Head to head · Finish vs. Strip
Tools
Festool ETS EC 125/3 Random Orbital Sander
The Festool. Once you've used one, every other sander apologizes for itself.
Tools
Festool ROTEX 150 Dual-Mode Sander
Two modes. One doesn't ask nicely. The other leaves nothing to follow up.
Side by side.
| Festool ETS EC | Festool ROTEX 150 | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Tools | Tools |
| Grit | — | — |
| Material | — | — |
| Price tier | Pro | Pro |
| Best for | fine furniture, auto-body, pro shops | aggressive stock removal, fine finishing, paint correction |
The verdict
Both say Festool. They aren't the same tool.
The ETS EC 125 is a fine-finish random orbital — small, balanced, brushless, the sander you reach for on furniture and clear-coat where the surface has to be perfect. The ROTEX 150 is a dual-mode beast: a rotary mode that strips paint and shapes hardwood as fast as anything in the Festool catalog, plus a random-orbital mode for the finish pass. ETS is a scalpel. ROTEX is a scalpel that also brings a hammer.
Pick Festool if
Finish work, fine furniture, auto clear-coat. You already have the heavy sander.
Pick Festool if
One sander to do everything from stripping to finishing.
Ready to decide?
Festool ETS EC 125/3 Random Orbital Sander
The Festool. Once you've used one, every other sander apologizes for itself.
Festool ROTEX 150 Dual-Mode Sander
Two modes. One doesn't ask nicely. The other leaves nothing to follow up.
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