Thread: Which ROS?

Whilst the Rotex 150 is the bee's knees, if you will be spending the day up on a ladder sanding, you might look at the RO125 for its lighter weight.

you might want to try the ets150/5 it has a 150mm pad & a 5mm stroke for faster removal. Its also pretty well balanced & paper is easier to find

FESTOOL 150MM Eccentric sander
[FEETS 150/5]$408.18 ex GST

Click to enlarge
For coarse and intermediate sanding
Ergonomic and extremely lightweight (1.8 kg) design for non-tiring working.
The soft grip in the cover allows you to keep a secure hold on the sander.
The 5 mm stroke length makes it particularly suitable for intermediate or for light sanding of varnishes.
Highest degree of safety and workpiece protection when the tool is set down thanks to the sanding pad brake.
The vibration stop and dust extraction ensures low noise levels which in turn makes for healthy work.
MPE sanding pad for long sanding pad service life.
Long service life thanks to high-quality gear elements and plastic components.
Plug it-system prevents hoses and cables from entangled during tool changes.

Includes:
Stickfix sanding pad Ø 150 (soft)
1 Stickfix abrasive
Filter cartridge
operation tool

Technical data
Power consumption 310 W
Eccentric stroke movement 6000-10000 min[-1]
No. of strokes 8000 - 20000 min[-1]
Sanding stroke 5 mm
Interchangable sanding pad 150 mm
Connection for dust extraction Ø 27 mm
Weight 1,8 kg

HB,
I hadn't thought about the relative weights ; only the coverage, so will definitely try both for heft.

tsakmaki,
Will also look at the ets150/5 as it is about 1/2 the price just need to determine if the feature set will allow for future (non weatherboard) uses

i have both the ro150 and 125. they are both great but the 125 is best for stripping surfaces and surface prep.

Originally Posted by tsakmaki

you might want to try the ets150/5 it has a 150mm pad & a 5mm stroke for faster removal. Its also pretty well balanced & paper is easier to find

Yo, mate. The RO 150 and the ETS 150 both use the same paper. That's why they both have 150 in the model number.

[I do recommend, if possible, standardising on one size so as to make abrasive purchases more economical.]

Weight would definitely be the decider for me - they get heavy anytime you're nor sanding something on the horizontal.

If coverage is your main issue - then bear in mind what you get for the small increase in diameter. The area of a circle is calculated from "pi" times radius squared, 'pi' being 22/7 or 3.14.....

So for 150mm ROS: area = (150/2)^2x3.14 = 17,663 sq mm
and for 125mm ROS: area = (125/2)^2x3.14 = 12,266 sq mm

This is a 44% increase in sanding area. Worth considering - not just in time spent sanding, but also the cost per unit area of sanding disc. As long as your arms can take it!

[If you decide to go the 150 route and want something for fine woodworking later, have a look at the metabo duo. If it's just for use on the house - get a cheap one]

Originally Posted by mkb

HB,
I hadn't thought about the relative weights ; only the coverage, so will definitely try both for heft.

Hi mkb,

Weight is important with respect to operator fatigue. But I look at it this way - The ROTEX 150 will have you spend less time on each board. So the additional weight is held for a lot less time than with a less aggressive sander like the ETS 150.

Another advantage the ROTEX has is the edge protector. Especially for weatherboards where you are up a ladder, you don't want the sander being bounced about as the disc hits the above board.

Originally Posted by nt900

Weight is important with respect to operator fatigue. But I look at it this way - The ROTEX 150 will have you spend less time on each board. So the additional weight is held for a lot less time than with a less aggressive sander like the ETS 150..

Anthony,

I was suggesting the RO 125 as being lighter. I agree the ETS 150 is not a suitable candidate for this job. Does the 125 have the edge protector?

Hi Bob,

Yes the ROTEX 125 has the edge protector. And is easier to throw around on a ladder. mkb's boards are probably 150mm wide (below the overlap) so the 150mm sander would do the job faster. But no great disadvantage with the ROTEX 125 as we get back to the same trade off. Might take a little (little) longer, but less physical effort expended holding the smaller machine.

I would consider what the future jobs of the sander are likely to be post weatherboards. No point buying a perfect sander for this job and wishing for ever more to have another. I think someone else alluded to this as well.

Originally Posted by mkb

Just seeking confirmation before spending the cash

I need a sander to strip paint from weatherboards (last time I did it with a 9" angle grinder which is a tad hairy on top of a ladder). So I am thinking the Festool ROTEX 3-in-1 150; but if people think this is not the optimum then I'm listening.

PS. No great hurry as this is an 'after xMas' to do list job

mkb

you might find the Metabo paint remover (Model LF 724 S) the bee's knees for what you want to do

to quote the blurb ...

• For environment-friendly removal of paint and varnish from even wooden surfaces
• Also suitable for processing untreated wood
• Up to 70% time saving

one of the forum regulars, Harrison I think, has used one

ian

Ian, As nt900 mentions

I would consider what the future jobs of the sander are likely to be post weatherboards

I've no doubt the Metabo would do the weatherboards but they are a once in 10 years proposition & I think I'd like to use something slightly more often than that

jaspr,
I already have a 105 Metabo and really like it so might look at the duo; but I'm hankering to join the Festool club

now all I need to do is get to the big smoke (Melbourne) & try some out at a Festool dealer (and a Metabo one), but that trip is several weeks away so I'll keep internetting for now.

mkb, to do the job properly you will need a Domino and Rotex 150.

Go on, you now you want to

its all good & well talking about it online, Why dont you go into your nearest Festool shop & try the machines out for yourself. All the machines are suitable but which suites you only you can decide.

What budget did you have allocated for this machine?

What are the consumables such as abrasives going to cost you?

-150mm paper usually starts from $30 per 100 & go to $90 per 100 depending on supplier & brand

-125mm paper can go from $60 per 100 & go to $143 per 100 depending on supplier & brand

cheers


Team VEK TOOLS
www.vektools.com.au

Originally Posted by VEK TOOLS

its all good & well talking about it online...

Isnt that the idea of asking questions on this forum so he can get feed back from those who own and use the various sanders in real life?. The RO 150 is the clear cut winner