Would I really notice a difference with a "better" RO Sander?

[Leo Graywacz]

5mm oscillation I believe. The 5" model only came in one oscillation size. I do woodworking for a living, and sanding is the bane of my existence. I use a Fein Vacuum. My hose is about 30' long along with the extension cord I got with the Ceros. I can stick the sander in the middle of my shop and reach almost the whole area.

[Van Huskey]

Just for clarification for anyone shopping for sanders the Mirka Ceros is no longer available in the US only the Deros is available now. If you REALLY want one you can order one from the UK and run it on 220 like some people do with the Festool NAINA tools. Europe got more sizes and orbits than the US when they imported them here also, there is a 3" Ceros as well. Plus in Europe once you had one power box you could buy just the sanders and save a lot of dough if you only needed to run one at a time.

[Glenn de Souza]

Just for clarification for anyone shopping for sanders the Mirka Ceros is no longer available in the US only the Deros is available now.

This could be because of a recall that was apparently issued last May involving the Ceros. Here's a link that talks about it: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Mi...bital-Sanders/

[Van Huskey]

This could be because of a recall that was apparently issued last May involving the Ceros. Here's a link that talks about it: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2016/Mi...bital-Sanders/

It is likely the case that they did not want to re-design the power module for the relatively small US market since they had the Deros here already. It is the reason I have Deros sanders instead of Ceros, they replaced my Ceros with Deros. Mirka considers the Deros an upgrade (and it is $100 more) but many preferred the smaller size of the Ceros but it was less convenient for some, especially site work.

[peter gagliardi]

Or, having only one model of tool in the marketplace with the risk of catching fire at a time was a good idea.

[Van Huskey]

Or, having only one model of tool in the marketplace with the risk of catching fire at a time was a good idea.

It is always interesting to me how companies do the cost benefit analysis on recalls, Mirka recalls 2800 sanders when 2 spark and smoke (no fire) and my experience with Harbor Freight is about 1 in 5 of their power tools die a sparky death. Honestly, had I known my Ceros was to be been replaced with a Deros I would not have sent it in even though the Deros is a more expensive sander.

[Leo Graywacz]

Exactly. I had sent mine in under the recall and used a Deros for 2 weeks. While it's a nice sander, it's bigger and not as maneuverable. I was very happy to get it back. I was told the next time I sent it in for anything, including a repair that I would pay out of pocket, I would get the Deros. Hope it doesn't fail.

[Mike Dowell]

So you all like the Ceros better than the Deros? The Deros did look a bit clunky to me.

[Chris Hachet]

Bryan, I have 3 or 4 Porter Cable sanders that haven't been touched since I bought my Festool ETS 150/3 6 years ago. The Festool has much less vibration, much better dust extraction and much better performance overall. Adapters are another story. I don't think anyone could provide an adapter that would work for everyone.

I have a really nice Festool Sander. Also ahve the vac that goes with it for dust election. I have not set electrons to my other sanders since getting the Festool.

Worth every penny-my outfeed table/third work bench has a black melamine top, I can sand light colored Maple and the Top of the bench is still very black at the end of an evening of sanding.

My lungs (even though i sue a respirator/dust protection in addition to the Festool vac) appreciate not having the sawdust in the air, for one thing.

The finish it leaves is night and day better also....

[Chris Hachet]

Thanks everyone for the input. I'm mostly sanding small projects like cutting boards and various small projects. 50/50 hardwood/softwood.

I'm definitely not ready to drop festool money, but <$100 is fine with me. So far, the Makita BO5041 with the handle is at the top of my list, with either the variable speed DeWalt or Bosch next in line.

I need to get the smaller diameter hose for my shop-vac to use with the sander though, the 2.5" hose is way too cumbersome. So whatever I buy will need to either include, or have an easily obtainable adapter to 1-1/4" shop-vac hose.

Check Craigslist. Near my Sister in NC (was shopping for a used band saw) I saw a lightly used Festool sander for $125.

The difference in the amount of time you spend sanding is remarkable IMHO.

Also, I use hand planes for most of my rougher finishing work, I rarely sand with anything more aggressive than 220 or 320. Much quicker and less dust.

[Chris Hachet]

1. most are likely to be smoother than that B&D
2. yes, most will have better and more convenient dust collection.
3. yes, most will have more powerful motors, which will mean faster removal. But these types of sanders aren't really meant for serious stock removal. They're finish sanders.
4. almost certainly, with many having them built into the body. Your B&D port without the bag attachment should fit a standard rubber hose end for tool connections from Bosch and Festool , or the other companies that make vacuums with tool activated sockets.

What at are you sanding mostly , and how much ? Have you replaced the pad on your sander yet? What about the brushes? If not , you're prob. not doing enough sanding to really warrant the xtra expense of a $100+ sander unless you just like having/using nice tools. It's really about refinement over $60 or so.

The sander Bruce mentions is fantastic, I have one too, but it's $400 after you get some sandpaper to use on it. I have a couple of the PC 333 too and have replaced the pads numerous times over the 3 decades I had them. I've looked at the new Makita 3 amp model with a handle and would probably buy that if I were looking to spend a hundred bucks on a decent sander today.

The best thing you can do with any of them is to buy a tool activated vacuum with a small diameter hose that's easy to maneuver and fits the dustport properly. That will make the largest difference in performance , paper life , and make less mess for the amount spent. You can also use it with other tools tool. Be aware though , a decent one is going to be $400 +.

Agree 100 percent, especially on the vac with the startup feature....

[Chris Hachet]

Agreed.

Since going ETS and Rotex with Festool all of my LoweSears Depot sanders have been sitting in their own pile of dust. The difference is dramatic in every category. The problem with Festool isn't just the price of the tool, but the fact that they aren't worth getting without the vacuum too. And then it turns into a Domino, a track saw, and whatever else you might fancy. Be careful, this Festool stuff is more addictive than crack. And it ain't cheap.

As far as sanding goes, since I picked up the ETS 150/3 I am looking for things to refinish. I never thought I'd say it, but this sander makes sanding a pleasure.

Addictive indeed...

[Chris Hachet]

I went from a 5" Dewalt to a 6" Bosch ROS65VC-6. I still use the Dewalt occasionally on smaller projects, or when I have to do a lot of one hand sanding, but the Bosch is my go to. No comparison. Not a Festool for sure, however, it doesn't cost you your first born either.

Bosch is an excellent second choice. I love my 1617EVS Router and my Bosch battery drills.

[Chris Hachet]

I am not a heavy ROS user so temper my opinions with that in mind. I bought the Bosch 1295 DVS back before I ever heard of Festool. It was winning the bake-offs for smoothest results and kicking the butts of sanders costing $100 more. The focus was on surface prep not stock removal. They were discontinued but, I managed to grab an extra before they disappeared.

Results on plastic to aid visibility:

Attachment 351084

The original one has run like a champ for 8 years and the spare is pretty much still a spare. I have soft medium and hard pads for it and the vac adapter was about $8. In use it picks up everything it generates and even sucks up nearby spoil from the bench. My point is that even back before vibration and dust collection were high points for designers, better sanders were . . . well . . . better. Do you need to spend $300? Probably not. Do you need to spend more than $25? Probably.

My backup Sander is Bosch, The Festool I found to be much better. My cheap Ryobi went in the trash during my last shop clean up.

[Peter Kuhlman]

As to the sander orbit - I had both the 3mm and 5mm Festool 150 sanders at the same time for a while. Ended up selling the 5mm version. Yes the 5mm sander was faster and removed material more aggressively using identical grit paper. In my hands, I got a nicer finish with the 3mm model. Hard to describe. You can easily compensate for fine or aggressive by changing sandpaper grits. With a courser grit paper I could virtually duplicate the action of the 5mm orbit with a 3mm orbit. Conversely I could use a finer grit on the 5mm to approximate the 3mm action. In my hands, I feel like I get a better surface using the 3mm orbit and if it takes a couple extra minutes to rough sand I am happy with that as a hobbiest. My goal is the finished product so the smaller orbit works better for me. Ideally if producing results in a more production type operation I would have both orbits. Many happy with either one as a single sander.