Festool Ro 150 E

[Flaviana Bresee]

Thispaddle also creates a little bit of a liability as you can, and will, likely place the sander upside down at some point to change the paper. If the power is still on, the sander will spin and give you a little surprise at the least and a sandpaper cut at the worst. You have to be sure to turn off the master power before flipping the sander over. You may also set the sander down and accidentally wind up pressing the paddle only to watch the sander go for a little walk.

Now one interesting thing I noticed while sanding a cedar bench top. The Western Red Cedar is really soft wood but it does have dense knot areas periodically. For whatever reason, the Mirka tended to kick and whip a little more when it made contact with those dense areas. The Festool just seemed to be more stable with fewer jerks and kicks. This was the only time I observed that sort of behavior, as with any other sanding job the Mirka was just as stable as the Festool.

Hello guys, hoping I have the right section that Marc talks about in the mirka video. I have eagerly waited on this video from seeing loads of Festool owners sell their sanders to afford the Mirka, really tickled me at times. Anyway great points made and some I had forgotten about and some that reminded me of why I prefer the Festool. Thank you.

Good overall review! The only issue I saw is that you have the warranty info reversed:

Festool has a 3 year warranty that INCLUDES wear and tear, as well as free free freight to and from the service center.

Mirka has a 3 year warranty that specifically EXCLUDES wear and tear. They go out of their way to say that their warranty only covers manufacture defects.

These differences are critical when it comes to overall cost of ownership.

Great review. I am using a dewalt that seems to work OK but I was looking to see what might be better when I saw yr video. I wonder if the claims for faster sanding by the Mirka would have been validated if you tried some of the fancy Mirka sandpaper? I would love to have a mirka or a festool! Keep up the great work! Love yr channel!

Hi

ETS 150/5 vs ETS 150/3. If you have to recommend between the 5mm stroke and 3mm for someone who just want to have one festool sander, what would it be? I usually make oil finish on my furniture.

Thanks Mark, good review but either one is out of my budget for a sander. I think you have it right about the paddle on/off switch, it seems more user friendly to just have a button and the speed control would be impossible to maintain a consistant speed.

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's get placed here -->XReplies lordulrich Sep 26, 2022 09:41am #1I only have one piece of Festool gear, an ETS 125. In comparison to other similar tools I've been able to try (although admittedly at lower cost) I think the sanders are worth it. Dust collection (and I don't have their vac system, and am just using my dust collector with adapters) leaves next to nothing, and the vibration is so much less than I'm used to. I was able to demoed a rotex and would have the same thing to say.

The dust extractor is excellent but I think Fein and Bosch have equally good products. I strongly recommend anyone using a shop vac with small hoses to save up their pennies and buy a HEPA extractor. They are NOT shop vacs.

Are they worth it is an individual decision to make.

It depends on what the tool offers you in return for the price you pay and the usage you get from it.

Many people buy them based on reputation alone, whether they need them or not. If you can get the same job done with a less expensive tool without, sacrificing anything. then the purchase may not be worth it to you.

If they offer something you can't get in another tool, they may very well be worth the price.

I've got the small domino, FT tracksaw & bosch sanders. I tried the Festool & non-Festool for the tracksaw & sanders and chose based on value (to me). The Festool tracksaw came off as superior, the sanders as expensive. The domino is a thing in its own category. I use my dust collector for all of them in the shop, and the shop vac if I'm breaking down sheet goods out in the garage.

When comparing Festool products using their router is a little unfair. Their router routinely falls short in the bake offs except where dust collection is considered. Their sanders work with unequaled dust collection capability. Additional tools make sense if you are going the full Festool route as there are compounded benefits to the system. JMHO as an owner.

Thanks for the comments. I pretty much agree with everything that was said. The consensus seems to be that it has an A+ reputation but not an A+ in real life. And very expensive. Still great tools and, as pointed out, durable. I just wish they would pay more attention to the ergonomics and the materials they use, which seem cheap. I have a longer list of specific complaints, but I would only give up my Domino (for instance) over my cold dead body. It's a game changer and I use it in a lot of applications. But it's not as accurate as I would like, but neither are my mortise and tenons done with a router and a dado blade. And the Domino is 10 times faster than doing normal M&T construction. The track saw system is great--I agree with that too. I love their overhead boom, which comes up from the back of the dust collector and routes the hose and power cord to the tool. That makes worrying about those inputs a thing of the past.

I am a 3rd generation pro who demands a lot from his tools and you won't find any Rigid, Royobi, Black & Decker or any other of the homeowner brands in my shop and if you even mention Harbor Freight in my presence we are done talking. My shop is filled with Porter Cable(the old PC not what B&D sells today) Dewalt, Milwaukee (the old stuff before the Chinese bought it), some Bosch and Makita and yes a number of Festool products. Do I think Festool is worth the money, the answer is sometimes. Their sanders are generally as good as it gets and seems to be able to stand up to hard use. The Domino is, well, there is nothing to compare it to and for those who need it is a godsend. The tracksaw is quite good but it's main advantage is it has become the standard and many aftermarket accessories that can improve the accuracy and versatility of track saws are designed around the Festool. While my Dewalt cuts just as straight as a Festool it's proprietary track does not get any support. The Festool 3 hp plunge router has become my favorite heavy router and I find it the much more ergonomic than my big Dewalt which I always felt like I was fighting with to use, even though I love my 2hp ELU which is the design that B&D folded into the DeWalt plunge router lines but if you look close you can see areas of penny pinching.

To wrap this up, I think it needs to be judged on a case by case basis and an individual preference, ergonomics are a personal thing many times and budgets are very personal. I am fortunate that after 60 years I can splurge a bit if I feel a reason too. Will I be buying more Festool products? That will depend if I see one that offers an advantage over another brand but I can't think of one at the moment.

I think these decisions should always be looked at as in "worth it to you". I'd love to have a Domino, but I'd only use it once or twice a year (a hobbyist) so no, its not worth it. How many hours do I run my ROS? Probably less in a year than a pro does in a week. If money is not an object, maybe I'd buy Festool, but I don't need to be a power tool collector.

Too broad a question, really. They have tools that change the game (Domino, for example), and others that compete on integrated dust collection, longevity, or being part of their system (rails and 32mm cabinet system, for example). Their worth comes from a specific tool being the go-to in your type of woodworking and your shop environment (Festool makes an excellent tracksaw, if you need something to breakdown sheetgoods, otherwise it will sit on your shelf, and you're out $1,000).

The Domino is the most used tool in my shop - therefore it's worth it to me; for someone who relies on Biscuits or integral tenons, the Domino is a waste.

The OF1400 is my go-to router; while my large Bosch sits idle and my smaller Bosch does router table duties. The 1400's dust collection, smooth operation and ergonomics make it an easy choice, eventhough it is much more expensive than a similarly powered Porter-Cable or Bosch.

As a society, we are driven more by price than quality; as a practice, I like to buy-once - whether it happens to be a Festool or Mirka or other higher-end manufacturer. No one comes into my shop, so I'm long trying to impress people with tools.

I have their jigsaw, tracksaw, small Domino and the sander that does both circular and random orbit. I bought each one because it did something competitive products didn't or was one of a kind, like the Domino. The jigsaw is far more powerful and accurate than most -- I was able to rapidly cut through 2" oak with the jigsaw and get a straight smooth cut, for example. I think if you have a need that their tools fit, go for it. I haven't seen the point of buying into their whole system -- maybe if you are a contractor who needs a portable shop (like doing a lot of work on customer sites), maybe that would be justified.

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