If you were only going to own one sander, this is it!

Chris, I strongly concur. I too own this sander and your title states it perfectly. This was my first Festool purchase and because of the quality I haven’t turned back. The dust collection is a little too bizarre for my tastes :-) As you are using it you wonder where all the dust is going. I also own the ETS 125. If you are in the market for a smaller , finer sander don’t look any further. The 150 is great but a little too big for some situations. The 125 takes over from there.

-- ...and remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses - Norm Abram

Ditto. The DC is so good I was able to do a lot of the work on my bench INSIDE the house this last winter vs an unheated garage shop where glue and finish wouldn’t set up. I wouldn’t hesistate to use one indoors again. The hard-to-handle aspect of the agressive mode is especially noticable on the coarse grit discs but tends to get get easier once you’re using 100+ grits. Yet even then it’s still easier on the hand than the almost painful vibration of my previous ROS (a DW) where even a padded glove didn’t help and your hands were sore for days afterward.

-- Use the fence Luke

I don’t get it. So the sandpaper is good or the vacuum is good or both – does that make the sander really good? I’ve got a Makita palm sander and Makita belt sander. Both are now over 20 years old. I call that quality…and I probably paid $100 total for both of them (ok, I bought one of them used) but I call that value. I can get the sandpaper that clean with a quick pass with the gum sole of an old shoe. So, I have to stop once in a while.

Can there be justification for a $500 sander? How much of that is quality tool and how much is marketing?

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

looks nice. i think when my current sander bites the dust i’ll go for this one. thanks for the post!

This sander makes a dust mask unnecessary. It’s a good
sander. I’m not blown away by the speed but I guess
it’s faster than 5” sanders. The rotex mode takes a bit
of getting used to… you have to be careful when working
with the coarser papers because in Rotex it can leave
pronounced sanding marks that are hard to get out.

-- Need help with marketing your business? Look in my profile.

I have not been unhappy with any of my Festool. Pricey? Well, you pay more upfront but it returns big dividends as a pro.

Thanks for the review!

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Daltxguy – think of it as not just a $500 sander but more of a sanding ‘system’. I agree that if you use this just as a sander (with little or no dust collection) it becomes a very expensive Makita. However, when you hook it up to one of the Festool dust collectors it really shines. I’ve managed to replace my Craftsman palm sander, Ridgid orbital sander and Porter Cable belt sander with this thing. You can also buy other ‘pads’ for it that make it very useful for waxing and buffing your vehicles. There goes another tool it replaces (my Dewalt buffer / polisher). That is 4 tools that I purchased (for just under $500) that thing easily outshines. With regard to the sandpaper, the Festool sandpaper is very good. I’ved used others on it but they don’t hold up nearly as long.

Also, I would be willing to bet that any Makita tool you purchase today won’t last you another 20 years (unless they sit in a box). I love Makita tools (the older ones) and have a few. I won’t give them up. However, I won’t buy any more of them. However, I feel very confident in the manufacturing and quality of the Festool products. They are VERY well made and VERY solid.

-- ...and remember this: there is no more important safety rule than to wear these — safety glasses - Norm Abram

Chris,
I couldn’t agree more. I just got an RO125 and love it. Though is can be a little jumpy in the Rotex mode, I’m sure that this thing is going to seriously reduce my sanding time and effort.

-- Measure once; Cut Twice, Three Times, Four Times...

I spoke with a Festool rep and he informed me that adjusting the speed on the dust extractor can help with the “jumpiness” when in the Rotex mode.

-- Chris

OK, I checked. Here in NZ, this same tool sells for $950. Keep in mind that salaries in NZ are about 2/3 that in the US ( in terms of USD), so compare this to whether you would pay the equivalent of $1500 for this tool. Still worth it?

-- Steve, New Zealand, www.steveracz.com

Steve,

Would I spend $1500 for a sander? It would depend (non-committal answer, I know), you see I am the sort of guy that will save his pennies for ever in order to buy the better quality item instead of buying and replacing a few times.

If I were doing this for a living; I would not hesitate. As a hobby; time for a little introspection. I can tell you that I for one have seen way to many so called top-end brands that turned out to be mediocre. This one is most definitely not.

-- Chris

Chris, looks like Festool lives up to it’s reputation.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Makita makes a sander that is similar and apparently
works just as well. These are used in the boat-stripping
industry by workers sanding hulls.

Festool stuff is good but in some countries the prices
are just insane. I wouldn’t pay 9 or 1500 for this sander.

-- Need help with marketing your business? Look in my profile.