Dust Collection on Festool sanders is a game changer. Here is the new cordless 5"
Festool has just released new models of cordless ETS sanders (5" and 6"), which will be available for purchase today, June 12th. We were able to demo these sanders at our Festool Fest back in April, and they attracted a lot of interest. They have some significant improvements over the previous incarnation of cordless sanders, which required the purchase of a finger- shaped 18V battery that could be used only with other cordless sanders. The new models utilize the regular 18V batteries used throughout the Festool cordless line, which is of course much more convenient. The sanders also have a built-in LED light that enables you to spot trouble spots and imperfections while you work, which strikes me as a feature that folks may start demanding from their regular sanders too. And while of course you can connect the sanders with a vacuum (aka dust extractor), these sanders also have dust collection bags and built-in fans to keep the dust at bay.
The cordless option might not be meaningful to you. In a workshop, a regular corded sander connected to a dust vac will give you excellent service without the need to worry about keeping batteries charged. A corded sander is also lighter and less expensive. But if you're sanding a lot on site, cordlessness can be very appealing.
The introduction of these sanders also gives me a chance to muse about power sanders. When I was a kid, admittedly quite some time ago (early ‘70s), my father had a Black & Decker orbital sander. Don’t misread that sentence to give us an upgrade to “random orbital sander.” It was a cheap consumer grade orbital sander that did a pretty good job. It had no dust collection whatsoever. It used clamped-on pieces of sandpaper, and whoa, it was loud. You had to keep a tool like that moving because otherwise you would get little swirls on the work, and the sandpaper would clog because there was no way for dust to escape.
In that era, if you were serious about sanding, you really wanted a belt sander. The portable belt sander (invented by Porter Cable about 100 years ago) is a big ungainly machine, full of massive motors and aluminum housings. Belt sanders remove a lot of material fast. If you weren't careful, they would gouge out your work like nobody’s business. There were frames and jigs to adjust the depth of sanding but I never owned one and I heard they were finicky. There was no dust collection, but because the belt wasn't in constant contact with the work, it didn’t face the challenge of clogging.
The first generation of sanders were of course addressed to professionals. But hobbyists also found orbital sanders to be game changers. Hand sanding efficiently is time consuming and often no fun. Modern finishes, especially brush-on poly, really require appropriate surface sanding.
Dust collection also changed the game. I am old enough to remember a time prior to routine, efficient dust collection. The sanding bags used weren't particularly effective. No one wore masks. Sanding meant that you (or your dad, in my case) would fill up the room with a cloud of sawdust. You would constantly worry about settling dust damaging your next coat of finish. Compare that to the contemporary understanding of dust collection: it’s a health and safety issue; it saves a lot of clean-up time; and it helps your finished project look its best.
Hobbies by definition are leisuretime activities. The introduction of the 40-hour work week in 1940 helped create the space for hobbies during the post war consumer boom. Sales for consumer grade power tools exploded. I personally find cutting wood and planning wood by hand very satisfying. But in order to find this work enjoyable, you would need instruction, practice, and sharp, ready tools. Naturally this list could be a bit of a barrier to getting anything done. The 1950’s saw the rise of all sorts of power tools for hobbyists. Most were similar to professional grade tools but smaller and more cheaply made. When I worked for the professional tool division of Black & Decker, I learned that we designed and built for longevity, and we snickered at the quality of the “consumer grade tools.” Every tool company got away with consumer tools because the average hobbyist only used their drills (for example) for a few minutes a year. Little did we know that the consumer divisions all over the world would soon render professional tools obsolete. Black and Decker is now a division of Stanley. And for many companies, power tools became a race to the bottom. However, others, like Festool and Mafell, to name a few, continued to offer tools with real bearings, accurate guides, and durable quality. The real amateur attraction to premium power tools such as Festool is for the fun. Fighting your equipment, whether it’s a struggle to get a smooth surface, or a square line, without making a mess, is just no fun.
Speaking of air quality, Festool also recently released the SYS-AIR, a portable air filter system that comes in a Systainer. It connects easily to other Systainers, Festool racks, Festool carts and Festool vacuums, making it simple to transport, store and integrate. It can get rid of the particles that your dust collector just can't crap because your tools aren't 100% perfect. We've actually had an air cleaner in our shop for 15 years and it makes a difference.
P.S. The pictures in this blog are stock Festool images of the new sanders. I have a cold and wasn't in the store to take pictures of the tools in person. But if you come by, we will be happy to put one in your hands.
The Festool Cordless 5" ETSC2125 in the most boring, yet illustrative picture possible
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