dinkjs said:
I understand the uses for 27mm and 36mm hoses, but what exactly are the uses for the 50mm hose? Will it even fit on the large tools like Kapex and the large drywall sander?
Just really out of curiosity
Hi Dinkis and Everyone,
The primary use of the 50mm hose is as extension for the smaller 27mm and 36mm hoses. Unlike the smaller hoses, the 50mm uses identical connectors on either end. Those fit into the dust extractors. That "Vac" connectors conforms to an International Standard.
So, to extend a shorter hose, use the Antistatic Connector Sleeve cat 493 047. One of those is included in the Boom Arm set. Of course that same AS Connector Sleeve can be used to extend one 50mm hose with another. Depending upon the use, many of us consider 2 x 50mm x 4m plus a single smaller hose to be the practical length limit. But it all is a function of your use.
The Festools are designed to be used with a 27mm or a 36mm hose. The ordinary sanders, the Domino, the MFK700 and OF1010 routers and the jigsaws only connect to the 27mm hose. It is possible to use the of1400 and OF2200 routers with a 27mm hose, but my experience is they work much better with the 36mm hose. I find the same is true for the TS55 & TS75, as well as the Kapex. The planers need the 36mm hose.
People have written about making adapters to connect the Kapex to a 50mm hose. My experience is that the Kapex is designed for the 36mm hose and that is large enough. My experience is that the 50mm hose is not flexible enough to allow the Kapex to function correctly for all uses.
If you were not cutting bevels and/or miters with the Kapex you might not be restricted in movement, but your dust collection will not be improved. Also, reserving a Kapex to only make right angle cuts is rather missing the point of a sliding compount miter saw, such as the Kapex.
Okay, so is there any Festool product other than hoses intended to use with the 50mm hose? Yes there is! The unfortunately often over-looked Industrial Cleaning Set cat 454 770 has enlarged extension tubes and includes a 50mm non-AS x 2.5m hose. Those cleaning sets are the backbone of clean-up in my shop. By the way, when used with clean-up tools, the anti-static hose has not been an advantage in my experience. Still the AS hose is not a disadvantage.
