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I’ve never tried the Festool. I have a Dewalt that I paid $45 for over 20 years ago and I have a Bosch that was top of the line from around that time. For large surfaces like table tops, I’ll use the Bosch which is definitely better, but for me it’s big and bulky. For everything else, I use the Dewalt. (Even after my wife left it in the yard for an entire Michigan winter)
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Then experiment with different paper.
You may also want to switch to a 6” ros.
Also, fwiw. If your dust collection is sub par. It can marginally affect sanding efficiency.
What’s the thing you make?
Contributor
Sounds like you don't need a new sander.Originally Posted by Marc Jeske
I would suggest trying 3m Cubitron discs as they are supposed to cut fast and last a long time. Depending on your product you might want to use 6" discs or try using a stationary flat belt or edge sander.
Member
Marc, give Indasa discs a try. I found or think anyways that they have very consistent grit size and pattern. I have a DeWalt 20v cordless. It's not anywhere near the Festool, but I do like the cordless and it stops with a brake when you turn it off. I like that way better then my EVS Bosch. Oh yes the cordless is variable speed too. It does get heavy with a 5 or 6 amp battery.
Anyways, as someone already said, try good paper. I like the Indasa.
Member
I started in the ROS world with a PC when they first became the rage years ago. Switched to the Bosch like you use about 15 years ago and ran the snot out of that thing. It needed a new pad about 3 years ago so I bought the same Bosch as a replacement. I had trouble controlling it, ended up taking the pad off and putting on the old one. Well a few weeks ago the old one finally died, switched the pad back and fighting with that sander again. I don't know what is so evil about it compared to it's brother that I used for so many years but it is going to have to go. I want to try one of these high dollar sanders but keep fighting the Bosch because I hate to spend the $$$.
Member
If reducing sanding time is the biggest issue i would suggest trying different kinds of sandpaper. If you are looking at a new sander the longer, the stroke the faster it will sand. If you have a 3mm stroke maybe try a 5mm.
Contributor
Biggest factor for me would be dust collection. I've finally realized that the pinkie-sized hole on the back of my Makita ROS connected to 10' of 3/4" ID vac hose is not helping keep the dust down.
Contributor
If you want to speed up your sanding, switch to a 6" pad. 6" pads have ~44% more sanding surface than 5" pads.
The other item that helped me speed up sanding was better quality paper and vacuum dust collection.
Clearing away saw dust with a shop vac/dust extractor attached allows the abrasive to remain in contact with what you are sanding. That means faster material removal and less time sanding.
One of the big reasons I started down the Festool road is because of the interoperable system. The accessories are nice and available (but expensive). Changing tools doesn't mean I need to change dust collector attachments or power cords or resort to duct tape.
Contributor
The price of these has gone up considerably, but this Bosch is a great sander too. https://www.amazon.com/BOSCH-GEX34-6...78983978&psc=1
Contributor
I bought one of the Airvantage sanders a while back, thinking it would be a life changing event, but sadly enough - it wasn't. I would have been better off just getting another Bosch or possibly one of the Festool sanders. At least with the Festool, I could color coordinate my sanding tasks....LOL
It doesn't really matter what sander you buy, if you are going to use a vac and an awkwardly connected hose that will negate any ergo advantage the sander brings to the party. That is an aspect of this topic I don't see mentioned very often. My little ergonomically correct Airvantage sander is kind of a PITA to use because 1) hose adapters are designed for a larger hose end than what you normally find in the woodworking marketplace (I have not found one yet, despite wasting way too much money trying different connectors) 2) the hose itself is bulky and makes sanding small things or sanding in any position other than "flat", well - awkward.
If you are really wanting quicker material removal, focus on paper, or get a dual mode sander like the Bosch GET75 or comparable Festool that will hog a lot of material.
Contributor
The hoses on all these sanders are the same 1 1/4" LH corrugated hose. Not sure how much smaller/slinkier any hose can get. We have all the sanders with dedicated hoses right to the vacs. No one could argue that a hose does kinda suck to use but even shops running downdrafts still get better pickup with the vac on the sander and the downdraft.
I get annoyed with the vac hose myself but even after years and years of using vac equipped sanders the horror of sanding with a bag or no pickup at all is vivid in my mind. I visit another shop occasionally that has nothing but on-board bag on sanders (that likely never get emptied or blown out) and the entire shop is blanketed in wood flour. The worst to cleanup (leaf blower time).
Theres enough in the archives on the sander subject but from a shop that sands for some hours, up to 8 hours, every single day, I cant fathom thinking you could outrun a nice sander. Hogging, sure, the Bosch Dual mode or the old PC right angle come out. But day to day there is zero comparison.
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Last edited by Mark Bolton; 01-27-2022 at 1:24 PM.
Contributor
I do not disagree with anything you say Mark. But - the fact that a hose is attached to the sander does make using the sander more aggravating, and the whole debate around vibration and correct ergonomics goes out the window when you have that leash attached. I do not recall that being discussed, at least not with any candor.
I would also rather have one hose to deal with than two or three or four. Or, have my AV sander with a hose permanently attached to it that I then need to find a suitable storage location large enough for the sander - and hose. It sure would be nice to have an adapter that the smaller Festool hose could fit to, without have to stretch the hell out of it to fit over the adapter.
Contributor
One thing I noticed when I upgraded from my 5" porter cable sander to the 6" Bosch with vibration reduction (ros65vc? Can't remember the model number off hand) was that the Bosch with the built in filter was almost as good as the porter cable with a shop vac connected. To the point I've decided to accept the slight additional mess in exchange for the ease of handling it without the hose. Would the hose make it better? Yes, as close to perfect as I can imagine a sander being when it comes to dust control. But if I'm 90% there, I'm still happy with the slight mess it leaves for me to clean.
Member
Marc
based on what you say your needs are , and that you’re currently happy with your sander’s performance - it makes no financial sense for you to get a different sander.
If you still have reservations that you may be missing something, why not try out a festool ets125 for $200 +/- ? You can use it if 30days and return it of a full refund if you’re not happy for any reason. That includes you thinking it’s just not an improvement over your Bosch.
Contributor
I decided to drink the green kool-aid and bought the Festool Rotex 125. It's supposed to be a good dual purpose agggressive and finish sander.
IMO, it doesn't excel at either. It's a bit better using the agressive setting. But in fine sanding mode, it jumps all over. There are forum posts of the problem that suggest holding it in different ways. It helps a little, but it's still not great. I'm afraid to use it as a finish sander, because the jumping mars the wood.
I feel that I'm stuck with it because I paid so much.
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