ETS125 vs. RTS400

[YorkshireMartin]

I'm wondering if someone could give me an opinion on the above choice. I have an RO125 so the ETS appears to make the most sense, although I've read mixed reports on its performance. I've seen the RTS400 mentioned a few times, but not really read any proper feedback on it, makes me think it's not a big seller.

This will be, as you might have guessed, a dedicated finishing sander so abrasive compatibility would be nice, but not if it means compromising on reliability. Realistically I'll only need to buy two or three grades of abrasive for it.

Also considered the ETS 150 which I've seen mentioned as far better than the 125 version.

If anyone owns any of the above, I'd love to hear your feedback.

Regards,

Martin

 

[shed9]

Hi Martin

Appreciate the situation your in, especially with the financial input concerned with Festool. For what it's worth I went through a similar process not that long ago which resulted in an Ro90, Ro150 and ETS150/5.

My advice based on my experience and for what it's worth.

Forget the concept of economies of scale or convenience in the commonality of same sized paper - in reality and in the long term you don't really save anything or majorly benefit from it. I initially matched my RO and ETS, partially for this reason and it's made little impact. Spec up and choose the sander required for the job, any match of sander should be coincidence, not a deciding factor in my opinion.
I found the ETS150/5 to be an ideal finish sander and personally can't see me benefiting from the 150/3 myself. However that option is there if you go this route.
I suppose it boils down to surface area, shape and time. If you think a 150 will be fine, diameter wise, I'd go this route. I would also add that it's unlikely you will regret any further Festool purchase when it comes to their sander range.

To finish, in regards to the RTS it does seem to have its fans on FOG so if this is still an option. I'd ask them as well for some input.

Hope this helps.

 

[petermillard]

Forget the concept of economies of scale or convenience in the commonality of same sized paper - in reality and in the long term you don't really save anything or majorly benefit from it...

+1 to this.

I found the ETS150/5 to be an ideal finish sander and personally can't see me benefiting from the 150/3 myself. However that option is there if you go this route...

Agree, again. ETS 150/5 was my first ( and remains my go-to) Festool sander; I was lucky enough to be given an ETS 150/3 a while back, and whilst it's convenient to have a second sander of the same size, the 5mm orbit covers my needs admirably.

That said, the two sanders that I always have in my install kit (small size matters) are the ETS 125 and the RTS 400 - between the two of them you can cover an awful lot of ground - but they are very different animals and I wouldn't say it's an 'either/or' decision between them. The ETS 125 is a small orbit (2.5mm) RO sander, perfect for general finishing and de-nibbing between coats; the RTS 400 is an outstanding all-rounder, but ultimately is a 1/3 sheet orbital sander.

If you need to reach into corners or need a more general purpose sander then the go with the RTS; if you need a supreme RO finishing sander *that will only be used for finishing medium-sized (e.g. door-sized) panels* then the ETS 125 is hard to beat.

HTH Pete

 

[shed9]

To add to Pete's comments up there, I keep hovering over the buy-now button for an ETS125 myself for the very reason of between-coat finishing. Pete's notes add to my reasoning even more.

I suspect over the long term you will eventually end up with more than one sander.

Also not sure if this is your first Festool purchase but do note that whilst everyone jokes about the slippery slope of Festool buying there is an element of truth about it.