I've got the Festool Rotex 125 and 90. The 125 is about 5" and the 90 is about 3.5". Both have a gear driven mode that does not depend on the drag of an o-ring or the object being sanded to control the spinning.

Festoon products are obnoxiously expensive but i've been impressed with the construction.

I'm sure the same is said about our boats.

The offset handle design allows for a more powerful motor. I think the "Binford 2000" syndrome most guys are afflicted with plays into the tool maker's bigger and better tool/profit plan. The more offset the handle/motor, the more the balance will be toward that disk edge. That style of ROS will be more aggressive because you'll be moving into what I call eraser sanding, using an edge which is always more aggressive. This offset handle with the balance point near the disk edge will not naturally or easily allow the full flat surface of the ROS disk to keep the stripper surface fair.

These offset ROSers are not quite as bad, as the bad old days, of the 9" grinders which spawned the use of the block plane on strippers in the first place!

I'm sure Nick has developed great skill in handling his sander.

My concern and reason for this response is that novice and less skilled builders will go for the Binford 2000 models and not realize it is harder to keep a fair surface with a tool where the balance and leverage will naturally focus the most aggressive cutting on part of the sanding disk.

I prefer a ROS with the handle/balance over the sanding disk. I believe this allows the sander to follow curved strip surfaces maintaining a fair surface. This places equal pressure over the whole disk surface. Finesse over force. I don't use a fairing board anymore.

Who can resist a Binford 2000!

Rob