Thanks for watching! More to come... 👍

Pleasure, thanks for watching 👍

Yep, great little sander for the money. 👍

+LostWhits 👍

+Alex Bennett I think I might be cutting & pasting this reply a bit 😂 It's only 'cheap' (i.e. 1/4 - 1/3 of the price) in comparison to the Festool. I was amazed that I could get a Bosch pro sander for that kind of price. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. 😂

Good to see all the bosch pro getting praise. What would be an interesting comparison would be a Black and Decker mouse. Absolutely amazing for £20 with loads of accessories

+nasser d Well, that's what this series aims to find out. Keep watching... 👍

+Alex Bennett Cheap tool vs really cheap tool - could be a whole new series 👍😂

I've got a Bosch circular saw that's 35 years old, still on the same motor. It just won't die. Granted it was replaced some years ago and hasn't seen much action for several years but it still works. Really don't know what to do with it! Can't beat Bosch, all good kit.

Bosch has gone way downhill. It's no longer German anything. It just your average run of the mill mediocrity wrapped up im a pretty box with a familiar name.

@@link6397 in your opinion, all my tools have been bosch for the past 8 years and all are used daily, and not one has ever let me down. And their warrenty is excellent, with a great customer service.

@@link6397 That is simply not true. Their products remain competitive in the market. Where products are made is not relevant.

+dandive Youngs Timing is everything 😂 👍

+Joseph Rowley Yep. Dust extraction tests to follow...

HITOKIRIpl Bosch is a nice sander - using Abranet (videos 157 & 159) makes a big difference to the dust collection.

+Ty Smith Thanks! 👍

+Muru Roa Noon tomorrow 👍

Bargain 😆 The Festool’s really good, but if you’re not bothered about what it does well, then the Bosch is fantastic for the money 👍

+Ira Kopilow Thanks. The Pro 5 is a US-only line I believe, but great value and very similar to the ETS 125. I carry two sanders with me in my 'go everywhere' stack, an ETS 125 and the RTS 400 from this video; I can cover a lot of ground with those two 👍

Peter Millard If only they released those internationally.

Yep, I had referred to the warranty in the script, but ended up editing it out. Festool’s 3-year warranty was special, once, but not any more, and the Bosch sander was the equal of the Festool, right up to the dust collection tests. I’ll be testing that again soon with abranet, to see if that makes a difference, but absolutely, I’d be happy to buy the Bosch - wait, I already did... 😆👍

+Gordon Warlow 👍 'Inexpensive' doesn't fit on the thumbnail though ... 😂

+Richard Freeze Yeah, it's been mentioned (see other comments below) 😂 All I'll say (again) is that the 'Cheap tool' tag isn't dismissive or derogatory in any way, it simply alliterates well and fits easily on the thumbnail. I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Festool's RTS 400 (£245 street, basic), Rupes LE71t (£160 street), Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) and Mirka deos £412 (street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a Blue Bosch Pro in that role. (curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size...) I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) that meets these criteria and is cheaper than the Bosch (

Peter Ford totally worth it got most of the sanders cordless ones are great

+1873Winchester Sounds like it's damaged in some way. Seem to remember reading about one that had been dropped and the counter-balance weights shifting, might be worth having it checked out. Uncomfortable thought: there may be a reason it was in a second hand store for €25... Just sayin' 👍

I'll check it out, if it's repairable then great, if not at least it was only 25.

+1873Winchester 👍

+1873Winchester 👍

Yes, but not with an extractor connected. 👍

Thank you, and very best wishes to you, too! 👍

I think I have four of these, if you include the RS and DS versions, the oldest is ~2003, and they’ve all been used relentlessly. They’ve never missed a beat, and all are in their original brushes. Just for balance. 👍

I'm curious what were the multiple warranty issues that you experienced? I had a rts 400 eq from 2012 go out recently. After disassembly and putting a meter to the armature and the field windings I determined the armature went bad. I opted to replace the sander and ordered a new rts because replacing parts on a pretty old tool can become habit forming. My old rts was used for professional duty and seen a lot of action and held up well imo. When replacing it I did have a short list of alternative options like the Mirka, or the Surfprep. But out of the considerations the RTS came in the most budget friendly and I already have consumables for it. I can say a few years ago I sent a ETS 150 in for repair. The sander had what felt like a wobble or shimmy in the head and having a couple other ETS 150's I knew it wasn't right. So I sent it in and they didn't call me prior like they should have. Instead I just received my sander back with a note in it saying I needed to replace the pad. I was a bit miffed as there are no local stores here so it's something I order online, and had they called me I would have asked them to do it and I'd pay for the pad. Also to be clear it wasn't the pad as a new pad didn't change anything, and if they would of put a new pad on they would of determined there was no change with the tool. I believe it's some kind of counter balance thing but I never sent it back in and that sander doesn't really get used except for some rough work. If that would had been my first sander, or my first interaction with the company I'd of probably never bought another thing from them as I feel they dropped the ball on their customer service that time, but overall I feel like it was a fluke.

Buy the Festool. Seriously. 👍

I just watched another video on the GET75 and it said the bosch had just as good if not better dust collection as the festool (:o) If you confirm it might knock Festool off their high horse.

+wstar72 👍

+wstar72 High end sander with varible speed is going to cost about £300 to £500. That is just a reality.

Mirka make fantastic sanders, but unfortunately I couldn't get along with the 'flappy paddle' on/off, which is a shame as it was very well-balanced and a really low profile 👍

Peter Millard Apologies for my iPad autocorrect changing the Mirka name. I usually check but must have forgotten. It went for Miriam this time round! John

Have to be honest, I hadn't even noticed, lol! Maybe I'm so used to it I auto-correct the auto-cprrect without thinking!

That's a fantastic price for a bare tool! Shame I don't have any 18v Bosch any more, lol! Looks like a cracking unit though, thanks for pointing it out - maybe there's a cordless sander review in the making... 🤔😆👍

+Chris Munro 👍

I’d hope that wherever Bosch tools are made those building them are paid adequately for wherever they live and are treated decently. I only own a very modest collection of power tools, but the truth is that if they all cost what Festool charges I’d be lucky to be able to afford two. Even Bosch blue tools are sometimes too much. And I really don’t want to buy the bottom of the barrel unknown brand tools.

I’d recommend using abranet tbh - much better dust collection simply by switching abrasive. I buy mine locally, but pretty sure you can buy through eBay or amazon 👍

Peter Millard thanks do they last long?

Abranet? Yes, very good. 👍

Thanks! 👍

I also found the entry level Makita stuff was not great. Their really expensive models generally are though.

Got your festool sander with granat paper now, lets see how it does!

Exactly! There may be tools that perform as well but the ability to be able to call them, send the tool in for free without a receipt and have it back good as new quickly is worth a little extra money

For the cost of Festool I could buy several of each tool from another brand. If one broke I could use another while it gets repaired.

+Mart Ashton 👍

Titan are cheap and cheerful. I have 3 powertools by them from Screwfix, 1 is replacing a Bosch drill in and for the same price I paid for that the Titan is so much better. Their tool cases are also very manly too ;) Especially the Angle Grinder one.

There’s a guy near me who had his van emptied one day and the took the lot including a lot of handtools. makita, dewalt, festool in the main. He went out with his credit card and replaced a lot of gear for £1200 it was all Titan and erbauer to get him through until he got his pay out from the insurance. Interestingly though some things have changed the cordless drills are all Makita again but track Saw and a lot of other gear is still the Titan and erbauer

+eggypickle the Bosch is way less than half the price of the Festool. But yeah, good shout on the Titan - what would you compare it to?

I have the TITAN TTB289SDR (screwfix) 40 quid, it replaced a black & decker one , and the Titan is great

Must have misheard, I can't say my budget ever stretches to festool so don't know prices! I think the Titan would probably be best compared to other equivalent (on paper) spec sanders from more established brands. Of course, wouldn't really fit into the whole Festool vs series but a video comparing a £40 Titan Sander vs a £120 Bosch/DeWalt/Makita might be interesting.

Bingo! It's only 'cheap' (i.e. 1/4 - 1/3 of the price) in comparison to the Festool (and Mirka - see below). I was amazed that I could get a Bosch pro sander for that kind of price. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. All I'll say (again) is that I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka Deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a Blue Bosch Pro in that role. (curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size...) I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander that meets these criteria (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) and is cheaper than the Bosch (

I don’t think you’re quite getting the point here. I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferably 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a blue Bosch Pro in that role. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. 😂 Curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size... I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) that meets these criteria and is cheaper than the Bosch (

The Ryobi ESS280RV 1/3 Sheet Sander with Variable Speed, 280 W is available on amazon.co.uk for und 50 bucks (20 was estimated). 2mm stroke, slightly bigger disc-size, 280W, slightly heavier (1.7kg). I am neither a ryobi fan nor a bosch or festool. But bosch blue for me is "premium" and festool, hilti or mafell are one step above but none of these three brands is superioror in every class. festool (as well as Mafell) is really an institution when it comes to circular saws, but for a small sander I would go to Bosch green, Black&Decker or a step lower (Worx, Ryobi, Einhell).

As I said earlier, I don’t think you’re quite getting the point here. But thanks for watching, and taking the time to comment. 👍

👍

+Yes CJ 👍

+geoffnepo 👍

+Londar Kalan Bosch is good value and good quality but is not better than the festool. You could use the festool constantly and not feel like your arm is about to fall of. That is not the same with the Bosch though as good value as it is. It does not have the same comfortable grip or variable speed that you need when using it with dust extraction but you probably did not know that.

Festool AMAZING totally worth getting everything festool even got the festool cooler when you walk in with your boxes stacked on your cart its worth it .. it makes you appear more professional and when using sander with festool dust extractor no dust at all better than them home depot loud sanders and vacs that wake up the neighborhood

Again? Really? OK. It's only 'cheap' (i.e. 1/4 - 1/3 of the price) in comparison to the Festool. I was amazed that I could get a Bosch pro sander for that kind of price. I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a blue Bosch Pro in that role. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. 😂 Curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size... I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) that meets these criteria and is cheaper than the Bosch (

What do you mean by weak? I just recently watched reviews of circular saws. Bosch sliced through hard wood easily, as did the equivalent Dewalt. Main difference was that the Dewalt looked and felt a bit less robust when I handled them. Each model had their pros and cons. Dewalt’s not cheaper where I am either.

+Tim Hall Damn, that's my "Festool: What's All Fuss?" video out of the bag 😂👍

..and of course the hole puncher would come with its own dust collection and matching systainer!

Well, one can never really know how something works through a video alone. There's a local expo coming up next Friday, they're going to have a Festool display as well as some discounts. Thanks for the reply though.

Tim Hall Sure, I'd encourage everyone considering a purchase to try and get hands-on with them, if possible; expo's and shows are great for that. Festool have a 14-day (30 day in the US) no quibble return policy, which can really help with those important (expensive!) purchases. Let us know how you get on 👍

+Zas Huysmans OTOH the margins on abrasives (compared to the tool) are huge. Manufacturers want us to buy their abrasives (obviously) so why not supply a selection with the tool? First taste's free, and all that??

Thanks. I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a blue Bosch Pro in that role. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. 😂 Curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size... But if you know of a Skil or B&D or anything else that fits, then let me know and I’ll throw it into the mix 👍

Saw a video of the the internal design of a Black & Decker tool. A lot of thought went into making the tool as tough and durable as possible while keeping the cost down. They offer a 2 year warranty as well.

Yes, they are orbital sanders and they do have a circular motion. www.festool.co.uk/products/sanding-and-brushing/direct-drive-orbital-sanders-for-fine-sanding/201225---rts-400-req-gb-240v 👍

Yep, Peter's right. It's only a 3/16 orbit, so does seem to just vibrate. But it does orbit.

+Nicholas Brown 5 sanders for 50 bucks. They'll be every bit the $10 sander, lol! 😂

My Bosch had a punch plate too but do you think I can find the bloody thing.

It's an older vid, but even today, post-brexit etc.. here in 'treasure island' as the manufacturers call it, we pay £259 inc VAT, or about €300. 🤷‍♂️

Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. It's only 'cheap' (i.e. 1/4 - 1/3 of the price) in comparison to the Festool (and Mirka - see below). I was amazed that I could get a Bosch pro sander for that kind of price. All my general 10.8v stuff is Bosch, I've had many Bosch blue tools and been very happy with them. Call them 'less expensive' if you like - but it won't fit in the thumbnail. All I'll say (again) is that I've made my criteria for the 'cheap tool' pretty clear; it needs to be as close as possible to the Festool in form (size, weight, power, handling) as well as function. It also needs to be at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 (or less). There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka Deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using this criteria is the Bosch - and nobody was more surprised than I was to see a Blue Bosch Pro in that role. (curiously, Bosch don't make a green orbital sander in this size...) I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander that meets these criteria (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) and is cheaper than the Bosch (

well bosch blue ist not cheap - festool ist just expensive and overpriced :)

I disagree, Blue Bosch is usually the cheapest of all pro brands for most tools - for example drills. They are excellent value for money, I only buy Bosch and Festool.

+photonashville Thanks for watching and take the time to comment. The format for this series is a roughly 10 minute introduction video explaining why these two particular items, how they relate, and how they differ to other, similar products. I cover 'what's in the box', pricing, how they handle and how they feel. Then roughly 20 minutes of tests, split over 2 videos. And maybe a short follow-on, to cover any additional points raised. If that's too much, then I'm afraid you're in the minority - others have asked for more parts to the series, some for a single 45-minute video. My analytics show that around 10 minutes is the sweet spot for most people, but you know, these vids take as long as they take, to cover the points I think are important and relevant to the comparison. Cheers, Peter

14K views for video 1, 6.5K views for video 2, and 5K views for video 3. I think those analytics say that almost 30 mins talking about two sanders is too much. I have watched your work before, but find I have to scrub through yours more than many other videos because there just isn't enough going on (unless your viewers have zero woodworking/tool experience). Perhaps I am not your audience, which is certainly fine.

+photonashville Fair point re the viewing figures - first vid in any series of mine always have way higher views than the subsequent ones. And yes, I am aiming my videos at relative novices - folks with limited knowledge and experience, hence the talk. 👍

Sweeping statements aside - unless you’ve tried them *all* of course - I find they have a place in my woodworking. But whatever works for you, works 👍

I say they are garbage because they have no true purpose in the production cycle that I can see. They dont remove enough material to be labour saving like a random orbital, nor do they produce a consistent and accurate finish you might get in later stages of sanding which can only be done by hand. I have used various types in the workshop over the years and quickly put them down as they dont sand any faster than a sanding block and yet you still need to hand sand afterwards anyway before finishing to remove the marks they leave. I really dont see the point of a sander that isnt quicker than sanding by hand and still requires final sanding by hand - the only potential advantage over an orbital is that the pad is square, but then again the pressure is rarely even across the pad that they sand right into the corners while producing a flat surface. Each to his own but to me its a tool with no clear benefit and in a workshop rammed to the rafters with tools I cant make room for one when other tools have it covered much more efficiently.

You might want to watch all 3 parts - there are real differences in the dust collection. But use whatever suits you - that’s what these videos are about, to explore the differences and see if they’re relevant to you. 👍

Wow, even trolls on sander video's. I'd have said completely unbiased, and if you read the title it says 1 of 3. Watch the rest for a comprehensive test. I've made a purchase based on these videos.

+Affendog What bias? Seriously, where?

+Graham Orm 👍

There are only a few orbital sanders of this particular (80x130mm) pad/abrasive size: Mirka deos £412 (street) Festool RTS 400 (£245 street, basic) Rupes LE71t (£160 street) Bosch GSS160 (£75 street) So the Festool isn't the most expensive, and the only candidate for the 'cheap tool' (cheaper tool, less expensive tool, whatever) using my criteria (close as possible to the Festool in form - size, weight, power, handling - as well as function, and at least 1/3 of the price, preferable 1/4 or less) is the Bosch. I also think it's a relevant comparison - why is the Festool so much more expensive than the Bosch Pro, given that the specs are so similar? These videos simply aimed to show that: I think they did it pretty well - what do you think? I'll throw this out there again; if you or anyone else knows of an orbital sander (~2mm stroke, ~1.2Kg, ~200w) that meets these criteria and is cheaper than the Bosch (

+Point made This isn’t a ‘marketing’ video - I pay for my tools myself, just like any punter would - and this isn’t to diss Bosch - I have plenty of blue Bosch tools myself. Is the Festool worth 3 time’s the price?? Why not check out the sanding & dust collection comparison and decide for yourself? 👍

Point made h

+Tz Tz It's a cheap tool *compared to what Festool charge for a very similarly specced sander*. In this series the 'Cheap tool' is anything that costs 1/3 to 1/4 (or less) of the Festool. I was surprised a Blue Bosch Pro sander fitted into this category, but it did so its worth comparing. I would happily compare a cheaper sander to the Festool provided it was similarly specced; to the best of my knowledge Festool and Bosch are the only companies making these oddball 80 x130mm sanders. If you know of another, do share and I'll happily add it to the mix 👍

Rupes make them that look identical in shape to the Festool, fair bit cheaper too. www.powertoolsalesuk.com/le-71t-rupes-mini-orbital-sander.html

+dimmaz88 Thanks! You know this popped up in my twitter feed a week or so back from a painter/decorater I know, and I'd completely forgotten about it! It's a bit lighter than the RTS, too, but only single speed, I think. Street price of £160 keeps it out of the 'cheap tool' series, but a lot less than the Festoo. Good catch, thanksl 👍