Thread: to be or not to be...

Resistance is futile.....

My advice would be to get the Rotex, but save some money and get another brand of vac for the time being. Festool vacs are wonderful things (I have a CT Midi), but they are very expensive for what they are. Plenty of cheaper vacs out there that will hook up to a Rotex and do a pretty good job, then when you're feeling wealthy treat yourself to a Festool vac later on.

Going to rain on Mr Brush's parade here. If you're going to 'occasionally' do big sanding jobs I'd hire and build the cost in. Save $200 on something else that you're going to use in the long term. I've been persuaded to make these sorts of purchases before with lots of regret. On the other hand I've hired equipment like this before without the heartache of depreciation, maintenance and consumables (which I won't use again also).

A difficult decision indeed.

If the job will cover the cost of the tools which you will then have for next time it could be worth while.
Owning the tools gives you the advantage that if the job takes longer than expected (weather, illness) you are not going to be up for additional tool rental.
You could take the middle road suggested by Mr Brush and adapt a suitable dust extractor to the machine that fits another tool you already have.

I have bought tools for jobs, if only for convenience, but then I have them for the next time I may require it. No running to the hire shop, no dilemma on to buy or hire, and I can mark, modify and set up to my requirements.

Ditto - my Domino machine was priced into a job, and has earned its keep many times over since then.

My point was that the Rotex is a wonderful thing and well worth the price of admission, while there are much cheaper alternatives to the Festool vacs out there. Not as good for sure, but certainly up to the job.

Of that $2000 you quoted, just over half of it is in the vac !

The Rotex plus a "make do" vac would probably only be around $1100-1200. Two decent jobs, and its paid for just in time saved.

Don't laugh if I'm silly, Rotex is a great tool, I own the smaller 125mm and love it.
but for sanding a large timber deck, isn't a industrial floor sander a better solution ?
Unless you want to remove all deck timber and sand them in a bench, I'd say even with Rotex it isn't a enjoyable job.

Originally Posted by ecsk

Don't laugh if I'm silly, Rotex is a great tool, I own the smaller 125mm and love it.
but for sanding a large timber deck, isn't a industrial floor sander a better solution ?
Unless you want to remove all deck timber and sand them in a bench, I'd say even with Rotex it isn't a enjoyable job.

Would have to agree here.

Love the rotex, but kneeling down for any lenght of time sanding a deck does not make sense to me.

Get a floor sander in they will have it flat and clean in not time , you can then oil to your hearts content and no sore knees.

The rotex can then be used for more meaningfull projects

Originally Posted by Jim Carroll

Would have to agree here.

Get a floor sander in they will have it flat and clean in not time , you can then oil to your hearts content and no sore knees.

The rotex can then be used for more meaningfull projects

Cheers

Thanks posters, I'm already talking the deck owner out of sanding as, I too, believe it should be avoided and is not necessary considering it's state and the effort/cost required.

Personally, I have hired items before and I believe smaller power tools are better off being owned and costed into jobs, ready for use next time; perhaps not so for the larger plant & equipment such as scissor lifts & etc. as these can pose storage problems.

There have been times when a quality sander would have been handy and I take on board the comments on the more expensive item, the vac and will investigate that in a week or two. As an afterthought, isn't it amazing how a piece of equipment not directly related to the task can blow out costs so much? The vac only removes dust and draws in air to aid cooling to the pad yet is more than the tool actually doing the work.

I've just been made aware of a TS55, Rotex 150 & the smaller of the planex planers being sold off together, used with the usual wear & tear. The planer has already gone but, at the end of last week, the others are still for sale at about $500 each. I'm not aware of any accessories included. What are readers experiences at buying these specific tools in a used condition?

I was lucky enough, when I bought my new Kapex saw to be offered a demo C22 Dusty for $300. I think from memory I paid $1800 all up for the saw and the demo C22. I've used the dusty almost constantly since getting it 3 years ago and it works beautifully even after letting a mate use it to suck up plaster dust (he didn't tell me he was sanding plaster..doh ). I just cleaned the filters and replaced the bag and its still going strong. I also bought a used OF900 Router on eBay about 3 or 4 years ago for a couple of hundred bucks and have never had a problem with it. In fact it outperforms the new MOF001 Triton routers I bought for my router table. The great thing about Festool stuff is the balance in the hand. For someone with my arthritic bones a well balanced tool in hand is worth its weight in gold. Second hand is OK with Festool unless its totally stuffed.
Just my two penneth worth.

Originally Posted by dakotax3

What are readers experiences at buying these specific tools in a used condition?

I have bought a couple of Festool tools second hand off of ebay ,(most of my Festool gear has been bought new)I guess I have been lucky in that those that I have bought have performed OK.

I'm aware that "buyer beware" is a saying that keeps one circumspect about used tools and the buying of them, but good tools can be found and save you a lot of $$$$$ in the process.

I don't hesitate if the tool I look at appears as though it going to be truly worth the money as opposed to buying new considering the any warranty period remaining being a factor to consider.

Cheers

Buying Festool tools second hand may not going to get you tools at bargain prices, because Festool tools hold their value well because they are generally looked after. So you are likely to get good tools... not dirt cheap... but saving you some money versus new.

The nice thing about the second hand Festool market, is it returns very nicely for near new tools use very little. Good if you need to buy a new tool, use it for a select few but critical projects, then get a good return for it if you no longer need it. Unlike some other tools that hold far less value once taken out of the shop, let alone used a bit.

So my 2c of input on the original question, if the tools is cared for, its probably asking a mid-highish price, but it should serve you well. If the tool seems cheap for a Festool, it's might have had a little bit more abuse than use... think construction site use by someone who did not pay for the thing... and not necessarily be what you want as a woodworkers / furniture makers tool.

One way to approach second hand Festool, invest in new for the most critical tool, and look for a second hand version of the tool less critical for you. Balanced, best of both worlds approach.