ETS 150/3 vs ETS 150/5

[afish]

Just fyi, I think it's a law about parts being available for 10 years. The Bosch does also have a 3 year warranty if registered. The Busch does have it's own case so it's kind of a wash price wise since I'm pretty sure Bosch doesn't get the cases for free.  As far as the anti static housing goes I dont know but will say I have never recieved a shock even though I dont even use a anti static hose. Not sure if I'm just lucky but that is really a non issue to me. I was actually going to say 100 to 150 at first and who knows I might pay the 150 depending on my mood that day but can guarantee that would be the limit

 

[mino]

No such /general/ law about spare parts.
The spare parts are not even required to be available at all in fact, in most jurisdictions and for many tool vendors they are not or are usually till-stocks-last after the tool in question is EOL. There is a push in the EU recently to allow appliances etc. to be "repairable" but that is not related to tools.

When I mentioned Festool I meant the all-inclusive service you are entitled to fro 3 years which goes beyond the "normal" warranty coverage. It is basically a "no small print" warranty covering full commercial use, accidents, basically anything bar intentional damage to the tool. Companies usually can get similar contracts arranged but the hobby user not so much, if at all.

It also includes "one-time-tool-replacement" in case of the tool being stolen or destroyed too. Not sure of the full coverage for it but theft is the main one there. There is shared responsibility of $100 or so I believe, but for the more expensive tools when your shop is "cleaned" it really helps that you get the main tools back for a very reasonable cost. To me it is well worth the 10% of the cost or so.

 

[J Hunter Woodworks]

Hey Guys, I wanted to thank everyone who gave their input on this topic! I have decided to stick with the ETS EC 150/3 and just got the Bosch GET75. I've only used my new ETS once but am extremely happy with it! I also purchased the CT 26 and got the Bluetooth add on which is so nice to use. recently purchased the TSC 55 K and with the CT hooked up to it I am extremely impressed. it is such an enjoyable thing to use top-of-the-line tools in the shop and look forward to upgrading more tools to Festool in the future.

I think a lot of people who bash Festool as simply the expensive tools and not worth it have yet to actually use them. I am simply amazed at the quality work I can put out using these tools. again thank you all so much for helping me out with my dilemma. This is a great group and am very happy to of found you all!

Anyone still reading this, have you seen homemade boom arms for the CT? I was thinking of welding something up that attaches to my assembly table or maybe something in the rafters of my shop.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[afish]

Congratulations, I think you made a wise choice. After you try out the Bosch please report back here any good/bad.  I sure you will be happy I havent seen one review that is negative about this sander.

As far as the DIY boom arm goes.  I would think some EMT conduit would make a good boom arm structure.  Also some 1-3/8 galv. fence rail would work really well and one could actually use it as part of the vacuum tube to eliminate running hose all the way if they were crafty but would be harder to bend. 

 

[J Hunter Woodworks]

Congratulations, I think you made a wise choice. After you try out the Bosch please report back here any good/bad.  I sure you will be happy I havent seen one review that is negative about this sander.

As far as the DIY boom arm goes.  I would think some EMT conduit would make a good boom arm structure. 

i Will!!
EMT conduit is a good idea. Maybe ill rig up like an X & Y axis type sliding thing that hangs from the ceiling. If i figure it out ill post it.

 

[afish]

Oh I stopped short reading the last little bit and thought you wanted something more like the Festool boom arm that attaches to the CT.  THere are lots of videos out there for the ones that attach to a wall and swing out.  For something like that I would probably use pvc.  I see lots of videos of people that build them and then run 30+ feet of hose.  For what reason I have no idea.  Use hard pipe for all the straight runs and only use pieces of hose in the areas that need to flex you will retain a lot more CFM's that way.  I have a shop vac plumbed from a separate shed with 2" pvc and works like a charm for all my small hand held tools, tracksaw, sanders, domino etc. The CT is only for if I need to go Mobile. 

 

[afish]

Ok, so I got to thinking after my post and came up with this (pic) below.  Its made of 1.375 fence rail and off the shelf components from HD.  The parts are very cheap but will most likely need a HF tube bender to bend the rail. I have linked the parts below.  I like this because the fence rail will act as the hose and just need a short section of hose as a drop.  The lags would need to go into a stud or blocking.  It should provide almost 180° of motion.  Should require no welding. I didnt get crazy with the rendering so you will have to imagine the nuts and bolts but this should give you an idea.

Im pretty sure Im on to something here. I havent seen anyone else do something like this yet. 

LAG

bracket

RAIL

 

[J Hunter Woodworks]

Ok, so I got to thinking after my post and came up with this (pic) below.  Its made of 1.375 fence rail and off the shelf components from HD.  The parts are very cheap but will most likely need a HF tube bender to bend the rail. I have linked the parts below.  I like this because the fence rail will act as the hose and just need a short section of hose as a drop.  The lags would need to go into a stud or blocking.  It should provide almost 180° of motion.  Should require no welding. I didnt get crazy with the rendering so you will have to imagine the nuts and bolts but this should give you an idea.

Im pretty sure Im on to something here. I havent seen anyone else do something like this yet. 

LAG

bracket

RAIL

I really like that idea. I don’t have anyway of bending the rail though, I might be able to ask a friend who has a metal shop though. To your point of using a shop vac I got the CT mostly because I wanted to make sure my sanders ran cool with slightly less suction then full strength as well as the Bluetooth function but I guess that little Bluetooth clip could really be put anywhere a long the hose and still function. Are there other features to the ct that I’m unaware of besides that? Otherwise I probably just wasted $765 lol

 

[afish]

A CT is going to give you HEPA, reduced noise, and portability. I like my CT but prefer my shop vac for in shop use. However if I didnt have the ability to locate it in another building I wouldnt use the shop vac. If you have the ability to locate it outside the shop space and dont need portability then you have some thinking to do.

 

[afish]

To control the shop vac that is located in the shed I use THIS I cannot say enough good things about it.  one of if not my best 20 purchase that I can think of.  I love the 3 channels too. I use one channel on the shop vac and one for a shop fan and keep the 3rd for miscellaneous tasks.  It has good range, 3 channels, there is no pairing or anything just plug in and go.  Always works without issue. Only issue I have had in 2+ years is a dead battery in the remote but its only been replaced once so far. I glued some velcro to the back and use the HF velcro tape to make loops and just stick the remote to that. 

I have a love hate relationship with the auto tool function of the CT.  I seem to short cycle the CT a lot for what I do.  So, just about the the time the CT is winding down or stopped it needs to fire right back up again so its constantly turning on/off.  I dont suspect this is good on the motor or the electronics. So, in the end I prefer to control when the motor shuts on and off.  For you projects it probably wont be as bad.  But when you are sanding door and drawer fronts and constantly stopping and starting so you can flip parts its an issue.  Also the SCMS is another problem tool. make a cut, release the trigger and vac starts to shut down, by the time you move your material over and line up the next cut the CT has either about to shut off or has just shut off then its time to start right back up again.  Before I take the CT out on the road again to use with the SCMS I will add the BT to avoid this issue. 

 

[mino]

...
But when you are sanding door and drawer fronts and constantly stopping and starting so you can flip parts its an issue.
...

This is why everyone getting a CT should get it with the Bluetooth remote. There are cases when auto-start is indeed unneccesary and one does not want to have to run to the CT still.

That said, the Festool vacs are built for this type of use and are being used like that for decades by folks. The motor is started gradually etc. etc.

 

[afish]

Yea, but at almost a grand for a DE one would think that BT might be included.  I can do the same thing with $20 dollar remote and still have 2 more channels.  As I mentioned I will add the BT before its needed next time but at this price point I shouldn't be dealing with these issues.  Its been a great machine and not complaining about it and so far would buy again but its not without its little quirks or pitfalls.

I got it for the HEPA when on site, the hose garage was a BIG + (I know that sounds dumb) but its why I picked the CT over everything else, and so I could look super cool  [cool] wheeling my fancy CT around with some systainers stacked on top but mostly for a future planex 2 or leros purchase. For in the shop I still prefer my hard piped 6.5hp ridged shop vac that has been around for oh, I dont know 15ish years maybe more and just wont die. Im pretty sure at this point it needs a silver bullet or stake through the hart to put it down.  However, I wouldn't ever even think of taking it anywhere unless it was for a major clean up after a complete gut job in a unoccupied home.

 

[mino]

Yea, but at almost a grand for a DE one would think that BT might be included.

It is included. On every vac which came out after the BT remote capability was introduced by Festool. The sole exception being the cost-cut CT15.

The BT module on the CT26/36/48 series uses the standard tool-control port which is universal for power-control, compressed-air-control etc. and the BT capability could be retrofitted thanks to that.

I am confident that when the CT26/36/48 series class will be refreshed the BT capability will be built-in too.

 

[afish]

Im not sure if things are different over there but here in the states its a $82 option to add the BT feature.  My 6 month old CT36AC 100% did not come with BT

 

[J Hunter Woodworks]

Im not sure if things are different over there but here in the states its a $82 option to add the BT feature.  My 6 month old CT36AC 100% did not come with BT

I just bought my ct26 2 days ago at woodcraft Delaware and it was not bt equipped. I had to purchase the $82 add on. Hopefully that’s right and I didn’t just buy the bt as a redundant purchase!

 

[afish]

No, Mimo is wrong it is 100% not included on the 26 or 36.  I believe only the mini and midi have it integrated. (I could be wrong on the "only" part) not sure on the sys or 15.  Everything else requires the $82 option at least here in the states. Not sure how it is over there we tend to get the short end once in awhile. 

 

[mino]

Apologies, what I meant by "came out" is that any new Festool vac model introduced since BT remote technology is out has it built in. With the sole exception of the cost-cut CT15.

The CT26/36/48 series are about 10 years old by now. I.e. they came out before the BT capability was available, hence the only way to add BT is via the standard module method.

No, Mino is wrong it is 100% not included on the 26 or 36.  ...

That is because I did not say what is being implied.

By now, the CT-SYS and CT26/36/48 series and the lowest CT15 do not have it. Only the CT15 came out after the BT tech was available.

The CT(L/M) Mini/Midi, CT(L/M)C Mini/Midi, CT(L/M)C SYS which came out later have it built in. As will most certainly be the case with any CT26/36/48 series replacement once it comes out.

EDIT:
Worth mentioning that a quick fix would be for Festool to introduce "Plus" bundles for the CT26/36/48 series which would add the BT module and one remote. Would also bee good to market this capability to the CT26/36/48 buyers. Add a $10-$20 discount compared to buying standalone and it would be optimal till the "big vac" series are refreshed.

 

[J Hunter Woodworks]

Congratulations, I think you made a wise choice. After you try out the Bosch please report back here any good/bad.  I sure you will be happy I havent seen one review that is negative about this sander.

As far as the DIY boom arm goes.  I would think some EMT conduit would make a good boom arm structure.  Also some 1-3/8 galv. fence rail would work really well and one could actually use it as part of the vacuum tube to eliminate running hose all the way if they were crafty but would be harder to bend.

I am very impressed with the Bosch get75! It took a little bit of getting used to the turbo mode since I haven’t used a rotex style sander in 8 years. I did catch on pretty quickly to the whole steering aspect. While at first at first it felt a lot like trying to put pj bottoms on my toddlers I managed to get it down. I’ve never heard anyone explain these style sander like this but it made since in my mind. It feels alot like a rudder on a boat. If my left hand is over the head and my right hand at the tail end of the sander it drives like this; pulling up with my right hand slightly drives it towards the head, pushing down slightly drives it towards the tail. Once I figured that out it was an absolute pleasure to use. I’m sure many of you rotex lifers have known this forever but it was a new discovery for me lol. Compared to my crappy $60 dewalt orbital sander both the ets ec 150/3 and Bosch get75 is an incredible upgrade! I am pissed I didn’t do this years ago.

 

[afish]

Its all good.  But when you tell me "it is included" on my CT when its not. Got me wondering if its different there.  I knew I can add it but as mentioned when you are buying what is considered by many to be the top of the line portable DE it kind of feels greedy to gouge you for almost another 100 on top of a "G" for something that is included on cheaper models.  Its kind of like going out and buying a top of the line TV and then getting charged extra for the remote control to turn it on... I aint mad about it, I knew going in it didnt come with BT and bought it anyway.  But people should know that the tool trigger can be an issue in certain circumstances.  If you tend to turn your sander on and sand for 15 min. straight then no big deal.  If you sand smaller stuff a lot and need to set the sander down to flip/ move parts the BT or user controlled remote is at a min. a good idea or a must.   

 

[mino]

...

All fair, I definitely used a bad sentence structure.

But people should know that the tool trigger can be an issue in certain circumstances.

But here you are in the wrong. This is the first time I see it mention - by anyone - as a concern let along an "issue".

All these vacs are built for that type of operation. Day-in day-out. Saying something is an "issue" for a tool which is being manufactured specifically for that use case, for decades is, well, a bit disingenious.

I remember the discussion that CT 26/36/48 series are rated for about 1000 motor-hours per a brush set, and about three brush replacements for the motor life at which point the turbine is replaced. Those ratings are with the frequent start/stops and there is no technical reason it should not be so .. with the soft start electronics.