So because of your video I got a Mirka and love it! Can’t believe I use to use a sand pole! It’s been 2 years and going strong. The only problem I have is you can’t dial it up to high for to long. It turns itself off ( red light)
Great work here. This man knows his stuff. I’ve watched all the videos on RU-vid about these two sanders and this review is by far the best one I’ve seen. Honest and smart commentary and showing the sander on job actually. being used. Love the way you do it. Thanks again for making all the videos you do.
I have used the festool with their vac for years. I bought the Mirka after watching your video. Now I only bring out the Festool to knock down heavy texture.
My ceilings have a pretty heavy texture and I'm thinking of sanding it down in my house but didn't want to make a huge mess. How clean is that process using a vac and sander like this?
I just bought a mirka leros and a vacuum this morning. After one day of use I absolutely love it. We don’t do a whole lot of drywall work but the custom home we’re painting right now has a ton of nail pops that we had to redo after the Drywallers tried to fix them. They spent almost a week going around and patching up nail pops without setting the screw in and the walls looked like they had goosebumps all over them. We spent two days sanding by hand and after the second day I said screw this I’m buying a Mirka.
Damn. You don't ramble bro - you teach like you were born to do it! I wish you were here in vancouver wa. I've done a bit of drywall work but not enough to get where I need to be. I do construction/remodeling and I'm tired of not being confident in my drywall skills. I'm dedicated enough to this career to cause me to go to one of the local drywall companies and work for a year or more until I am competent. Anyway nice work sir !
I have both and the last model planex. The newest planex has come a long way from previous models but in no way is better or easier to use than the mirka. The mirka is an amazing machine for finish sanding. It’s terrible for removing painted old texture. It tends to over heat. The planex is better for that kind of work but when it comes to finish work mirka is the clear winner😊
Great review! Personally I own the mirka and the mirka vacuum and it work perfectly I buy it 2 years ago and I'm totally satisfied. I use 150 grid for finish and 120 grid for sanding 45 or 20 min hot mud. The fact that the head moove 180° make huge difference in my opinion like you demonstrated in your video. The dust control is exceptional, even when you pass on coner bead with half the head on the wall. This electric sanders is a beast and I will never return to the festool in fact at the beginning like 7 years from now u was using the Porter-Cable 😅
The mirka is an amazing machine. Where festool is the clear winner is in vacuums my ct 36 sucks a lot harder than mirka. I run my mirka on my festool vac
Awesome! So basically both have their place and it’s just a matter of choice then. I just ordered the Festool unit. It’s my very first ever drywall sander. I’m excited and can’t wait to receive it.
Congratulations remember there's a slight learning curve so practice on walls that are still getting coated to avoid having to touch up the finish. A soft pad is highly recommended.
The festool vacuum is night and day difference compared to the one your using. Its what makes the product. The suction holds the vac on the ceilings you exert virtually no physical pressure on it while doing ceilings. I urge you to find a festool vac you could test out to see the difference
This is correct, it also keeps the interface pad level. Another thing, is you have to stick the old planex interface pad over the top of the new interface pad, this will give you a level 5 finish.
Thank you for the review. I've been debating which one to get and you clarified a few things really good .I know what you mean by seeing things too well it's like natural light on a wall that you thought was good and realize how incredibly imperfect drywall can be. 😂
Aloha Memo just a quick idea share. There are LED rope/strip cell lights sold per foot which can be easily mounted around Mirka’s head to get same if not even better light. As always “you get what you payed for” so maybe this time we should look for a best quality LED lights and even then they do not cost a fortune. With little bit of your ingenuity, which you definitely do have, they will be up in no time shining through the eternity of dust clouds. Thought to share, it might help. 🤙 👽
Thank you for the video. One of the best videos out there comparing the two. I’ll be pulling a trigger on the Mirka and just put an LED strip around the head which should make it comparable to the Festool. Thank you.
No problem brother proir to this video festool hadn't come out with the soft pad replacement. Now with it it ties with the Mirka. The biggest difference is the head movement for level 5 Mirka is preferred but everything else the festool is a bit faster and cleaner. The are more recent comparisons on the channel hope it helps.
The light is no joke. One of the jobs I used the 2 on was a float job where somebody else had started, and I knew it had issues but when I put the 2 to it to take out some of the problems before I floated it I was like damn this stuff is jacked up. I'm getting along well with the 2 and it reinforces how crappy the OG was. Also in my area a extension that also has room for 1 more to fit in the box is 238. USD but you have that island tax. If you want to get similar lighting on the Mirka there are some vids where people added led strips around the head to their old Planex. Doable for the Mirka.
I have the Dewalt sander with the hepa vac and I love it. Paid for itself easily, minimal hand sanding and clean up saves many hours. I still wear my respirator, but it makes for a cleaner and more comfortable day. I use the new 4ah batteries to cut down the weight
I love your clear comparison of the two. My stress was if I can attach Mirka sander to festool vac so seeing this video, it means i can use any vac. Verdict: i will buy festool sander and vac and as time goes on, add the Mirka leros sander to the collection. Thanks alot
Ya, the mirka bag sucks, the zipper is screwed on mine, that's why I built a case for it, but it's a bit heavy. My partner has the festool extractor, I wouldn't worry about buying one if your happy with your dewalt, this thing doesn't hold up a sander to the ceiling either. I'm sticking with mirka, it's the best. Thanks for the review, take care. Oh, you didn't mention how the random orbital works, one guy says it leaves swirls..........
It leaves swirls like crazy on the lowest setting with 180 granet, or with Mirka 180 abranet, the leros doesn't leave any marks even with 120 abranet, but the festool granet has better suction than abranet
The light isn’t really a big deal for me, because when I put on my top layer of mud, I bring a light around with me at that stage, so there’s no surprises later on when i sand. Mirka looks like it’s still #1.
Thanks for the video, I wish I could justify getting a Mirka! What do you recommend for a DIYer who needs to put all new drywall in multiple rooms? I have a vacuum hand sander and I love how there's no dust, but it takes a good amount of time and effort for even small jobs. Thinking of getting a WEN pole sander.
Thanks brother have an updated review after using it for a couple years on my recent vids. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-drpCLihytY0.html Thanks for watching.
My first festool drywall vacum broke down THREE times in year 3-4. You said you were running strong for 6 years with that dewalt?? Im looking into that Dewalt tomorrow
What's happening Brother I got my Planex 2 on 5/18/21. At the place I bought it they had a demo and I tried it out. It works great but you have to have the Festool CT-36 HEPA vacuum because it makes the Planex feel very light and it's Sands great. You will understand once you buy that vacuum. Peace brother
@@csdrywallhawaii Some Festool Dealerships do have a demo program. That may be a way for you to see if that Festool CT 36AC or CT 48AC will work for your business uses.
To diminish some stress on your shoulders, since you use also the Hilti (red version of the Mirka) sander, talk to your Hilti rep. I know that they make an exoskeletal whatchamacalit that helps working over head. I would be interested in seeing you test it. Thanks for the videos.
Yup switching the level really makes a difference especially for walls. You don't want the suction to be full blast cuz then... Thanks for watching brother 🤙🏽
That hose looks like a smaller diameter than the festool planex hose. That's probably why it doesn't have the same suction. The ct36ac only has 137cfm. So there must be some kind of restriction.
I have old festool planex wich broke down today and we need a new one and on a table we have planex 2 and mirca leros. Since im not that young anymore im considering to have the mirca because of 180 so you dont have to do so much acrobatics as you would do with the festool. Old planex is 8kg also wich is damn heavy. Great review.
Thanks brother I would reach out to hilti and see if they could set up a sample to the new sander it's identical to the Mirka but backed by a better warranty.
@@csdrywallhawaii Been using Leros now for couple days, id say this is a solid tool. Its not heavy at all, and i love the 180 degree angle. You do have to be very careful when starting or you will burn in some marks and got to do some repairs, but in general i love it. Dust collection is very solid and the surface with 150 net, is very nice indeed.
Renovation contractor, so do drywall as needed - new to electric sander and debating on which one to purchase. In your opinion, which would you purchase if needed a one for all application?
I think the festool would fit better under that category just remember to use paded sand paper for the finner finishes or hopefully they release a soft pad. I won't recommend the Mirka for Heavy-Duty sanding ( popcorn removal).
I kind of thought that if your ceiling taping was done right, you wouldn’t have to sand? Also, don’t you worry if you sand to much, you be down to the tape paper? I assume you have to be very careful.
I wonder if anything changed since then. Because I think they didn't have interference pads at first. Not sure if you had an opportunity to play it with it or not. Thank you
Question for you, I run an engraving machine that creates a lot of fine dust and would like to have your opinion on what dust collection system is best for handling drywall dust?
Aloha, C&S hope all is well. I finally picked up my sander I ended up with the Hilti. It was tough choice since Im a big Festool sander fan. The 180 sanding action is what pushed me over to the mirka/hilti. The one thing I am underwhelmed with is the dust collection so far. Im going to pick up some mesh discs and see if that helps but the one thing I notice is the dust port on the sander seems pretty small and is a bit of a choking point. Its not a huge issue in new builds but when working in finished spaces the dust collection becomes a lot more important. Couple questions 1. the hilti comes with a pad saver, Im assuming thats only needed when using the mesh discs? 2. Has anyone found the best disc/pad combo for maximum dust collection? 3. Does anyone make paper discs that match the hole pattern of the mirka/hilti? Im not sure if I would be better off with mesh disc and pad saver or paper disc with no pad saver. 4. Do you prefer the finish results with or without the pad saver?
The new bosch is more comparable to the festool easy sander the new feestool and Hilti/Mirka are both random orbital spinning heads (helps reduce swirling). That and the Bosch not having a light would be the biggest difference. Suction looks good from the videos I have seen overall I would compare it to my dewalt sander.
Yes the adapters are included might need a different adapter at the base of vaccum depending on what vaccum you using but the adapter fr9m hose to sander is included.
I just finished two lvl 5 finish jobs and my quality went downhill when I used the new Festool. It leaves marks that I also noticed in the video, even at the super low settings it leaves it. the vid you made is 100% I agree now can you make a video of who has a better finish, because they still not as good as a 360 pole sander when it comes to finish. The sanding area on the tool is not completely flat if u look at it sideways, it's also way too hard and got no padding.
Ya, mirka with 240 grit o level 5, sooooooo smooth finish, your almost happy to see a imperfections, because you think your going snow blind not seeing any marks......😂
In my opinion festool planex is the best sender for closets And ceiling l use stilts when I do ceilings I love festool the perfect professional sender plus have light 👏👏
I have easy planex and the 2 as well, and I tried mirka too, may be cuz I am used to, but i like festool 2 better, the only thing I don't like about mirka and festool is the rpm, porter cable is way better and do fast that I use for top and skim coat and the festool 2 with ultra soft pad for nice smooth finish
do u think festool will make a soft interface pad for it? and do they offer a finer grid then 200.. I just bought it, and notice scratches on plus 3 mud.. cheers 🍻
Going off of previous C&S videos I'm gonna say neither of these are really fit for popcorn removal. The rotating sanders handle that better then the random orbitals. Though if you're (like me) not in the market for multiple 1000 dollar tools I reckon either of these with a courser grit will manage. If you are then Festool also does a rotating Planex for about half the price of this one.
@@bobseguin2195 I plan on getting the Mirka and keeping my Porter cable sander for rougher texture. I would never use either for removing popcorn, wetting it down and scraping it is so much faster.
@@michaelcarson4887 I've used it for finish sanding as well, works, but not a smooth to operate as the mirka, but would get it again before the festool........
I think its time to upgrade that Dewalt dust extractor anyways. That Dewalt is pretty much hated by all and it looks like you got your monies worth out of it.. Might as well get the CT36AC now and see if that helps the Festool overhead. Thing with Festool is they do a pretty good job engineering their stuff to work together so That CT36AC could change the game for the Festool and if not they have a good 30 day trial. I thought I had my mind made up to get the Festool Planex 2 but now Im second guessing that. Thanks and thumbs up as always.
The Festool 2 paired with the AC 36 is great. I was going to buy the Mirka but figured with Festool 30 day return policy I'd give the 2 a shot. I like the 2 a lot but nothing is ever perfect so we all make compromises on these things.
@@csdrywallhawaii I did send Festool an Email a few days ago asking them to check out your channel and letting them know you had one of if not the best drywall channels and suggested they offer you some support (ct 36 ac) doubt it will work but you never know. good luck.
I know it may seem this is a safety nag, but - hearing protection, come on. With both the vac and the sander for extended periods, so bad. The damage to your ears is slow and accumulative and before you know it you have not only hearing loss but constant ringing in your eats that there is no cure for.
