Fein goes to the variable suction on their new models.

[nickao]

Fein goes to the variable suction on their new models.  Sound  level down to 60db, pretty quiet.

I am getting one for Christmas the Turbo III, I will post some comparisons. I saw the original models on some good sales, its a good time to grab one as a second unit to your CT. 299.99 for  turbo III you can not beat that. I'll post a link when I find it, my wife threw out the ad.

Turbo I

Turbo III

Nick

 

[Neill]

Nick,

Thanks for the link.  I have a Turbo II now that I love.  These look pretty sharp.  Cannot wait to see what the pricing looks like.

Neill

 

[jaegerhund]

Looks nice Nick.  Is Fein still producing most of its products in Germany or have they taken the China route?  I think their cordless drills are no longer made in Germany.

Justin

 

[nickao]

The pricing is staying the same as the current Fein lineup. It's what I was told from a retailer, but who knows. I am fairly certain the Hepa is still an option so the price should not go up unless that is included, IMHO.

I do not think the dust collectors have gone over to China, I am not positive though. I never like the Fein drills to begin with. To me Fein is all about Dust collecting and Sanders.

 

[extiger]

I've got the Fein Turbo II model, and it was manufactured in Italy. I believe that's where they all are made. After reading some comments here on the FOG about dust collection on Festool sanders, I reduced the suction to my RO 150 E by using the angled handle on the Fein. You know, the short section used on the hose in conjunction with the floor sweep.

Simply opened the suction bypass window so the sander wouldn't "glue" itself to the workpiece. If you got the "accessory tool" package with any Fein, it's free.

Gary Curtis

 

[Neill]

Gary,

Great idea.  I thought about doing this but was not sure it would work.  I'll have to give it a try.  I do have the Festool hose but I believe that the Fein attachments fit just "fine".  Just wondered at what point on the hose between the vacuum and tool do you attach the angled handle?

Neill

 

[KorDes]

I cant see where you clip your systainers to the machine 

 

[nickao]

More info on the new Fein

 

[Neill]

Nick -

Thanks again for the info.  I'll probably just wait until mine dies.  By the way, I got an e-mail from McFeely's offering special pricing on the existing Fein vacuum models if anyone is interested.

Neill

 

[nickao]

I saw that deal it basically is the same as regular pricing except they throw in the Hepa as the discount.

Fein needs to get with it and just include the Hepa with the new unit in the current pricing. They don't so they are virtually the same cost as the Festool CT's.

For that price I would definitley wait for the new version Fein. Or wait until the new model is readily available then eBay may see an influx of the old model at a respectable discount.

Nick

 

[Sparky977]

So what is the benefit of the Fein vacuums over the Festool?

 

[nickao]

They seem pretty even these days.

At full power the Feins are not near as loud.

Its is awfully easy to carry the Fein around and up stairs compared to the Festool also.

The Fein has a higher amperage rating for the tool that gets plugged into it for the auto start.

Other than that I am not sure one is better over the other so I would buy on price or overall design.

I am starting to like my Festools CT's more then ever, but the Feins are just as good. When I get a newer Fein I will test it against the Festool CT33.

There is a break in period for the Festools. I hated my Festool CT 33's compared against my Fein's at first. I never could fill an entire bag with the Festool before I lost power. Over time it got better. Now the bag gets crammed full on my Festools, its weird, but my experience.

 

[extiger]

So what about's great about Fein vacuums? Since I've never used a Festool vac, I can't make a comparison. All I know is that my wife is constantly stealing my Turbo II Fein in order to clean our house. Usage in the shop is normally for short periods, but I must say when I vacuum three bedrooms and the living room, I face a 20+ minute chore and the relative silence of the machine is appealing. Feins are quiet.

In the shop it wouldn't matter because an even louder tool is usually screaming away alongside the vacuum, so who would notice a difference? The canister capacity is nice, too. Doing double duty in the house and shop I consumed a total of 2 bags during an entire year. I refer here to the larger of the bag sizes. Two are sizes are available.

Gary Curtis