R.Enovator
5th February 2009, 09:54 PM
Hi everyone - its an over-discussed topic, but I need some advice. Oh, and I don't intend this to be a thread about how good Festool is! (There's far too much about the superior quality of Festool - I'm sure they're great, but I don't want to justify buying the most expensive sander money can buy!).
It seems to me that everyone compares different sanders (often the Metabo Duo is compared to a Festool Rotex), but often they're completely different mechanisms so its not a fair comparison. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it goes like this:
Dual action sanders (Rotary and ROS) that can remove stock at a very high rate through rotary, and can switch to random orbit:
Festool ROTEX $850
Makita B06040 $620
Bosch GEX150T $420
Dedicated Random Orbital Sanders:
Metabo DUO (two orbit settings) $380
Makita B06030 $380
Bosch GEX150AC $325
Festool ETS150/3 or ETS150/5 $500(ish)
etc. (there are hundreds more)
So, the question is whether the geared rotary action is necessary, or whether the random orbit is sufficient.
I'm in the market for a quality sander that I need to be able to deal with multiple tasks: removing old paint from doors and old furniture, sanding plaster to a smooth(ish) finish, taking an edge of a jarrah railway sleeper occasionally, and finishing a table-top (not necessarily to a mirror shine - rustic is the way forward!). All this and I want it to be done fast - I'm renovating my house, not planning on spending the next three years in the shed working away with a sander that is barely faster than hand-sanding.
The best sander I've used for this type of thing so far is a Rupes (quite old, but similar to the current BR65AE Planetary Sander). It can withstand a grown man standing on it, and it loves it. Not fantastic on vibration, but a workhorse (my Dad has renovated close to a dozen houses virtually single handedly and its the only sander he will use). Scant on the details in Aus, but I think its just a tough ROS, although the body is the same shape as most of the Dual action Rotary sanders. It can be quite aggressive, but the disc will stop rotating if enough force is applied. It doesn't have a dust extraction port, but that would be a sweet addition.
So, does anyone have an opinion as to whether the Rotary action is good/desirable/necessary for woodworking, or is it overly aggressive and lead to chewing up softwoods? Im basically tossing up between a dual action Bosch GEX150T and a ROS, probably the Metabo Duo. They're similar price too.
Any opinions welcome.
It seems to me that everyone compares different sanders (often the Metabo Duo is compared to a Festool Rotex), but often they're completely different mechanisms so its not a fair comparison. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it goes like this:
Dual action sanders (Rotary and ROS) that can remove stock at a very high rate through rotary, and can switch to random orbit:
Festool ROTEX $850
Makita B06040 $620
Bosch GEX150T $420
Dedicated Random Orbital Sanders:
Metabo DUO (two orbit settings) $380
Makita B06030 $380
Bosch GEX150AC $325
Festool ETS150/3 or ETS150/5 $500(ish)
etc. (there are hundreds more)
So, the question is whether the geared rotary action is necessary, or whether the random orbit is sufficient.
I'm in the market for a quality sander that I need to be able to deal with multiple tasks: removing old paint from doors and old furniture, sanding plaster to a smooth(ish) finish, taking an edge of a jarrah railway sleeper occasionally, and finishing a table-top (not necessarily to a mirror shine - rustic is the way forward!). All this and I want it to be done fast - I'm renovating my house, not planning on spending the next three years in the shed working away with a sander that is barely faster than hand-sanding.
The best sander I've used for this type of thing so far is a Rupes (quite old, but similar to the current BR65AE Planetary Sander). It can withstand a grown man standing on it, and it loves it. Not fantastic on vibration, but a workhorse (my Dad has renovated close to a dozen houses virtually single handedly and its the only sander he will use). Scant on the details in Aus, but I think its just a tough ROS, although the body is the same shape as most of the Dual action Rotary sanders. It can be quite aggressive, but the disc will stop rotating if enough force is applied. It doesn't have a dust extraction port, but that would be a sweet addition.
So, does anyone have an opinion as to whether the Rotary action is good/desirable/necessary for woodworking, or is it overly aggressive and lead to chewing up softwoods? Im basically tossing up between a dual action Bosch GEX150T and a ROS, probably the Metabo Duo. They're similar price too.
Any opinions welcome.