On a sander buying Spree – need someback
chefwong
| Posted in Tools for Home Building on
So all my sanders went walking and the only unit that I currently have in my stash is my Festool Rotex 6″ unit.
I’m looking to add the Porter Cable #121 Spindgle Sander . Has anyone used one. Love to hear some feedback on this tool.
Need to get a small 5″ unit also. Hmmm….should I stick with the $$ Festool system or go with the Bosch, or infamous PC #333 whioch I have owned 2 of these in my heyday.
Replies
I love the 333. It just keeps going.
I have a Bosch...it's fine, but nothing spectacular. And I am big Bosch fan. The Festool is likely a great unit. I wish I had one. (I do have the plunge cut circ saw setup)
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
If it's not your primary sander I'd encourage you to consider the DeWalt 624. I have 3 of them to keep 2 running, and I keep a spare speed adjustment switch and on/off switch in stock, but I really do like the sander. Two of us sanded all day yesterday, and all morning this morning and I have zero "buzz" in my hand, wrist, or arm. Really a very ergonomically designed tool. I think they were well under 100 bucks 6 or 8 years ago when I started buying them.
I retrofitted mine with 8 hole PSA pads and have been very pleased with dust collection, paper life, psa stickability, price of paper...just wish the switches weren't so danged sensitive.
Of course, as soon as one of these goes belly up I'll be shopping hard for a 6" something or other. But for a 5", I think these 624s are hard to beat.
Hey Blodgett kid..I mean Norton.I was thinking...ut oh...I've been using all my sanders more than usual lately...Sanding down a lot of these old doors, stair treads, painted door jambs, sections of floors etc etc with my PC belt sander then the ROS and the vibrating sander to get in the corners...etc etc. Been using an incredable amt of sandpaper and it got me to thinkin'. Wonder if they'll ever invent a sander where you just drop "sand" in it and set the dial for the proper courseness. Hmmmmmmm. there goes my billion dollar idea.
BE a Honeymooner
RalphThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
"Wonder if they'll ever invent a sander where you just drop "sand" in it and set the dial for the proper courseness."
Now THERE'S an idea. Think of the paper that could save!
thots like that'll keep you awake at night
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
as a general rule, if it ain't a PC, it ain't a sander.
'course, rules are made to be broken, right?
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
I personaly have 2 PC 333's and they just won't die... over time they have started to vibrate more, which could simply be a function of abuse and dropping.
on the other hand we bought a Ridgid for shop use, I'd encourage a look at that, the erganomics are better then PC for me and hooked up to a vaccum dust collection is good.
If you buy the Festool report back after use, I'm getting the plunge cut/vacumn for xmas, thinking of buying there 1400 router also...
I looked at there sander, and if it works well for dust collection with their vacumn it wouldn't be a far reach for me to order one.
We are sanding our way through 4000 lf of maple and cherry flat trim, two of us, and one is using the Festool Rotex, the other the little old Dewalt 421.
The Festool is a great sander, when it's working, but the velcro head came apart, we got another next day air from Festool service, and it didn't even make it through the day.
Has Festool gone to some other manufacturer for replacement parts?
The DW421 just keeps going.
Which Rotex are you using -- the big 6" or the smaller 5"?I have been thinking of getting one. Assuming they get the head thing figured out, how do you like it? Do you use the "dual purpose" feature?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The big six. Can't answer re the dual action. We are only using the RO setting.
Can say this, though. When it works, it is way better than what else we have available, PC and DW. Faster, absolutely dust free, surfaces ready for sealer without wipedown.
Do you always use it with a vac? Have you tried it with one of their dust bags?********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
The Festool ROS is always used with the Festool vac, at least by us.
We anxiously await the arrival of the replacement pad, which they said they would ship gratis because the earlier one went blooey in a few hours. Said they had a bad batch or something.
Today we did another part of the pile of trim, 100 percent cherry this time, each of us using a DW, each DW having the little dust bag. Respirator city!