Thread: ETS 150/3 models

Craig, the EQ does have the Plug-It (detachable) cord. I couldn't fine any info on the other two models so I'm not sure what they are. As for useful accessories, I think you'll want to look at the different sanding pad, in particular, the hard and polishing pads.

Hi Craig,

Here is what the relevant codes mean.

E = Electronics
Q = Plug-it
Plus = In a Systainer
C = Car (this is a configuration specific for the auto-finishing industry, it has no plug-it connector and a SuperSoft sanding pad.

You sure you want a 150/3?

Have you got any other sanders? I'd only buy a 3 if I owned a rotex.

The 3 is a very, very good sander, but its also very, very slow on large surfaces. If you only buy one I'd get a 150/5 (which is what I did) and couldn't be happier. The 5 will still rip off material fairly well and is fast for large surfaces and still does a very good finish. I finish off by hand, but really I think you've have to be pretty anal to notice the difference between the 3 and the 5..

Ideally I'd own them all......

my 2 cents

My thoughts on the 3 were for furniture making only. I got the impression that the rotex is more of a construction tool designed to do all the prep work and final polishing but not the final sanding.

I only have a standard $199 Makita 1/3 sheet orbital sander.

so if I get a 5 would it just be a matter of going to one higher grade in the paper compared to the 3 for the same result but with the ability to rough sand quicker?

Others more knowledgeable than I may correct me, but my impression is that the bigger stroke means you basically don't spend as much time on a given area - it's just more aggressive and therefore a little less finesse on the finish, and the Rotex significantly more aggressive again.

Fence Furniture is correct with regards to the bigger stroke being a little more aggressive, but dont assume this sander is only for rough work.

I have successfully used the Festool ETS 150/5 with paper grits up to 4000.
The 5mm stroke is noticeable up to 400 grit, then it disappears when you then use 800, 1000 , 2000 and 4000 grit.

It is very difficult to define which is the best sander. As the difference between the 2 sanders is only the 2mm stroke.
For general carpentry, such as sanding old timber, paint removal (bloody painters job!), or new hardwood, I prefer the ETS 150/5.

On the odd occasion when I get to build furniture these days, I prefer to use the ETS 150/3.
But it is difficult to state which is the better sander as the ETS 150/3 will work aggressively with the right paper and the ETS 150/5 can be used for amazing finished work.

If you think you will use the sander for dedicated furniture making, then the ETS/3 is the way to go.
If you think you will use the sander for general carpentry around the house and the odd piece of furniture, then the ETS 150/5 would be your weapon of choice.

With regards to polishing pads, I do not use polishing pads, so I can not give you an answer.

With regards to Festool pads, I prefer to use the hard Festool pads.
The Festool ETS sander comes standard with the soft pad.
In my opinion the hard pad should come standard with the sander. When sanding a surface I do not want any deflection from the pad to the work piece.
Maybe people who manufacture fine furniture prefer the soft pad, I am not sure, or maybe this is a marketing trick, so we end up spending more money on extra's.

Justin.

Thanks for your time Justin, cleared quite a few things up.

I have a 150-3 and a Rotex 90.

I had the 150 for about 4 years and bought the RO 90 about 3 months ago.

I also have a bosch belt sander.

I found the 150-3 fantastic for furniture. Since buying it I never bothered with the belt sander unless it was very aggressive work I needed. You put a 40 grit on the 15-3 and put it on the highest setting and it does really tear through everything. IT is quite aggressive. you can then take it through to 800 for all your furniture grade work.

I mainly bought the 90 as I had wanted a small polisher, and liked the idea of the combination. I like to buy crashed motor bikes and repair them keep them for a while until I finish the next one and on sell them. Usually it is sports bikes, so I tend to have fairing and tanks that need repairing and painting.

The RO 90 has been fantastic for the current project bike. Faring is all odd shapes and flimsy, so it is great being able to use the sander 1 handed.

Part of the repair required sanding scratches out of acrylic headlights (rather than spend $350 on a new set) I used the RO 90 for this, but I did find the 150 to be a bit gentler. I took it to 4000 with the 150 and then polished it with the 90 and they came up like new.

but for bigger pieces I do find the 150 to be much easier on your arms and hands than the 90. the 150 is perfectly balanced is really is effortless to use. it is that well balanced that it will pretty much just sit ansd spin in place. All you need to do is apply a little pressure and guide it around. the 90 and the 125 RO I tried for finer sanding you still needed to use two hands just to balance it and keep it level and flat. I am not sure if the RO150 is any easier given it is a slightly bigger pad.

I guess it just comes down to what you think you will use it for. for furniture finishing and the odd bit of more aggressive removal I would say go the 150-3. or if you think you have a bit more aggressive work and like the ability to use it as a polisher the RO might be the better option.

I will say though, that you need to use extraction with them to get the best out of them. the discs seem to last a lot longer with the extraction and you do get a nicer finish I think. you dont need to buy a fesstool vac though. I used another industrial vac I had for the last 3 years. You can buy the attachment that fits over the sander port and that allows you to attach it to a normal vac. I have bought a midi vac and do find that to be just a bit better though. quieter and the startup of the vac with the tool is a good feature.

Excellent appraisal Clint, good on you!

That's an interesting point Justin makes about the pads for the ETS150/3, and something which I'd never thought about before.

I'm still using the original pad that came with the sander (black plastic top, therefore the soft one), and was going to replace it with one of the newer Jetstream pads when the time comes.

I'm using the sander pretty much exclusively on flat surfaces; some solid timber, but also veneered board with solid edging. Is there actually any benefit in using the hard pad in these situations to maintain as flat a surface as possible? Is the difference between the hard and soft pads very noticeable?

One for the experts (Anthony?). Maybe a brief rundown on the different ETS pads available for woodworking applications, and why/where each type would be used?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

One for the experts (Anthony?). Maybe a brief rundown on the different ETS pads available for woodworking applications, and why/where each type would be used?

Cheers

The pads choices are wide and you can even buy ove version of the ETS with the SuperSoft sander - targeted at auto-finishers.

There are five pads for the ETS sander:

• Hard (blue back)
• Soft (black back)
• Soft HT (high temprature) (black back)
• SuperSoft (grey back)
• Polishing (green back)

With the introduction of the new MultiJetstream design, the range has been slightly modified to be:

• Hard (blue back)
• Medium (black back)
• Medium HT (high temprature) (black back)
• Soft (grey back)
• Polishing (green back)

The difference between the above and below is the chnage of name from Soft to Medium, and SuperSoft to Soft. But the actual pad densities remain exactly the same. The name chnage is to make it easier for people to understand, and it also fits better with peoples use of the pads. For example, people don't think the SuperSoft sems that super soft at all, and soft is really normal for most applications.

As for woodworking, most people are well suited with the Medium (previously called Soft) pad as it intruduces enough give to work with materials that are not perfectly flat. Materials that are not perfectly flat (for example slightly cupped boards) can be sanded more easily because the sander is not trying to flatten the entire board.

The Hard pad is preferred by many contemporary furniture makers because it does not flex as it moves over edges and therefore helps keep crist edges to boards. Nice on modern table tops, etc.

Great info.
Thanks Anthony.

Justin.

Anthony - thanks for clearing that up.

Since the majority of my work is aimed at getting perfectly flat surfaces, my next pad will be the hard version in Jetstream design !

I picked up some 600 grit discs for the ETS at the recent Canberra WWW show. Perfect for when 400 grit isn't quite enough, but 800 grit is getting too shiny....

the other thing you can get is an interface pad. Quite the opposite to the hard pads.

video here

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlNHeiogwfc]Festool Interface Pad for Sanding Concave, Convex and Rounded Profiles - YouTube[/ame]

I have been using these on my motor bike and also for finishing a bullnose edge on a kids table and chairs I made for my daughter out of 12mm ply.

they really are very good for any round or odd shapded surfaces. when sanding the bullnose I tried it with and without, and it is definitely a lot easier with.

But... dont buy the festool ones, they are $20-25. The sandpaper man sells 300x300 sheets of interface pad for I think $15. just stick an old disc to it and cut around it and drill it out. they dont tend to last for ever. you also need to be careful when you remove the discs as the foam is quite soft and the velcro on both sides is stronger than the foam so it will tear.