Contains 98% of dust
Reviews (6)
Nice combo, but expensive at Amazon
This is an outstanding combination for dustless sanding. I got mine from Coastal tools for $559.95 ($170.00 less than Amazon)
Great idea, but reliability issues
I worked in a cabinet shop that did an ongoing production run of solid-surface bank teller counters, and for surfacing and polishing the tops, they used these Fein vacuum sanders. They were very effective, and kept that miserable Corian dust down to a very respectable minimum. However, it seemed as though they spent nearly as much time tinkering with the sanders trying to make them work decently as they did actually using them.
Fein Sander vs Bosch 3727DVS.
At the risk of being the odd man out. I just came from the WoodWorks2002 show at the Ft Washington PA Center. Top names were there demonstrating, as well as vendors with their wares. Fortunately the Fein sander vac combination, with all of the Fein sanders were there to use. The rep attached each of the sanders to the latest Turbo III vac. As an owner of a Bosch 3727DVS 6" sander, which is twice the money of their regular line, but less than half the cost of the Fein, I noticed that the Fein models, had vibration delivered to your hands. I had so so feelings about the Bosch sander, but after using the Fein, I must admit, I am now a lot fonder of my Bosch. The Fein did remove the material rapidly from the stock. I thought the Bosch removed material quickly also. Without a side by side comparison, it would be tough to tell any differences. The only problem with the Fein is the vibration would give me discomfort after using it for awhile. I know this sounds unbelievable after reading the other reviews that state they did not have a problem with vibration, even after hours of use. The vibration next to the Bosch model was substantial in comparison. It was that way with both of the Fein sanding models. He did not hook up the air driven model, stating it was the same as the electric, and did not have a compressor to feed it.
The odd thing is that I was talking to someone else at the store that had a Fein sanding system, and he mentioned the vibration to me. I did not prompt him for that information. A conversation broke out near a router station, and it drifted into sanders. He said, "I have the Fein sander, and the vibration is a problem." I immediately responded that I noticed the same thing.
I own a Fein RT-1800 router, see my review, "Simply put, this is the very best", and I also have the Fein Multimaster, with their pro cut, and extra individual blades, and loads of sandpaper boxes. I love the Fein quality.
The dust capturing feature is something that the Bosch has also. Holes in the bottom of the sanding pad and paper, allow the vacuum to suck up the dust. Fein advertises that it picks up 99 percent of the dust. A small amount of dust that is generated at the edges of the disc, escape the draw of the vacuum. The Bosch does the same thing.
The Fein Turbo vac is a very nice unit. It doesn't complain when the air flow is limited. It has an independent cooling air flow. I use a Sears 6 1/4 HP model that is designed for a ton of airflow. Hooking it up to the small flow of the sander, is like trying to breathe through a straw. What I did was to hook up the 2 1/2" airline to the outlet, which is smaller. I let it leak. The extra air that is released around the outside of the inlet nozzle, successfully draws that 1% of dust that escapes the edges of the pad. Wahlah, complete dust capture. Noisy in comparison, but complete.
The Fein turbo vac has the advantage of being super quiet, auto run when you start the sander (the sander plugs into an outlet on the vac, so it knows when it turns on) and is designed specifically for the flow levels of sanding.
I know I will receive a lot of flak stating that it vibrates, especially since the other reviewers are obviously professionals, and did not notice a problem with that. I did not use it for a long period of time, but the vibration was very noticeable. The Bosch 6" is substantially smoother.
The other thing worth mentioning is that the 8" Fein had a tendency to dance across the wood, when riding flat, whereas the smaller model gave you a more stable ride. It is capable of hovering without pulling you erratically. Either sander you could ever so lightly tilt to one edge, minutely off of plane, and get a stable ride, but then you are doing more digging. The perfectly flat ride, will not dig, and gives you the maximum work surface at one time. So the smaller model gives you more of the advantage of a flat sheet sander, than the 8" model does. The Bosch 6" gives you that kind of stability at all speeds. Maybe their is something inherent in the 6" disc that makes for a more stable ride.
I must admit the Fein cut a lot of material very quickly. The package is very quiet. I know from my other Fein equipment that it is built to last. For those reasons, I gave it 5 stars.
I'm overly sensitive to vibration, because I was using an inexpensive vibrating sander, that gave me throbbing fingers after 20 minutes of use. The Bosch was a dream in comparison, so when I did a hands on with the Fein, I was surprised. It was a lot better than the vibrating sander, but not as smooth as the Bosch.
If you do a decent amount of sanding, and have a hard time scuffing up the cash for the Fein unit, check out the Bosch 3727DVS. It's twice the money of the standard Bosch line, but is an impressive unit. Hope this helps.
Amazing!
I don't personally own this system, but I used to work in a boat shop that had it and I can safely say that it stands out head and shoulders above anything else I have used. I'm supprised that more people aren't aware of the benefits of having the vacuum attached to the sander. It keeps your abrasive clear, so that you aren't just sanding dust. Your pads don't load up and they stay sharper longer and so the work proceeds much faster! To me it was like having the aggressive stock removal of a belt sander with the finesse of a pad sander. The vacuum is fairly quiet and the switch is a nice feature. It comes on when you turn on the tool and off after you turn it off. While this is a more expensive set up, it is easily worth it for both the health benefits and the increased productivity. If you do much sanding, I suspect that it will easily pay for itself over time. I own a Porter Cable for now. It is a good machine for the money and I like it, but I have used one of these and I know what the good stuff is.
You get what you pay for
Yes this is expensive, but if you do quite a bit of sanding it is worth it. It is the best by far out there
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