Festool Planex Easy Drywall Sander 571935

Planex Easy Long Reach Sander

4.5/5

Manufacturer: Festool
Model number: LHS 225
Price: 750.00
Power source: 110v
Motor size: Direct-drive EC TEC brushless motor
Weight: 4 k

Festool recognized that painters are trying to eliminate scratches on the wall during surface preparation.  Popular competitor models sand well but fail with the inflexibility of their sanding head. They also have a motor near the operator’s hand and drive the sanding head with a flexible head.

Festool, trying to see through the eyes of their customers, noticed a lot of flexible shaft failures.  They designed the new Planex Sanders with a direct drive, brushless motor at the tools sanding head.

There is no shank at the head of the Festool Planex Easy Long Reach Sander, which results in a much more flexible, easier to operate sanding head, and a longer service life. The brushless motor without flexible shaft is maintenance-free and ensures optimum power transmission. Easy handling makes sanding as quick and problem-free as possible, and the low weight enables you to work without getting tired for sustained periods.

This sander also has less features, such as, a 63″ long, fixed length wand.

Planex LHS 225 Features

• With the removable brush segment, the PLANEX easy can sands right up to the wall / ceiling edge.
• New ultra-soft sanding pad adapts perfectly to wall and ceiling surfaces for easy and error-free sanding.
• Interchangeable sanding pad dia. – 215 mm
• Abrasive dia. – 225 mm
• Idle engine speed – 400 – 920 min-1
• Direct-drive EC TEC brushless motor
• Flexible head design allows greater freedom-of-movement for easier sanding
• Uses same Granat abrasives as the classic Planex Drywall Sander
• 63″ fixed handle length, cannot be expanded or shortened
• Direct drive mechanism for a longer service life
• 8.8 pounds
• Carry bag

Compare It to an AUTO Function on a Camera

The secret to the new Planex Easy a “sweet spot – pre-dialed in setting” that Festool chose to set it at. I like to compare this approach to an AUTO feature of most digital cameras. The camera engineers select the beast features for the camera to collect photos when set on AUTO.

The Festool Planex Easy Long Reach Sander has been set on AUTO for users, Festool specially designed this tool for the lesser skilled user, and offers a much smaller learning curve to operate. Think about the earlier version Planex, and the learning curve associated with it, painting prep company owners may not want their employees operating a more complicated tool.

Variable Speed

The Planex Easy has a variable speed trigger and dial. It has an EC brushless motor for longer life and lesser chance of needing service.  The motor is located near the sanding head, eliminating the troublesome and often vulnerable flexible shaft running through the tools wand.

Highly Flexible Sanding Head

The best feature of this tool is its highly flexible sanding head which makes this saner easy to navigate on walls and ceilings. There are no flexible drive cables and no carbon brushes on the motor which need replaced.

The top section of the sanding head is removable, and allows for up-close sanding to abutting surfaces such as inside edges.

Swivel Cord

The Festool Planex Easy Long Reach Sander uses a newly designed “plug-it” cable connection, which twists and locks for a secure connection.

Cable connection at the tool has been reinforced with a swivel feature, to reduce cord-to-tool failure. Festool added this when they noticed that users tend to rest the tool on the floor, bending the cord.

Dust Hose Features

The anti-static, dust collection hose is reinforced and has a memory in it, allowing it to resist damage when stepped on, a common problem on the job site

When connected to a dust extractor this sander, the integrated dust extraction design that captures dust at the surface. It leaves very little visible dust in the area or air. This sander is going to allow you to perform a normally dusty, messy job  while reducing jobsite clean-up and allowing the user to work in a cleaner breathing environment.

The Planex Easy is fully compatible with existing Planex abrasives.

Curved Sanding Head

Unlike the previous version, the Planex has a slightly curved sanding head. The curve puts pressure not the outside perimeter of the sanding wheel, greatly reducing vibration. This curved head is only on this machine.

Dust collection occurs mainly on the outer perimeter of the sanding head.

Using the Festool Planex Easy Long Reach Sander

We used the Festool Planex Easy on new veneer plaster to etch, and eliminate scratches on the wall prior to wall finishing.

The tool is easy to set up and use. Just unpack, plug in to the Festool dust extractor, and start sanding. The Planex easy is designed from the ground up to be quick and easy to operate with no assembly.  The learning curve on this sander is nil, it’s super easy to operate, maneuver and it’s weight is easy to manage.

Note – If you plan on doing larger jobs or using the Planex  overhead, for long durations we recommend that you also get the Festool 496911 Planex Drywall Sander Carrying Harness. This harness takes the weight of the tool off your shoulders and neck and transfers it to your hips / core area.

Cost

Because this is a basic model, Festool is able to offer the Festool Planex Easy Long Reach Sander at  better access point to purchase into the Festool family.  It still comes as a kit which includes:

• (1) Planex Easy Sander
• (1) StickFix 215mm sanding pad
• (1) Storage bag
• (1) Manual

Cost will be $750.00, see below

Overall Impression

The Festool Planex long reach sander makes interior wall finishing easier and faster. It reduces jobsite clean-up while allowing the user to work in a cleaner working environment.

As a remodeling contractor I learned early on that learning how to control remodeling dust and keeping out of the non-remodeled portion of your clients home is often more important than the quality of your work. the Planex used with a dust extractor results in a cleaner environment. This is not only healthier for us, but also more professional in the eyes of our clients.

Festool Planex Easy Video Review

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