Hello, <!—-><!—-><!—->
I’m thinking of purchasing a Random Orbit Sander. I’m looking at the Dewalt D26453 , Ridgid R2600 and the Porter Cable 343. <!—-> <!—->
Is variable speed a plus?<!—-><!—->
I was also hoping to use the adhesive type discs if possible but it’s not completely necessary<!—-><!—->
I was hoping someone may have some insight or a recommended review on these sanders or others. <!—-><!—->
thanks, <!—-><!—->
Doug <!—-><!—->
Replies
I'm not sure of the model numbers, but I used a Makita 5" ROS for several years and now have a DeWalt. I went to the DeWalt because I could connect it to my dust collection system. I'm not sure if variable speed would be real beneficial.
I like the hook and loop paper attachment. Changing paper is quick and I don't have to deal with adhesive residue.
I echo the hook and loop suggestion. It's easy to change grits and then reuse a near-new sheet.
I personally like my PC but I haven't tried the others. A hook-up to a shop vac is a must. Look for a combo which automatically starts the vac when the ROS is turned on.
Frosty
The dust collection can be as important as the sander choice.
Fein, Festool, Alto/Wap all offer vacuums with auto-start.
All 3 are European brands, better designed and more expensive than the
Shop Vacs and Craftsmans for a market where things are expected to last a very long time. Their hoses generally will not directly match an American-brand sander. Of the 3, Festool has the best features for woodworking (available boom arm, onboard storage, available support for air tools).If all you want is a cheap ROS I have a Rigid with variable speed that I like o.k.
FWW did a review not long ago that you can look up.
It sounds as though you think that all I want is a "cheap" sander. I entered the discussion because no one had mentioned dust collection up to that point.I have a Festool vac, a Festool Rotex and my PC ROS. I hook both to the Festool vac, though the PC needs to have the hose connection "reinforced" with masking tape. The dust cannisters which come with the sanders do that: they just collect dust sitting on the shelf. They are near worthless.A note of caution: My Rotex used to jump all over the place while in use. I could not control it while trying to create a uniform sanding pattern. After many conversations with Festool we had a "Bingo! moment". I had been using the Rotex with the vac suction turned to Max. Once it was lowered - no more problems.Frosty
Look at the Festool. I have the 5" random orbit sander ES125.
Works great the hobbyist wood worker. Connected to the Festool vacuum, it collects most of the duct.
Check out http://www.festoolusa.com I have bought from http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/ Bob is very knowledgeable.
Good luck, Eric
I've had a PC 333 variable speed for several years. It has a built-in 'dust collector' that is only marginally effective (like most such from my experience), but when connected to a vac (I have the little Fein) it does an excellant job.
I have found the variable speed aspect useful, especially on non-flat/narrow surfaces. The H&L type discs seem 'handier' than the stick-on, tho I have only limited experience with the latter.
I have an older right angle style Dewalt with the adhisive disks. The pluses variable speed (I will admit that I use it on full most of the time) and low vibration. The minuses are the adhisive disk pad means that the disks are hard to re-use. The dust collection hook-up is not that great and dust gets into the on-off switch and I have to take it apart and clean it out. Anyway if I ever kill it I will buy a festool right angle model, I tried one out this weekend at a demo and was impressed, although it vibrated a little more than the dewalt.
Good luck
Troy
Troy,
The Festool right-angle sanders are terrific. They call them Rotex, and I've owned two of them, the older model and the newer one.As others have said, dust collection is nearly flawless with the Festool sanders. You get very close to 100% dust pick-up. Also, the Festool dust collectors (they call them "dust extractors") are also terrific. They go on and off with the tool, and it's so easy to change bags with no mess.One of the main selling points of the Festool sanders is really low vibration. This is one of the original reasons I bought my first Festool sander. I was tierd of the "numb hand syndrome" from sanding. Festool takes care of that!So I'm curious about the vibration you experienced with the Festool.
The vibration was more of a seat of the pants thing, I was trying a sander out at a festool rotex (the newest one) demo and mentally comparing it to my dewalt 443 that I had at home and thought that the handle on the side buzzed a little bit more than mine, that being said it did seem to sand much quicker than my Dewalt. As I said before when my Sears Vac dies (I am trying hard to kill it) I will by a festool vac and the same goes for the sander.Troy
Troy,
I see...The most important thing about the Festool sanders is learning not to push them. Let the weight of the sander do the work. It took me a little while to accept this and do it. But when you learn to trust that, everything works better. This also lowers the fatigue level.Now, let's see...what's the best way to kill your Sears vacuum?
Edited 11/17/2006 11:45 am ET by MatthewSchenker
I've used a dewalt 5" for years and sanded acres of wood with it. I have a number of dewalt and black and decker (predecessor company) tools and they've all worked relatively well. However, every one of these tools had badly degraded cords that had to be replaced within 5 years or so. It's ridiculous to make a good tool and save a few cents on a substandard cord.
I noticed the same thing on my elu router and the dewalt sandersTroy
I had 400 middle schoolers per year use the PC #334 5" single speeds with great success. I used the adhesive backed paper and by using more than one sander did not have to keep changing grits.
I personally own a PC 334 and find that I can remove the adhesive back paper and reuse it a few times if I'm careful. Don't leave it on the sander too long after use - harder to remove. I also own a PC #7335 5" , so I can switch between two grits without changing paper. The #7335 is more aggressive - very good with the coarser grits.
The adhesive backed paper is about half the cost of hook and loop paper.
I bought the Craftsman vacs that hook to the sander and turn on when the sander is switched on. My own vac is identical but for the Home Depot "Ridgid" brand and colors. Not sure the vacs are still available, but you can buy a switch system from Sears for +/- $19 that will let any vac do the same thing. Well worth the investment.
doug07
Look at Mikita when last tested they were the best.. quiet, smooth and fast..
Use hook and loop don't be a fool.. glue on is a pain!
I like the Ridgid, and I have never used the speed adjustment on any of my sanders (except the belt sander) I just keep them on high.
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
I have a Porter Cable with dust canister, variable speed, and hook and loop.
Dust canister--near worthless. I need to buy vacuum attachments.
Variable speed--Usually on high, but I do slow it down at times for fine detail sanding.
Hook and loop--Allows me to swap back and forth between grits without fretting about whether I am wearing out paper before loosing adhesive qualities. H&L may be twice as expensive as PSA, but sandpaper costs are such a small portion of the overall cost of a project that I figure that cost savings of a dollar or two on sandpaper is a silly waste of energy. I work wood for fun and find that I'm not having must fun if I have to fret that much. Buy H&L unless you really must penny pinch that much.
Garrick,
I have both hook and loop and glue on. I used glue on when I do body work on cars because I know that I will wear out a disk and replace it. I use hook and loop for working with wood because I will frequently remove it to go to another grit long before it wears out. In the end it's cheaper to use hook and loop because you don't have a lot of sawdust stuck to the glue which makes the disk worthless. You wind up tossing out a lot less..
Garrick, If your Porter Cable is not giving you good dust extraction, open it up and check the internal vanes. They may be clogged. I get very good to excellent dust collection without a vacuum (although a vacuum does improve the efficiency). But the vanes can become clogged depending on grit and type of wood, and then there's no dust collection, even with a vacuum. Rich
Hi Doug07,
I have the Rigid 2600 5" orbital sander. The unit itself works great but after only 6 months the hook and loop pad needs replacing. I have used the sander on 7 projects and I was surprised that the sanding discs lately refuse to stick. Placing the sanding disc on the sander is easy but the minute I start up the sander the dics takes off like a frisbee! I have tried different sandpaper suppliers but I have concluded that the unit is at fault and not the sandpaper disc.
I have been careful to clean the hook and loop disc after each project and I never rest the sander on the pad itself between jobs, but even with these precautions, I have had to replace the Rigid hook and loop disc pad.
Love the sander - but I am frustrated with having to replace the hook and loop pad after only 6 months of use.
I wonder if other people have had this problem with the Rigid 2600 5" orbital sander?
Good luck with your quest for the right tool!
Bob
Bob
You know Doug, if you read the articles on this Fine (pun intended) WoodWorking site, it says the bosch removed material the fastest. I know that is only 1 critera. I started with a Makita, and I like it a lot. The next one I get will be the one that gets the job done the quickest.
I've had the PC 333 VS fro about 4 years and have never touched the variable speed. That's not to say it isn't useful.....I've just never adjusted the speed. I have it hooked up to my shop vac with a 15 ft. hose and it works great.
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