I Need a New ROS.... Which one?

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
I need a good ROS, I have a PC that I've used and used, but is kills my hands, and it is dying, it needs some work I think, it dances all over the wood now when I use it.
343_1.jpg

It is a Model 343 and I bought it new in 2007.

Price is not really a problem, I don't have tons of money but I'd rather buy a good sander and use it for many years than another cheapie and hate it, and have to replace it sooner.

What are you using that you like?

I'm wanting to pull the trigger on something soon, as I have some extra (Ha!) cash on hand, and if I spend it on tools while I still have the cash, that is a good thing! :D

Cheers!
 

Attachments

  • 343_1.jpg
    343_1.jpg
    11.3 KB · Views: 12
I'm still using (regularly) the Bosch 3725 I bought over 12-14 years ago, and it won't give up. Not expecting it to last that long, I bought a PC 390 as a backup, and it's a really nice sander. The top of it is a little large for my smallish hands, but I'd give it a look.
 
I've had the Festool ROS for about ten years. Best ROS I've ever seen. Others speak highly of the Bosch, too.

My PC 333 now sits, pretty much unused, in a drawer somewhere.
 
I only use my Festool finish sander (ETS-125) now. The rest just sit on the shelf and I need to get rid of them (Porter Cable & Bosch). It is the only sander I use now because of the vacuum attachment with the auto power on/off at the Festool vacuum and it is close to being vibration free (a big feature for me). It seems quieter than the others, but that just may be my imagination. Just a caveat, I do not sand a lot, so my experiences are very low in this area. I generally hand plane my surfaces which then only require a light sanding, depending on the finish. But when I do, I enjoy the features that it has.
 
I've had a Dewalt for years. Been a work horse. I've worn out one pad and the dust shroud brake thing. Replaced them and good to go again. The only complaint I've had with it is the dust collector bag falls off once in a while. I have that problem with every type of tool I've had that collects dust in a little bag. I have to Makita belt sanders that have the same irritant.

Maybe you need on with a different handle style?
 
Well Amazon WILL ship to it to Japan, they WON'T ship Festool to Japan, the Festool sanders in Japan are at least twice the price as in the US.
About $580 all in, import taxes, shipping etc.... dang it Jeff, that is one sweet looking tool!:doh:
 
At our last woodworker's club meeting one of the other members (who knew that I was willing to spend more than $49 on a sander) came up to me and raved about how great the Mirka sander was, despite the high price. I haven't used it, nor seen his, but he encouraged me to try it. There are no local dealers that I have found with a demo unit.

I have worn out two 5 inch Makita variable speed ROS. They were great units, heavily used, and each was rebuilt once. I still have one I use occasionally, but it is getting tired.

I like my 6 inch Festool ETS 150/3, but I absolutely hate their sandpaper. Hate it enough that I have an entire web page on the testing that I did, and the solution. See www.solowoodworker.com/tools/festool.html. The Festool sander doesn't last forever - my ETS 150/3 has been back to the factory for a $50 revival out of the warranty period.

Since my Makitas were dying and I have a large stock of 5 inch paper, and wanted an "additional" sander, I bought a 5 inch Porter Cable when they were on sale - around $50. I never could figure out why I didn't enjoy using the PC sander, but I didn't.

I picked up a 5 inch variable speed Bosch sander, ROS20VS, for less than $80, and have been very pleased with it. I haven't run any endurance contest with it, compared to the Festool, but I have no hesitation to grab it for routine use. (If I am doing a large project, I probably want the 6 inch so would use the Festool). Although it appeared very similar to the Porter Cable, I far prefer the Bosch, so I gave the PC sander to my son.

So in order of price, my recommendations are
1) Bosch ROS20VS, 5 inch, about $80
2) Festool ETS 150/3 (6 inch) or ETS 125 for a 5 inch, $325
3) Mirka MIM55020CAUS 5 inch $495

And recognize that I only own and use the first two.
 
For the price of some of those sanders you should be able to turn it on and leave the room, come back when it is done! You could buy 5 - 10 good sanders for the price of one! Do they really do a better job? Just curious.
 
From what I can see I guess they have a higher amp rating, higher torque, and are smoother in operation?

Most likely well worth it if you use an awful lot, I'd guess.
 
Stu, I bought a DeWalt D26453 about a year ago, and like it a lot. It's the same as the PC sander, just yellow.

I had worn out and rebuilt twice, my Makita BO5001 sander, but that has been retired completely since I got the DeWalt.

One feature I like well in the DeWalt is the "non-spinning" disk. Even off the surface it just orbits. The Makita used to take off spinning whenever I lifted the sander up while it was running. That's really nice.

Of course, I am only a hobbiest, not a pro, so How you use your sanders will be different.

Maybe this helps?

Aloha.
 
Which Bosch? There are only like 70 or 80 models to choose from....? :huh:


That same one Charlie mentioned. I believe Larry gave me that recommendation as well.

I like it way better than my old dewalt 5". The dewalt got put on bottom paint removal duty, and I'm afriad it won't ever be the same... LOL
 
Top