Finishing / Detail Sander, is there a good one ?

**JackG** · 11th July 2005, 10:47 PM

I am contemplating the idea to buy a good finish/detail sander, I currently have a GMC palm sander and even tho it has some advantages it is not good enough. It is very light 700g and very cheap but it leaves some spiral marks and the paper cloggs too easily. Essentially the problems that an orbital sander has that have been solved in the good ROS.

What I wonder and you guys can perhaps tell me, if I buy an expensive finish/detail sander like a Festool DS400 will I have the same feeling I had when I got a proper ROS to replace the classic orbital ?

Who are the competitors of the DS400, I do not want something as small as the 60mm delta sanders, but a pad lets say around 100mm x 70mm, price counts but I am ready to spend what is necessary if it is worth, any good or bad experiences ?

Prime requirements are NO spiral marks, light weight, kind on abrasive, ergonomic (will be use single handed a lot), vibrates the plate not the hand.

Cheers

Ps: Forgot to mention I need a delta shaped base, round square or rectangular are no good

**monoman** · 11th July 2005, 10:54 PM

If you can stomach the price, buy the festool. You won't be disapointed with the results. I have a an ETS150/3. It's fantastic, and worth every cent. I use it with an CT33 dust extractor, and the paper seems to last forever. Maybe there really is something in the 9 hole design.

**bsrlee** · 11th July 2005, 11:45 PM

IF you can find a dealer, take a look at the Fein detail sander - they are the company responsable for the delta shaped detail sanders. Price is near or the same as Festo tho'.

**graemet** · 12th July 2005, 09:10 PM

I'm more than happy with my Metabo Duo ROS - Two orbit sizes and continuously variable speed. It's dearer than your cheapies but cheaper than the Fein and Festool, which trade a lot on "name". Metabo goes on forever.
Cheers,
Graeme

**Auld Bassoon** · 12th July 2005, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by JackG

I am contemplating the idea to buy a good finish/detail ...

Jack,

Have you ever tried a scraper?

Just look back on some of the wonderful furniture that was made long before electrickery! Those craftsmen (persons?) didn't use sanders!

Scrapers can be found in all sorts of shapes & sizes, but for most work, two or three will do to start with. They cost little and, so long as they are nice and sharp (and that's a tune I've heard somewhere before!), will turn a timber surface (even crapiata) into something worth admiring.

My two penneth worth? try it!

Cheers!

BTW I have a couple of Bosch "blue" ROS machines, plus various H/Held and fixed-base belt/disk & whatnot sanders, so don't think I'm pedantic about this; it's just that if you want a really fine finish, forget sanding machines...

Cheers!

**bitingmidge** · 12th July 2005, 09:50 PM

Festo, Fein, Rupes all fantastic.

You will find though, that if you can rig a normal vacuum cleaner to your existing sander the performance improvement will be astonishing.

Cheers,

P

**JackG** · 12th July 2005, 11:35 PM

Thanks for the replies, I already have a Metabo Duo and it is a fantastic machine however it is more suited for large areas not for corners and it is not suitable for one hand operation. (about 3kg)

I'll give a go to the scrapers and if not suitable I may veer towards the festool DS400 as the fein seems to be more of a multifunction machine and it is also substancially more expensive.

I was hopeing that someone had first hand experience with the DS400 but it seems that the advice is more on the brand rather than the particular model.

Thanks all

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