Which ROS?

[jteneyck]

Which Bosch, Phil? If it's the ROS65VC I'm sure you will be happy.

John

[Mr Eddie]

Deros is the new model - no transformer and a slightly different shape. Lots of $$$

[Phil Thien]

jteneyck said:

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Which Bosch, Phil? If it's the ROS65VC I'm sure you will be happy.

John

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I wanted to get the ROS65VC but couldn't justify it, I went with the ROS20VC.

I checked w/ Bosch and the rep. told me I should get similar finish quality and almost as good DC, that I'd be giving up the vibration control and the much easier to empty canister.

I don't use the sander too much so I figured I'd appreciate the savings.

[iublue]

Jeremy s said:

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[blockquote]iublue said:

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Isn't the Ceros an amazing sander? I love mine. It is the mid orbit one (I think 3/16") and in the not so distant future with I plan to get the fine orbit one. It is so light, no vibration and almost no dust when hooked to a vac. If you are using Abranet, I do suggest you get one or two of those sacrificial pads so that you save your hook and loop on the sander.

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The Ceros sanders have been discontinued.

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[/blockquote]

Well that sucks. I guess if I am going to get one I will have to make the leap.

[jteneyck]

That one looks like a completely different animal. Let us know how well you like it.

John

[Phil Thien]

jteneyck said:

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That one looks like a completely different animal. Let us know how well you like it.

John

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Yeah, much more big-box store compared to the ROS20 you have.

I've now given it a try, and I like it quite a bit.

The representative from Bosch, as well as the reviews at Amazon, were right: The finish is top-notch.

The vibration is about the same as my old PC. Not too concerned as my projects are smaller and fairly infrequent these days.

The DC is amazing, I feel no need for a hose.

In the final analysis, I realized all I care about is finish quality. Anything beyond good finish is just a bonus.

My finish quality on the PC was never very good. I tried different brands of paper, moving the sander more and more slowly, I bit the heads off live chickens and drank their blood, nothing I did prevented swirly patterns.

So I'm very happy with it.

The sort of funny thing is, I think it actually sands faster than the PC. I'm not sure how it can both provide a better finish AND work more quickly at the same time.

[Herb G]

Phil Thien said:

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Ryobi is kinda my go-to tool brand but the Ryobi at HD (I think only HD carries Ryobi, not Lowes) is $40. And I've seen people rave about brands that don't leave swirls. Given that my PC left swirls, and seeing the Bosch was only $30 more than the Ryobi, and seeing as I had $25 in Menards cash, and seeing as John likes the Bosch a lot, well, I went and got the Bosch this evening.

Won't be able to try it until this weekend, though.

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You are correct. I got it at HD. I knew it was one of them stores.

[jteneyck]

Glad to hear it meets your needs, Phil. I, too, was astounded how fast my Bosch sands compared to my old 1/4 sheet sander yet the finish is far better. Wait till you sand a face frame; you will be amazed. You can't hand sand as well.

John

[Phil Thien]

Well just a quick update that I ended up returning the Bosch for three reasons:

(1) The dust container is rather difficult to close.  I was using it, and the container opened at the end and was spewing dust.  I figured I hadn't closed it adequately, snapped it shut (it takes a pretty strong grip, I think my wife would struggle with it) and went on my way.  Well the next day, the same thing happened and I hadn't opened it since. The screw-on type opening on the unit John has would certainly work better.

(2) I investigated the hose fitting and discovered my standard 1" hose didn't fit well, and the hose adapter is kinda loose and rather than being aimed "up" like my old PC, it comes sorta straight out.

(3) Swirls still visible in some cases.  For example, in sanding the walnut top of the table, no swirls.  In sanding the fir base, swirls are visible.  I was perhaps too quick to judge.

I've ordered a belt and pad for the old PC sander.  I guess I will just live with it.

[jteneyck]

Phil, just cry once and get the ROS65VC.  It's a great deal all and all.  The dust collection and canister both are top notch and it's swirl free.  Plus it's nearly vibration free. 

As Ken Vick keeps telling me "Life's too short to suffer poor quality tools.". 

John