't down play the advantages until I do, but that's a lot of scratch. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Well let's at least compare apples to apples.  You can buy a Harbor Freight sander for even less but it's not the same universe.  The difference in price between Bosch's big boy and the ETS150/5 is $145.  Yes you can buy a cheaper model but sacrifices will be made.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1250DEVS-6-Inch-Random-Sander/dp/B0001408SO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1442028580&sr=8-5&keywords=bosch+random+orbit+sander

http://www.amazon.com/Festool-571916-Random-Orbital-Finish/dp/B00JE8VKBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442028664&sr=8-1&keywords=festool+ets+150+5

 

Edit: Well, after looking at that Bosch again I guess it's not actually an apples to apples comparison...looks like their attempt at a Rotex rather than a finish sander...I just picked the most expensive one without reading the details, assuming it would be the closest comparison.

So you're right...you can get the Bosch finish sander for significantly less than a Festool.  I still think it's worth paying any price to make sanding easier and faster.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

 

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Well let's at least compare apples to apples.  You can buy a Harbor Freight sander for even less but it's not the same universe.  The difference in price between Bosch's big boy and the ETS150/5 is $145.  Yes you can buy a cheaper model but sacrifices will be made.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1250DEVS-6-Inch-Random-Sander/dp/B0001408SO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1442028580&sr=8-5&keywords=bosch+random+orbit+sander

http://www.amazon.com/Festool-571916-Random-Orbital-Finish/dp/B00JE8VKBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442028664&sr=8-1&keywords=festool+ets+150+5

 

 

360-245=115 Sent from my SM-P550 using Tapatalk
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  • 2 weeks later...

I recently came across a guy selling a used set of 3 festool sanders on CL.   I think the set included these sanders (not 100% sure though):  DS 400 EQ, RO 150 EQ, and the RO 90 FX EQ.  His prices for other stuff was pretty reasonable, but I was kinda shocked when he asked for $800 for the set.

What do you guys think about buying used sanders? Most of his stuff seemed to be well taken care of, but I still worry about buying used things that take such a heavy beating like hand sanders.

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