FLEX Giraffe GE5 Drywall Sander Features

[@ProbeGT2]

Bought one. This thing is not for novice. I sucks the dust like no other I must admit. The head has little flexibility. as soon as you change the head angle it will grind in your joint. When you do get to know it, it works really good and it is very quiet. Unfortunately It uses a stupid 6001 bearing on the head to sustain all the speed and pressure from the sanding pad. Mine's about 200 000 sq ft old and the bearing is loose. It makes the head wabble and you will get scoring scratches. Even tho it's a band name skf bearing it is too small and it was built to fail because there's a lot of space in the head to use 2 bearings instead of one and make the damn thing a lot more stable. I still like it more than the porter cable and I've been sanding with the porter cable for 8 years. Also watch out because the backing pad has a shape that promotes edge sanding instead of using all the surface so it is very easy to get scoring marks. I ditched that stupid foam, glued on a norton back up pad for the porter cable (you need to sand it a bit around the edges so when you glue it on it stays flat) and uses sia yellow 9" discs (150 grit) Then I got quite amazaing results until it started to score then I found the sloppy bearing.

[@rickyperkins232]

After all these years would you still recommend this unit? I am trying to make a purchase

[@ProbeGT2]

@@rickyperkins232 no, get the festool planex EZ or the mirka, they are better products.

[@metcalf7403]

Our foam pads from when this person purchased the unit is now improved.

[@CowsGoM3ow]

Saw you guys on Vince's channel! Hope you guys are doing well.

[@themudrunner6748]

Ditch that stupid Vacuum and get a proper dust extractor with filter auto-cleaning. I use one of these for 4 months now, i gotta say the switch is poorly designed. Who needs a locking pin on a tool that you always need to leave ON ??? It should use a rocker switch. 2nd, that bolt holding the platter and the foam, bad design. You must remove the foam everytime after you've finished using it or the foam will bend around the end and it will scuff the drywall. The sanding head seems flexible but it's too stiff to try and flex it you will damage your work. You must keep the natural angle of the sander as much as possible. But even tho, it's a better unit that porter cable, A LOT QUIETER, seems pretty reliable so far, I love it but it's not perfect. I would prefer the foam pading attaced with velcro or be glued on so it stays true whatever happens. I used to glue my foams on my porter cable and it worked a lot better.

[@accordv6er]

TheMudRunner dustControl vac my co. Has works very well

[@2WheeledPatinaThomasC]

I’m curious to know, can you use this machine for painting and decorating with interchangeable sanding pads? Light-corse pads for paint?

[@metcalf7403]

We have 2 different backing plates. One hard and one soft for finer finish. You can visit Ames store around the country who all stock our product.

[@bobseguin2195]

Mirka leros, so much nicer, lightest in the market, 180 degree pivoting head, but what really makes it stand out from all the rest..........random orbital.........

[@metcalf7403]

Hey thanks for the heads up. Our GE 7 unit is what Mirka used as a stepping stone when they designed there unit. Our GE 7 will be out in the US soon and half the price of the Mirka or festool!

[@rickyperkins232]

Would you still recommend it after all these years?

[@bobseguin2195]

@@rickyperkins232 yes I would.....

[@bobseguin2195]

@@metcalf7403 hey, send me one out, I'll give it a go, and give a honest review.

[@metcalf7403]

Just a comment about the Mirka unit. It is great to hear that Mirka used our unit to design there tool. That means that our tool must have something good. The Mirka unit is 180 degrees forward and back. Not side to side. That is important to understand. The Flex is the most flexible and works from many different angles. Hope this helps

[@laukiami]

Got one - GARBAGE...... even with lowest speed it leaves sanding marks.... not so comfortable. while working with it it looks like it want to go deep not to slide a long the wall what sometimes makes the head to change angle a bit and leaves deep cut in the wall...... Sometimes it spit out dusts... so it is not 99.9 proc ..... MADE FOR PROFESSIONALS BY PROFESSIONALS...... very brave words I would say... very brave........ and for the finish - compare other brands - how much space they take... FLEX bag is so huge....