| Review by 3fingerpat | posted 60 days ago | 503 views | 0 times favorited | 9 comments |  |
- Festool ETS 150/3 EQ
- Brand: Festool | Category: Sanders
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Okay, after reading the earlier review of another Festool ROS, I thought I would chime in. After many years of reliable service from my old BD ROS, it finally died a happy death last week. I stumbled across this model whiile in the local Rockler and fell in love. I tried every item that came with this sander in the store and couldn’t believe the ease of use and how well it performed. At home I tried it on a piece of Mahagony and it came out feeling like glass. There is almost no vibriation and it is whisper quiet; which is quite a change from my old ROS.The storage case that comes with the unit is handy and holds plenty of items. The package also includes numerous sheets of vairious grits to get you started. The sanding sheets attach via H&L and the holding power is much stronger than what I have experienced with other tools H&L. The sanding sheets are supposed to last longer than most other brands due to the special vacuum hole setup in the sanding pad. With a vacuum attached, there is no dust, none. With the paper bag and attachment, there is minimal dust. Since I couldn’t justify plunking down more $ on the Festool Dust Extractor; I just made my own hose attachment to my Shop Vac and it works great. This model has the 3mm stroke for fine sanding and it didn’t disappoint. I also tried it on a very rough cut of cedar planking and it also turned out like glass as I stepped thru the various sanding grits, again it took only a couple of minutes. I know, I know, it is very expensive, but I don’t mind paying more for quality tools that outperform their peers. You do get what you pay for and it shows with this tool.
On another note, I watched the Festool Tool demo tonight at my local Rockler for the KAPEX KS 120 Sliding Compound Meter Saw (insert drool here) and am trying to justify the $1300 price tag…..nope can’t pull the trigger on that one!
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9 comments so far
Greg Wurst
home | projects | blog
403 posts in 274 days
posted 60 days ago
Festool is simply out of my range as a hobbyist. If I did woodworking for a living I might have a shop full of their stuff. The only thing I’ve considered getting is a Festool Domino. Darn Festool won’t allow vendors to sell below list, so they never go on sale!
teenagewoodworker
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1932 posts in 209 days
posted 60 days ago
Festool rocks! like Greg said if they weren’t so expensive i’d buy one. when i get older though if i can justify it i think that i’m gonna get some Festool tools! thanks for the review
mot
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4837 posts in 478 days
posted 59 days ago
I have this sander and with a CT22 dust extractor, sanding is hardly a burden. Thanks for the review.
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
steveosshop
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178 posts in 67 days
posted 59 days ago
Hopefully one day I can have the money to get one of these. Every review I read people really love these things, but the price is a big setback for a lot of us little guys.
-- Steve-o
3fingerpat
home | projects | blog
64 posts in 109 days
posted 59 days ago
Greg, et all,
I also watched the Domino demonstation at the Rockler and I was not impressed, I think it is very over priced for what it does. I will gladly keep my PC Biscuit Joiner, thank you very much. I agree that if I did woodworking for a living or if I was a contractor, the Festools would be all I owned. But I am neither, so I buy the best tool I can afford at the time. I do consider myself a “little guy”, which is why I only own a HF table saw, no bandsaw or jointer. But I couldn’t get by without a finish ROS for my projects, so I ignored the price, painfully opened my wallet and bought the best tool I could afford. And I am happy I did so. I doubt that I will buy anymore of their tools due to the high price and my use of the tools which can’t justify the price. That being said, if you do need a new ROS and have saved your pennies, then this model is the way to go, you won’t be disappointed.
USCJeff
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789 posts in 510 days
posted 59 days ago
I have no love at all of sanding. Still out of range on the priority and price scale at the moment, but I am always attracted to anything that reduces the sanding monotony and dust. I have a very nice Bosch, and it holds its own. From the comments, it sounds like the Festool is quiter and has better dust extraction. The Bosch is loud, especially at high speed. My pad wore out in under a year. I’ll admit, that is a likely result of too much pressure from me as well as bearing down on the edges to get into small spaces. Thanks.
-- Jeff, South Carolina
blackcherry
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195 posts in 264 days
posted 59 days ago
I would rather shell out for a nice hand plane than sand any day any time any way….Blkcherry
Kipster
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832 posts in 194 days
posted 59 days ago
I agree with blackcherry, rarely use a powered sander, I hand sand as the final prep for finishing. Will never fork out that much money, for a hand power tool. Sorry !! Just my opinion.
Thanks for the review
-- Kip Northern Illinois ( If you don't know where your goin any road will take you there) George Harrison
Andy McCormick
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16 posts in 36 days
posted 35 days ago
Festools sanders are the best on the market. Sanding is almost pleasent. Sanding is the most critical step in the finishing process. If you dont get the sanding right then the finish wont be right either and thats where people will see the flaws. A good finish will help you sell your product be a poor one definately wont.
-- Andy, Liberty,Indiana, www.mccormickwoodworking.com