Random Orbital Sanders

[jackellis]

I have several different sanders - 1/4 sheet finish (Craftsman), small Bosch sheet sander, Dewalt ROS. I tend to reach for the ROS for any finish sanding (mostly shop stuff right now) and would like another one.

The Bosch 1295 in its various incarnations on sale at CPO looks interesting but before I spring for one of these (or go to the local Sears liquidation), I'd be interested in any advice on the various brands.

[rcp612]

I have the Bosch 1295 and love it! It's light, easy to handle but,,,buy the dust collection adapter (rs006). The filter works fine but tends to fill up rather quickly.

[LarryG]

Fine Woodworking tested a flock of random orbit sanders recently and declared the Bosch the winner. Much more info in this thread.

[jseklund]

I haven't used a lot of ROS's, but I can tell you that the Bosch 1295EVSK is a GREAT tool.

When I started this hobby, I used my dad's B&D ROS. I couldn't really get things flat, it took forever to sand things (which actually led to too much material being removed...you fatigue and pay less attention), and it vibrated like a jackhammer. It wasn't great, but was OK and got some jobs done for me.

I got the Bosch for Christmas and have used it about 2X since (busy month or so...no time for woodworking). This is a completely different tool. Unbelievable. Very comfortable to use, gets things flat & smooth and does it quickly. If someone else makes a comparable sander, great. I doubt anyone makes a better sander for anywhere near the price. I know the DeWalt sanders have high reviews too (at least some models), but don't beat yourself up researching just to research- the Bosch is great and you will be happy with it.

[ragswl4]

Bosh 1295

I have had the Bosch 1295 for a number of months. It performs great. I use it to sand after re-sawing and it works great, very fast and easy to use. As another said, the dust collection filter works fine (for about 30 seconds) so get the vacuum adapter. I also use it with 400 grit to finish sand my projects (mostly jewelry boxes) and takes a small amount of handsanding with 600 grit to get a mirror finish.

[footprintsinconc]

ridig 5" os

anyone here have any experience with the ridgid 5" o.s. ?

[Jeffrey Schronce]

The 1295 is awesome. I have 3 of them, one for each grit I go through. I have vacuum adapters on all of them and it works like a charm! They did note in the FWW review that Craftsman was the worst by far, so avoid their ROS. The CM's scratch pattern was pretty bad which would leave behind excessive marks.
I think Amazon has the 1295 for around the same price as the CPO. I did get 2 of mine from CPO and they were like new.

[messmaker]

If you just want a back-up, don't rule out the Ryobi. I have one and use it often. It does not feel as solid as my other sanders but it does the job pretty well. I got it for $15 at a pawn shop but they are only about $35 new.

[drumpriest]

I have the Bosch, and a ryobi. Both work well, I found the DC on the Bosch pretty useless until I got the adaptor and hooked it to the shop vac, now I'm constantly amazed by it.

Lately I've been doing a lot of hand sanding, don't know why...serene I suppose, and there's nothing quite like a hand sanded edge.

[thrytis]

anyone here have any experience with the ridgid 5" o.s. ?

I've had the Ridgid 5" ROS for about a year. I've been happy with it, though it is the only ROS i've used so i can't compare. One nice feature is you can hook up 2.5" and 1.25" shopvac hoses for dust collection without an adapter.

[leehljp]

I bought the Ryobi VS ROS and love the variable speed. In most cases the VS is probably not needed, but I was tiling the kitchen over hard oil based paint in a couple of sections. I used rough sandpaper and the ROS on slow. It did a great job of roughing up the surface in which the full speed seemed to smooth it out too much.

There are times that the VS just adds another dimension to the machine.

[jackellis]

Thanks for all the helpful feedback. I placed an order for the 1295 and a vacuum adapter a few hours ago.