The 36 auto clean comes with the hose and is a good unit for drywall dust...

I can't speak from experience, being an American dealer, so maybe one of our Euro or Aussie friends can chime in, but I know the connection of the Planex hose to the Planex with the little clippy-poo (yes, clippy-poo) is certainly a response, in one form of another, to an issue that plagues the Porter Cable Drywall Sander.  That tool is prone to having the hose fall off, mid sanding.  Imagine the mess and frustration. 

I'd definitely recommend the Planex hose along with a CT 36 AC.  If you don't want the AC, at least get a Festool vac and swap it out at your dealer of choice within 30 days if you feel the vac wont be up to snuff considering it'll be lacking the auto clean function.

Sanding overhead?  I'd highly recommend the harness.  Awesome accessory and allows for all day sanding.  Sure, it's neat that the sander can literally suck itself to the ceiling but the quality of sanding you'll get at that high of a suction and still supporting it in one way of another with your own strength will never compare to ease of use with the harness.

Be sure you're good to go on paper.

My planex came in today!  Sorry i modified my first post to not confuse anyone like i was.  The ac 36 vac is back ordered a week or so, but can't wait until that comes in.  I apologize,  the ac 36 vac definately does come with the hose.  I called another dealer who had the vac in stock and the dealer affirmed that the planex hose does come with it here in the usa.  I just got home, I'm going to try the planex for the first time hooked up to my ridgid vac and see how it does on my popcorn ceiling. I'll be posting a thorough review after I get my back ordered ac36. But I'll chime in with a few thoughts on the first test drive.

Thank you for the warning, my house was built in 1986, so I should be ok right.  That's a great point to consider.

Peter, didnt see it in the shop when i was there. I was too busy hanging with the guys. Will have to get the full tour next time we are down, Eric

My experience to date is limited to one wall and some popcorn(y) ceiling.

The Planex is a pretty phenomenal machine when dialed in.

I started this wall in our house and it took a couple of minutes to figure out what grit paper to use and how to set the speed of the head and suction. After a short time, it was easy.

The objective here was to remove the texture that is a sort of a "drag" effect.




I had previously only played with it a few square feet of wall and a little ceiling. I did the top and bottom of this wall in about 15 minutes. While watching me do it, my wife wanted in on the action and she did the middle part. It took her about a minute or two to get the hang of it. Incidentally, she's a 115 pound health care provider... For the middle part that she did, I took off the extension that comes with the unit.




I plan to remove this texture and the popcorn from my ceilings all throughout the house as part of an ongoing remodel. I know I could use other methods but this is easy and I like the result as opposed to skimming over or, in the case of the popcorn, using the wet and scrape method.

My experience with the abrasives is that the typical 120-180 or so Brilliant 2 might be good for new work. For taking down old chunky stuff like this, I'd look at 80 Brilliant or some Safir.

If you're doing the ceilings or a lot of high walls, the harness kit is a very good deal. You get the harness and the pole that parallels the Planex as a handle in a Maxi Systainer for $200. The Maxi alone costs more than half of that...

The CT 36 AC is a nice addition to the set as is the  special hose and blast gate, which makes it work better on the back blasts. I did this wall with my CT 26 and had no problems but if I spent all day doing this stuff repeatedly, I'd optimize the situation.

That's my current observation. I'll have more to add to it soon... I was building sandpaper shelving when I took a break and noticed this thread.


Tom