cord wrap + Boom Arm = %$#@%!

[stairman]

I LOVE my CT dust Collector 8)

I love my boom arm too!  I use it everyday 8)

but the cord wrap lugs interfere with the boom arm's lowest pole...
and this is a bit irritating.
each time, the word must be totally unwrapped,  then the boom arm post inserted,  then the boom arm "Jib"  dropped on.
then after use,  all boom parts come off, and the whole cord re-wrapped.
it's an inconvenience, and this is the type of thing that Festool should be able to fix easily enough.
question is, am I th only one this is aggrevating?
I supplse if I didn't need to remove the boom arm, I would just wrap the cord around the pipe,  but there is barely room for the handle to make it through the rear door/hatch,  and the boom pipe will NOT make it through the door,  so, it must come off each time.
I hope I am explaining this well enough...
anyway,  I know Festool is listening to this.  -check it out for yourself, and you'll see what I mean.
I should mention that I use an older CT22.  perhaps the newer extractors have this issue resolved?  anyone else know?

 

[nowandthen]

I just bought the boom arm for my CT26. I think it is a Festool conspiracy. Irritate your customers with a hose that hangs up on everything known to man so we can sell you a $350 boom arm. ... So what do I do? Buy the darned thing!  [laughing] (I know there are other options to the hose-hang-up issue).

My biggest disappointment with the boom arm is that the power cord holder for the CT26 must be removed.   OP I feel your pain.

I also have a Midi, and it doesn't have the power cord holder. I bought the CT26 for the power cord holder, and the larger wheels (actually the larger wheels as I got sick and tired of the puny midi wheels getting hung up on cords, etc in my shop). But the cord holder was a nice bonus on the CT. I also suspected I would want to add a boom arm as the DE hose frustrates the heck out of me!

I wasn't going to pay more for a CT26 over a mini or midi as the suction is the same for all Festool DE's. (What you're paying for is dust storage capacity and a few other minor enhancements.) For me, dust storage capacity is a non-issue,  I use the Ultimate Dust Deputy, and love it! Again, suction is the same for all Festool DE's, if you have a Dust Deputy, don't spend extra for dust storage capacity. Maybe spend more for other features but not for dust storage capacity. I bought the CT26 for the larger wheels and the ability to add a boom arm (the mini and midi do not accept the boom arm). Festool marketing gets an "A+". Another customer spends more than necessary in order to rectify a significant Festool issue (cord hang-up).

To mitigate the power cord holder issue, I re-purposed the tool holder bracket (comes with the boom arm kit). I hang the power cord on it. I would have preferred to keep the original CT26 cord storage feature.

I'm disappointed that the CT26 cord storage has to be abandoned when adding the boom arm. I expected Festool would have accounted for that. After all , they are Festool!

By the way, so far I have not installed the "funky" support braces. Does anyone else think these are necessary? I didn't expect something so "kludgey" from Festool. I assume they help prevent the DE from tipping over when using the boom arm. My DE seems reasonably stable without them. If installed it looks like you have to tilt the DE on it's back wheels to move around.

I like Festool but they are clearly not the be-all to end-all. Some of their stuff leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[TomGadwa1]

Actually there is a way to bring back the cord holder on the CT unit. I have the WCR1000 as well and it turns out with a bit of ingenuity the cord wrap can indeed be resurrected!
[attachimg=#1]
See! It is mounted on the vertical post of the WCR1000. Now the cord wrap can be used again!

 

[Brice Burrell]

I LOVE my CT dust Collector 8)

I love my boom arm too!  I use it everyday 8)

but the cord wrap lugs interfere with the boom arm's lowest pole...
and this is a bit irritating......

I think you can find a solution with a few minutes of thought.  I can think of a couple, first is adding the hose garage and put the cord in there.  I find the hose garage to be a must have for the older 22/33 vacs if you travel with them.  If you don't want to spend any money then wrap the cord around the handle loosely enough to allow the pole to be inserted.  When you say the vac won't fit through the door I assume mean the door to your van.  Can you tip the vac back enough to allow the pole to make it through?  Maybe you have a car or very small van and the pole hits the roof??

 

[Brice Burrell]

......Festool marketing gets an "A+". Another customer spends more than necessary in order to rectify a significant Festool issue (cord hang-up).............

I hear you about Festool bending us over on accessories.  I bought the boom not long after it came out when the price was much lower than it is now.  It has been a good investment for me at that price or even if I had paid today's price.  As for say the hose hanging up is a "significant Festool issue" is a bit off the mark.  It comes with the territory when you attach a hose to a tool (of and brand).  Also, I don't think I'd call the hung up a significant issue.  I take my CT Mini to jobsites all the time so I have plenty of experience using Festool tools without the boom.

.....To mitigate the power cord holder issue, I re-purposed the tool holder bracket (comes with the boom arm kit). I hang the power cord on it. I would have preferred to keep the original CT26 cord storage feature.....

That seems like a reasonable solution.  Another very simple solution is to put the cord in the hose garage or wrap it around the top of the handle.  Sure it would be nice if you didn't have to come up with your own solution.

......By the way, so far I have not installed the "funky" support braces. Does anyone else think these are necessary? I didn't expect something so "kludgey" from Festool. I assume they help prevent the DE from tipping over when using the boom arm. My DE seems reasonably stable without them. If installed it looks like you have to tilt the DE on it's back wheels to move around.....

Forget the support braces, I think everyone else has.  I'd like to see Festool stop including them and lower the price a few bucks.  Maybe we should start a campaign to that end since we have Festool's attention here on the FOG.

......I like Festool but they are clearly not the be-all to end-all. Some of their stuff leaves a lot to be desired.

My comments here aren't meant to devalue your opinions or to try to defend Festool.  I think Festool has no problem shaking off little shots like your comment above.  If we could all find a way to focus our criticism to be more constructive it would likely yield far better results.  I like to find solutions that will work right now, even if that means I have to do it myself.  However, it's good for Festool to hear our frustrations.  We're basically one big focus group here so why don't we take better advantage of that with constructive criticism.           

     

 

[TomGadwa1]

It is always easy to be a critic. But better to come up with a solution that is practical. Why spend energy complaining when a simple modification to the cord wrap in conjunction with the WCR1000 can solve the issue. I can now use my cord wrap effectively and leave the engineers at FESTOOL to do what they need to do best. Which is design more cool new toys for us! 

 

[nowandthen]

I have the Dust Deputy so moving it out of the way to store the cord not productive. I'm a hobbyist and don' take my tools to job sites. I just need to coil the cord. I know I can fashion a solution and the solution shown is very much appreciated. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I expect Festool to have engineered the solution in the first place. I am after all paying a premium for Festool.

Saying being critical is not productive sounds like a fan boy response. I am not slamming Festool, just commenting on something that irritated the heck out of me. No offense but constructive criticism leads to better engineered products.

The cord hang up issue for me, is extremely frustrating! I curse it all the time. Their tools are very good but having to reach for the DE hose while cutting is dangerous to say the least. To say other manufacturers'  hoses do the same is like saying a DeWalt miter saw is the same as a Festool. I expect Festool to engineer solutions worth the additional cost.

Thanks for the suggestions and comments. I don't mean to demean anyone. I make these comments in hope that Festool will improve on what I (and maybe others) see as deficiencies.

 

[peter halle]

I have the Dust Deputy so moving it out of the way to store the cord not productive.

Not intending to be argumentative, but should a manufacturer of a tool should design there tools to make sure that the cooperate with future add-ons by other companies?

Hey, don't get me wrong, I hate the cord wrap on my CT-22 without anything else.  The thick gauge cord should have had enlarged holders.

Rock on!

Peter

 

[nowandthen]

I have the Dust Deputy so moving it out of the way to store the cord not productive.

Not intending to be argumentative, but should a manufacturer of a tool should design there tools to make sure that the cooperate with future add-ons by other companies?

Hey, don't get me wrong, I hate the cord wrap on my CT-22 without anything else.  The thick gauge cord should have had enlarged holders.

Rock on!

Peter

My point is because the standard cord wrap is no longer usable due to adding a Festool option, not an aftermarket product, the suggestion was made to use the storage area on top of the DE. I was only stating that the storage area is not very accessible for me. I could be storing Festool systainers on top of the DE, in which case one would have to move those to store the cord. So it's not just the Dust Deputy.

I'm not being argumentative either  , just pointing out that, to the person that suggested it (thanks for trying to be helpful) that for me, the storage area is not very convenient.

I like to have seen some sort of solution such that when adding the Festool boom arm the cord wrap could somehow still be used.

Perhaps Festool monitors these posts and notes users comments.

 

[peter halle]

Thank you for not taking my post badly and then clarifying you thoughts.

I can assure you that Festool does read the posts here.  You might be the impetus for change!

Peter

 

[harry_]

Maybe, repeat MAYBE Festool was operating under the (wrongful) presumption that once a boom arm is added the DC becomes a more or less stationary tool and never gave it a second thought?

 

[nowandthen]

Maybe. 

I was smart enough when I built my shop to locate an electrical receptacle every 4'. The Festool DE has a really nice heavy duty long cord. I don't need to unwrap it very far. So cord storage is nice. My Midi has no cord storage. Most of the cord is looped and tie wrapped and just lies on the floor.

But like I said, I now use the tool hook that came with the boom arm to hang the cord on the CT26. I probably won't ever use it to hang tools. That solution works well for me. It's actually easier to loop the cord on than the CT26 cord wrap.

So what the heck am I griping about?  [embarassed]  [big grin]