Festool Sander RO150FEQ

[Hoa Dinh]

Looking for something more aggressive than my PC333VS, but more "civilized" than my PC352VS, and after trying out the Ridgid ROS2610 (see this thread), I decided to bite the bullet and pre-ordered the new Festool RO150FEQ. Bob Marino took care of my order promptly.

It got here yesterday and I tried it out last night, sanding the drawer fronts for a captain bed I'm building. I can now declare the RO150 is a keeper .

Dust collection is as good as it can get. I hook it up to a Fein Mini-Turbo with a Craftsman auto switch plugged in a 120V, 20A outlet. The dust port on the sander is round, 1" outside diameter, same size as the dust port on the PC333VS. The PC vacuum hose fits perfectly (so does a Fein step-down adapter). There is no dust in the air.

In terms of noise, the RO150 is a bit louder than the PC333VS, about as loud as the ROS2610 (no, I don't want to compare anything to the PC352VS ).

But it is smooooth. Even with the Mini-Turbo at full speed, the RO150 is very easy to control. In fine-sanding mode, I don't need the front handle. In coarse-sanding mode, the front handle helps significantly. Interestingly, I feel more vibration from the front handle more than from the main body handle. Note that the main reason I returned the ROS2610 is its jerkiness when connected to a shop vac.

I don't have any other Festool tool (yet ), but I can see the benefit of the removable power cord from the sander. If I need to use another Festool tool with dust collection, I can just unplug the power cord and the dust hose from one tool and plug them in the other - very convenient.

Since I spent a significant amount of changes on the RO150, I think I'm entitled to some nit-picking

1. The user's manual is adequate, but not as detailed nor of high quality as the ones from PC or Ridgid. The section on "Sanding motion" has a (correct) picture of the RO150FEQ, but the (incorrect) wording is lifted from the manual of the old RO150E.

2. The body of the sander feels warm after a few minutes of operation - not untouchable, but warmer than any handheld sander I've used. To make sure it is normal, I sand continuously for 30 minutes. The sander does not get warmer and there is no problem.

All in all, the RO150FEQ is highly recommended, as is Bob Marino's service.

[Frank Pellow]

I don't see a picture so I can only assume that you must have dreamed that you have Festool's new Rotex sander.

[glenn bradley]

I see a little green smiley face but no little green sander????

[Jim Becker]

Welcome to the Festool party, Hoa! Good stuff...and yea, the Rotex is a winner. (As are the other sanders) Good sanding AND little or no vibration. That last part was very important to me.

[Jesse Cloud]

Try the TS55 plunge circular saw, you might start collecting rust on your unisaw .

[Chris Padilla]

Try the TS55 plunge circular saw, you might start collecting rust on your unisaw .

Well, he better posts some PIXS of it or we won't believe that "tall tale" neither!

Since when did a get you out of a real pic???

Welcome to the Big Green F club, Hoa...cause there sure won't be much green left in the bank!

Uncle Bob is the Man! He takes care of all my needs, too!

[Chris Dodge]

Got one today too. Will post pictures when I get home tonight...hopefully.