Sanders - Festool or Mirka

[ben2]

Hi

I am looking to buy a decent sander and am considering mainly the Festool Rotex 150, but the price is putting me off.

I also note that the Mirka DEROS gets good reviews, has anyone tested both?

Does anyone know of any deals on either of the above at present?

Thanks


Mark

 

[Glynne]

I haven't tested both but I do own a Mirka.
Whilst I was trying to make up my mind at Axminster (Nuneaton) I bumped into the Festool rep who was checking out the Festool display. His opinion (and fair play to his honesty) was they were both on par and better than anything else on the market.
I have the 125 and I think the main difference is that the handset of the Mirka is a lot lighter as it has a separate DC drive unit, whereas the Festool has everything in the sanding unit.
I'm an amateur/ hobbyist and so this was an expensive purchase for me but with Abranet discs it is absolutely brilliant. Worth every penny.

 

[petermillard]

Rotex is a very different animal. The ETS EC 150/x is more like the Deros. I tried the Deros - fine sander, lightweight, low, great in the hand, but I didn't get on with the flappy paddle thing, so not for me. Also have had disturbing comments from guys whose opinions I respect and who've had many Deros' in a commercial workshop environment regarding the frailty/failure of the cable/connector.

So, check them out carefully. 14 day no-quibble return on Festool, in case you didn't know.

Cheers, Peter

 

[petermillard]

I have the 125 and I think the main difference is that the handset of the Mirka is a lot lighter as it has a separate DC drive unit, whereas the Festool has everything in the sanding unit.

Then you probably have the Ceros, not the Deros; Deros has everything in the body of the sander, like the ETS EC.

Cheers, Peter

 

[Glynne]

Yes I should have said that I have the Ceros. It's a fair point Peter makes in terms of the "paddle" i.e. the on / off switch. By grabbing the unit in the way you hold it to sand you will automatically turn it on - great whilst in use but until you get used to it you will inadvertently turn it on just by picking it up. Not a huge problem for me but it does take a bit of getting used to.

 

[Adam9453]

I've used both a lot and it comes down to what you're doing.
The rotex 150 is a fantastic monster beast of a sander and can remove a lot of material quickly with coarse grit abrasive and can also produce a pretty fine finish when used on random orbit mode with fine abrasive. You can also polish with it due to the variety of heads available which overall makes it a fantastic all rounder. HOWEVER it does have its drawbacks, it's big and heavy! This isn't really an issue when you're demoing the sander on a piece of wood clamped to your bench but believe me you really notice it when you need to sand some iffy plastering/filler on your walls or worse your ceiling!! Before someone pipes up and says festool make a specific tool for sanding walls, yes they do but a number of people can only (just about) afford one sander let alone one for each task!
So very good but not the easiest to use (as the power gives you a fight to control it), I'd recommend though as it's so versatile and with practice you can achieve great results on numerous different tasks.

Ok now the mirka, there's very little to choose between the mirka deros and ceros but personally I prefer the ceros. The ceros is fantastically light and easy to control, you can even sand edges of boards with finesse that would be basically impossible with the festool rotex. The mirka are really fantastic finishing sanders and that's where the.comparison falls over as the festool rotex is not really a finishing sander. The festool model that's equivalent to the mirka's is the festool ets ec 150. Now the festool ets ec 150 is a very close competitor to the mirkas and the Rep is right, they are pretty much on a par with little to choose between them.
Personally I'd choose the mirka ceros as it's so easy to control and because it's light, you can use it for hours without your arm falling off!!

To summise, decide what you'll do most of (fine sanding or monster material hogging off) then pick your weapon.
Alternatively buy both the festool rotex and the mirka ceros and you'll have the best for any scenario.

Regarding abrasive, definitely definitely buy abranet sanding discs, they are the mutts nuts and I don't care what anyone says, they are the best thing for sanding since sliced bread (that analogy sucks but you know what I mean). Buy abranet and birds will sing, girls will swoon at you, the world just makes sense.

I hope that helps

 

[Buckeye]

I have the deros. Came with 150 and 125 pads. I can't complain about it, works very well and limited vibration which was a big reason for me buying it. Dust collection is excellent.

 

[Simou1]

Mark, they are both fantastic sanders and having bought a Deros and a Rotex I still have the Rotex. The paddle and power switch failed twice on the Deros and in the end I had it fixed under warranty and sold it on. When it worked it was truly superb.

The Rotex has beasted its way through metres of wood from the roughest to the smoothest and left a superb finish going through the grits (Granat and Rubin2) in both direct and eccentric modes. I say beast as it is a powerful machine tamed by the addition of an outrageously expensive front handle which Festool should have included in the box.

But I have used it on some really rough wood and then swopped over to a polishing pad and polished my car to showroom standards. It is a versatile bit of kit, expensive but frankly worth every penny to me. The front guard is brilliant for sanding to edges and though it is heavy it is a joy to use. Dust extraction, connected to a CT Midi with the suction turned down a bit, is superb.

I too use the wonder that is Abranet on it for sanding plaster and it is excellent albeit a tad tiring to use on walls. I would never use it on a ceiling!

I really liked the Deros and had it not let me down I would have kept it for its superb sanding, lightness and dust extraction. But the sheer versatility of the Rotex and its ability to go from refined polisher and sander to a rapid surface removal thug at the push of a switch has made it an indispensable tool for me. Based on my experience with the 150, I bought the 90 and that too is a cracking tool.

Whichever you choose you will be getting a superb tool and I probably just got unlucky and got a Finnish Friday sander from Mirka!

Pat

 

[Lonsdale73]

I have a Festool RO150. Yes, it's big and weighty but it doesn't half make light work of sanding. I was so impressed with it, I added the smaller RO90 for it's delta function. Physically, I'm much, MUCH closer to the 'before' in a Charles Atlas advert however I find the RO150 much easier to use of the two, although I've only ever used it on the flat, so to speak, never on walls or ceilings. I hated sanding, found it hard work with very little to show for it and I wasted a lot of time and money on cheaper models. I now find it much less of a dreaded chore (can be quite therapeutic, actually) and I'm really pleased with the results they give.

 

[RossJarvis]

I don't have the Festool 150 but do have the Rotex 90 which is a bit different. I also have the Mirka Ceros.

The Mirkas are not as robust, so if you're likely to give it a hard life the Festool is the better option. As mentioned already, if you're likely to use it on walls ceilings etc, the Mirka is by far the better option (I think the Deros is only slightly heavier than the Ceros and not having the transformer is a great boon). If you are likely to want to hog off a lot of material or sand very aggressively then the Festool is better. As PeterMillard says the Mirka and the Deros are not directly comparable.

I don't know any current deals, but you need to check on the packages on offer, The Rotex comes in a Systainer box, generally the Mirkas don't. You also want to go for an offer that comes with a set of abrasive discs, you can save a lot of money getting an offer including the discs.

I think it boils down to the Mirka for ease of use and lightness. The Festool for robustness and greater utility. If you're never going to do vertical or high surfaces or use it for extended times then the Festool wins. If you are going to use it high up or off the bench the Mirka wins. If you have the cash get both.

 

[deema]

Looked at both like yourself, and chose the Deros. Delighted without any issues after two years.

 

[ben2]

Hi Everyone

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm even more confused now than before!

The driver for buying said machine is to sand down a strip deck on a canoe I'm making, initially I need to remove quite a lot of material then want something to give a great finish working through the grits before varnish.

I'm erring to the Festool side due to its flexibility, but the extra £80/100 really counts, does anyone know if Festool are doing one of their voucher discounts in the near future?

Thanks again

Mark

 

[Nelsun]

I can't remember an offer on Festool sanders so you may have some time to wait on that front...

You could save a few getting second hand. eBay or post a WLB (Would Like to Buy) request of the Festool Owners Group forum (some UK users but mostly North America). Or, if you have PayPal, their credit thing is pretty good with real 0% on purchases over £150 over 4 months has come in useful more times than I'd care to admit.

FFX is likely a good source for prices if they don't have to order it in. Axminster are better for stock indication. Oh, and Toolfest.co.uk can be cheapest of all for hardware - but more expensive for consumables like sanding disks so I'd shop around for those.

I have the 150 and 90 Rotex and very nearly almost just slightly enjoy using them. That's high praise for a sander in my book

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[Lonsdale73]

IIRC my RO150 came from Amazon where it was about £90 cheaper than FFX, Axminster or anyone else.

 

[chippy1970]

Ive got the Rotex 150 its a great sander and very powerful.

Regards discounts and deals you might want to check if the roadshow (starting next week) is coming anywhere near you. They quite often have special deals on at that dealer while the truck is there.

https://www.festool.co.uk/campaigns/roadshow

 

[ben2]

Hi

Well just to put some conclusion on this I bought the Rotex.

The buying experience I have to say was not what I expected. Following on from one of the other posts about the Festool roadshow, I contacted one local(ish) and one dealer further away. Both a pain to get to but if the savings were worth it then worth considering. Neither would give any indication of discount (!) Both I then asked if they would price match against Screwfix, one declined, one said they would call back.. still waiting.

Tried Axy and had a really good chat with them and was prepared to pay the extra £15 or so above Screwfix price. When asked the question over Mirka or Rotex, the Mirka was pushed hard, but having decided stuck to my guns as I wanted the Rotex. They would price match but only on stock items. No stock in the warehouse, 6 - 8 weeks lead time. They had stock in a shop but it has to be shipped back to base before shipping out, so no possibility of getting it for the weekend or price match!!

So I bought from Screwfix, chap pleasantly handed me a box, stamped my receipt, no recognition of the amount of cash spent on the thing. Ho Hum.

The machine: brilliant so far. I bought abranet discs (as recommended) and pad saver from Axy via internet (which did arrive for the weekend) and did the rough sand of the top of the boat deck in an hour. I was expecting to be at it all day! Also using an old wet and dry vacuum, virtually no dust at all and the disks still look like new.

So in summary so far, great machine, but Festool need to sort out the buying experience in my opinion.

Thank you to all who contributed!

 

[MikeJhn]

Hi

So in summary so far, great machine, but Festool need to sort out the buying experience in my opinion.

Thank you to all who contributed!

Tend to find this with high cost items, its almost as if the manufacturer/franchisee thinks you are not worthy of their products, my worst experience is with Range Rover and Mercedes on three different occasions ended up buying BMW just wished they supplied their cars with spare wheels.

Mike

 

[ScottandSargeant]

I have just had borrowed a Mirka Deros to refinish my spiral stair case... the quality of the machine and the lightness was brilliant. Dust extraction was exemplary (considering I was using it inside the house, connected to a Henry Hoover).
Finish was amazing, really easy to use .. highly recommended
Paul

 

[Beau]

I have just had borrowed a Mirka Deros to refinish my spiral stair case... the quality of the machine and the lightness was brilliant. Dust extraction was exemplary (considering I was using it inside the house, connected to a Henry Hoover).
Finish was amazing, really easy to use .. highly recommended
Paul

We need pictures of the stairs Paul

 

[ScottandSargeant]

My staircase... was made from green oak on a steel spine, as it has cracked I have filled and refinished

cheers