# ROS opinions.



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

It was my birth day last month, and some close friends of mine were on vacation in the phillipines, so they didn't get a chance to wish me a happy birth day. So wife and I met up with them last night for dinner, and they got me this sander. It's nice, just not the the type of sanders I'm use to. I'm going to return it for a ROS what should I look for at Home Depot?
Not sure what kind they have? If I need to spend a little extra to get a better one I will. 
Thanks. 
Should I get a hook and loop, like I have and know, or the ones that have the pressure sensitive pads? What do you think.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

This is a 1/4 sheet ROS. I think you are referring to the round style of ROS as the type which you are more familiar with using.

Each style has pro's and con's.

I have a Rigid 1/4 sheet ROS. Likely earlier version of the one in your picture.

Pro - uses inexpensive sand paper. Easy to cut the sheet into quarters.
Pro - good for sanding into corners.
Pro - good for sanding on edges. This is my most frequent use of this tool
Pro - my unit allows me to attach the 2 1/2in hose for the shop vac.
Con - the inexpensive sand paper does not have holes. I made a hole template from a scrap of wood, drilled the holes based on a piece from the box. I now make my own "holed" paper. Just takes a minute or so.
Con - noisier than I would like.
Con - single speed.
Con - takes a little longer to replace the paper than hook and loop.


I also have a Porter Cable 390 5in diameter ROS.
Pro - relatively quiet.
Pro - variable speed.
Pro - very good dust collection - assuming the hose fits. Mine did not. I had to make an adapter, which is a con.
Con - uses hook and loop discs which are not as cheap as 8in x 11in sheets. 
Pro - the 8 hole pattern discs are readily available.
Pro - it is fast to replace the discs as you go through the grits.
Con - does not sand corners easily. You have to get the outer diameter contacting the wood. The inside is running too slow.
Con - when sanding edges, the dust collection is not so good, since so many holes are in the air. 

Some folks like the PSA and use a disc until it is worn out.

I prefer hook and loop. I run through the grits, and for my needs the discs last many projects.

I am glad I have both tools.

If I could only own one, it would be the PC 390. For me this is an easy decision.

I hope this helps you in your decision.


----------



## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

I have an array of round ros so that I don't have to change grits on one. I still keep a 1/4 sheet sander to do really fine work and get into corners. True, it doesn't get the use that the round ones do but there is still a place in my shop for it.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Thanks guys. I just returned the one I got, but undecided on which to get. Lol so I left with a gift card. My main reason for getting the a new one is because the 5" makita one I have needs a new hook pad. So I'll try to get a replacement, then get the square one again. Who knows? Having a hard time finding one for my makita 5".


----------



## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Dominick said:


> It was my birth day last month, and some close friends of mine were on vacation in the phillipines, so they didn't get a chance to wish me a happy birth day. So wife and I met up with them last night for dinner, and they got me this sander. It's nice, just not the the type of sanders I'm use to. I'm going to return it for a ROS what should I look for at Home Depot?
> Not sure what kind they have? If I need to spend a little extra to get a better one I will.
> Thanks.
> Should I get a hook and loop, like I have and know, or the ones that have the pressure sensitive pads? What do you think.
> View attachment 53326


I have the 6" ros ridgid sander hook and loop and it work's very well. I have had it sence they first came out with them. I use it every day and no porblum's. It has a life time warrenty, you have to phone it in for the life time warrenty to no big deal . It has a dust bag also which is not that good but i don't worry about dust i sand in frount of a 36" exhaust fan than after use i blow the dust out of the holes and any where their is a opening. good luck


----------



## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

The ¼ sheet square pad sander is a finishing sander, and it does have it's place. It can get into corners. But for an all around sander, a ROS sander will likely work best for you. I prefer an 8 hole, 5", with a H&L pad. I use a PC, Ryobi, and Bosch.









 







.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> The ¼ sheet square pad sander is a finishing sander, and it does have it's place. It can get into corners. But for an all around sander, a ROS sander will likely work best for you. I prefer an 8 hole, 5", with a H&L pad. I use a PC, Ryobi, and Bosch.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks cabby. I have two ROS sanders now. But there older. One junky old B&D and one older makita. They don't have variable speed the pad on the makita needs to be replaced. So I think I may find a replacement pad for the makita and then get the 1/4 sheet again. I have the HD gift card, so I'm limited to what they have. They don't have any Porter cable sanders. I'm going to see if there's anything else I may need. 
Does the 1/4 sheet leave scratches?


----------



## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

Dominick said:


> Thanks guys. I just returned the one I got, but undecided on which to get. Lol so I left with a gift card. My main reason for getting the a new one is because the 5" makita one I have needs a new hook pad. So I'll try to get a replacement, then get the square one again. Who knows? Having a hard time finding one for my makita 5".


Christmas is coming and they usually have good deals or special offers. I bought a PC 1 3/4 hp router for $99 last year or year before and got that PC 5" ROS free. I bought another one at Sears and got the extra bases for the same price. 

Look around for something similar.

I have the PC and DeWalt 5" ROS sanders and love both. They are basically the same. I also have a 1/4 sheet sander that gets almost no use.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Thanks brown. 
Well I decided to keep the original one I had. 
I would of liked the PC 390 like Dave had suggested, but HD don't have them. So I ended up finding a replacement pad for the makita, but had to make some modifications to the H&L pad. 
So now I have the 1/4 sheet sander in the shop now instead of 3 Of the round type ROS. 
I'm happy with it. 
Thanks for the heads up on the Christmas deals.


----------



## d_slat (Apr 10, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> Con - the inexpensive sand paper does not have holes. I made a hole template from a scrap of wood, drilled the holes based on a piece from the box. I now make my own "holed" paper. Just takes a minute or so.
> Con - takes a little longer to replace the paper than hook and loop.


I own the sander pictured above (2 actually) and they now come with a plastic template that you push the sander down on after putting paper in and it makes the holes. I don't know what the older ones had for paper holders, but it only takes about 5-10 seconds for me to change paper on mine. Might take slightly more than hook and loop, but the difference is probably negligable.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

d_slat said:


> I own the sander pictured above (2 actually) and they now come with a plastic template that you push the sander down on after putting paper in and it makes the holes. I don't know what the older ones had for paper holders, but it only takes about 5-10 seconds for me to change paper on mine. Might take slightly more than hook and loop, but the difference is probably negligable.


This is good to know. I wish the template had been part of my model.

My tool has two spring loaded levers to hold the paper. It is not difficult to remove or install new paper, but I feel the hook and loop is faster, although I have to admit we are talking seconds and not minutes.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm not sure if mine came with a template or not? 
Ill have to look. Unless he's referring to the round type.


----------



## d_slat (Apr 10, 2012)

Dominick said:


> I'm not sure if mine came with a template or not?
> Ill have to look. Unless he's referring to the round type.


It's nothing more than a square peice of plastic about the size of the sanding pad with some plastic points sticking up to perforate the paper. I haven't had my sanders for all that long, I bought them to do some sanding on the ceiling in my living room. They definitely work better than my old 1/3 sheet black and decker, but that's not saying much. :smile:

I don't have a bigger ROS, so I can't compare here. Hope you're happy with it and it treats you well for years to come!


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I just checked mine and it does have the template for the holes.


----------



## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

I have a 6" ROS, mine is a festool & I bought it back in 1994. Replaced the pad a couple of times but it runs like a dream. I like the Velcro pads. 

There is a guy not far from here who makes a living from making red gum furniture etc. he just uses cheap through away sanders 4" ROS I think. He has one for each grit plus a couple of spares. 

I like that idea of one for each grit, I may invest in that in the coming years

Dave The Turning Cowboy


----------



## chirpfarm (Jan 30, 2012)

I've got the Ridgid 6" ROS that is the cousin of the sander you show, and I really like it. I'm a hobbyist, but I did just use it to finish sand my porch when re-staining it and it came out of that without problems despite the "unclean" environment. I've been pretty impressed with it. I do wish I had the sander you show at times for getting into corners.


----------



## NorthenMN (Apr 26, 2012)

I gotta ask what makes teh festool brand so good that they are worth it? I have seen them at the local dealer and tried them a little at there demo days but cannot figure out what makes them soo expensive???? I just cant justify spending 500 on a palm sander.


----------



## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I don't know anything about them, but yes expensive.


----------



## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

NorthenMN said:


> I gotta ask what makes teh festool brand so good that they are worth it? I have seen them at the local dealer and tried them a little at there demo days but cannot figure out what makes them soo expensive???? I just cant justify spending 500 on a palm sander.


Likely part is the high labour cost in Germany, part is build quality/materials, part is the design/features, part is they have a reputation for lasting a long time.

All this together allows Festool to set a price and find people willing to pay. How much of the price is a "premium" for the brand name alone is hard to say.

Festool make really nice tools. I would be happy to own them, but like you cannot justify the price. I have nothing against Festool's pricing, in a free market, they can charge what they want. It just puts them out of my shopping list.

I notice the large amount of floor space dedicated to Festool at the local Woodcraft. This infers that the tools are selling.


----------



## DaveTTC (May 25, 2012)

NorthenMN said:


> I gotta ask what makes teh festool brand so good that they are worth it? I have seen them at the local dealer and tried them a little at there demo days but cannot figure out what makes them soo expensive???? I just cant justify spending 500 on a palm sander.


I bought mine in 94. True there are times it has had minimal use. In the first few years it was used daily. Around 2000 I leant it to a mate who gave it a hammering. He split the base pad in two. In an effort to fix it he 'glued' the two parts back together. Subsequently contact adhesive was inadvertently poured thru the motor. When he returned it it obviously did not work. It was taken to a repair shop where they found the problem, cleaned it - no problem. 

I did replace the pad shortly later and again a year ago. It still works better today than a cheap one.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


----------



## Andrew LB (Oct 30, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> Likely part is the high labour cost in Germany, part is build quality/materials, part is the design/features, part is they have a reputation for lasting a long time.


I drive a late model Audi sports sedan which is made in Germany by highly skilled workers, from very high quality materials, and its performance/handling/safety can't be touched by anything made in Detroit. So I wonder why my car didn't cost 8x or 4x or even twice that of its American competition... 

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love every festool product that I've laid my hands on.... But I see them as the Apple computers of the tool world. They don't win all the performance tests, build quality is outstanding, great ergonomics, and they both have this cult like following.... Which has resulted in them charging incredibly high prices for one very simple reason. 

Because they can. 



> All this together allows Festool to set a price and find people willing to pay. How much of the price is a "premium" for the brand name alone is hard to say.
> 
> Festool make really nice tools. I would be happy to own them, but like you cannot justify the price. I have nothing against Festool's pricing, in a free market, they can charge what they want. It just puts them out of my shopping list.
> 
> I notice the large amount of floor space dedicated to Festool at the local Woodcraft. This infers that the tools are selling.


Agreed. I really like woodcrafts products and all, but their prices are nuts. And you'd think that with the extra cost you would get great customer service... But in the case of my local woodcraft, its nothing but a bunch of grumpy old guys who didn't want my business. That in itself is the biggest reason i have not bought a single Festool product.


----------

