RO Sanders? Your thoughts?

[JackLeg]

I'm in the market for another ROS. I've heard good and bad things about the new Porter Cable low profile unit. :dontknow: Anyone got one? (I'm betting Travis, Jeremy, or Scott Smith have one) If so, what has your experience been? :eusa_thin

If not, what is YOUR favorite ROS and why? :icon_scra

Thanks folks!
:wsmile:

 

[boxxmaker]

BOSCH,the last one I bought was about 12 yrs ago (I think) and it is still going strong.I can use it all day and very little vibs in it.A little pricey,some will say,but well worth it.

 

[JackLeg]

BOSCH,the last one I bought was about 12 yrs ago (I think) and it is still going strong.I can use it all day and very little vibs in it.A little pricey,some will say,but well worth it.

Got a model number, Ken? Thanks for responding.

 

[boxxmaker]

Let me look,don't go away:gar-La; I'm back 3107DVS Hey I ain't knockin PC,there a great tool,have a few of em.but in my opinion for what its worth there not made as good as they used to.I have a Bosch ROS two routers and a barral Jig saw I picked up for 50.00 at an auction bout 15 yrs ago.It is so smooth you can hardly feel it runnin.OOPS sorta got off the subject.Sorry.

 

[WoodWrangler]

I've had several, but finally landed on the Festool 6" ROS. It's a beast, but for what I've bad by far the best. Powerful, great dust collection, and has two modes for different aggressiveness.

I also have a 5" Ridgid one around the house. Use it on occasion. The nice thing about it is that it is light weight (the 6" Festool is a bulky thing).

If I had to do it again ... I may have just landed on the standard 5" Festool ROS instead of the big Rotex one I have. Mainly just because of weight ... it can wear you out!

 

[boxxmaker]

Depends on what you use em for,if you do mostly flat work then the weight is you friend,if not,then its not.What I like about the bosch is that it has weight but is so well balanced that it doesn't wear you out,and I use it a lot when sanding on the lathe.I don't have any affiliation with em just use em.

 

[scsmith42]

Reggie, stop by and try out my Festool ROS's the next time that you're around. I have a couple different models, and really like them.

Bas tried them out the last time that he was here, and I think that we have another Festool convert...

 

[Phil S]

I can not seem to kill my 5" pc. It is the old style, about 5 years old and I use it for all small jobs. But when the task calls for more than 10 minutes of sanding, I always use my air-driven ROS which at 12000 rpm is very quick,very light and produces a great surface.

 

[JackLeg]

Let me look,don't go away:gar-La; I'm back 3107DVS Hey I ain't knockin PC,there a great tool,have a few of em.but in my opinion for what its worth there not made as good as they used to.I have a Bosch ROS two routers and a barral Jig saw I picked up for 50.00 at an auction bout 15 yrs ago.It is so smooth you can hardly feel it runnin.OOPS sorta got off the subject.Sorry.

Hey, Ken, no problem! My shop is full of Bosch tools, (SCMS, Barrel Jig Saw, Sander, PS20 Screwdrivers, etc.) I'm a Bosch fan also.:icon_thum I'll look into what Bosch has to offer as I haven't seen a collection of their stuff in a while.

Festool? Hmm?:icon_scra How heavy are they?:dontknow: Will I need to take a 2nd mortgage to buy one?:icon_scra Do they EVER put them on sale?

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

[Splint Eastwood]

Hey, Ken, no problem! My shop is full of Bosch tools, (Sliding Compund Miter Saw, Barrel Jig Saw, Sander, PS20 Screwdrivers, etc.) I'm a Bosch fan also.:icon_thum I'll look into what Bosch has to offer as I haven't seen a collection of their stuff in a while.

Festool? Hmm?:icon_scra How heavy are they?:dontknow: Will I need to take a 2nd mortgage to buy one?:icon_scra Do they EVER put them on sale?

Thanks everyone for your responses.

Check this out! Free shipping! plus warranty!

http://bosch.cpotools.com/reconditioned_tools/sanders/random_orbit_sanders/ros10-rt.html

 

[Trent Mason]

I've only owned two. A 5" PC and a 5" Dewalt. I sanded through the sanding disk and burned up the PC while sanding paint off of an entertainment center. I looked at replacing just the pad, but it seemed about the same as buying a new one, so I got the Dewalt. Basically the same sander with a different paint job. Both of them worked fine for me. But just remember, trying to save money on sanding disks by using them WAY too long is a BAD idea. :gar-La; :slap:

Festool......... Ahhhh, I look forward to the day when I have $300 to spend on a sander..........

 

[WoodWrangler]

The Festool are very very nice, but I have to think the Bosch is excellent as well. Heck, even my Ridgid is pretty darn good and powerful enough! With ROS, the thing I notice the biggest difference in is the final finish. This suppossedly relates to the size of the swirling motion it makes, as well as the speed at which you use the tool. The Festool does make an obviously better finish with little effort, but the Ridgid works just as well. You can get one of the light weight Festools for about $150, I think (don't quote me!). The Rotex are close to $400+ though. Not sure what Bosch run, but I'd think you could land one around $100 (used maybe $30-$40 on CL).

In the end ... what do you want it for ... and what do you want to spend? I bet someone out here has an extra sitting around they could sell you!

 

[SteveColes]

FYI, Klingspor sells one (sometimes) that is the bosch re-labled. IT is very inexpensive and works very well.

I used to use it often, but now I have the Festool 5" Rotex.

 

[JimmyC]

I bought the Klingspor model that Steve has mentioned, actually I bought three of them ($44.95 apiece at the time, originally $79.95)) and they work real well. They are made by bosch, and exact duplicates.

Here's the sander,
http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-...an2=N&ordMan3=N&persCode=&persReqd=&persLink= &shipRemaining=0&daysBetween=0&daysBetweenFix=0&monthsBetween=0

, and they are now $49.95

FYI, Klingspor sells one (sometimes) that is the bosch re-labled. IT is very inexpensive and works very well.

I used to use it often, but now I have the Festool 5" Rotex.

 

[Bas]

Reggie, stop by and try out my Festool ROS's the next time that you're around. I have a couple different models, and really like them.

Bas tried them out the last time that he was here, and I think that we have another Festool convert...

The Festool sanders are very nice indeed. But, part of that is the Festool shop vac (I mean, "Dust Extraction System"). Quiet and very powerful. So that needs to be factored into the price as well. One day...

So far, I've been pretty happy with my Ridgid 5". Variable speed, comfortable, and good even sanding. I've tried the Bosch and PC, and they're very similar. I'd give the Ridgid a slight edge, but that's probably because I'm used to it.

 

[Glennbear]

When I bought my DW735 planer there was a promotion going on and I got a free D26451K ROS. I have been pleased with it's performance but can only compare it to my Black & Decker which of course it beats. :wsmile:

 

[boxxmaker]

Goin from just about any of the above mentioned sanders to a B&D is like goin from a lexus to a yugo :rotflm::rotflm::rotflm:

 

[Travis Porter]

Reggie, it looks like you got it wrong. Neither Scott, Jeremy, or I have one of the new low profile Porter Cables. I too have gone Festool, primarily for the dust collection.

I did have a regular PC ROS sander, a Dewalt ROS and a PC Right angle ROS, but recently sold them. They were all pretty good units. The PC right angle was very aggressive, but the barrell was a bit large and would tire my hand, and I have pretty large hands. Still it was a very good unit, and came with a vacuum hose.

My recommentdations to you are as follows:
Get one that you can hook a shop vac up to without any adapters.
For the standard stuff, I like a 5" jobber, but I have gotten spoiled on the Festool 6"
You can't go wrong with the Klingspor replica of the Bosch. I have tried it out, and it is an excellent unit for the money.

 

[thrytis]

I like my 5" Ridgid, but i haven't used any other to compare with it. One nice thing with the Ridgid is out of the box it'll connect to either the large or small standard size shop vac hose. It is a little loud with the shop vac going (i wear hearing protection), but i don't notice any dust kicked up by it.

 

[JackLeg]

Reggie, it looks like you got it wrong. Neither Scott, Jeremy, or I have one of the new low profile Porter Cables. I too have gone Festool, primarily for the dust collection.


Sorry, Travis, I momentarily forgot whom I was speaking to! LOL! I should have known you guys had moved on up and sold off the "lesser units!"

I may try the Rigid just because of the dust hose connection and price. I have a Bosch and a PC.