Best cheap ROS?

[sparky256]

I've been looking for a random orbit sander. I have a budget of £100. I had come to ask for advice between the Bosch GEX 125-1 AE and Makita BO5041.

I don't have a lot of time for woodworking at the moment but I'm trying to build my tool collection with decent tools; most of my other stuff is Bosch, but both of the above seem to get decent reviews. Does anyone have any experience of a direct comparison between then?

Browsing through the forum, I see there is a lot of love for the Metabo SXE450. It would mean me spending an extra 40% over and above either of the above. Is the difference so great that I should stretch the budget for what, at least at the moment, is occasional use?

 

[MattRoberts]

Can't compare, but I have the Makita and think it's great. Fantastic dust extraction when hooked up to a vac, light enough not to kill your wrist and you only notice any vibration tingle after hours of sanding (which is pretty good in my view). Variable speed is handy too

 

[Mark A]

If you're after a super cheap random orbit sander I don't think you could do much better than the Metabo FSX200


https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0...abo+fsx200&dpPl=1&dpID=41SHGgVm9rL&ref=plSrch

I've seen them online for just under £40, which is pretty good considering it comes with a decent case and a 3-year warranty. Note that the vacuum attachment is an £8 optional extra.

My first lasted 6 years until my father broke it by leaning his entire 17 stone body onto the tool while sanding a wall in an attempt to make a worn disc sand faster, resulting in a burnt out the motor. Shouldn't have lent it to him - from experience I know it would either end with something broken or him dripping blood.

I bought a Titan from Screwfix as an urgent replacement but returned it the next day because the velcro wouldn't stick to any disc. Why do companies sell useless junk? In the end I ordered a second Metabo and for a light, sub-£40, 5 inch sander it's good.

 

[BearTricks]

I had one of the green Bosch ROS's. It served me pretty well for a few years but I also lent it to a family member who attempted to sand a 8' x 5' door in a 100+ year old house back to the bare wood. I think there was a century of recoats on that door and I imagine a lot of it was lead paint.

Anyway, the sander couldn't handle it and the job turned out to be too difficult so she just returned the sander to me and repainted the door to look exactly the same as it did before. Only difference was that I ended up with a ROS that now makes an unbearable din and under-performs my £20 Black and Decker mouse sander. I got the Bosch for about £50 from Axminster maybe 5 years ago.

In contrast I have a blue Bosch jigsaw that cost me a bit more and is one of the nicest power tools I own. Based on that alone I'd probably consider blue Bosch tools as a first resort when buying something new.

 

[petermillard]

Most 5" sanders typically have an orbit of 3mm or less* (the ones mentioned above range from 2.5 to 2.8mm) so are really best kept for finishing - they'll struggle trying to e.g. strip paint, as bear tricks mention above. Nothing wrong with a 5" sub-3mm finishing sander, just be aware of what you're getting.

Cheers, Peter

* 'esperanto' dimensions - there's a Bosch 125/150 sander that compromises with a 4mm orbit, or the Mirka 125 with 5mm orbit, but I think that's it AFAIK, for electric ROS'.

 

[Lonsdale73]

I had a green Bosch which struggled to remove feint pencil markings, was about as effective as waving a sheet of sandpaper at the timber from a street away. I tried various cheaper options, some that wouldn't even hold the sandpaper. I tried an air model that would run for about ten seconds then stop till the air pressure was back up. In the end I bit the bullet and bought a Festool Rotex 150. It is fantastic, worth every penny. If you could imagine how Fred Flintstone might feel if being chauffeured in a Bentley, that's me with the Festool. I no longer dread sanding, actually quite therapeutic! I liked it so much I've supplemented it with an RO90 for smaller areas and the delta function. Not used that much yet but is proving just as effective. I know both are well above your budget (and mine!) but when I consider how much I wasted on cheaper models, with time and enthusiasm being a 'cost' too I regret not getting the Festool sooner.

 

[Bodgers]

I have green Bosch ROS and it actually seems pretty good to me.

Of you are after removing a lot of material a ROS isn't really the tool for the job anyway.

These things are supposed to be used with very little pressure and moved along the surface gradually.



Sent from my MI 3W using Tapatalk

 

[sparky256]

Many thanks all. I think TBH I'll just dither a bit longer. I don't really have a project in mind at the moment, and probably just best to wait till I do, then look and see whether there's any deals available at that point. My wife had offered to buy me something for father's day, but I've dithered so long the opportunity has gone...

 

[Monkey Mark]

Many thanks all. I think TBH I'll just dither a bit longer. I don't really have a project in mind at the moment, and probably just best to wait till I do, then look and see whether there's any deals available at that point. My wife had offered to buy me something for father's day, but I've dithered so long the opportunity has gone...

I'm in pretty much the same boat. I'm going to try one of the lidl one's when they come in as at roughly £17 there's not much to lose.

 

[lurker]

Team up the lidl one with some abranet and you can't go far wrong

 

[Monkey Mark]

Team up the lidl one with some abranet and you can't go far wrong

Do you need an adapter to use abranet or does it go straight on?

 

[lurker]

Team up the lidl one with some abranet and you can't go far wrong

Do you need an adapter to use abranet or does it go straight on?

They use the same hook and loop
The sheets will be a different shape to the pad maybe but you can trim with scissors

Fit a vacuum cleaner to the extract and prepare to be converted to Abranet