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Best ROS?

Rennie Heuer

Rennie Heuer

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Constantine, MI
One of the drawbacks of being busy, I guess, is that you wear out tools - or it could just be 2020. 🥴

First my planer takes a holiday and today I had an ROS fail - a Porter Cable that is about 20 years old. This is the second sander this year to break down (lost a DeWalt earlier) and my back up to my back up is showing signs that it may soon suffer a similar fate. I believe the PC and one of the DeWalts can be fixed if I can locate the right parts, but they are both 20+ year old machines and have seen better days.

Been thinking about a replacement for some time. And before you yell "Festool" please note that, though I am busy, I'm not raking in enough to go in that direction...just yet anyway. At least, not for their $600 models.
There are some really nice 6" machines out there getting great reviews, but I think I'd like to stay with 5".

This Makita B05041 has a lot of good reviews and comes in high in tests rather consistently and is very reasonably priced. The price, to me, indicates it is more or less a high end consumer tool not necessary meant for commercial use. Not that I consider myself 'commercial' and it would probably last 20 years anyway - just an observation.

This unit, also highly rated, comes in at nearly three times the price of the Makita Bosh ROS65VC - And more than the Festool ETS 125. Not trying to be picky, but I remember reading somewhere that the ETS 125 was a 'not so great' when compared to Festool's other offerings. Don't know - would like to hear from those of you that might have one. And then there's the 'uniqueness' of the sandpaper to be considered.

Chime in! All comments welcome.
 
I have a Porter-Cable and a Makita, both 18 to 20 years old. I bought the PC first, then the Makita a couple years later just to have a second one. The PC had a PSA pad originally, but I changed it to hook-and-loop. Turns out they both use the same pad assembly. I can't fault either of them.
 
My Bosch 1295DVS has been a champ for 17 years. When Bosch announced them being discontinued I tried to find another. Thankfully Klingspor sold them with their brand on them and I picked up a second one. Both have been through a couple of pads but, otherwise work great.

I do not know that the current offerings have that sort of longevity. I will say that my foray into the 6" sander arena proved ill-advised. I just don't do the kind of work that calls for a lot of power sanding and the 6" proves unwieldy. Quite possibly due to my skills not being well developed in that area :unsure:.

The two handed grip (on my 6") proves useful for control. In the 5" I enjoy the beer-can grip of the narrower bodies so don't forget to bear your grip in mind. That ergonomic interface between us and our tools plays pretty strong in a ROS. Think about your routers or jig saw choices. If you gotta sand, you may as well be comfortable (y).
 
While I suspect you're looking for a higher-end sander, I have an old Ryobi 5" ROS that refuses to die. I think I've replaced the Velcro pad three times now, but that's due to my own heavy-handedness. I used to run it for hours on end when I was making a lot of cutting boards. I like the fact that it has a round dust port, and I was able to adapt it to fit my shop vac.

s-l1600.jpg

If and when I ever replace it, I'll likely go with the DeWalt, mainly because it also has a round dust port. (I also see the Craftsman 5" ROS looks exactly like a re-branded DeWalt that's red instead of yellow for $10 less.)
 
Good info everyone - thanks. After getting over the initial shock of the 'best' of the Bosch sanders (about $280) I thought that maybe I'll just invest in some repair parts. :rofl: BUT - Porter Cable no longer sells the part I need. It's the part that the pad screws into. It is plastic and it seems I got the screws so hot that they melted their way out leaving way oversized holes in their wake. So, maybe the next most expensive Bosch? :LOL:
 
Yes
I've replaced the pad holder 2 times
I've used a ryobi snd my dewalt
I've been thinking about the 6 inch model
I mentioned but pulled the post because a lot of sensitive people here who might take my post different then what I mean but
I decided if I'm making a once in a lifetime ofcwoodworking tool purchase I'd go for the extra 200 dollars
I find festool products superior to most other brands
I'm no expert but I do a tremendous amount of woodworking and when a tool feels right and seems to make my life easier with better outcomes I go for the extra bucks

I find the 125!runs much smoother
I get less wrist fatigue
 
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My Bosch 3725 (forerunner of the ROS 65) is over 20 years old. About 10 years ago I bought a PC to have on hand, thinking the aging Bosch would go to sander heaven soon. So far that hasn't happened....and the PC has done nothing but sit on the shelf. If my Bosch ever gives it up I'll but the ROS 65. I did get one of the Festool sanders (I think it was the 125) with the introductory deal when it came out, $99. I did nothing with it except plug it in and make sure it ran; then sold it for what I paid. I didn't want to keep a second set of sanding discs on hand and frankly I like the Bosch so well just couldn't figure out why I would keep the Fessie. Here's the thing about spending the money on the Bosch: it will last a really long time and hooked to a vac has excellent dust control.
 
For what it's worth, I had picked up something a few years back called a 'festool pro 5 ltd'. I was reluctant to shell out the big bucks for a festool, but this was at an incredibly attractive price. I'm not suer what the deal was with it.

I did a search for the pro 5 ltd, but this is all that comes up and it's only 205$

https://www.festoolproducts.com/fes...nbj74xZCA5Gx0_Jg0DyjBZrcyIpcIb_RoCbswQAvD_BwE

I was shocked at how much better the festool sander worked. The downside is the festool sandpaper pattern is different than my other sanders, but I made do with a 3d printed pattern and a little punch tool.
 
That's not too bad a price for Festool. Pre-order for March delivery. I need a new finish sander and might take the plunge just for the improved dust collection.
 
While sanding today with my last working sander I lifted it off the surface for a moment and the sandpaper disk flew 20' across the shop. Guess the old hook part of the hook and loop partnership has given up. I ordered a new pad for $12 from Amazon, just so I'd have a back up, but also ordered the Makita B05041 recommended by several of you. It was a near toss up with the Bosch. What moved the needle for me was the grip and the aux handle. While I was at it I purchased Makita'a vacuum hose as well for two reasons - First I did not want to have to deal with adapters for my current hose and, second and more important, the shipping weight on the 10' hose is only 1#. My current 10' hose weights in at 3# without packaging. Should make it less physically demanding to keep the pad flat on the work.

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