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



## FloridaUFGator (May 31, 2007)

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.


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## douglas2cats (Mar 31, 2008)

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.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

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?


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## teenagewoodworker (Jan 31, 2008)

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


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

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.


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

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!


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## FloridaUFGator (May 31, 2007)

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.


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## JasonK (Jan 4, 2008)

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.


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

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.


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## daltxguy (Sep 7, 2007)

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?


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## croessler (Jun 22, 2007)

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.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

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


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

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.


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## Ecocandle (Jan 2, 2010)

I don't have the 150, but I got to play with it at a demo the last two days. The rep showed me how to hold it, to avoid chatter. I started with a rough cut piece of walnut and in very short time, worked it to a polished glass surface.

He also gave me specific instructions on using the orbital mode and the rotary mode. It is possible that some of the chatter issues you folks are having are fixable. I can't explain it very well, but my light girp on the back part of the sander and a firmer, but not too tight grip on the front handle, made it very smooth.

I am pretty new to woodworking, so I didn't really know how to use a sander like that, and he said that some people, who are use to other models, try to use it the same way, and that produces the chatter.

I don't know if I will buy the 150, but I was impressed with their new version, which also eliminates the heat the builds up.

Great reveiw. Thanks.


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## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I got in on the ETS 125 for a hundred bucks and it shipped a couple months later. That was my "take the plunge" Festool. The hundred didn't bother me, since I paid that much for two of my quarter sheet sanders, and about one thirty for a variable speed ROS Porter Cable. The latter is still a favored unit for many uses.

The ETS 125 didn't spin well coming out of the gate. Even with just a couple fingers holding it. In fact, it took about six hours of run time until it did spin. As such, up to that point, it was just a random orbit sander

The dust collection with the Festool is beyond compare in relation to the ten sanders I had when I bought it. A couple IMPORTANT factors regarding that dust collection:

1) I am not using a Festool vacuum (call it a dust extractor if you want, but it's just a vacuum). I run off a twenty foot hose, which I picked up at a big box store. That is tied to a Dust Deputy cyclone powered by a small Ridgid vac.

Since I've heard ramblings about varying the speed of the Festool vacs to get efficiency up, I figured I'd go with a long hose to drop the draw. Add to that, running it through a cyclone also drops the vacuum. For a bit more push, I cut a piece of black ABS pipe, from which I cut 3/4" lengthwise, so it could be slid over the pipe and turned.

Once I installed the ABS, I drilled holes the ABS could be turned to reveal or cover.

In the end, I have a dust free sand system on the cheap. Because I have a dust free system, the Festool sandpaper doesn't load and outlasts all the quality paper I bought in the past several times to one.

The ETS is great for the reasons stated. In fact, great enough I dropped five bills on the RO 125, which did it all out of the box.

In the end, I'm sold on Festool sanders.


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