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This sander worked so well that I do not feel I "sacrificed" anything. my 5" RAS will now sit on the shelf. Once I was done with that job I wanted to test it on so furniture and it worked perfect. I needed a sander for resurfacing my deck and while a belt sander would have been ideal it was not a tool that would get much use outside of that task. The "Turbo" mode removed material so fast it was amazing. You cannot go worng with this sander for any and all your sanding needs. no vibration what so ever.
I think this is really highly dependent on the kind of material you're working with. Intense vibration. Part of that seems to be design and part that it is just not the right tool for the application.Strengths:1. That could be user error though.Weaknesses:1.
The "fast removal" mode lives up to its name. Surfaces that are not perfectly flat cause imbalanced friction on the disk and that can cause some of the jumping around. This is in contrast with a smaller, lighter sander that will glide.3. In combination with the two handed use and the constant threat of the sander jumping, it seems to be a net negative as a tool. it's very rapid.3. Regular sanding mode doesn't feel like, in spite of the power of the sander, to remove material any quicker than a smaller, less powerful unit. I bought this sander on the strengths of the reviews as a replacement, and overall it has not performed as well as the Dewalt. 4.
You need to have some good vibration absorbing gloves on when using this sander, and long term this kind of vibration is no good for your hands. It's terrible.2. The same strong motor that doesn't flinch at anything can cause the sander to dance over the surface if the sandpaper grabs instead of gliding. Small workpieces need to be clamped in place or else the sander can spin them on the bench. My previous sander was a Dewalt and I decided to replace it as I was getting a large number of swirl marks from it with the very hard woods that I like to work with (Wenge, Bloodwood, Purpleheart and so on).
The motor does not break a sweat on anything.2. I have to disagree with the glowing reviews of the sander. Seems to work adequately as a polisher, though attempts to use it like this have always resulted in swirls in the finish. Everyone promises this but few deliver.
"Swirl Free Finish" once again does not live up to its promise. You need two hands on this, and a firm but light touch at all times. This is a very powerful sander. I worked on the assembly line doing spot welding and I know long term what vibration does to your hands.
So overall for myself, I think a lighter less powerful unit would have been the better choice. The "fast removal" mode can throw the sander out of balance so that it wobbles and jumps all over the place.
I also have a Fein 8 inch Random Orbit sander and the Bosch is a much more comfortable tool to use. Great ergonomics, low vibration, super non orbit mode, etc. I have used many tools in my 30 years of carpentry and the Bosch 1250 sander is one of the best hand tools I have ever used. etc. I use the Bosch over the Fein 9 times out of ten. If your in the market for a dustless random orbit sander, I would highly recommend this one.
The stock pad is very high quality and the motor is sealed from dust. I expect to get many years of sanding from this machine. It is at least 1/3 faster than the 6" Rigid and Porter Cable machines that I was using. Fortunately, it has a very predictable motion and you can lean a little bit at different points as you sand to steer. The motor is very smooth and reasonably quiet, you can lean into it without bogging the motor down. Having read an assortment of reviews about an assortment of DA sanders, I went with the Bosch 120DEVS.
This machine is unbelievable - it allows me to remove 2 thick layers of badly orange peeled paint with speed and precision on the stock removal setting. Until you get the hang of where to lean on it to "steer", it can be a handful. I have not used the fine setting extensively yet, but some test pieces lead me to believe that it will do fine work as well as it removes stock. I opted to use hose gotten at the hardware store. The project is sanding the hull of an 80' steel sailboat. You can also slow the motor down if it's to aggressive.It is just about completely dustless on flat surfaces with the vacuum connected.
It almost makes sanding fun. Noting comments that the vacuum attachment doesn't fit (very unBosch).
I have used the fein and the festool sander. I have no complaints about this tool and when I did have a minor issue the Bosch representative on the phone solved my problem. I have two Bosch 1250DEVS sanders and plan on buying a third. I make solid surface counter tops. The festool sander has become a cheap plastic piece of junk. I am a happy customer. I am sure some of my friends that have spent twice as much will argue with my statement, but, just drop your festool plastic toy on the ground and tell me how happy you are with your purchase lately.
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