My Next Sander

[Petey83]

feels like i am constantly asking buying advice on this forum lately but since i've made a few quid selling off some of my photography kit i thought why not spend it upgrading / expanding my tools.

So this time its Sanders....I currently own a Bosch GEX 125-1ae and a surprisingly good Lidl special belt sander.

The Bosch is great and gives a nice finish but it's tough going on rougher tasks such as sanding back paint stripped wood for example.

Most of my work up to this point has been varied from general DIY / decorating tasks to making fitted units out of sheet good and i am even going to have a try at a dove tailed box next. I have a plan on the horizon to make a garden table from reclaimed joist as the local wood recycling place to me in ST Albans makes it a cheap project to try.

So what i think i am after is something that compliments the 2 sanders i already have. probably a 150mm sander to make something like a table top a bit more pleasant to do.

I have looked at the Metabo SXE450 turbotech, The Festool Rotex 150, Mirka Deros and the Bosch GEX 125-150 AVE....

The first 3 get a little extra bonus point as they come in systainers so will stack nicely in my little tool storage area with my other festool gear but its not a deal maker / breaker.

I am an amateur so no prolonged day in day out trade scenarios come into play. I would rather spend less money if possible but i am mainly concerned with best bang for buck.

as always thanks in advance for your comments

 

[marcros]

I have the metabo, bought on the advice of the forum, and am very happy with it. I havent used the others.

In general, I am a fan of bosch blue kit, and I looked very hard at their sander but it didnt quite stack up against the metabo. IIRC, and it was a while ago, it was a bit less spec for a bit more money, and given the reviews of the metabo, i couldnt justify it based on a general like of a brand.

I doubt that you will be disappointed by any of the ones that you have mentioned, they are all discussed from time to time as the preferred model by various users. The problem with being an amateur is that we dont have the repeat tasks for the tool to do like a pro might- one day ours is sanding down some garden furniture, a week later it is doing something completely different, a week after that, something different again. Probably most of the jobs that we use it for there is a better option for that specific task, but we need something that is good enough for all that we ask of it!

 

[PAC1]

If the Merka Deros is on the list then also consider the new version of the Festool ETS it is a worthy opponent.

 

[memzey]

feels like i am constantly asking buying advice on this forum lately but since i've made a few quid selling off some of my photography kit i thought why not spend it upgrading / expanding my tools.

So this time its Sanders....I currently own a Bosch GEX 125-1ae and a surprisingly good Lidl special belt sander.

The Bosch is great and gives a nice finish but it's tough going on rougher tasks such as sanding back paint stripped wood for example.

Most of my work up to this point has been varied from general DIY / decorating tasks to making fitted units out of sheet good and i am even going to have a try at a dove tailed box next. I have a plan on the horizon to make a garden table from reclaimed joist as the local wood recycling place to me in ST Albans makes it a cheap project to try.

So what i think i am after is something that compliments the 2 sanders i already have. probably a 150mm sander to make something like a table top a bit more pleasant to do.

I have looked at the Metabo SXE450 turbotech, The Festool Rotex 150, Mirka Deros and the Bosch GEX 125-150 AVE....

The first 3 get a little extra bonus point as they come in systainers so will stack nicely in my little tool storage area with my other festool gear but its not a deal maker / breaker.

I am an amateur so no prolonged day in day out trade scenarios come into play. I would rather spend less money if possible but i am mainly concerned with best bang for buck.

as always thanks in advance for your comments

Hi Pete. I know it's not on your list but I have the Makita ROS which is a solid bit of kit. I'm also just up the road from you in St. Albans so if you want to see it in action you could pop round and have a quick go.

 

[RossJarvis]

Just to say, I have a Mirka Ceros and a Festool ROS. The Festool has more sanding grunt and will remove paint, most of your wood and possibly a leg or two, but the Mirka is a hell of a lot lighter. Both have amazing dust extraction which is a major plus for me. Mirka's Abranet is probably the best abrasive I've ever used and great for hand use. I don't think I'd consider other manufacturers for sanding any more. Generally I'd avoid Bosch as their products are very hit and miss but love Makita, although I don't think they usually offer many refinements and even reasonable dust extraction seems to have avoided them.

 

[Petey83]

went for the metabo in the end as the price was already good and i got a little extra discount which helped sway me.... also meant i could treat myself to a Domino

 

[sitefive]

how much was the metabo?

 

[Petey83]

how much was the metabo?

£185 with free delivery and that for the pro pack so it came in Metabos take on a systainer and had loads of sanding disks and some polishing pads bundled in. Was the last one and on clearance so a little £15 back in my pocket off the regular price.