I'm convinced on the merits of the Festool sanders and need to replace my dying Makita 5" ROS. I'm not a woodworking professional, just a hobbyist and have managed to get through most projects just using my old ROS and hand sanding. I do wide variety of project sizes.
That said, I'd like to pickup a Festool sander, but reviewing the options I get paralyzed while trying to make a choice. My questions to those that know are simple:
1. If you were to own only 1 Festool sander, which one would it be?
2. Is buying the vacuum system crucial for proper dust extraction (very important to me) or can I simply hook a shop vac to it?
3. Assuming the vacuum is crucial, that introduces another part number choice. Which vac is the best to get?
Thank you in advance.