HI

[notenoughcash]

hello

i am 16

from the north of england and am looking at buing my first festool soon, a CTL SYS CLEANTEC extractor.  i have use TS 55 REBQ before and loved it.  so that is also on the 'to buy list'

looked at the airstream as well but a bit ££££ for me!

i have been buching wood since i was 7 and got my first (toy) drill when i was 4.  i am a makita fan ( [tongue]) and have a few of there tools.  i also use evolution for mitre saws but want to get a certan one made in germany by a certan blue make.  ok, i'll come clean.  i want a bosch axial glide mite saw!

looking forward to learning from you lot and buying my first festool!

(BTW i HATE DeWalt)

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Welcome to the FOG - they let us talk non-Festool too.

On the miter saw, since you are a Makita fan (me too) I have their 36V slider and really like it. Maybe take a look at it.

Mike

 

[FestitaMakool]

Hello, and welcome - I’m fairly new here as well.

Nice to see young taking interest in woodworking, a skill you’ll probably have use for for the rest of your life! I started fairly young as well, although it was more hanging around my uncle whenever I got the chance - he is a skilled carpenter and fine woodworker as well as in mechanics. Soaking up knowledge and skills from people who are good at what they do is essential. And the FOG is full of them [smile]

I’m too a Mikita “fan” but I see good tools seeing the tool itself, no matter make.
I have had a few Dewalt but they were rebadged ELU’s but extremely solid and durable.
One advise though, you may better invest in used tools that are cared for, than rather spending on new cheapish. Working with quality tools does add a better dimension to the hobby.

 

[mrboult]

Welcome! And none of us have enough cash once you start hanging around expensive tool forums

The CTL SYS is great, but only if you really need the space saving compact form. The Midi is likely better value if you have the space. And if you're not planning on using lots of systainers, then much better value can be had from other manufacturers. Folkestone fixings have a good selection. And Nut&Bolts do good value makita bits aside from their Festool offerings.

I have the CTL SYS because the small systainer form matters for me. Other than the small bag I'm constantly emptying/chucking, I love it.

Regarding track saws, from a UK perspective and current UK PRICING, as someone who has owned or used most of the options. . . I still think the Festool TS is what I would buy again if mine died.
There are cheaper options that are fine, and more expensive that may well be better, but given the quality and reliability and easy availability of festool blades, parts, service, fences, dust shrouds etc for this saw, I rate the festool best value in the UK.
(that's for corded not cordless - I have less knowledge there)

Good luck, this is a friendly forum to ask questions

 

[jjowen]

Welcome!

I must agree that you should consider at a larger extractor. I have the CTL SYS too, and it is great when you need to do a small job somewhere in the house, or off site, but a larger extractor will give you better suction, better control, fewer bag changes and cheaper on the bags. It should last a long time too.

Happy Festering.

 

[Df1k1]

Sorry but I have to agree. The SYS just didn’t turn out as practical in the shop as I thought it would be.  Stick with a midi (have it love it)

 

[FestitaMakool]

Sorry but I have to agree. The SYS just didn’t turn out as practical in the shop as I thought it would be.  Stick with a midi (have it love it)

I agree, having both the new mini with Bluetooth and the CT-SYS - the CT Mini is a whole lot more dust collector for the money. Judging from Axminster’s prices the difference is same as here, minimal. The CT Mini is the whole of Festool’s vacuums best features in a very compact and desirable package.

 

[notenoughcash]

i already do a lot of work outside shop and i did consider the midi but decided aginst it for the reason it was a bit big for hauling round on the top of a systainer.  (or makpack case in my case....)

 

[Gregor]

i already do a lot of work outside shop and i did consider the midi but decided aginst it for the reason it was a bit big for hauling round on the top of a systainer.  (or makpack case in my case....)

Usually one hauls the systainers on top of the MIDI, simply as they can be locked in place there and the MIDI has wheels...

 

[notenoughcash]

i already do a lot of work outside shop and i did consider the midi but decided aginst it for the reason it was a bit big for hauling round on the top of a systainer.  (or makpack case in my case....)

Usually one hauls the systainers on top of the MIDI, simply as they can be locked in place there and the MIDI has wheels...

praccticalitys sake and it all has to be able to fit into a smart fourfour!

 

[Gregor]

praccticalitys sake and it all has to be able to fit into a smart fourfour!

There is a tow-bar available as an aftermarket add-on for that car.

 

[notenoughcash]

ok.

i do eventualy want to get a vw caddy or something like that tho

 

[Gregor]

In case you plan to make the space (so you're not absolutely constrained by it): go for a MIDI, it's superior to a CTL-SYS in every metric but smaller physical dimensions.

 

[mrboult]

Ok guys. Several people, including me, suggested the midi as the better value/performance option. The OP thenResponded and said he cares mostly about the small form factor. . Yet people continue to push? Why? Are they justifying their own decisions as so often happens in the internet?

I have a ctl sys, and for a year or so (before I had to move out of my last shop) I had a Midi too. The performance is pretty similar in real world use. Sometimes I feel like this place is just an echo chamber. 

The midi is the better vac with bigger bag and Bluetooth, sure, but the ctl sys is a quality product. The fact that the whole vac is in a sysII is mind bending!

 

[Mario Turcot]

Ok guys. Several people, including me, suggested the midi as the better value/performance option. The OP thenResponded and said he cares mostly about the small form factor. . Yet people continue to push? Why? Are they justifying their own decisions as so often happens in the internet?

Unfortunately this happen most of the time because people do NOT read all posts. They go through a few replys and make their own. I am guilty of it myself and try to read all answers before replying.

 

[AlexThePalex]

The midi is the better vac with bigger bag and Bluetooth, sure, but the ctl sys is a quality product.

And the Vac Sys lacks variable suction, an oversight that is also mind bending. When I first heard about the Sys Vac, I really wanted to get one next to my CTL Mini and 26. Because of the small form factor.

But the lack of variable suction makes it useless for work with sanders. Dumbest design decision ever.