Choosing a CT Vac

[fastbike]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

 

[pghmyn]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.

Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

 

[skids]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

One thing to consider, is you went with the ETS and then said oh shucks I should have got the RO125, you can swap papers. If you get a 150 you can't. Just something to consider. Not trying to talk you out of it, 150 is awesome.

 

[pghmyn]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

One thing to consider, is you went with the ETS and then said oh shucks I should have got the RO125, you can swap papers. If you get a 150 you can't. Just something to consider. Not trying to talk you out of it, 150 is awesome.

I did initially think about the RO125, but then I decided against it. I'm not saying it is true, but I have read many reviews saying the RO is good at many things but not the best at any. I have a couple projects coming up that require panel glue ups and I'm thinking the 6" would be fantastic at sanding that surface.

Any way, if I do not like the ETS 150/5 and I have unopened packs of abrasives, can I return them?

 

[panelchat]

good luck with the new sander!
just to add more opinion to the heap- the CT vacs (and other brand high end dust extractors too) are so far ahead of a shop vac that its hard to describe.
the CTs have real HEPA certification for lead and asbestos, variable suction for sanding, huge noise reduction, wide dispersal exhaust ports to minimize stirring up dust in the work area, highly flexible antistatic hose, no bypass, super light weight, on and on...
they are so useful that i now consider my mini a "core" tool rather than a handy accessory.
if/when you go with a great vac, i'm sure you will be satisfied.
i was happy running my CT with my old, falling apart 5" porter cable RO sander for a quite a while.

 

[ccarrolladams]

There is a serious misunderstanding: current Festool CT Dust Extractors sold in the USA/Canada all have HEPA filters and are HEPA certified. However, they are not approved for lead or asbestos work.

All sanders with dust extraction ability need a dust extractor with a suction control. All Festool dust extractors have suction control.

Festool terms the vac end of their hoses "50mm" Actually that end and the receptacle on the CTs conform to an international standard. Many other shop vacs also conform to this standard.

Long ago I compared the CT22 and the CT33 at my dealer's show room. They showed me how to change bags. Fortunately for me the bag in their CT33 was nearly full. I concluded I did not want to routinely handle such heavy bags, so I selected the CT22 because I could then and still can easily handle them when full. As my business grew I purchased more CT22s because I wanted to only use a single kind of bag.

By the time the CT26/CT36 came to the USA I had opened my very large custom cabinet shop. I managed to buy several more discontinued and slightly used CT22s. But I did buy a new CT36, which we keep very clean. That is the first Festool rolled into a customer's home when we are making installs. That CT36 always impresses customers because it is quiet.

 

[skids]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

One thing to consider, is you went with the ETS and then said oh shucks I should have got the RO125, you can swap papers. If you get a 150 you can't. Just something to consider. Not trying to talk you out of it, 150 is awesome.

I did initially think about the RO125, but then I decided against it. I'm not saying it is true, but I have read many reviews saying the RO is good at many things but not the best at any. I have a couple projects coming up that require panel glue ups and I'm thinking the 6" would be fantastic at sanding that surface.

Any way, if I do not like the ETS 150/5 and I have unopened packs of abrasives, can I return them?

Yes, I suppose this could be said about all the rotexes. At the end of the day, you buy Festool for two reasons (well I do anyway):

1) to produce the very best results you can as efficiently as possible
2) to have the best quality tool

Don't compromise when you spend this much dough. Start with the cheaper tool, use it, take it back within 30 days if you want. If you end up keeping it and don't find it useful at least you didn't spend $500, you spent less than 200.

 

[panelchat]

Hi CCarroll- My bad- I'm not in the abatement business, know nothing about it, and probably shouldn't quick phrases on this extremely detailed and serious topic...(!)

I'll add this link on Festool meeting EPA standards for anyone interested:
http://www.eparrphepavacuum.com/hepa-vacuums/epa-rrp-certified-hepa-vacuum/

 

[pghmyn]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

One thing to consider, is you went with the ETS and then said oh shucks I should have got the RO125, you can swap papers. If you get a 150 you can't. Just something to consider. Not trying to talk you out of it, 150 is awesome.

I did initially think about the RO125, but then I decided against it. I'm not saying it is true, but I have read many reviews saying the RO is good at many things but not the best at any. I have a couple projects coming up that require panel glue ups and I'm thinking the 6" would be fantastic at sanding that surface.

Any way, if I do not like the ETS 150/5 and I have unopened packs of abrasives, can I return them?

Yes, I suppose this could be said about all the rotexes. At the end of the day, you buy Festool for two reasons (well I do anyway):

1) to produce the very best results you can as efficiently as possible
2) to have the best quality tool

Don't compromise when you spend this much dough. Start with the cheaper tool, use it, take it back within 30 days if you want. If you end up keeping it and don't find it useful at least you didn't spend $500, you spent less than 200.

I know it might sound like a stupid reason, but another thing that really makes me want to go with the ETS 150 over the 125 is the extra handle that it has. Honestly, this just looks amazing for ergonomic control when sanding a large table top or panel. With the other RO sanders I have used in the past, I always find myself holding it with both hands to control it because I am sanding for so long.

 

[skids]

Hoping not to cause too much outrage, but if you're a hobbyist, the tool recommendations from the professionals may not be as applicable. Different needs and priorities.

For example, I love the ETS125. It does everything I need and is easy to control. Then again, as a hobbyist, I rarely need aggressive material removal. P80 Rubin2 is about as aggressive as I need to be. Anything in worse shape than that gets the belt sander. Also why the RO's have little appeal for me.

Bear in mind that I almost never do refinishing work.

Also, FWIW for the OP, if your current shop vac isn't HEPA, it's not capturing as much dust as you think. The HEPA nature of the Festool dust extractors shouldn't be underestimated.

I'm a hobbyist, but I like to do projects and sell them to people as well. I would like to do it more frequently than I do, but I have not had the best tools in the world to work with. Since I started my own space, I bought much better tools.

I would like to have a sander that is pretty good in both schemes. I have money for either the vacuum or the sander right now. Since I have a shop vac already, it will have to do the job in conjunction with a face mask for awhile. Conveniently I actually have two floor standing HEPA air filter units that given the size of my space they can circulate the air in the room 30-40 times an hour. If I was to do any sanding, they would be on with me.

I have decided I might as well go with the ETS 150/5. I figure it will help me longer, and be a bit more useful.Now the question, which abrasive grits should I get with the tool?

One thing to consider, is you went with the ETS and then said oh shucks I should have got the RO125, you can swap papers. If you get a 150 you can't. Just something to consider. Not trying to talk you out of it, 150 is awesome.

I did initially think about the RO125, but then I decided against it. I'm not saying it is true, but I have read many reviews saying the RO is good at many things but not the best at any. I have a couple projects coming up that require panel glue ups and I'm thinking the 6" would be fantastic at sanding that surface.

Any way, if I do not like the ETS 150/5 and I have unopened packs of abrasives, can I return them?

Yes, I suppose this could be said about all the rotexes. At the end of the day, you buy Festool for two reasons (well I do anyway):

1) to produce the very best results you can as efficiently as possible
2) to have the best quality tool

Don't compromise when you spend this much dough. Start with the cheaper tool, use it, take it back within 30 days if you want. If you end up keeping it and don't find it useful at least you didn't spend $500, you spent less than 200.

I know it might sound like a stupid reason, but another thing that really makes me want to go with the ETS 150 over the 125 is the extra handle that it has. Honestly, this just looks amazing for ergonomic control when sanding a large table top or panel. With the other RO sanders I have used in the past, I always find myself holding it with both hands to control it because I am sanding for so long.

Yeah this is a good reason to go for the 150, I agree.