Rotary Vs Random Orbital Sander

**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.

**les88** · 6th February 2009, 07:42 AM

I asked the same type of questions and bought the Festool ROTEX it will do all that you want to throw at it. Like all good products you will forget the cost and appreciate the tool.
les

**Honorary Bloke** · 6th February 2009, 08:01 AM

As I currently own and use about 7 power sanders, I can give you some general advice:

For fast stock removal, nothing beats rotary action. Can you take a gouge with it? Yes if you are not careful. Not as aggressive as a belt sander, but easier to control. (Not talking about a disc sander on the end of a drill. They are cr@p.)

For decent stock removal and also furniture finishing, a random orbit can work well. The key is to understand the "throw" of the eccentric. The Rotex, for example, has a 5mm throw in orbital mode. The 150/3 only a 3mm throw. The larger the throw the more aggressive the stock removal. So check the sanding orbit before purchasing one of these.

Also, buying good quality sandpaper will speed things along, as will dust collection to keep the paper usable longer.

As to which sander to buy, I can't help you I don't think because 6 of my sanders are Festools and you are apparently not in that market.

**STAR** · 6th February 2009, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by les88

I asked the same type of questions and bought the Festool ROTEX it will do all that you want to throw at it. Like all good products you will forget the cost and appreciate the tool.
les

Well, I am just going through the evolution in woodworking. I have used cheapies and thought they were pretty ordinary . ( Up to about $80 )

Then I went upmarket ( to me that is ) and bought the Bosch green PEX125 ROS.

The difference was mind blowing and the work I have been able to produce has taken me to a new level. The cost was $149.

Now the next level is where the Blue Bosch and its serious competitors sit at about twice the price of my green Bosch.

Then we get into the Rolls Royce area where the Festool are placed.

I have not seen any work these more expensive ROS have done, but find it hard to believe you can get better then what the Bosch green is getting. It is not made in China,

I understand that the internals may be made a bit better,, to finer tolerances, better quality bushes etc and to a professional that uses them all the time these are important.

This reply will not help the original poster and i suppose supports his reason for asking.

How good a job do we need?

edit

Just reread the original post, and feel he needs a bit more then my Green Bosch for the type of material he wants to take off but I suspect the next level like the Bosch Blue etc will be no better. it looks like he wants something between a belt sander and a ROS.

I am out of my depth here now, but will leave my post stand as some of it may still be pertinent.

**R.Enovator** · 6th February 2009, 01:58 PM

Thanks for the replies everyone - I appreciate it. Pretty much the same conclusions that I had come to so the confirmation is nice. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to buy a Rotex 150 but Im going to be buying a lot more tools and think its dangerous to get into Festool!

Does anyone have any experience with the Bosch GEX150T rotary/ros model? Its not even on the Bosch website but a couple of suppliers sell it in Aus.

Cheers.

**R.Enovator** · 6th February 2009, 04:45 PM

Sod it, I've just bought it anyway - it should be a decent machine. I'll post with a review in due course.

Cheers,
Seb

**R.Enovator** · 21st February 2009, 10:04 AM

So, after buying the Bosch GEX150T rotary/ros ($420), as mentioned above, I thought I should comment on its performance.

I gave it a whirl with the 120 grit resin paper they provided, and without being connected to a vac, just to see how it went. Tried a bit of paint stripping, but obviously with little success owing to the paper I was using. The machine was hard to hold on to in rotary, but once you get the knack its ok.

Went straight out and bought some white 80 grit paper, connected the thing to our vacuum cleaner, and it came alive. Fastest I have ever stripped a piece of furniture, and with little dust to show for it. Granted, a Rotex would probably pick up the dust better (but it should for an extra $400), but this was pretty darn good, even for an asthmatic.

I think its fair to say that the rotary action of these types of sanders far outperforms the standard ROS, and I would challenge anyone who tries to compare one to the other. If you can't afford a Festool Rotex, I highly recommend the Bosch GEX150T

http://www.justtools.com.au/prod2219.htm

Would be interested to hear how the Makita version compares (B06040 - $620)

As for the quality of the Bosch, it seems pretty solid to me. I'm quite rough with tools, and it gave me a run for my money. The only thing Im worried about is that the warranty is only 12 months - luckily I plan on giving it a thorough work-out this year.

**Honorary Bloke** · 21st February 2009, 11:39 PM

I think for your applications you have made a good choice. I have had a good run with many Bosch tools and still think their jig saw is every bit the equal of the Festool.

You can get sandpaper down to about 26 grit if you feel lucky.

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