Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Jun 24, 2011 06:18pm | #1

   Have you ever used an RO sander of any brand? Festool makes some very nice tools but an RO is an RO regardless. It isn't the same as a beltsander. Although they can remove a lot of stock, there isn't a flat platten to guide keeping things flat. You can easily get an undulating surface with an RO if you try to accomplish the same things a beltsander can do. You still need a beltsander for a lot of things. There are a lot of folks that are scared of beltsanders because they can't control them but those with experience wouldn't want to give them up.

   I recently bought a new Porter Cable 4x24, variable speed, much quieter than older models, actually has great dust collection with only the bag. For the price of a Festool RO, you can have a new 4x24 and a good RO as well as plenty left over for belts and disks and maybe a dinner out.

1. 
   JPFWoodworking | Jun 25, 2011 06:59am | #4

   And here i thought they stop making the 4 X 24. I have had mine for years and it has never let me down so I might follow-up with your suggestion about another brand name RO and a new PC 4 X 24. Dinner out certainly sounds pretty nice. But what to do with the gift certifcate to Woodcraft?  Thank you for the great response, it is much appreciated!

1. 
   hammer1 | Jun 25, 2011 08:44am | #5

   I think the PC 4x24 belt still sets the industry standard. I bought mine at Rockler on sale, they don't let you use gift certificates on sale items, what's up with that? The PC right angle RO sanders are also top quality but I would stay away from the 333 small RO.

2. 
   hammer1 | Jun 28, 2011 08:29am | #11

   With a name like JPFWoodworking, I would think the OP was in the business. Sanding a little block of wood is a whole different matter than what a full time shop normally faces on a daily basis. Flattening 40 Lft. of glued up hard maple counter tops with a 6" RO or handplanes? That's like taking a knife to a gun fight. No thanks. I'll use the belt and then grab the RO.

2. 
   BruceS | Jun 24, 2011 10:15pm | #2

   belt or festool

   I have an older 3x21 PC  belt sander and hardly ever use any more.   At work I sell and get to use all of the Festool products,  and I really love them.    And I would much rather use the 6" RO's than any belt sander.   The standard Pad on the Festools is hard enough to easily sand anything flat,  especially the 6"ers.    The Rotex can be pretty aggressive if in the lock rotor mode  and a bit tippy(heavy) on the handle end.   But the ETS 150 is very well ballanced and sits and sands VERY flat.   I sanded my whole dining room floor with one and was more than satisfied with the results. And had absolutely NO DUST by having it hooked up to my Festool CT26

   I would suggest that you go to your local Festool dealer and take your sander and compare it to a Festool 6"  RO,  I know the outcome of the comparison,  try to prove me wrong.  DOUBLE DOG DARE YA   ;-)

   I'll trade you my seldom used PC 3x21  for a Festool ETS150

1. 
   JPFWoodworking | Jun 25, 2011 06:55am | #3

   Thank You

   I am moving into the retirement mode and was recently given a pretty generous gift certificate to Woodcraft, thus the idea about what to purchse for my shop. I am encouraged by your response about the Festool RO and will make it a point to see a demonstration some time soon. Of course I am also considering the Kapex Miter Saw which is certainly a major investment. I get pretty good results from my 12"  Dewalt Miter Saw but I was really impressed with the Kapex. Thanks again for the response!

3. 
   bones | Jun 25, 2011 11:28am | #6

   wrong forum for your question

   If you want the scoop on festool stuff you should go to the FOG (festool owners group) and post your problem statement there.  There are tons of pro's there that will tell you strait up if and how they handle those situations.   I too have a lot of festools.  They are great.  I don't have the RO series (yet) I have the ETS 150 and it's the go to sander for me and all around.  I use the stiff head for flatening and it does a great job.   If you have festools definately register over  there if you are not already a memeber.  

1. 
   JPFWoodworking | Jul 01, 2011 03:07pm | #12

   This was a great suggestion- Thanks for the advice!

4. 
   roc | Jun 25, 2011 08:22pm | #7

   Be interesting to do a side by side dust weigh in after an hour

   of use.  Disc verses belt , I bet the belt would win.  Hmmmm

   If you decide to go with another belt sander I would recommend this guy

   http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-1276D-4-Inch-24-Inch-Sander/dp/B00004SUOR/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1309047603&sr=1-3

   Interesting it is out of stock.  I wonder what Bosch is making now.

   I looked long and hard at big belt sanders and kept coming back to the Bosch.  Better ergonomics, better balance, better handles.

   I like the idea of Porter Cable tools but I have returned other PCs after I tried another brand . . . for instance :

   I have a Milwaukee handheld bandsaw instead of the PC

   I have a DeWalt top of the line saber saw.  Sold my PC days after I bought it.  It wasn't bad, just not as good as the DeWalt.

   I have a Milwaukee half sheet sander after trying the PC

   I do love my high speed PC 1/4 drill.

    

5. 
   shofestoolusa | Jun 27, 2011 09:07pm | #8

   Flat surfaces with the Festool Rotex sander

   Hello, my name is Shane Holland and I'm an employee of Festool USA. I saw your post and wanted to offer some feedback. The Rotex sanders are very capable of providing flat surfaces. We would recommend that you purchase the optional hard pad (496149 for RO 150, 492127 for the RO 125) to achieve the best results for a flat surface and ultra-sharp corners. The hard pad has little or no "give" which means the pad does not conform to subtle undulations in the surface. The pad which comes with the sander is a general purpose soft pad which will work great for most applications. It has more "give" or sponginess so it will conform better to subtle profiles and details in the surface. There's also an interface pad which can be used with either sander to conform to convex, concave and rounded surfaces.

   The Rotex's aggressive, gear-driven mode will perform as well, if not better than, belt sanders. You'll have better control and the added benefit of being able to switch to a random orbit mode. You can take hardwoods from rough sawn to polish (4000 grit) in literally less than 5 minutes progressing through the grits with the Rotex. See video for a demonstration of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfM7-CbfipI - do that with your belt sander. :P

   If you're unsure, get one and give it a try. If you're not satisfied, take advantage of our no-hassle, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee within 30 days of purchase.

   If you have any additional questions, please feel to give us a call at 888-337-8600 on M-F from 8a-5p ET or you can email me directly at [email protected].

   Thanks.

   Shane Holland

   Festool USA

1. 
   roc | Jun 27, 2011 10:34pm | #10

   Well the Spam filter is working EXTRA well tonight

   Sorry for the double post

   > Rotex Video<

   I enjoy playing the other end of things. I am sure it is a nice sander.  However I could not help thinking while I watched that I could have  achieved a better finish that would have been even more flat using three hand planes.

   Achieved it in less time  ( keeping in mind the first 80 grit sanding wasn't shown in the video) and  achieved it without all the noise. After all, that was one little hunk of wood. ( I use my sanders mostly on metal ).

6. 
   roc | Jun 27, 2011 10:23pm | #9

   Rotex Video

   I enjoy playing the other end of things. I am sure it is a nice sander.  However I could not help thinking while I watched that I could have  archived a better finish that would have been even more flat using three hand planes.

   Achieved it in less time  ( keeping in mind the first 80 grit sanding wasn't shown in the video) and  achieved it without all the noise. After all, that was one little hunk of wood. ( I use my sanders mostly on metal ).