Seeking advice before possible purchase of Festool RO 125

LocoWoodWork

Steve
Corporate Member
I have used Dewalts, Bosch to date. I have recently been having the tingling hand syndrome while sanding rockers. Considering the purchase of an RO 125. Read/watched a lot regarding the RO 125. Cost lots of $$$ but is it worth it?
 

LB75

Moderator
George
I have the RO150 and the thing is an absolute beast when in Rotex mode, extremely aggressive and can be a bear to control. As a finish sander I find it tough to balance. My personal favorite is the brushless ETS150. Very comfortable in the hand and I've literally used it for hours with no hand tingling afterwards. Unless you feel you absolutely need the Rotex mode, I would recommend the ETS sanders instead.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
Steve, have you tried any of the gel palm gloves with your sander? I'm not trying to get between anyone and a new tool though. I have had good success using such gloves - when I remember I have them and use them. Not everyone likes wearing gloves though.
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I have used Dewalts, Bosch to date. I have recently been having the tingling hand syndrome while sanding rockers. Considering the purchase of an RO 125. Read/watched a lot regarding the RO 125. Cost lots of $$$ but is it worth it?
Do you have the vacuum already? I would recommend that too.. but I recently switched to the Festool sander world and as described in Rotex mode, nothing can come close.
 

cyclopentadiene

Update your profile with your name
User
I have the RO90DX, RO125 and ETS125. Each has its own application. The ETS works best for large flat paneks (ie table tops) It leaves the best final finish of the 3. The RO125 is great for larger areas when you need aggressive sanding.
My go to sander is the RO90DX. I build a lot of Maloof pieces and this tool saves many hours. The old approach of grinding a seat with a carbide burr (1.5hr) was followed by 8-10 hours of rasps and then a 5”ROS and hand sanding until your fingers hurt. I can take a seat from the carbide burr to a finished seat in 1 hr when starting with 60 grit sandpaper. It is smaller and easier to handle than the RO125 with curved pieces
My only complaint is the interface pads are expensive and do not hold up well with aggressive work. I destroy about 3 of these a year.
I wish klingspor would make a version with the Festool hole pattern. I would prefer the standard Festool thickness and a very thin version as well.
I rarely use the triangular plate. I have owned the unit 3 years and still have some triangle sandpaper that came with the sander
 

Mike K

Mike
Corporate Member
I switched to the Festool sanders a few years ago. What a difference. I have the RO90Dx and the ETS150-5. Both are excellent especially with the dust collection system. They make sanding easy and so much faster. You can't go wrong.
 

UncleJoe

Joe
Senior User
I have 3 Festool sanders, I can't see why I would ever switch now. I have the DTS 400, very nice for finish sanding and getting into corners and other tight spots. I have the RO 125, which was my first Festool sander and I was thinking it would span the range from rough sanding to finish and it does that well when you switch to fine sanding. I could do everything I need with this if it was the only one I owned. The most recent purchase, 2 years ago, was the ETC ES 125 which is brushless and a very smooth running and well balanced finish sander. It has become my favorite finish sander for larger pieces. I find zero hand tingling issues with this sander. I rarely use the rotex in fine mode now as the ETC ES 125 is just more balanced and easier to use. FYI for the last 10 years I have had these sanders connected to a Craftsman shop vac and dust deputy with a electrical adapter I got from Rockler that turns on the vac when I turn on the sanders. I used a Bosch vac hose and everything has worked great. I just bought a Festool vac so I will be changing that setup but I added that piece of info in case you were considering it.

Are Festool sanders worth the money. For me the answer is yes but it all depends on you and your situation. These are well made and make me think they will last a very long time.
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
Steve, when I was building the pedestal dinning room table for my daughter, after roughing out the pedestals with the bandsaw, I used the RO 125 for the final shaping...it worked great! I used a very aggressive sanding disk (36 grit), but the job I thought would take many, many hours was accomplished in about an hour. If you get one, be careful...with the power of the sander and the aggressiveness of the paper it can easily get away from you!
 

LocoWoodWork

Steve
Corporate Member
Gentlemen, thanks for the responses, I was hoping you all would do the honorable thing and tell me to buy the harbour freight sander so as to save a fellow WWr some benjamins! All kidding aside, I appreciate your advice and will probably order one today. Although I always wear a respirator, it's likely a vac will also be ordered.
Thanks,
Steve
 

Flute Maker

Mike
User
Steve, have you tried any of the gel palm gloves with your sander? I'm not trying to get between anyone and a new tool though. I have had good success using such gloves - when I remember I have them and use them. Not everyone likes wearing gloves though.
Wonder if these gloves help with arthritis in the hands? Im looking at anything I can to help.At work we have some gloves that I wear a small that sort of are like the compression type gloves...hurt when you put them on but feel good afterward you get them on.
 

LocoWoodWork

Steve
Corporate Member
Steve, have you tried any of the gel palm gloves with your sander? I'm not trying to get between anyone and a new tool though. I have had good success using such gloves - when I remember I have them and use them. Not everyone likes wearing gloves though.
I'm sure gloves would not hurt, unfortunately I'm one of those that has trouble wearing gloves. Usually cut, scrape or get a splinter after which I wish I'd worn them.
 

LocoWoodWork

Steve
Corporate Member
Wonder if these gloves help with arthritis in the hands? Im looking at anything I can to help.At work we have some gloves that I wear a small that sort of are like the compression type gloves...hurt when you put them on but feel good afterward you get them on.
Not sure which gloves you are referring to but one sure way to find out is to try them. I know someone who swears that a compression sock helps so maybe a c. glove will also.
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
The anti-vibration gloves aren't really for arthritus, at least not the ones I've seen. If I was going to replace mine I'd probably get these this time:

https://www.amazon.com/Ergodyne-9000-Certified-Lightweight-Anti-Vibration/dp/B003WT1Q1S/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3J0Z0AW6N2AJ3&dchild=1&keywords=antivibration+work+gloves&qid=1589123758&sprefix=antivibration,aps,151&sr=8-3

1589124015745.png


They look like they'd give more coverage than the ones I have right now and be cooler.
 
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JimD

Jim
Senior User
I have no experience with festool sanders. But if you want a rotex type you may want to look at the Bosch DEVS 1250. I have one and it's "turbo" mode is very aggressive. I use it one handed but not normally with coarse paper in turbo mode. It doesn't bother my hands from vibration but controlling it one handed for too long will make them tired. It also removes more material on the edge closest to the motor. It's heaviest there. I would guess the Rotex does too. I like my Bosch, saves me a lot of time.
 

McRabbet

Rob
Corporate Member
Steve,

I have two Festool Sanders -- an ETS 150/5 EQ-Plus and an ETS 125 REQ-Plus. The 150/5 has a 6" diameter pad with a 5 mm stroke. It is a great sander for first phase sanding to get a surface from rough to smooth. At $350, it is not cheap, but is built to last a lifetime. The 125 (which I got during the promotion with its introduction at $99) is a 5" sander with a 2mm stroke that is ideal for final, finish sanding. I use the 150 with grits from 80 to 150 grit and the 125 with grits from 180 to 320. Both sanders have excellent dust removal through many more holes than the less expensive Porter Cable, Bosch or Ryobi sanders and are practically "dustless" when used with a Festool Dust Extractor (I have the CT 36). Highly recommended.
 

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