Festool Sanders???

[David350]

Looking to take the plunge on a high quality sanding system. I've been doing a lot of cutting boards and using a Dewalt random orbital sander. It does the job but looking to get a sander and dust collector system to minimize dust and hopefully find a sander that doesn't make my hand numb from vibration.

I see Festool used frequently in home improvement shows and on youtube. I'm all for spending the money to buy high quality tools as they are usually worth it but was wondering if Festool was the best way to go for a sanding system (sander and dust extraction), or if there were a comparable system that is more cost effective. Thanks in advance for any suggestions / recommendations. David

 

[Kyle Clemins]

I make about 500+ cutting boards per year and I feel one of my best tool purchase was the ETS EC 125/3 and dust vac. The dust removal from the system is almost 100%. I no longer wear a dust mask while sanding...even 100 grit. I also bought one of their profile sanders to quickly sand the edge round overs. Along with excellent dust collection the vibration of the unit is easy on the hands. I can use that thing for hours on end. In looking at sanders nothing came close to the Festool. Bosch would be the only other product that might have something comparable. do your-self a favor and go to a dealer and test one. You'll see what I'm talking about. Good Luck.
Kyle

 

[PatrickR]

I doubt you would regret it. I have two sanders and a dust collector and love the system. No more numb hands and VERY little dust. I had quite a few sanders that were mostly inherited and they all went to Goodwill. This is a case of getting what you pay for. Also their abrasives are second to none and are competitively priced. I get a lot of use from the vacuum other than sanding, very quiet. I would buy them all again.
I think their main competition is Mirka and Fein (similarly priced) but have not used those. I would recommend getting the largest vacuum in your budget, for power and capacity.

 

[EricRN]

Looking to take the plunge on a high quality sanding system. I've been doing a lot of cutting boards and using a Dewalt random orbital sander. It does the job but looking to get a sander and dust collector system to minimize dust and hopefully find a sander that doesn't make my hand numb from vibration.

I see Festool used frequently in home improvement shows and on youtube. I'm all for spending the money to buy high quality tools as they are usually worth it but was wondering if Festool was the best way to go for a sanding system (sander and dust extraction), or if there were a comparable system that is more cost effective. Thanks in advance for any suggestions / recommendations. David

Check out the Bosch dual mode sander. About $250 less expensive than the Festool (maybe more). I opted for the Bosch over the Rotex and have zero regrets. Huge improvement over my old Black & Decker random orbit.

 

[jttheclockman]

You can not go wrong with Festool.

 

[KLJ]

I have not regretted the purchase even though it was expensive. I use a shop vac for the dust collection and it does great. The festool vac probably would do better. I think it would be money well spent.

 

[ramaroodle]

No, you can't go wrong with Festool, only broke! They are great tools, however, if you are considering Festool you might take a look at the Bosch series. Actually, Festools Rotex is a copy of the Bosch version. I love mine and the youtube reviews and my comparison to a friends Festool say that the Bosch is a good if not better buy for almost 1/2 the price.

 

[PatrickR]

No, you can't go wrong with Festool, only broke! They are great tools, however, if you are considering Festool you might take a look at the Bosch series. Actually, Festools Rotex is a copy of the Bosch version. I love mine and the youtube reviews and my comparison to a friends Festool say that the Bosch is a good if not better buy for almost 1/2 the price.

Festool has been making profession level power tools for 90 years and are still made in Germany. Bosch since 2003, mostly in China. I would question who copied who.
The true test would longevity.

 

[ramaroodle]

I'm not knocking Festool at all. They make great tools, period. I just can't justify the cost although I do keep an eye on eBay for a Domino. It's just that in every head to head comparison I've ever seen everyone naturally loves the Festool but the performance of the Bosch was always as good as or better than the Festool for half the price. Here's one of them. There's nothing inherently wrong with something built in China. Just ask BMW and every other major automaker. 3 of Festools products are made in China. The rotary hammer and two others if I recall.

As far as "street cred" for a German company...

Only 90 years??? Pish posh. How about 135? . Robert Bosch Corp. of Stuttgart, Germany held the original patent on the dual mode sander over 20 years ago. Festool isn't even in the same league. There are Bosch components on Mars right now.

Stuttgart, Germany
Robert Bosch founded Bosch, a German multinational engineering and technology company headquartered in Gerlingen with annual after tax profit exceeding 2 billion euros. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886.

As you may have guessed, I did my research and bought the Bosch. However, Festool makes a fine machine. They both have a 3 yr warranty if you register the tool with the manufacturer. They both were the only 2 that were balanced well in that you can turn them on and just push it around with the cord and they sit flat and glide over the surface. I always have to stop myself from putting too much pressure on the sander and let it do it's job.

Not knocking Festool at all. I'm just sayin'.

 

[ramaroodle]

Festool has been making profession level power tools for 90 years and are still made in Germany. Bosch since 2003, mostly in China. I would question who copied who.
The true test would longevity.

Sorry. Double post.

 

[jttheclockman]

Festool is pricey and Bosch makes a good tool also and where each tool is made is subjective at best. But again you can not go wrong with Festool no matter how much homework you did. Just saying. I have many Bosch tools such as routers and drills and also sanders but if I were to have my choice on some of those it would be festool. They make a more precision tool than Bosch any day of the week. Can not compare.

I have never seen any festool tools made in China. Not sure where you are getting that. I know they recently opened a line up in the USA in Indiana. I believe this is what you read on Festool forum (Only three of them are made in China iirc, which are the rotary hammer, recip saw, and circ saw. Their 18v drills are made in Germany, minus the BS 18 Quick which ismade in China iirc. Any of their brushless tools are German made as of today.) Are they carrying the same badge and or color?? Metebo makes many different grade tools and are made around the world.

Now Bosch tools are made around the world in China, India, and other foreign countries.

 

[David350]

Thanks to all who have posted so far . I really appreciate the advise with this purchase