which sander?

[Col]

Hi,
I'm looking for a recommendation for an electric sander please. Over the summer I need to sand and paint 17 multi-paneled windows and and looking for a decent sander to use that I could then also use for finishing furniture/cabinets (this is probably a primary goal - the windows are simply a justification for the expense )

Most of the woodwork just needs the paint sanding to give a surface to paint - there are some areas that need sanding down to bare wood where flaking (and patching up where rotten).

Here is an example window with flaking paint, rot at the bottom corner of a rail and 'sticky feet' from a Virginia creeper down one side:

Ideally with good dust collection and reasonably lightweight. I already have a small Mirka manual block (70x125 pad) and an old Bosch detail sander for the awkward corners but really don't want to do it all with these. I have been very impressed with the Abranet abrasive and so would prefer a tool that can be used with the Abranet pad sizes.

Probably looking at the smaller sanders since I'm not intending to sand very large areas.
The (expensive) shortlist so far is:
ETS 125 - good finishing but will it be aggressive enough when needed
RO 90 (but would need to cut down 125mm Abranet discs)
RO 125 - seen some negative comments on how easy the ROs are to control
Ceros 550 (125mm) - probably aggressive enough but is it a good finisher?

Any advice appreciated ...

 

[RogerS]

I can't comment on the others but the Ceros is brilliant. The finish is excellent. Up there in my top ten buys.

 

[petermillard]

I don't think you're going to find one sander that does it all. Can't comment on the ceros, but I have the others, and to be perfectly honest I don't think I'd use any of them for paintwork prep of a casement window in situ. Well, maybe the RO 90, though it's quite a chunky little thing, and surprisingly tall, so can be tricky to get into tight corners sometimes.

The ETS 125 is a nice lightweight sender, but short stroke so not especially aggressive, and the 5" round pad won't be particularly well suited to your window project; same goes for the RO 125, though obviously in a heavier package and capable of very aggressive sanding in Rotex mode. Can be a bit of a handful, too, but that's just down to technique.

If it were me, I'd look at the RTS 400 - small orbital sander, lightweight, aggressive enough and with a rectangular pad so you have four corners to play with before you need to dig out the detail sander Another option would be to try and pick up a used older model RS400 - they come up now and then on eBay - as the pads could be changed from rectangular to delta, which is handy sometimes. As I may have mentioned before, my 'everyday carry' sanders are an ETS125 and an RS400 fitted with a delta pad - I can cover a lot of ground with just these two.

If you're prepared to spend a decent amount on a Festool sander, then you should at least try the Festool abrasives IMHO - they make a wide range with some specifically aimed at paintwork prep e.g. Granat and Ctystal.

HTH Pete

 

[Col]

I don't think you're going to find one sander that does it all. Can't comment on the ceros, but I have the others, and to be perfectly honest I don't think I'd use any of them for paintwork prep of a casement window in situ. Well, maybe the RO 90, though it's quite a chunky little thing, and surprisingly tall, so can be tricky to get into tight corners sometimes.

The ETS 125 is a nice lightweight sender, but short stroke so not especially aggressive, and the 5" round pad won't be particularly well suited to your window project; same goes for the RO 125, though obviously in a heavier package and capable of very aggressive sanding in Rotex mode. Can be a bit of a handful, too, but that's just down to technique.

If it were me, I'd look at the RTS 400 - small orbital sander, lightweight, aggressive enough and with a rectangular pad so you have four corners to play with before you need to dig out the detail sander Another option would be to try and pick up a used older model RS400 - they come up now and then on eBay - as the pads could be changed from rectangular to delta, which is handy sometimes. As I may have mentioned before, my 'everyday carry' sanders are an ETS125 and an RS400 fitted with a delta pad - I can cover a lot of ground with just these two.

If you're prepared to spend a decent amount on a Festool sander, then you should at least try the Festool abrasives IMHO - they make a wide range with some specifically aimed at paintwork prep e.g. Granat and Ctystal.

HTH Pete

Pete - very helpful - thank you. Looks like I should plan on something specific for the windows. I've probably got some time before the weather improves so I'll see if something comes up on ebay.

 

[roman]

If you are still considering a ceros then you might wait a few days more (may 1st) for the deros by mirka. Same sort of thing, slightly bigger and heavier but without transformer. Comes with 125 and 150 mm bases. Still wont get you into corners but great in every other way. I'll be getting one. Its taken a lot of restraint as I've had masses of sanding to do recently, all of which I've done with my metabo 450. Cant wait for something much quieter and lighter.

 

[Col]

If you are still considering a ceros then you might wait a few days more (may 1st) for the deros by mirka. Same sort of thing, slightly bigger and heavier but without transformer. Comes with 125 and 150 mm bases. Still wont get you into corners but great in every other way. I'll be getting one. Its taken a lot of restraint as I've had masses of sanding to do recently, all of which I've done with my metabo 450. Cant wait for something much quieter and lighter.

Roman - I had seen that announcement , I wasn't too concerned about the transformer so was hoping there might be some offers on the ceros when the deros is out