electric ro vs air da

[Kmaysob]

I've got a Milwaukee 5'' electric random orbital sander in my arsenal currently. Looking at the IR4151 for my current body work project( restore of a 76 ford) . I have an older 60 gallon Curtis compressor that i estimate to be about 9 cfm. Obviously a few cfm low for the ir. I am currently running 150 psi, but could easily up it to 175. I am not running a body shop, so the sander wouldn't be running constantly.

My main question being, is it worth it to buy the air powered machine, or should I just stick with the electric? I have a ton of sand paper for the electric as well.
The air powered will be slightly bigger in size and may potentially have more power.

Any opinions?

 

[doan]

The air sanders usually have a longer stroke so they sand a little faster. But they need lots of air, you need a big *** air compressor and be prepared to listen to it run all the time.

 

[CrashmanS]

I have a very small orbit finish air sander and a large orbit roughing sander. So you can get what you want. Just remember most air tools are only rated for 90psi. So 150-175 is no good for most. What is the cfm at 90psi? That is the biggest question.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[dnschmidt]

You're going to tax your compressor for sure but given a choice between air and electric, IF YOU HAVE THE CFM, air always wins with sanders due to the center of balance. I use AirVantage sanders which have a very low center of gravity. I have top of the line Bosch and Dewalt electric 6" sanders along with a Festool Rotex that work great but the top heavy nature of electrics, due to the placement of the motors, makes them harder to use than air. If you've got the air use air. One way around this predicament is to use the electrics to strip down the car (95% of the hard work) and a finish air sander 3/32" orbit to prepare for paint.

 

[Davefr]

Go electric.

I have a Sioux pneumatic DA that consumes 15+ CFM. That results in a 5HP compressor running continuously. (Higher power consumption, noise, wear and tear on the compressor.)

Electric is way more user friendly IMHO.

 

[dutchgray]

Go Electric and buy a Mirka.

 

[Kmaysob]

Thanks guys, I am going to give it a shot. I was talking to a buddy that has quite a bit more compressor than me yesterday. He said if it doesn't work out, He will buy it from me for what I paid for it. I can't lose at that point.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Normally the air has a larger orbit and will sand a lot faster, but they do work an air compressor very hard. For finish work use an electric for the most control of the sander. For stripping paint and roughing bondo use the air. They are designed for different kinds of work.