Finally tried the Festool drywall sander I was doubting

I was convinced the $900 Festool Planex was just hype for guys with more money than sense. Borrowed one from a buddy on a job in Portland last week and ran it for 6 hours straight. The dust collection is legit, I barely had to wipe down the room after. Anyone else have a tool they were dead wrong about?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai_west27d ago

The weight is the killer for me. You can have perfect dust collection but after three hours of holding that thing overhead your arms are shot. A buddy of mine bought one and I used it on a ceiling job. The dust was low but my shoulders were wrecked the next day. Plus the pads are expensive to replace and the motor overloads on heavy texture. Plenty of guys get great results with a Mirka or even a good pole sander for way less money. Not saying it's junk but it's not the miracle tool everyone acts like.

jade_lane1926d ago

Your arms are shot after three hours overhead" - yeah, and that's true with any sander if you're dumb enough to hold it overhead for three hours straight. The Festool isn't meant for marathon sanding sessions without breaks, that's user error. I own one and use it on every ceiling job, you just have to work smarter. Take short turns, use a stool or scaffold so you're not reaching up as far, and swap with a pole sander for the flat sections. The dust collection is so good I barely need to tape off the room, that alone saves me hours of cleanup versus a Mirka. And the motor overload thing only happens if you're pushing too hard or using worn out paper, that's basic operator knowledge, not a tool flaw. Have you actually used one with fresh Abranet pads and a proper speed setting?