Hi Shane, I had a few questions from the perspective of someone looking to try the planex under the 30 day guarantee

1)  What comes with the tool package?   In particular, b/c I heard it improves usability greatly, does an interface pad come with it?  How about any sample abrasives?
2)  B/c I'm mostly looking to just try it at the moment I'd probably just use it with my CT33 + dust deputy.   Could you edit in the part # and price (USD/CAD) of the planex hose into the original post since that seems like a required item (at least in my case).
3) What abrasives would you recommend as a good starting point?
4) How do consumables work under the 30 day guarantee?  I would assume you can't return an opened & incomplete box of sandpaper but if the tool comes with a sample pack I would figure using those shouldn't be an issue?

Thanks

Sample abrasive with the Planex: the ones I have in stock came with a sheet of 150 grit Brilliant.

Chip

Hi there,

Longtime lurker here and fairly new festool owner. First of all thanks for all the great info guys!

Guess I'm getting a bit of extractor overload, I have a few questions for anybody wiling:

1. Does the CT AC simply blast air back through the filter to clear it?
2. What does the blast gate do then, or why would you want it other than containing dust when removing the hose?
3. If the filter is kept relatively clean why does it not still use a hepa filter? I realize it is not intended for RPP etc. but why go down in filter quality?
4. If a plastic bag can be used how does it keep from being sucked up into the filter?

Thanks for any help, I am asking with concrete dust collection in mind. I will be doing a bunch of floor grinding and had originally planned on using my Midi and buying a Dust Deputy to collect the bulk of it but then the CT AC came out and I was curious if it was better instead (and also good for using on the job site with tools that create lots of bulk dust such as a table saw and router without the bulk of the Dust Deputy)

 I've seen that Makita has a new vac aimed at concrete which appears to be a rebranded Nilfisk, Hilti has one, and Pulsebac is another brand that specializes in them (BTW they have a cool video with a plexi sided vac and you see the "pulsing" of the filters, pretty cool!) anyways do they all use the same technology of blowing air back through the filters? in which case should I get the CT AC for the jobs mentioned?

Thanks again and sorry for the length-my minds reeling I have to pull the trigger on something!   


 

Ok back when I was doing drywall,   Columbia auto tools rock  - I had the PC.  I kept it even after i sold off the rest of the professional tools.  I have alot of experience with the PC - even to the point of putting 36  grit floor pads on it to deal with painted textured ceilings that owners wanted lvl 5 flat.  So i feel the need to address several "advantages" of the planax that aren't. 
- A robust, sealed 2-speed gear box instead of their cable drive which is more likely to fail over time. The PC's cable can and occasionally does go out but it is a $27.00 replacement part that can be repaired in the field in under 15 min.   I am willing to bet the price of a Planex that its gear box will not out last the life of 2 PC's  let alone the advantage of 2 PC's if your crew has never went auto before

- Switches and dials that are large and all within reach while operating the machine, right at your fingertips.  The PC switch and speed control are also right at your finger tips

- MUCH, MUCH less expensive abrasives lowering total cost of ownership While it is true that PC paper is expensive-- i dont know of anyone who actually uses the paper- I am sure there are some weekend warriors who might  but---
This is from All Wall equipment-- Level 360 Sanding Discs 360 & PC7800 (25 Pack)Price 1 – 3   $21.99  This brings the Actual price In line with Planex or just below it. 

- A removable brush around the pad that can let you get right against adjacent surfaces.  This is not a feature this is BAD as it will get lost and then the vac efficiency will go down until you buy a replacement

- A rubber handle, theirs is plastic and gets quite slippery when you have dust on your hands  This one is sort of funny as after a couple months of production use it will look like the rubber portion of my RO 150 or it will be gouged, hardened or completely coated with drywall mud and wont make much of a difference anyway

The above comments are directed to those who looking at the Planex as a Production tool -- not as a Festoy to take out of the systainer once a year to freshen a wall before it gets repainted or as part of a contractors  "dog and pony show"

"The Dog and Pony show" element is a Huge Positive Feature for the small high end contractor who is aware that his customer is buying an "experience" as much as a finished product.  having a demonstrable edge like a dustless drywall sander that you can bring to the presentation in its special box  may Get you the Job at your bid price this alone should make the tool pay for it self in a year.

Now I really like the ability to shorten/lengthen it.  That is a Huge feature and worth a couple $100 over the life of the unit.

Over all,  I may have talked my self into taking a long hard look at it. 

I know some online auto body shop venders are letting you buy large ticket items and have the payments taken out of your card over several months-----hmmmmm if it works for SATA.

That is something worth pointing out more directly!! as it is a feature that differentiates it self from the PC in a way that is important..

...The PC  sucks from the RIM  and can leave sanding groves about 1" from the corner unless you are very careful and you cannot use it for inside corner sanding.
Cables do fail  but many forget how long they have been running the tool (kinda like how a driver breaks on a roofing gun or framer)  and lets face it it is almost a 20 yr old tool that Stanley is unlikely to update unless they get competition from some sector   

Few questions:

• What is the CFM on the CE 36 autoclean; doesn't appear to be listed anywhere? i.e. will it have the same (or better?) dust extraction  power as the standard CE 36?
• If we also drop a HEPA filter in the CE autoclean and turn the autoclean off for woodwork, should we expect the unit to perform just as well on woodworking tools such as the 2200 router or is this unit designed in such a way as the performance would be degraded in any way?
• If we chose to drop a HEPA filter into the CE autoclean, would we use the same HEPA filter part number that is used in the standard CE36?  Are they the filters the same size?
• If we drop a HEPA filter into the CE 36 autoclean unit and turn off autoclean, would we still get clean air?  I understand that it isn't certified, but would it be possible to apply for and get HEPA certification down the line or will this unit just absolutely never get cert and never be RRP ready?  Is it really a bad idea, is the standard 36E that was HEPA certified going to give you air that much cleaner?
• Can I use my multi-use bag from my standard CE36 on the CE36 autoclean for woodwork and expect the same results in performance and cleanliness inside the tub?
• With the multi-use bag on the CE36 autoclean, will the bag continue to 'self clean' itself even with autoclean turned off?  Any change in functionality one might expect there?
• Would the boom part number for the CE 36 fit on the CE 36 autoclean?  If not, is there a separate boom part number?
• Would the handle part number for the CE 36 fit on the CE 36 autoclean? (I think I saw a different handle offered for this unit, still I want to see if the original handle would also fit?

Thanks in advance, about to purchase.

Shane -

Thank you for the prompt reply and your thorough coverage of my questions (if your superior is watching: give Shane a raise!, this fella goes ABOVE AND BEYOND to help Festool customers).

Festool really did a good job in thinking ahead and making sure this unit was backwards compatible.

I'm putting my order in today from my local dealer for the auto-clean unit and look forward to having a product that can help me with woodworking in addition to helping me sand drywall on our house remodels.

Good lookin' out!

Christopher
San Diego

You can use the Saphir 24 or 36 grit abrasives. Select the option for extraction on the outside of the pad for large debris.

Welcome to the forum.

Christopher,

The CT AC comes with an 11.5' hose that's 36mm in diameter. All other CTs come with a 27mm hose. If you plan to use it with sanders or the Domino you've mentioned buying, for instance, you'll need a 27mm hose. These are already shipping and have been shipping to dealers for weeks now.

Shane

The hose is somewhat specific to the Planex in that it has a flange on the connector and it's lightweight compared to the standard 36mm hose. This allows you to positively lock it onto the Planex. The only tool that accepts a 36mm hose that it won't work with that I can think of is the HL 850 planer. It will work fine with the Kapex, TS saws, and other tools.

It is antistatic.

And, I'm just doing my job, trying to help you guys out. I like that I can try to give each of you the same level of service that I wish I received from the companies I do business with. That's my goal.

TJ, welcome to the forum.

There's an additional dial on units in Europe that's not applicable to the US version. There will just be a blank over the spot where that dial would appear on European models. So all US models have three dials.

All CT models should blow roughly the same volume of air, which should be relative to the CFM of 137. I would characterize the exhaust as not being very strong at all. I'm sure members with other CT models can offer their opinions of the exhaust.

Edit: and no current plans for any other sizes of AutoClean models.

I haven't had any real problems with dust getting blown around.  This was cleaning up after sanding drywall at a friends house.  I was also using a Midi- but from the specs, it sucks roughly the same amount of air as it's larger counterparts ~137cfms.  There is some dispersal, but only when I rolled it directly through the pile of dust.  Only other way of curing this problem is to have the exhaust pointed up, which wouldn't make sence to me. 

I have some...


Tom

Thanks Shane.

Yah apologies for the random (is it in yet!?) questions; I'm sure you have better things to do.

I'm sitting on a set of new Festools with no dust extractor to put them on because I decided to go with the AC as opposed to the non AC.

My Festools 'tell me' they are NOT going to let me connect them to an old shop vac---snobs

If you are in the same office, and stop by the shipping manager---please do drop him my name (San Diego) and have him ship ahead of all others.

Checks in the mail?!

On a serious note, I'm glad the stories are jiving now, I like my dealer, just inpatient and wanted to make sure it wasn't that they weren't on point getting orders in.

Christopher

Awesome. Glad you were able to find one in stock and Tom was able to help you out.