Back a long time ago I worked in a custom shop that had these awesome Porter Cable air sanders in various configurations that were both fast and excellent. I have been putting up with a Makita palm router for years and been pretty dissatisfied but when it died last year I took the opportunity to replace it. I looked around and eventually did replace it with a Festool 125/3 which is a great finish sander but left something to be desired particularly with panels. As I am stuck working on a pantry and building a LOT of panels for it, I needed a solution.
Now don’t get me wrong, what I actually wanted was a 52” dual overhead belt sander but I also wanted to stay married so after a fair amount of deliberation, I settled on a Festool Rotex 150 and I am impressed. This is every bit as good as the air powered sanders and the dust collection is nothing short of amazing.
I still don’t like sanding but it isn’t a chore anymore.