Mkholdings
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small but power full. I really like it and highly recommend
Ct sys review
- Thread starter Mkholdings
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chiudesign
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I was disappointing in red by this as well. I just purchased my CT Sys and love the design but hate how loud it is without hat control
leakyroof
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To work with that lack of adjustable suction, just buy a AS[ Anti-Static] hose from Bosch or Fein that has one of their adjustable suction valves on the end of the hose where you hook a tool up. Your different vacuum end of the hose will fit into the Festool hose port with just one mod needed by removing the hose tang that Bosch or Fein uses on their hoses. Yes, the hose end won't be a 90 degree like from Festool, but once you have suction control for whatever Sander you're using with the CT-SYS Vac, you probably won't care... [wink]
Really tames the issue with those rotating valves on the Bosch or Fein Hoses. I believe they both sell non-AS hoses that also have the suction control valves, but I went with Bosch's Blue AS hose to keep static issues at bay. I think Fein uses Orange for their AS hoses.
I bought the VH1622A hose, 16 foot, 22mm diameter. Smaller than the standard 27mm hose to be sure, but with sanding only usage for me, it's worked great since I don't plan on using my CT-Sys like a regular clean-up vac . I leave that task for my larger Vacs that have much more bag space.
As for that 16 feet, the way the couplers/hose fittings are made, I can always cut the hose down to a smaller length if needed.
Really tames the issue with those rotating valves on the Bosch or Fein Hoses. I believe they both sell non-AS hoses that also have the suction control valves, but I went with Bosch's Blue AS hose to keep static issues at bay. I think Fein uses Orange for their AS hoses.
I bought the VH1622A hose, 16 foot, 22mm diameter. Smaller than the standard 27mm hose to be sure, but with sanding only usage for me, it's worked great since I don't plan on using my CT-Sys like a regular clean-up vac . I leave that task for my larger Vacs that have much more bag space.
As for that 16 feet, the way the couplers/hose fittings are made, I can always cut the hose down to a smaller length if needed.
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The lack of suction control is no big deal. Okay, some people like to tune down the suction when sanding but most do not bother. In all other cases you want the power at max - Domino, saws, routers and so on.
I never adjust the suck on my CT26 even when using the small sanders.
Peter
I never adjust the suck on my CT26 even when using the small sanders.
Peter
leakyroof
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. Try running 300-500 grit on a very smooth surface at too much suction level. Just being able to lower the suction level to what you actually need for the task at hand makes for an easier sanding job every time.Peter Parfitt said:
I don't mind the full suction of the CT-Sys when sanding rough grits , but sanding between coats or other similar sanding requires a light touch with no dragging of a sander needed.
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Yes, I agree at very high grits and when a gentle touch is needed it will make a difference. I tend to stop at 180 or maybe 240 these days.
Peter
Peter
I agree it's unnaccetable. Festool is meant to stand for Faster Easier Smarter Tool, is it not?
For the cost of such a tiny vac, not having suction control is not smart. As pointed out above, at higher grits appropriate suction is vital - too much and the sander doesn't perform properly, too little and the fine grit clogs too quickly.
No serious woodworker wants to spend that much money on such a small vac and not be able to use with higher grits as and when the need arises. Like saying you rarely drive at night, so would be happy to buy a car without headlights! [eek]
For the cost of such a tiny vac, not having suction control is not smart. As pointed out above, at higher grits appropriate suction is vital - too much and the sander doesn't perform properly, too little and the fine grit clogs too quickly.
No serious woodworker wants to spend that much money on such a small vac and not be able to use with higher grits as and when the need arises. Like saying you rarely drive at night, so would be happy to buy a car without headlights! [eek]
It's a major omission for sure.
I imagine it was economically unfavorable given the price point and profit margin they were targeting and also the fact that they didn't want to cannabalize sales of the Mini. The result is putting out a product that is more crippled than it could have been.
I like mine but man would it be perfect if it had variable speed! And that's the point - never put out the perfect product...
I imagine it was economically unfavorable given the price point and profit margin they were targeting and also the fact that they didn't want to cannabalize sales of the Mini. The result is putting out a product that is more crippled than it could have been.
I like mine but man would it be perfect if it had variable speed! And that's the point - never put out the perfect product...
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I don't think that anyone should get carried away with this - I use my CT26 flat out all the time. I go up to 240 grit.
I suspect that very few raw pieces of wood get touched by anything over 240 grit. I accept that some finishes may need de-nibbing and some non wooden materials may demand finer grits.
But this is a highly portable extractor designed for the final clean-up and rush in - rush out jobs not for sanding at grits which may well produce very fine dust. So, maybe it is like a small car that can get you from A to B very nicely but just cannot manage the off road stuff.
Peter
I suspect that very few raw pieces of wood get touched by anything over 240 grit. I accept that some finishes may need de-nibbing and some non wooden materials may demand finer grits.
But this is a highly portable extractor designed for the final clean-up and rush in - rush out jobs not for sanding at grits which may well produce very fine dust. So, maybe it is like a small car that can get you from A to B very nicely but just cannot manage the off road stuff.
Peter
Peter Parfitt said:
And if it cost £99 I'd agree with you. But given the price point there's no reason why suction control couldn't have been added, and everyone would be happy. It's not a justifiable decision, it's penny pinching. To use your analogy here, we're paying BMW X3 prices and getting a 1 Series.
Yes, the Mini is $130 more than the CT-SYS. But let's say the variable speed motor hypothetically added $50 to the price of the CT-SYS.
At an ~$80 difference between the now variable speed (and quieter) CT-SYS and Mini....which product do you think would be more likely to be hurt in that equation? Would people considering the Mini buy the Sys instead? Or would the Sys not sell well at the higher point because people would just step up to the Mini? The goal here is to get people to buy the Sys in addition to regular Festool DE, not in place of.
When you offer as many options as Festool does with the hopes you can sell customers on multiple products within a line, you have to keep products reasonably well-differentiated - it can be argued the CT line is already crowded as it is since the only difference between some models is the bag capacity.
At an ~$80 difference between the now variable speed (and quieter) CT-SYS and Mini....which product do you think would be more likely to be hurt in that equation? Would people considering the Mini buy the Sys instead? Or would the Sys not sell well at the higher point because people would just step up to the Mini? The goal here is to get people to buy the Sys in addition to regular Festool DE, not in place of.
When you offer as many options as Festool does with the hopes you can sell customers on multiple products within a line, you have to keep products reasonably well-differentiated - it can be argued the CT line is already crowded as it is since the only difference between some models is the bag capacity.
Brice Burrell
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SRSemenza said:
You are 100% correct. Without variable suction the CT-Sys is not an all purpose vac, and therein lays the problem. There is no reason for the CT Sys not to have variable suction so it can be an all purpose vac. Festool excluded a key feature to maximize profits on the CT Sys and still sell the other larger vacs with variable suction. This is a money grab where the customer comes out the loser.
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Brice Burrell said:
Or the CT - Sys could have variable suction and cost more than it does. This is not the vac to buy for all purpose use. I don't think it was ever intended to be a do it all vac especially with the inherent low capacity. I think it is intended to be handy and do most things (pretty much everything except small sander pads) for less money. For all purpose portability in the smallest package with enough capacity to do a larger amount of work the Mini (or Midi) is the one to get. It would be great if the CT-Sys had variable suction but if the CT-Sys cost much more than it does (or were any larger) then might as well just buy a Mini.
Seth
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View attachment 2I have just read through this post and find it a bit curious that people are complaining about the lack of Variable suction control. It appears that the main concern is with small sanders with 240-500 grit paper. Can I offer two thoughts?
1. The vac is designed to fit into a systainer stack and not over heat, be portable and mostly for clean up but can also be used for small jobs on the fly.
2. The price point is a decent distance from the mini, adding a bit off this and a bit of that increases the dollars.
Here is something that festool make that can help out if you absolutely need to be on site and use this little vac for fine sanding jobs, it is a 27mm bypass adapter for small sanders. 496112.
1. The vac is designed to fit into a systainer stack and not over heat, be portable and mostly for clean up but can also be used for small jobs on the fly.
2. The price point is a decent distance from the mini, adding a bit off this and a bit of that increases the dollars.
Here is something that festool make that can help out if you absolutely need to be on site and use this little vac for fine sanding jobs, it is a 27mm bypass adapter for small sanders. 496112.
Attachments
Without bypass cooling such as with "proper" dust extractors, any variance in air throughput (such as using an inline rheostat) to slow the motor down will result in less cooling air throughput & put the vac. into (at best) thermal shutdown or (at worst) thermal meltdown.
Read the reviews: there's many a comment made about this vac. intermittently valving air through the motor, and even shutting down, from overheating when airflow becomes restricted using small sanders and the like.
It's not a dust extractor. It's a "lunchbox vac." Just like any other domestic vacuum but in a boxed format, with the same limited capacity too. That's one of the reasons why it's relatively inexpensive. It simply doesn't have the thermal management systems and protections of a dedicated power tool extractor. In a similar manner to any other domestic vac. it too is limited in its versatility and usefulness.
It has the same basic flaws and strengths as the $80 Bosch Ventaro from 10-15 years ago that it copied.
Read the reviews: there's many a comment made about this vac. intermittently valving air through the motor, and even shutting down, from overheating when airflow becomes restricted using small sanders and the like.
It's not a dust extractor. It's a "lunchbox vac." Just like any other domestic vacuum but in a boxed format, with the same limited capacity too. That's one of the reasons why it's relatively inexpensive. It simply doesn't have the thermal management systems and protections of a dedicated power tool extractor. In a similar manner to any other domestic vac. it too is limited in its versatility and usefulness.
It has the same basic flaws and strengths as the $80 Bosch Ventaro from 10-15 years ago that it copied.
