REVIEW: Eight Random Orbital Sanders

Wood_Ogre » Tue, November 2 » 11:22 PM

I use and like both Porter Cable and Dewalt

If you have the do-re-me This one is totally awesome!

Dan

I have an old Ryobi 1/4 sheet sander and a Dewalt hook & loop disk RO. Dewalt is nice but the speed control switched pooched early on and now it is a one-speed sander. Using it this AM - #80 grit, time to quit!

Have to agree with Dan.  I have the Festool RO 125 and a Festool vac that I bought when I started sanding.  Unbelievable, no dust.  The regular random orbitals are fantastic.  I prefer 5" over 6" to get into tighter areas.  Their abrasives are proprietary, but close to price of any better grade paper, and lasts as long or longer.  Just the dust control alone is worth the price.  I should have purchased sooner, as I am a semi retired contractor.  Would have not breathed the pounds of dust that I have over the years.  You get what you pay for.

I have been fairing my boats with the extra foam pad on this thing and 50 grit. No planing at all. Just a little scraping of excess glue. Then a final sanding at 80 grit and glass. There are no swirl marks with this sander. And did I mention no dust?

No, I'm not on the Festool payrole.

Dan

I assume you meant ROS... random orbital sander. There's nothing special about it, but I'm using a Bosch.

https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=ROS+random+orbital+sander+reviews

Keith

Used my Festool ETS-150/5 to build my 17LT.  It is expensive, but the dust collection with their CT vac is first rate and the variable speed gives you lots of control.  I already had the tool for other projects, so you'd have to weigh the cost for sure.

The RO 125 is their Rotex sander that is dual mode.  One mode is a random circular action, sort of like a grinder/buffer, with a random motion.  The other mode is Random Orbital mode, like a regular normal ROS sander.  I used the circular motion to fair the overlaps of glass, like the deck to hull overlap, or the extra layers on the stems or the bottom.  Truly the biggest feature is no dust when used with their CT dust collectors (vacs).  I also used the soft foam pad on the curved surfaces.  I used my home made long board for fairing the strips before the 80 grit sanding.  

My current favorite 5" ROS is the Porter Cable low profile hook and loop model. The dust bag is removable and their vacuum hose fits my Fein dust collector perfectly. The same Porter Cable hose works with their 6" ROS for more powerful jobs. I confess to abusing the sander with plaster and dry wall compound dust but it doesn't seem to upset it. Using 40 or 80 grit paper it has plenty of power to cut hardened epoxy down to size and is the most comfortable sander I have ever used for long sanding sessions.

I have used a Port-Cable since 1998ish. The original orbital sander = a RYOBI = wouldnt even finish the west river 180 kayak build!!!!!  I hyave to say the Porter Cable hasnt even hinted at failure well well over ten years later. Compare that to a couple months for the RYOBI. Too, I now own a DeWalt orbital and it appears to be quite good as well.

Its one lof those tools that benefits from a decent design and manufacture as its more complicated than a jigsaw for example.  It simply pays to buy good first. Too expensive to buy RYOBI despite the initial cheap outlay.

With all the sanding  youll be doing youll want a reliable machine. Minds got epoxy dripped on it, the dust catch is missing. LOL, I love it.

Pete

PS: Dont even dream using one without a decent respirator... depot has a nice one about 35.00 or so. Silicone face seal... nice.

Question:  Can the Festool sander be attached to a regular ShopVac?  I know thier extractors would be best, but they start at about $410.  The 5" Festool ROS is $180--not bad for such a high-quality tool, if it will work OK with a ShopVac.

I'm using a porter cable model 333. Used it for cabinet work for a number of years then my kayak. Great sander and no problems. Use it with your shop vac along with a fine particulate dust bag. I am a complete fan of porter cable tools. I have a large bench mounted router(3 1/4 speedmatic) that I use as a shaper, a plunge router, a model 330 speedbloc(still works fine but no dust removal) and a bisquit joiner (awesome tool). As others have said, even with dust removal, use a good respirator. 

Bosch 1250DEVS.  love it.  6", $230, no dust and I can get the abrasive at home depot or about anywhere I need to (unlike the festool).  also about half the price of the festool.  I am very happy with this purchase.  

I also hae a 5" ridgid that is fine but the bosch is awesome.