Mirka Deros, or air-driven ROS?

[Joe Craven]

So I am at a crossroad and I need some advice.

First, my 5" Makita ROS died last night after many years of faithful service.

Second, I hate sanding and want to fulfill this need with the most efficient tool going forward.

Third, I currently have a small compressor, and have mid-/long-term plans to buy something in the 60-80 gallon range to serve as my woodshop continues to grow.

Fourth, eventually I plan to have plans to purchase a dual-drum or (smaller) wide belt sander, and probably a disc/belt sander for edge work. So I hope to be using ROS much less going forward, but I still want efficiency when I need it.

So, do I spend $600 on a Deros, or do I spend $1500 on a new compressor and ~$200 on a good air-driven ROS w/ dust collection capability? If the Deros or something similar is just way better than air-driven solutions, then that's what I want to do.

I'd appreciate any input from anyone who has experience w/ both (or similar) platforms.

TIA,
Joe

[John Sincerbeaux]

I have two Ceros sanders and love them.
Air sanders consume a ton of air. As you say, you will need the bigger compressor which will need 220 a/c and will be a bit noisy. I run my Ceros sanders hooked to my festool vac so I get the power and vac from one quite source. I am in the market for a 60 gal compressor now but don't plan to use it for sanders.

[David Kumm]

I love my dynabrade air sanders but you need a true 5 hp compressor capable of at least 17 cfm actual. If you live in a humid area, you may also need a dryer to go with it. I'm not trying to talk you out of air but a typical HD, Lowes, fast speed aluminum block compressor won't really fill the bill here. Quincy QR, Saylor Beall, Champion, Curtis- 2-3K for new. you can get great used compressors for < 1000 if you look though. Dave

[Martin Wasner]

Yep, as Dave says, air sanders take a ton of air and a line dryer is basically a requirement. I've got a 5hp two stage and it keeps up with one okay. Two dynabrades is pretty much not an option but in short bursts of use.

I switched to the Ceros in the shop earlier this year, great units, but they are aggressive. If I'm sanding something picky like walnut I usually grab a Dynabrade since they are less prone to swirls with the abrasives I use. The main reason for the switch was I need a new compressor and they allowed me to hold off blowing $25k on a new one for a while.

[John Sincerbeaux]

Yep, as Dave says, air sanders take a ton of air and a line dryer is basically a requirement. I've got a 5hp two stage and it keeps up with one okay. Two dynabrades is pretty much not an option but in short bursts of use.

I switched to the Ceros in the shop earlier this year, great units, but they are aggressive. If I'm sanding something picky like walnut I usually grab a Dynabrade since they are less prone to swirls with the abrasives I use. The main reason for the switch was I need a new compressor and they allowed me to hold off blowing $25k on a new one for a while.

25k for a new compressor?

[Larry Copas]

I love my Dynabrade and would really hate switching to anything else. It doesn't leave any swirls, never gets hot, and is easy to hold even on vertical surfaces. I have air assisted dust collection but its not all that good. I give it an assist with the shop vac and it gets everything.

It does take a lot of air and I run it with a 10 HP 120 gallon Champion. Doesn't even breath hard and I run it at its slowest operating speed. It was an auction find and I don't have much in it. No idea what the operating cost is to compare to anything else.

[Peter Quinn]

We went through this last year at work. We need 2-3 sanders running simultaneously for production, could probably use more capacity at times. The old electric ROS's were shot, and left too many swirls. Air sanders are the defacto standard fro professionals, but you need big air capacity for that, for us that meant a solid $5k upgrade minimum (compressor that can push 30CFM's, air dryer, etc.) which may have made sense long term but wasn't available in the short term. So they got two ceros sanders. They have been great, nobody wants to even consider going back to a basic electric ROS, the sanding quality is excellent, so far they have been very durable even under heavy use. In a single user shop you might get by with a large 5HP compressor and emptying the tank frequently and a desicator inline, so a bit cheaper, but if you really do a lot of sanding you need a real 17CFM machine, pretty much 7Hp two stage or a small screw jack....and thats going to cost more than $1k.

Another nice thing about the ceros is you can take it with you. I like using a dynabrade but don't really feel shorted with these excellent mirka sanders. I haven't tried the deros so thats an unknown for me.

[Martin Wasner]

25k for a new compressor?

25hp with line dryer and filters. Yep. A CNC needs constant clean air, a dynabrade needs 15.4cfm, then there's everything else in the shop that gobbles compressed air. Door clamps, cut off saws, copers, etc I don't have the cnc yet, but trying to get things in place for it.

[mreza Salav]

If the cost of electricity you use matters, one (air) consumes a LOT more electricity. A 5-10HP compressor vs a small motor on a handheld sander.

[Terry Therneau]

Just a note that Festool has recently introduced a brushless sander that looks very similar to the Ceros. I know no particulars about it, but competition is always good. I have a ceros connected to a Fein vac and am happy with it. (For those $ and given that I'm only a hobbiest, I'd better be happy, cause I'm not changing anytime soon!)

Terry T.

[Joe Craven]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I decided to go w/ the Deros. When I realized that there was a huge gap between what I needed for sanding vs. everything else, it didn't make sense to invest in a 20-CFM compressor. My mother-in-law is a Fin, so at least she'll be happy.

[Martin Wasner]

If you don't mind me asking, why did you go with the Deros over the Ceros?

[Joe Calhoon]

We used to use air ROS back when I had a few employees. They will kill 5 -7hp 2 stage compressors in short order. The worst thing without a dryer and if your compressor goes dirty it will play major havoc with any stationary tool connected to the air line. WBS, clamps, boring machines, CNC etc. We finally upgraded to a Kasser but about the same time discovered the Festool sander with the vac. We rarely use the air sander anymore or the downdraft table.

I have heard good things about Mirka and will probably go that way when the Festool wears out.

[Peter Quinn]

We used to use air ROS back when I had a few employees. They will kill 5 -7hp 2 stage compressors in short order. The worst thing without a dryer and if your compressor goes dirty it will play major havoc with any stationary tool connected to the air line. WBS, clamps, boring machines, CNC etc. We finally upgraded to a Kasser but about the same time discovered the Festool sander with the vac. We rarely use the air sander anymore or the downdraft table.

I have heard good things about Mirka and will probably go that way when the Festool wears out.

i love my festool sanders Joe, use them at home exclusively, but IMO the ciros is night and day difference versus the basic electric festool sanders. Ceros behaves much more like an air sander, cuts quicker if desired, extraction is decent, less vibration, comfortable size and weight with paddle switch like a pneumatic. Definetly worth a test drive. Deros looks very similar but no box to drag around.

[guy knight]

looked into ceros and found way to many reviews stating how they break down mainly when used in a commercial shop i would do some searching on that subject before paying out that kind of money