Woodworkers –
I would appreciate your comments and advice in effort to identify the best professional grade orbital sander. My goal is to identify the orbital sander that produces the best finished product.
Thank you for the advice
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Replies
I love my Fein 6".
It is 15+ years old and is a workhorse.
I have replace the pad a couple of times but it is easy to find and a reasonably priced replacement pare.
TL:DR; Barring truly awful junk, any sander will produce more or less the same finish. More expensive devices will work faster (mostly as they are larger) are more pleasant to use and may last longer than cheaper options.
I have owned four sanders over time. None would be 'professional grade' but there is a definite difference in the better compared with the very cheapest in terms of pleasure to use, balance, vibration and life. You get more if you pay more.
In terms of finish, the very cheapest needed a fair bit of skill to get a good finish as it tended to speed up a lot when not under load. This is not a problem with any but the lowest priced models. Nonetheless, provided care was taken to avoid scuffs, I got just as good a finish with the cheapest as the best.
My device of choice right now is a deWalt DW6423XE - it does what it says on the tin really well.
There is however, probably a reason why people who sand all the time buy Festool - their warranty includes wear and tear too, so you can't really go wrong with that system.
Recent discussion on WoodTalk has considered this very question.
https://woodtalkshow.com/episodes/wt497-i-hate-you/
As long as you avoid the junk, any sander can leave a great finish. Take your time, use good paper, and go through the grits. The Dewalt mentioned above is good, but several others are all about equal.
The Festool Rotex is fastest, by far. It has a rapid removal mode, and still will leave a great finish on random orbit mode. And great dust collection. But you could buy 8 of the Dewalt's for what the Rotex costs.
Factories and commercial shops use pneumatic sanders. Being air powered they don't get hot and can run for hours.
Thanks to all for the comments
I can't answer your question. I think any of the top brands are going to be a step up from handyman type sanders.
I have the Fe$tool 125 its a great sander b/c its has less vibration and excellent dust collection (maybe more the dust extractor than the tool). The Rotex is a more aggressive tool.
Mirka would be my next choice.
My thinking is sanding is not only horribly boring, its a dangerous process, so regardless of the brand, dust collection is paramount.
Definitely get a dust extractor rather than use a shop vac.
When I was young, the shop could fill up with dust so thick I couldn't see the far wall. It didn't stop me or slow me down. It was many years before I owned a dust collector.
I was foolish and short sighted.
The dust collection on Festool is the best I've ever used, by far.
Re: Definitely get a dust extractor rather than use a shop vac.
Why is that exactly? I’ve contemplated a dust extractor but am still confused about why it is better than the vac.
Basement shop no windows so yes, dust control is a concern for me.
Mike
I'm torn on this one - I use only a dust extractor, but those are HVLP devices, whereas shop vacs are LVHP.
LVHP is better at moving dust along narrower tubes, but is not so good at moving large amounts of dust. Lower volume, high pressure means high velocity and this is perfect for fine dust particles. Large chips tend to clog the machine and it is not possible to draw enough volume to collect dust effectively from say a table saw or jointer with the shop vac.
The HVLP dust collector is awesome for collecting from large areas, wide open mouths and for moving larger chips, but flow attenuation is significant if you reduce it using vac hose. There simply isn't the pressure to force significant amounts of air along narrower pipes.
That having been said...
I do use a step-down from 4 inch to vacuum hose and this can work well enough for fine dust. You DO have to use the vac EVERY TIME though - mine is permanently fixed to the drop saw and if I forget to switch the vac on, the line will clog. If I remember though, it's fine. As it draws only a bit of air, I don't even need to close the blast gate connected to it.
I have seen enough demos of dust collection on YT to be of the opinion that IAIW, I would use a shop vac for the smaller devices and leave the big sucker for those that really need it's attention.
As others have said, most will work just fine. If you read reviews and features you'll see that some vibrate less than others and some have 2nd handles, both features make them more comfortable to use for long periods. Some are more powerful than others, my Bosch ROS20VSC 5" models are 2.5 amps, the 6" Bosch has, I think, 3+ amps, Makita's 5" has 3 amps, and some brands are only 2 amps. There are also cordless models if you want that. Mine are mostly hooked up to my Jet dust collector, but they also have their own canisters if needed. No visible dust when used with the collector, very little with the canisters.
My "go to" sander is the Makita 5". It produces a beautiful finish for a very reasonable price. Definitely best value for the money. At work I have used the Festool sanders. they come in 2 flavors 3mm or 5mm movement. The 3mm movement is the smallest on the market and produces a very fine finish - slowly. As for dust collection, I hook my Makita to my shop vac with a cyclone and HEPA filter and it doesn't let much dust loose in my shop. For $500 Festool will sell you a dust extractor that will do the same thing.
I like the DEWALT DWE6423 because it is light weight, low vibration, has a brake that stops the disk from spinning, and used comfortable with one hand. Variable speed as well but I leave it on top speed.
There’s a perception out there, that what you see at the big box stores is pretty much the breadth of what’s available. Not even close. First, Home Depot owns the green brand, and at least has a big stake in Rigid. That’s why you tend to see more of those brands. The bug box stores and the manufacturers are focused on building homes, snd commercial space, selling to contractors, not fine woodworking. The DIY crowd lobes to emulate the contractors so you understand how that goes. Lol
You won’t find a complete selection anywhere other than maybe Acme Tool. Two brands you want to look at Festool and Mirka. Arguably the best out there for high end work. Orbital sanders come in different patterns. The smaller the number, the tighter the patterns, and finer the finish. The smaller number also means it’s not good for rough finishing, and will be slower to get where you want to go. Using a heavy grit against tough surfaces can over heat the sander, paper, and generally not be great for you or the machine longer term.
So in a perfect world, you aren’t going to do everything with one sander, one grit, or likely one vendor. I use three different sanders from Festool, and two from Mirka. Some for the size and pattern, some for the shape and what I need to do. The one I love to use. isn’t the one I should use often, so be careful asking people’s favorite.
I hate it when people say “the machine doesn’t matter.” That categorically isn’t true. Is it a true statement that you can gat to the same finish without? Sure, given enough time, patience, and practice. I don’t have extra time, and my woodworking isn’t an activity to keep me busy, it’s one to make money. So how you choose to approach your project depends on what you want to spend, time you want to invest, etc. But there’s no one silver bullet or one machine that’s a game changer. The game changer is in how you approach the work. Everyone will give you the lecture of working through the grits, and it’s true. There’s no one sander, or set of grits that will promise you the best finish. However taking a step back, and approaching the job with a methodology will. For example, make sure you have got everything flat that needs flattening. How you approach that process is not what you will be doing for your finish sanding. Make sure you have thought through what you plan to do with the edges snd how to finish the underside. Are you using water based or oil based stains and finish? With water based you can’t expect some grain raise. When you have everything thought through, sanding should be the easy part. The guys are right in that you can do this all by hand or any machine. Some make things easier. Removing dust is critical for your health and for good sanding. After each grit, take the time to wipe down the surface. This not only removes dust, it also removes any material that may have come off your sanding paper used. That material will make more deeper scratches left on the surface. Sandpaper quality counts! Stay away from Harbor Freight period. Find a Woodcraft or Rockler store Mirka mesh is amazing. I no longer use Festool paper for their machines. The Mirka Abernet has better cutting ability and dusk collection. At the highest levels 800, 1000, and 1,200 I use Festool. People will argue that finishing the wood to that find a level inhibits stain absorption. They are right. But why do you want a traditional stain on high quality wood worth finishing anyway? There are interesting ways for adding tone. Companies like Rubio Monocoat, and Odie’s Have some ways of adding some tone without doing a heavy stain job.
Hope that helps. Sounded like you might have heard that an random oliotical sander is the answer to all things. It’s not, and you csn fo from spending $58 bu LS on a DeWalt RAS up to $700 or more for Festool and Mirka. Those tools are absolutely worth the money, in the right situation.
Its all about the scratch pattern and all ROS are far from equal as you can see from the scratch patterns on plastic shown below. Maybe its time for another tool review on FWW?
Just curious... I own a 20 yr old Fein RO Sander.
I dont see that the Fein gets much love lately.. Seems that Festool and Mirka seem to be dominating the positive reviews.
I get it that my old Fein is pretty heavy, but for a 6" unit it is a workhorse.
I have both a Fein and Festool vacuum and have found that I prefer the Festool for my sander but an wondering if anyone can give me a feature for feature comparison of the Fein vs Festool sander units. Someday my Fein will give up the ghost (or maybe not) and I'm curious as to the opinions...
I think it's just that there aren't that many Feins out there, compared to others. They probably sell a few hundred Dewalts for every Fein. I've never used one myself.
Fein is not readily available in the US so it's only natural it's not mention much here where the majority of posters are American. They do make quality tools with my limited exposure to them but for some reason they chose not to go the Festool route and establish a strong American presence.
I really like my Bosch 3725DEVS. Using it with a shop vac results in excellent dust collection. I like that I can pull the trigger and lock it on one-handed. It is easy to control. Except for 80 grit, I use Diablo SandNet™ discs; for 80g, I use conventional grit discs. My $.02.
I recently upgraded from a an older (but not ancient) bosch ROS (which I was happy with) to a Festool ETS 125 (not the rotex) which is quite affordable compared to other festool sanders. I was quite surprised at how much better it is than the Bosch. Less vibration, quieter, better dust collection when connected to my central vac (as I did with the bosch) and better balance. I can sand for long periods without getting "sander hand". It has less tendency to pull itself in random directions.
Best of all, for a reason that is not clear to me, I can sand with Mirka Abranet mesh discs without getting lots of catches on edges. It almost never catches, even on rough edges. With the Bosch, I would frequently get catches that ripped the edge of the mesh discs.
Sanding narrow edges with the Bosch was always a challenge; the festool is much more stable on the edge and the optional edge sanding guide is great for keeping the edge perfectly square to the face while sanding. Wish I had bought it a bunch of projects ago.
The 2019 FWW Tools & Shop issue ran a test on orbital sanders. Good read and they rated this one best overall:
Festool ETS EC 125/3 EQ-Plus
I have this sander and its excellent. Paired with a quality dust extractor, it's a great combo. I never need to wear a mask when sanding now.
Does anybody have any thoughts on Aircat Electric Random Orbital Sanders?
This Mini Random Orbital Air maybe can help you: Berkling Tools BT 5201 Professional Grade Composite 2", looks like it's built for Professionals
The definition of "best" is different for a hobbyist versus a professional. Value is an individual calculation. I'd love to have a shop full of Festool but it would be a waste of money for what I do.
I've used Festool sanders for a number of years. Coupled with a Festool vac, I get the best results with no dust compared to other sanders I've used. The sanders sanders are essentially vibration free and easy on the hands. I'm sure others will rule them out because of price, but I am completely satisfied; quicker and better dust-free results.
MIRKA!!
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