Drywall contractors need to accomplish two things once we get mud on the wall; sand, and cleanup. The Planex/CT36AC combo excels at both.
The Planex is useful for removing textures, sanding between the 2nd and final coat, and sanding skimmed ceilings. A final sand with light and sponge is still required for paint grade. The dust reduction is impressively effective, but not completely dustless. For 100% dustless appropriate barriers and negative air are still required. The auto-clean function does what it's supposed to do but as a new feature it faces some acceptance hurdles. Festool's video only illustrates how it works conceptually. They need to show how it cycles in use so contractors know what to expect & realize the popping sound isn't so bad. I found that the auto clean function on its own works but is much improved with periodic deep cycling by obstructing the hose end or using the blast gate. Since deep cycling is necessary to improve performance, really the AC should just come with the BlastGate to not confuse the issue. AutoClean 95% of the time, sometimes BlastGate - like when moving the vac between rooms.
Ergonomically, it is easier on walls but probably on par with pole sanding for ceilings due to the extra weight. Once there's an extension on, it starts to feel like a wrestling match. Ceilings under 9' are no problem but anything over probably need that harness or are more easily pole sanded.
The AC comes with both the plastic and cloth bag, but really a contractor is not going to want to deal with those consumables unless required, such as for lead & asbestos. The unit works just fine without a bag and I've found with a bit of care it's possible to recycle the dust back into the compound.
Typically when cleaning up the job site after drywall, the dust is so fine that you have to sweep the majority up first and then vac. Even then the dust will still clog the filter. This is still the case with the AC although less frequent and way easier with a BlastGate. To eliminate the need to sweep altogether I bought a Dust Deputy Deluxe cyclonic separator designed to work with the Festool vac from Oneida air. The dual stage separation combo works fantastic, saves lots of time and is much tidier. Hypnotic to watch too! Festool should license that product and brand it accordingly.
I've had some trouble finding the right cleaning kit set. Both the compact, and tradesmen sets are too small when cleaning an entire house, but okay for small renovations and patching. I've ended up using the 2" set off my old Shop-Vac instead.
To summarize the advantages in order of importance to my business...
Quality: homeowners and GC's value added/perceived cleanliness and professionalism of tools
Productivity: sands a bit faster, cleanup significantly reduced with right setup, no bags or clogged filters to deal with
Ergonomics: less physical effort, shows staff appreciation
Functionality: sanding + cleaning in one compact modular system
Recommendations for Festool:
Include BlastGate
Get a better demonstration of AC function to ease acceptance of feature.
Demonstrate how it works with or without bags
Suggest dual stage separation(Dust Deputy) for big jobs like drywall cleanup
Suggest basic cleanup kit to go with included 36mm hose and 50mm industrial cleaning set.
The Planex is useful for removing textures, sanding between the 2nd and final coat, and sanding skimmed ceilings. A final sand with light and sponge is still required for paint grade. The dust reduction is impressively effective, but not completely dustless. For 100% dustless appropriate barriers and negative air are still required. The auto-clean function does what it's supposed to do but as a new feature it faces some acceptance hurdles. Festool's video only illustrates how it works conceptually. They need to show how it cycles in use so contractors know what to expect & realize the popping sound isn't so bad. I found that the auto clean function on its own works but is much improved with periodic deep cycling by obstructing the hose end or using the blast gate. Since deep cycling is necessary to improve performance, really the AC should just come with the BlastGate to not confuse the issue. AutoClean 95% of the time, sometimes BlastGate - like when moving the vac between rooms.
Ergonomically, it is easier on walls but probably on par with pole sanding for ceilings due to the extra weight. Once there's an extension on, it starts to feel like a wrestling match. Ceilings under 9' are no problem but anything over probably need that harness or are more easily pole sanded.
The AC comes with both the plastic and cloth bag, but really a contractor is not going to want to deal with those consumables unless required, such as for lead & asbestos. The unit works just fine without a bag and I've found with a bit of care it's possible to recycle the dust back into the compound.
Typically when cleaning up the job site after drywall, the dust is so fine that you have to sweep the majority up first and then vac. Even then the dust will still clog the filter. This is still the case with the AC although less frequent and way easier with a BlastGate. To eliminate the need to sweep altogether I bought a Dust Deputy Deluxe cyclonic separator designed to work with the Festool vac from Oneida air. The dual stage separation combo works fantastic, saves lots of time and is much tidier. Hypnotic to watch too! Festool should license that product and brand it accordingly.
I've had some trouble finding the right cleaning kit set. Both the compact, and tradesmen sets are too small when cleaning an entire house, but okay for small renovations and patching. I've ended up using the 2" set off my old Shop-Vac instead.
To summarize the advantages in order of importance to my business...
Quality: homeowners and GC's value added/perceived cleanliness and professionalism of tools
Productivity: sands a bit faster, cleanup significantly reduced with right setup, no bags or clogged filters to deal with
Ergonomics: less physical effort, shows staff appreciation
Functionality: sanding + cleaning in one compact modular system
Recommendations for Festool:
Include BlastGate
Get a better demonstration of AC function to ease acceptance of feature.
Demonstrate how it works with or without bags
Suggest dual stage separation(Dust Deputy) for big jobs like drywall cleanup
Suggest basic cleanup kit to go with included 36mm hose and 50mm industrial cleaning set.
