# Looking for a new random orbital sander



## calcnerd (Dec 7, 2012)

My old PC died and I'm in the market for a new one. I'd like to upgrade to a 6 inch variable speed. Read tons of reviews and think I have it narrowed down to a few.

Metabo SXE 450 Turbotec - 13,100 max rpm, 1/4" and 1/8" orbit modes and turbo option
Festool ETS 150/3 EQ - 10,500 max rpm
Bosch 1250DEVS - 6,650 max rpm, coarse/fine mode switch

Does anyone have any experience (good or bad) with any of the above? As far as brands go, thoughts on general holdup? I'd like to get one that'll last me and since they're all around $250-300 I'd hope that wouldn't be a problem.


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

calcnerd said:


> My old PC died and I'm in the market for a new one. I'd like to upgrade to a 6 inch variable speed. Read tons of reviews and think I have it narrowed down to a few.
> 
> Metabo SXE 450 Turbotec - 13,100 max rpm, 1/4" and 1/8" orbit modes and turbo option
> Festool ETS 150/3 EQ - 10,500 max rpm
> ...


I had the Ridgid R2610 which is identical to the Metabo SXE 450 and it was a great sander with minimal vibration (I never switched modes as most of what I did with it was aggressive sanding) but unfortunately it stopped spinning after dropping it. 

Coincidentally two of the three sanders you mentioned were on my short list of replacements however I did not consider the Bosch 1250DEVS since I had tried that one at a shop before getting the Ridgid/Metabo and it had too much vibration for me. 

After much research I ended up getting the Bosch ROS65C variable speed due to it's vibration control technology and the fact that it could be used with a 5" or 6" pad (I have both and it only takes a minute or so to change). The vibration is minimal, dust collection is excellent when connected to the vac and very good with the supplied canister filter and it sands very aggressively (for the type of sanding I do these days I typically use 60 grit on the 5" and 80 grit on the 6" so I can't comment on how well it works for finer sanding)


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## tom d (Oct 23, 2013)

I finally broke down and got a festal. Loved my Dewalt, can't believe how much better a festool is. I'd stick to 5" unless you are doing huge surfaces


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## asevereid (Apr 15, 2012)

So, @Marv, how's the Bosch working for you so far? 
I'm still on the fence about picking up that model... And Christmas is coming up. 
C'mon, spill the beans man!


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## Marv (Nov 30, 2008)

asevereid said:


> So, @*Marv*, how's the Bosch working for you so far?
> I'm still on the fence about picking up that model... And Christmas is coming up.
> C'mon, spill the beans man!


Sanding, dust collecting and vibration wise its works great! A few things to note are it makes a higher pitched whining sound than my other sanders at full speed (that's not a real issue for me since I wear hearing protection), the speed control wheel is next to the trigger so I sometimes inadvertently change the speed and as with many RO sanders too much suction from the vacuum causes it to be sucked down to the work piece and not operate as smoothly. Hope that helps and if you need to know anything specific just let me know!


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## Jig_saw (May 17, 2015)

I have ordered a Metabo 450 SXE turbotec today. It is a 6", variable speed sander and rated highly on Amazon.
https://www.metabo.com/com/en/tools...turbotec-600129770-random-orbital-sander.html


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

calcnerd said:


> My old PC died and I'm in the market for a new one. I'd like to upgrade to a 6 inch variable speed. Read tons of reviews and think I have it narrowed down to a few.
> 
> Metabo SXE 450 Turbotec - 13,100 max rpm, 1/4" and 1/8" orbit modes and turbo option
> Festool ETS 150/3 EQ - 10,500 max rpm
> ...


I don't know anything about those sanders. I'm wondering about your old PC. A lot of times you can take one apart and remove the armature and polish it with some 0000 steel wool and change the brushes and the sander will work fine.


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## TerryQ (Apr 8, 2014)

Just received an issue of "Wood" magazine (July 2016) where they did a review of five inch random orbital sanders. As one would expect, Festool and Mirka had the top rated sanders at $385 and $595 respectively, but the top value sanders were the Craftsman 2109 for $60 and a DeWalt DWE6423K for $80.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

If you're looking for the absolute best RO sander on the market look at air powered and the name Hutchins. They ain't cheap, but they do sand extremely flat with more power than you'll probably ever need in a wood shop assuming you have a compressor up to the task..
Nice thing about air sanders is that designation DA which means dual action meaning it can do random patterns or grind mode.
It really doesn't matter though if you have the greatest sander available you still need to be practiced at keeping it flat to the surface being sanded. Just the slightest pressure to one side or the other can leave some nasty swirl marks.


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## cib (Sep 16, 2011)

allpurpose said:


> If you're looking for the absolute best RO sander on the market look at air powered and the name Hutchins. They ain't cheap, but they do sand extremely flat with more power than you'll probably ever need in a wood shop assuming you have a compressor up to the task..
> Nice thing about air sanders is that designation DA which means dual action meaning it can do random patterns or grind mode.
> It really doesn't matter though if you have the greatest sander available you still need to be practiced at keeping it flat to the surface being sanded. Just the slightest pressure to one side or the other can leave some nasty swirl marks.


I wish I had the air power to run one, they are made in USA also if memory serves. Of the ones mentioned above I have the bosch and it was an upgrade over my old skill by a long shot. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them though.


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## PondHockey (Nov 5, 2013)

cib said:


> I wish I had the air power to run one, they are made in USA also if memory serves. Of the ones mentioned above I have the bosch and it was an upgrade over my old skill by a long shot. I don't think you could go wrong with any of them though.


I was specifically advised, by a friend, to get an air powered sander. Why? "It's better".

He's in China, communication is slow. Would anyone care to explain why it's better?


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## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

Compressed air has an amazing amount of power. Heavy duty trucks use it to power their brakes. Takes quite a bit more to bog a pneumatic sander than an electric one. Of course, they take a huge volume of air so your average homeowner grade compressor won't run them. My 26 gallon won't do it, you're looking for something more in the 60 gallon range with huge cfm numbers.


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

A 60 gallon tank isn't entirely unreasonable around the house. I had one long ago and far away. Just plug into the dryer outlet or run an extra 220 line to it. Just stay away from anything with those dreaded words oilless on them ESPECIALLY with the words Crapman on it.. You can grab a decent used setup for around $400 and pawnshops are good places to look for decent sanders. The reason pawnshops have them is the autobody business is full of drunks and druggies.. I have a 'little bit' of experience with that line of reasoning..nothing I'm particularly proud of, but...


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## Mort (Jan 4, 2014)

It's not unreasonable, but not common either. Your average weekender will have a pancake or a 6-gallon portable, and an air sander would laugh at those.


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## Jig_saw (May 17, 2015)

Many auto garages have compressors installed for air driven wrenches. Maybe they are large enough for woodworking tools as well.


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