I’m thinking of buying a random orbit sander. I’ve spent a couple of days looking and have seen everything from a $25.00 local home centre brand to a $100.00 variable speed big brand name. All were 5″ sanders. Is a variable speed a good feature or one that will be rarely used. And what about dust collection, are some designs better than others in this area?
I already have a palm sander that has worked great for me for the last 5yrs. But know the vibrations are starting to bother me. I think it is about time for an upgrade.
Replies
Dan,
I have 2 RO sanders: a 6 inch Festool with 3mm orbit and a 5 inch Ryobi with 2.5mm orbit. The Festool is connected to a dedicated dust collector whilst the Ryobi has only a fan with a built-in dust collecting cage.
I use sanding in preference to planing or scraping for all my finishing (ie, a lot).
The Festool cost a lot, especially when you add in the dust collector. However, it performs faultlessly and gives a superb finish. It seems to collect 100% of the dust and this makes a big difference to the speed it sands as well as the clean finish. It has very little vibration and can be used for long periods with no numb hand syndrome. Even with the dust collector on too, its quiet. You can get hard, medium or soft pads. All of them seem to stay sticky for a long, long time. This is just as well as they cost £32 each!
In short, the Festool works extremely well but costs a lot.
The Ryobi is OK for short sanding jobs. I have it "to hand" in the shop and use it to clean off rough cuts, paint off recycled wood and so forth. The vibration does make the hand go numb after more than 15 minutes. The dust collector gets most but not all the dust. It's rather noisy. However, it was one fifth the price of the Festool. (In fact, it was a Christmas present, which is the real reason I have it, as the Festool has spoiled me for everything else).
I would recommend you buy an RO sander that is well engineered. It will be quieter, have its vibration damped and provide for the all important dust extraction. Dust extraction makes a big difference, to both your lungs but also to the speed and quality of the finish - you aren't floating the sander on a bed of its own dust. The velcro hooks on the pad will last for a lot longer - cheap sander pads don't last and buying a new pad every few weeks is a hidden cost.
If you don't want to go Festool expensive, consider Bosch, Metabo or Makita. All three now do a dual orbit RO sander, with 6mm orbits for aggressive sanding and 3mm for fine finishing. They are about 2/3 to 1/2 the price of Festool but their quality is probably as near to Festool as makes no practical difference.
Lataxe
Thanks for your help. You explained a lot that I didn't even know about.
On occasion, perhaps once a month, I will use the variable speed feature of my Bosch 5" and 6" RO sanders, and it is an option well worth having for just the once in a while need for more careful sanding. A 6" sander much more practical for surfaces, since seldom am I sanding something less than 12" wide. Purchased the 5" when my first 6" died overnight and I had a same day deadline, now I use it only for surfaces less than 6" wide, like face frames. My suggestion (and experience) is to leave the sander in the cabinet for the edges of doors and such (3/4" wide) as the natue of the pad means its almost impossible NOT to round over the edge. Use your palm sander or (probably faster) a card scraper.
(hey, Don!)I have had a Bosch for 20 years and like it a lot. I have also been able to get parts for it (e.g., replacement pad, retrofit dust chute). I would buy another one.I also have the Festool 150-3, and like the other responder find it a very nice and very expensive tool.I like the variable speed / soft start feature of both. I found it hard to avoid wild divots when using the single speed $59 sanders.
I've a Porter-Cable that's got variable-speed and a 5" pad. It's worked really well for me over the years - at least 10, that is.
Marty S
DS,
I'm sure you're right about the card scraper being fast on edges that need finishing. But the Festool with a hard pad will flatten such edges without rounding over the corners. (Assuming you keep the sander on the surface being sanded and don't accidentally tilt it). The hard pad is so stiff it doesn't squish down over the edge at all.
I don't know if other sanders have the option of soft, medium and hard pads, a la Festool, though.
Lataxe
I'd be embarrassed to tell you how many sanders I own.
But I got swept up in Festool lust, and bought one of theirs about 6 months ago (the 150-5), and I have to say it is head and shoulders above everything else I have owned or tried. The thing does a great job, and it's nice to sand without a lick of dust in the air.
I also like the 5" Makita RO's -- I have the palm sander and the one wih a handle. Both have dust bags which work reasonably well, and the sanders are well made, with minimum vibration.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I have a Bosch V-speed and rarely use it because it's so heavy and the handle back of the pad makes it hard to ensure pressure is even. I'm on my second DeWalt palm sander - the new one has vacuum adaptors built in so it will fit my shopvac hose. I love it and its not that expensive. ($120 Australian). Both are 5" so the discs are interchangeable. Love to have a Festool but who can afford it unless you're sanding for a living.
The variable speeds on the ROS come in handy for me when I slow it down to edge sand and when I'm polishing a finish with the soft pad and bonnet.
[i]Santa Barbara,CA[/i]
Dan,
As others have stated, you can't go wrong with a Bosch, Makita, Fein, or Metabo ROS (random orbital sander). That being said, the 6" Ridgid ROS sold at Home Depot is actually made by Metabo. The box will say Made In Germany if it's a Metabo machine (check the label on the tool as well). This would allow you to get into a higher end tool without the correspondingly high price.
You will definitely want a variable speed tool. Different paper grits and desired finished surface will need a higher or slower speed.
Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.
Edited 4/8/2006 10:38 pm ET by jackiechan
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