What type of sander to get?

[Beau]

A good friend called me yesterday asking advise on what sander to get for stripping back all the exterior woodwork on his house. I should add some hotels are smaller than this place so a tiny delta type is not going to cut the mustard. He was considering a 4" belt for soffits and facias! He is tough but holding up a belt sander to do that sounds like tough going to me. I seem to remember there was some sander that could be used as a disk and random orbit sander but I cant remember what they are called.

What do you all think would be good option for this sort of work? He also does a bit of work on rally cars so I doubt anything that gets bought will sit idle after the house is done.

 

[custard]

I seem to remember there was some sander that could be used as a disk and random orbit sander but I cant remember what they are called.

The Festool Rotex falls into that category. It's a superb tool but it's a bit of a beast so wouldn't be my first choice for holding aloft for hours on end. Especially if perched on top of a ladder and outside where class leading dust collection isn't much of an advantage.

Maybe a hot air gun would be a better bet?

 

[Beau]

I seem to remember there was some sander that could be used as a disk and random orbit sander but I cant remember what they are called.

The Festool Rotex falls into that category. It's a superb tool but it's a bit of a beast so wouldn't be my first choice for holding aloft for hours on end. Especially if perched on top of a ladder and outside where class leading dust collection isn't much of an advantage.

Maybe a hot air gun would be a better bet?

Thanks Custard

Not much paint left on the woodwork so dont think a hot air gun is the way to go. Upside is I dont think he going to get much problem with the paper clogging from paint. He was seriously considering a belt sander even after seeing the weights so a Rotex might well work for him. He is hiring a tracked cherry picker so no wobbling around on ladders either.

 

[Beau]

That Rotex looks a beast and perfect for the job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFTw27aC7tk

Anything else similar out there?

 

[Simou1]

The Rotex is a beast but it will also dance like a butterfly should you wish! I have used mine to sand down some dreadful surfaces, change the pads and then polish my car. It is a fabulous tool, which it should be considering the price.

If he does get one I would have a look at the front handle Festool sell for an outrageous £20odd. It transforms the handling of the Rotex and should have been included in the box.

 

[Lons]

Looks like an excellent bit of kit but the figures just don't add up IMO.

I have a Metabo 450 sxe currently available for around £125 and very recently bought a Makita 4" M9400 belt sander for £80 so only just over £200 in total which leaves a hell of a lot of change to buy other tools, belts and disks etc.

So with the cheapest Rotex at twice the cost of both the above tools it seems pretty ludicrous to me no matter how good the tool is and I'm certainly not disputing the quality of Festool.
If he wants to detail and polish his cars he can buy a beast of a dual action polisher for £75 - £150 and still be quids in. ( I have one of the high end machines as I certainly wouldn't use my ROS on my car paintwork ).

We all buy what we feel is right and there is of course the enjoyment of using great quality tools but in this case it seems it's just one main job.

All the above said, my very expensive Hardy fly rod catches no more fish than the Greys I also use which was a third of the price but I wouldn't be without it so clearly don't practice what I preach. #-o :lol:

cheers
Bob

 

[Mark A]

Don't be tempted by Makita's version of the Festool Rotex. I bought one for a similar job and it broke within 30 minutes of use.

Before contacting the shop I took it apart to see if it was repairable but half the teeth had sheared off the gear which drove the rotary mode. The gear was undersized and made from cintered metal, which may have been okay for a Mechano set but not a 1hp, apparently industrial tool.


Mark

 

[custard]

my very expensive Hardy fly rod catches no more fish than the Greys I also use

Aren't Greys and Hardy the same company? I seem to remember they're both made in the same Alnwick factory?

 

[Beau]

Looks like an excellent bit of kit but the figures just don't add up IMO.

I have a Metabo 450 sxe currently available for around £125 and very recently bought a Makita 4" M9400 belt sander for £80 so only just over £200 in total which leaves a hell of a lot of change to buy other tools, belts and disks etc.

So with the cheapest Rotex at twice the cost of both the above tools it seems pretty ludicrous to me no matter how good the tool is and I'm certainly not disputing the quality of Festool.
If he wants to detail and polish his cars he can buy a beast of a dual action polisher for £75 - £150 and still be quids in. ( I have one of the high end machines as I certainly wouldn't use my ROS on my car paintwork ).

We all buy what we feel is right and there is of course the enjoyment of using great quality tools but in this case it seems it's just one main job.

All the above said, my very expensive Hardy fly rod catches no more fish than the Greys I also use which was a third of the price but I wouldn't be without it so clearly don't practice what I preach. #-o :lol:

cheers
Bob

Thing is the Metabo RO is not very aggressive (I have one) and a belt sander is heavy. The Rotex offers something neither of the others can.

When I said it might get used for the cars dont go thinking polishing and buffing this a rally car. It would be for sanding back carbon fibre repairs.

 

[Lons]

Yes Custard although actually all owned by Pure Fishing these days but not the same blanks and 2 different ranges of rods.

They're only 20 minutes away from me ( not a good thing for my wallet ) and currently have plans for a much bigger factory.

 

[Lons]

Thing is the Metabo RO is not very aggressive (I have one) and a belt sander is heavy. The Rotex offers something neither of the others can.

When I said it might get used for the cars dont go thinking polishing and buffing this a rally car. It would be for sanding back carbon fibre repairs.

Fair enough Beau

I've done some pretty aggressive sanding with my Metabo using 60g disks though and my Makita belt sander is certainly heavy but it's a one off job not something he's doing every day and I would expect a belt sander and a ROS both to be handy around rally cars.

Cost is possibly not a consideration so may not matter anyway in which case the Festool comes into its' own.

 

[custard]

Another thought, if your friend's into car work then maybe he has a decent compressor? In which case air line sanders are cheap and best of all they're ultra light. You don't get the dust collection that Festool delivers, but for outdoor work maybe that's not important?

 

[mbartlett99]

The Rotex is definitely the tool for the job - I bought one specifically when doing a major renovation. Is it heavy, yes. Will it remove anything, yes. Is it seriously expensive; errr no not really - when you factor in the cost per hour. Your mate will spend more time sanding things than just about anything else and that thing will do anythng from full on stripping to a fine finish. He might not need dust extraction outside but what about the interior?

I've got a Metabo 450 as well; its much cheaper, much lighter and is pretty good for rough or fine work but its not in the same league when it comes to renovation work.

 

[Doug71]

I have the Festool Rotex 150 which I used loads when renovating my place. It got used non stop for hours at a time removing paint from beams and trusses and took a few falls from scaffold but has never missed a beat.

If I was buying again I would probably get the slightly smaller RO 125 simply because it was all overhead work and I presume the RO 125 would be a bit easier to handle and lighter.

I find belt sanders are not much good at preparing for paint as they only sand flat and old wood is never flat. You get different hardness pads for the Rotex sanders, the softer ones follow the shape of the wood more while the hard ones are better for dead flat surfaces.

Doug

 

[Claud1]

I have both 125 and 150 Rotex best sanders I have ever had. expensive Yes but well worth the money in the long term

 

[deema]

Mirka Ceros or Deros 150 is a very good alternative.....better IMO. The Ceros is lighter but you have an extra box of gubins, the Deros is slightly heavier but no extra box. Both I believe are lighter than the Festool and have just as good if not better sanding capability.

 

[Doug71]

I could be wrong (sure someone will correct me if I am) but the thing with the Festool Rotex is it has the random orbit mode and the geared/powered orbit mode (not really sure of correct term for this). The random orbit mode is like any other ROS for fine sanding but when you flick the switch and put it in Rotex/ geared mode it rips through the surface almost like a belt sander, think the Mirkas are only ROS?

Doug

 

[Claud1]

I have also got mirka 125 and 150 and they are very good sanders but for me I find the paddle switch very uncomfortable to use probably every bit as good as festool in sanding but they do not suit me but at the end of the day it is what suits yourself

 

[Nelsun]

Not a recommendation for the OP job but more something that may come in handy anyway... Picked up a 18v Makita 125 ROS for sanding down a literal shedload of cladding. It's not something you'd use (don't know never tried) for a fine finish but for quick and dirty work outside it was pretty good. Dust collection into the [tiny] bag was good. 80 quid for the bare tool too.

Another thing about the RO150, besides the weight for overhead work, is that, in Rotex geared mode, it takes some hanging on to compared to ROS mode. Not sure I'd fancy working with it above head height in geared mode for any length of time. Sounds like your friend is made of tougher stuff than me so maybe not an issue.

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