Festool Rotex RO 125

I got a Festool RO 125 5" disk sander as a gift.  I never would have bought one myself...  It's a really cool sander.  It's got some features that other sanders I've owned and borrowed on jobsites don't have- like it switches from random orbit to circular and it's got a tool-free pad changeout system.  Plus it comes in a really nice box!  OK, Systainer...

But I really don't like the sander.  I read a review once that said it takes awhile to get used to because of its aggressiveness, but the so-called aggressiveness I've seen translates to the sander being hard to control on the surface of the wood and uneven surface sanding.  Oh, and I can't buy the special hole pattern paper locally.  If I had the $380 laying around just to spend on sanding, I'd have bought 4 sanders- one each of Porter Cable, Rigid, DeWalt and Makita for the things I like about each of those.

 Does anybody here like this sander and have tips for its use?


2 replies:

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RE: Festool Rotex RO 125

Ingrid, 

I have the festool ETS 125 5 inch random orbital sander, which is smaller and does not have the aggressive direct drive circular option (it's also expensive, but much less than yours).  I had the opportunity to try it at a local hardwood shop, I liked it (it worked very well with one hand or two) and I preferred to support that shop as opposed to the national big box warehouse down the road.  During the demo, the sander was hooked up to a festool vac, and there was effectively no sanding dust. 

I bought the sander, but not the vac.  I was cautioned that if I intended to hook it up to a shop vac, to find a vac with low volume air flow (30-50 cfm), as higher volume vacs were said to "pull the sander down onto the work suface, creating the problem of uneven sanding and making the sander hard to control."  I run it with an old retired household canister vac with a homemade fitting for the hose (I guess I should tell my wife that the vac is now retired to the basement), and it has worked very well - I have not experienced any sticking, bumping, jumping, or other problem with it, and find it's small size and minimal vibration very easy on the hands.

I'd suggest giving yours a try, but in RO mode rather than in circular mode.  If it doesn't work well, the return policy and customer support are said to be outstanding.   If it does work well, you will also be able to shift into circular mode and sand a PocketShip faster than the rest of us.......  Good luck. 

Phil

 

RE: Festool Rotex RO 125

Ingrid

Be patient you own a tool that will out work all of the others combined, be sure to use the speed control and RO, as to paper you will have to plan ahead a little but the Festool paper is so superior to all the others it will pay off, remember you will have this tool four or five times as long as any of the other brands you mentioned, we (C Fox Boat School ) have 6 ets 150's and 4 RO's and we have been using and abusing  them five days a week for the past 5 years with no breakdowns at all.Also think seriously about a Vac from festool you will be amazed

If after all you do not want the sander any more I can probably help you sell it QUICK to one of our students 

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