Comfortable sander leaves a smooth surface

Festool’s new 5-In. dIsk sander, model ETS EC 125/3 EQ, has a brushless motor and a low profile. The sander is comfortable to hold, and the low profile makes it well balanced and less likely to tip during use. The brushless motor delivers more consistent power, so you are less likely to press down excessively, as you might when coarse-sanding, which slows down oscillation speed and makes swirl marks worse. This is a big deal, because swirl marks are the downside of orbital sanders. dust extraction through the eight-hole base pad is very good. The sander has an electronic switch that prevents operation without a vacuum attached. This can be a good thing, because all power sanding works better with dust extraction. However, you can turn off the switch should you find yourself in a situation where you can’t hook up the sander to a vacuum or dust-collection system. don’t have a Festool dust extractor? No worries, Festool hose No. 452879 ($93) allows you to hook into standard shop vacuums.

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