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Unpopular take: I'll take a pneumatic DA over an electric one any day for blocking
Tried the Festool ETS EC 150 on a fender repair last week and went right back to my old Hutchins air sander because the electric one bogs down way too fast under heavy pressure.
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william_craig76d ago
The part about it bogging down "under heavy pressure" is exactly why I stick with air. Electric sanders just don't have the torque to keep spinning when you lean into a spot. Pneumatic tools give you that constant power no matter how much pressure you apply. Plus they're lighter and way easier to handle for long blocking sessions. I've tried a few electric models over the years and they all end up frustrating me with the same issue. Air is just more reliable for real body work.
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laura_wilson6d ago
Agree completely with you on the torque thing... electric models just can't keep up when you actually need to cut through something. I switched back to air after wasting money on two different electric sanders that would stall out on me mid-stroke. The hose is annoying sometimes but I'll take that over fighting a tool that can't handle real work any day.
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milalewis6d ago
Hold on, is it really that big of a deal? I mean, I've used electric sanders for years and never had a problem with them bogging down unless I'm trying to sand through a thick layer of filler. If you're leaning on it that hard, you're probably doing it wrong anyway. You're supposed to let the tool do the work, not push down like you're trying to dig a hole. And yeah, air tools are lighter, but you have to deal with the hose dragging everywhere and the compressor noise. I'll take a little extra weight over tripping over a hose all day.
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