Fein vs CTL 26 E

[Tomsim]

Hi!

I'm in the process of buying a new dust extractor. I was planing to buy CTL 26 E or maybe a MIDI because its cheeper. Then i saw Fein dustex 25L (Turbo I in the US). Is's half a price of CTL 26 here in Europe. I've read a lot of different things about Fein, but a lot of them are about older version. Has anyone tried comparing side by side noise on new Fein and CTL26? New Feins dont have an electrical variable power suction, only tool sleeve reduction. According to specs Fein should be quieter. My local dealers dont have Festool so i would have to buy online.
Does anyone use Fein flece bags? Do they mantain high suction until the end like Festools or they lose suction quickly?

Another consideration.. when do you lower the suction power, except when working with random orbit sander? If i buy Fein, it's motor is always on max so the noise cannont be lowered when needing less suction.

I also came across this videohttps://www.toolboxbuzz.com/head-to-head/best-dust-extractors-head-to-head/
According to it, Festool and Fein are the loudest dust extractors?? I always thougth they are the quitest.

Im a hobby woodworker and i dont have any Festool powertool, just some clamps for diy mft. Id like to buy 26E because of hose storage, availability of accesories etc, but price is a factor, so i got je idea thet for the price differnece i could sell Makita belt sander and add the extra money saved on Fein to get a used Rotex 150. Now i have to borrow the Bosch GEX 150 AC for finish work.

Thank you

 

[derekcohen]

I can only compare the older Fein, my previous machine, with a CT26E that is now a few years old. The older Fein was noticeably  louder and had a little less suck. I was willing to pay the extra for the Festool because of its lower noise, ability to stack boxes above it, and because its shape made it easier to tuck away in my workshop/garage.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Michael Kellough]

Festool vacs have several good features but they aren’t superior at being quiet. Of my several bypass design vacs (the only design that can claim to be quiet) an old WAP Turbo is by far the quietest in use. Almost pleasant. Just the whoosh of air passing through a properly sized hose and nearly non-existent fittings (the hose fits into a right angle deflector that depletes the kinetic energy of projectiles flying thru the hose). The very large collection bag tucks up and around that right angle fitting.

The WAP has very few parts and they are either rigid or under elastic tension so nothing rattles, the opposite of Festool vacs with the many loosely fitting hard plastic parts. While the decibel ratings may be similar the sound emitted by the WAP is much less annoying than the many frequencies and sources of sound coming from the Festool vac. My old Fein Turbo vac is in between the two above. Few frequencies but tending toward shrill compared to the WAP.

 

[leakyroof]

I own 4 Festool Vacs .... and 1 newer Fein.  The Fein works well. It IS quiet, consumables appear cheaper in cost like bags, but it’s my “value” vacuum since it doesn’t have adjustable suction except the bleed valve on the hose end like you mentioned and it doesn’t integrate with my Systainers.

I treat it like a very quiet Shop Vac at my work, it IS super fast at converting to Wet Liquid Vacuuming like wet carpet since the bag is easily removed to set-up for water/liquid.

I have only one true gripe that would be a deal breaker as a site vac- The arrangement of the hose extension and tool storage at the rear of the Vacuum totally conflicts with the cord storage that Fein designed.  If I had to do it over again, I might have not ordered the tubes that extend the hose since they are always in the way of removing and installing the cord.

On the Plus side, the stock hose end works with the Dust Ports of my Festools very well. I rarely bring them into my day job to use with the Fein, but they all play well when I do need a sander at work.

 

[Tomsim]

Thank you all for answers!

[member=10952]leakyroof[/member]
Do you maybe use the Fein with flece bags so you notice the difference.... do they loose suction sooner than Festool's Selfclean bags?
Thank you again

 

[Benito]

I have two older Fein vacs and a CT28. My Fein's have seen heavy use and are solid workhorses. I don't hear a meaningful difference in noise levels between the Fein and Festool. In practice, I also don't see a meaningful difference in suction (when the CT is at full power). The ergonomics of the Fein are not as good. I had to jerry-rig the cord and hose storage. The top handle is not comfortable to use, although my Fein Turbo 1 is lighter than my CT. In some situations I do prefer the Fein's all-caster wheels as it's easier to move around (but let's face it, maneuvering any vacuum around a floor with debris is a pain.)

To be honest, it's mostly a value proposition. The Fein is maybe three-quarters as good as the Festool in ergonomics at maybe half the price (including consumables like filters, bags, and accessories)?

One thing to note: You asked about the fabric boot on the Fein. I don't believe you can use the fabric boot with Fein's HEPA filter or a bag. At least that's the case with the older Fein's.

 

[demographic]

One reason I bought a CTM 26 over another manufacturer was the fact that I can stack T Loc boxes on it.
If I only worked in a workshop I might have chosen otherwise but I'm mobile and I really value the ability to move a stack of boxes on top of my extractor.

 

[leakyroof]

Thank you all for answers!

[member=10952]leakyroof[/member]
Do you maybe use the Fein with flece bags so you notice the difference.... do they loose suction sooner than Festool's Selfclean bags?
Thank you again

  I use Fleece Bag =part # 3 13 45 061 01 0-  It's for a Turbo 1, so another model probably has its own part number for a larger bag

 

[blaszcsj]

Another issue would be that I do not believe the fein vac can have blutooth added to it like the CT can. I have found the manual starter on the hose to be invaluable.

 

[kevinculle]

Agree with ^^^this^^^...the Bluetooth module is a very handy addition to the CT26 and having used it I'd be hard pressed to go back to a vac that I had to bend over and switch on manually for cleanup duties.

 

[Tomsim]

Thank you all for the answers.
i'm probably going to buy MIDI, both money and space are taken into consideration... so that should be the best solution.

Regards

 

[Cheese]

i'm probably going to buy MIDI, both money and space are taken into consideration... so that should be the best solution.

I have a MIDI and use it as a mobile vac with a SYS-MFT attached to the top...you'll love it. I also have an older Fein and an older Milwaukee. The problem with both of those vacs is you can't put anything on the top...all just wasted space. That's the reason I use the Fein with the Kapex, I can push the Fein under the cutting bench.

 

[Tomsim]

Ive opened this topic long time ago.
My opinions few years later...
At the end, I bougth Fein... and two years later I bougth Midi BT
Fein is little quiter then Midi in full speed.
Fein is stronger, has better suction. Probably would be the same with 36 hose on Midi.
When used on auto with power tool, it is working 5-6 seconds after power tool switching off. It soon starts to be very annoying.
Lack of electrical suction adjustment is also annoying when sanding. It can be done on the hose, but still to strong suction, and it makes annoying high pitch sound.

Just my small comparison. Maybe it helps someone in the future.