2 Tools that I love and 1 that I Absolutely F*%@ing Hate
Nothing is worse than a terrible tool you must use
A while ago, I told you about a tool that I hate: my 5 in. random orbit sander. Well, I did a smart thing and bought the Festool ETS EC 150/5 EQ. It’s a 6 in. random orbit sander with a 5mm stroke and variable speed. I also once advised against ever purchasing the Rockler Flexiport expandable hose and dust ports, because, well, it’s absolute garbage. I’ve since gotten a Shaper Tools vacuum hose which is, I believe, a rebranded Festool hose. (Festool and Shaper are owned by the same parent company, which also owns SawStop.) I’ve used the sander and hose quite a bit in the last month, and am super happy with both.
However, there is another tool in my shop that I have owned for about two years and it’s one that I use throughout the day, everyday that I am in the shop: Oneida’s Mini-Gorilla portable dust collector. When it works the way it should, it’s fantastic. The problem is that far too often it doesn’t work the way it should, and when that happens (which is far too often), it’s an absolute piece of junk not worth owning. I regret buying it, because I am now stuck with it for the foreseeable future.
All the details are below, after the paywall break. However, before I get to them I am going to say this: I am sorry that I haven’t been posting over the last month or so. Work and life have simply gotten way too busy, and I am forced to choose between working in the shop making furniture for clients, making dinner for the boy (the girl is away at college again), cleaning the house, writing on SubStack, etc. But I think I’ve figured out a way to get back to writing two posts a week, one free and one for paid subscribers. And, honestly, I am only able to get done what I get done because my wonderful partner. She’s the goodest. Anyway, I hope you’ll stick around.
My complaints about the Rockler hose are here.
And my struggles with the 5 in. random orbit sander are explained here.
