Hose and accessory options for CT22

[thender]

Hello everyone.

I would very much appreciate your thoughts about what hose/accessory options are appropriate for the CT22 that I hope to buy in a few days.

My usage will primarily be in my garage/shop, in a variety of general shop vac roles.  Some general clean up, some sanding applications, etc.

I do not own a chop saw, and don't see one in the near future.

I do hope to acquire a TS55 or equivalent soon for sheet goods work.

I do expect to buy the "hose garage" and use it for normal hose and cord storage.  The vac will park on the garage floor when not in use.  I will almost never need to transport it away from home.

My first inclination was to buy the "compact" tool set (456736) which has a variety of tools for ~$70.
These are listed as 36mm tools -- I presume they will work with the 37mm hose -- is that correct?

When is the larger diameter 36mm hose adviseable?  If there is a substantial advantage to using that for general use, then perhaps the "tradesman" set is more appropriate;  but at ~$200 it isn't something that I'd jump into without some good justification.

So any thoughts about hose size, and when to consider anti-static hose over the non AS hoses would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.  I'm still amazed that I'd consider plunking down this kind of cash for a vacuum, but my existing shop vac is so doggone noisy it drives me nuts.

I hope this gives you an idea of how & where the unit will be used.  Any thoughts are very much appreciated.

-Tom Henderson
Ventura, CA

 

[GaryLaroff]

Tom,

You are about a month ahead of me in buying the CT22, but we are both looking at the same issues.  The only difference is that my purchase will be optimized for the best operation with the Festool sanders, the Domino and possibly an Elu plunge router.

I have a 30 years old Sears shop vac now dedicated to the bandsaw (where I wear hearing protection), two dust collectors and a Fein Turbo II bought over 10 years ago.  I also have around five accessory sets with nozzles and straight tubes, maybe even more than five.  For shop vac work I prefer larger diameter hoses.  They work faster and pick up debris faster.  They also don't clog with small wood pieces and occasional pieces of sandpaper.  I am fully aware of the differences between dust collectors and shop vacs (cubic feet per minute versus vacuum pressure) but still prefer larger diameter tubes for general cleanup.

For attaching to tools such as sanders, I prefer smaller lighter hoses that are the most unobtrusive and plan to get the Festool boom at some point.  But for vacuuming up the sawdust around the table saw or some other product, I would not want to depend on the 27 mm hose.

There is a cleaning application where I have a higher priority than hose diameter and that is for general floor vacuuming when there aren't piles of sawdust or many large chips.  For the frequent floor cleaning operations I always go for the Fein floor nozzle connected to the metal extension tubes. When using two extension tubes and a floor nozzle the metal holds up better, doesn't bend and just feels a whole lot better than thin plastic.

Festool tends to use fairly solid plastic for all their parts, but for floor cleaning I want metal and will search the shop for the metal extension tubes before even thinking of going back to the days of plastic tubes.  I would suggest you buy a Festool kit with metal extension tubes and perhaps a slightly upgraded floor nozzle.  When there is a lot of wood waste to vacuum up I get cheap and choose not to fill my vacuum bags and turn to the large diameter hose, large diameter plastic extension tubes and clean it up with the dust collector.

Hope this helps.
Gary

 

[thender]

Hi Gary-

Thanks for your thoughts.  Sounds like the larger hose DOES have a fair amount of utility in general use, so I'll give it some thought. 

After posting last night, I did find some additional info in the archives that I had missed on my earlier searches.  The following threads had a lot of good dust extractor accessory choices:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=3113.0

http://festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?topic=956.0

-TH

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Here is my situation to see if it helps you.  I have been sanding my house, didnt want to set the 22 on a platform so I needed the 36mm hose.  To make a long story short I bought the tradesman/installers set to get the hose, another systainer and all the othe goodies that came with it.  Now my 22 is safely on the ground and I can reach up high and sand!!!

 

[Jim Becker]

I find that a larger hose is better suited to general cleanup purposes, although I'll admit that I went with a non-Festool and very orange choice for that purpose. The larger hose moves a little more air and is less prone to clogging when there is debris involved. The standard anti-static hose that came with my CT22 is extremely satisfying for dust extraction from the Festool tool stable...no need for larger diameter there in my experience.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

I find that a larger hose is better suited to general cleanup purposes, although I'll admit that I went with a non-Festool and very orange choice for that purpose. The larger hose moves a little more air and is less prone to clogging when there is debris involved. The standard anti-static hose that came with my CT22 is extremely satisfying for dust extraction from the Festool tool stable...no need for larger diameter there in my experience.

I've only had my CT-33, Domino, and two Festool sanders for a short time but find the what I origionally thought to be overly small hose to be adequate. I did buy a 25' long 2-1/2" plastic hose at Sears to hang from the ceiling to use with my circ. saw. The only problem I have is that there is so much air flow with this vac I get static shocks from the plastic hose.

Mike

 

[nickao]

You can purchase a grounding kit from Rockler or just get your own wire. If it's a permanent hose the wire grounding kit may be worth it. I think its like 10.00. Still a lot cheaper than buying a new AS Hose from Festool. Its not a good solution for a hose that will be dragged or moved around a lot.

 

[daves1996]

Hi Tom, I bought the CT22 and it came with a 27mm AS hose and that's it. I figured that if I am going to pay $490 for a vacuum with some limits, why not spend the $195 for the tradesman package and reap all the benefits of this fantastic machine. The package came with the 36mm AS hose and made the systainer bulge out when you open the top. So I decided I need the hose garage and put the 36mm hose in that and the 27mm hose in the systainer. Now I am in vacuuming heaven. I also own a shop dust collection system, 2 good sized shop vacs and 3 smaller ones.

 

[gkeas]

I have the 22 and the tradesman's kit, also.  It seemed like a reasonable "value" to get the 36mm hose and a systainer with the cleaning accessories.  The larger hose definitely helps with the router (1400) and saws (55 & 75).  I've never used the Kapex with the smaller hose, so I can't say personally, but others report a marked improvement with that, too.

 

[Dan Clermont]

The 36mm hose moves more air and that is why it is more efficient with the KAPEX. Helps with the Routers as well and splinters won't get hung up like they would with the 27mm hose.

I have the hose garage and find it useful when transporting my CT 22. In the shop I wish I had the Boom Arm to keep the hose up in the air and off the ground. Last week I was using the MFK 700 trimming laminate and once again wished I had the boom arm o prevent the ribs on the hose from catching the corners of the laminate.

You will like the CT 22. Great suction and very quiet

Dan Clermont

 

[thender]

Thanks again to everyone for their thoughts.

I have a Tradesman cleaning kit on order from the local dealer (woodcraft, Ventura, CA).  I cringe at paying that much for vacuum accessories, but such is life. 

I'm also tempted by the boom arm, but the lights in my garage/shop are below the boom height, so that would be a bit of a PITA to move around.  Maybe someday, but not at present.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

-TH

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Tom (thender),

I own both a CT 22E and a Fein Turbo II.  Please note that Fein hose will fit a Festool vacuum machine and vice versa, and so will the cleaning accessories from both brands.  I have the metal tube floor cleaning kits for both vacuum machines ($200+ for the Festool set -- ouch!!).  I personally prefer the Fein floor cleaning and other accessories and have yet to receive any static shock when using them.  [My older Sears Craftsman vacuum would frequently give my major static shocks when sweeping the shop floor.]  Festool's 27mm hose fits inside these accessories.  Festool's 36mm hose fits over many of the accessories, except the Fein adapter for Fein's metal tube floor nozzle which has a stepped diameter inlet so either a 27 or 36mm hose will snugly fit.  The smaller hose is necessary to couple to Festool's sanders, and the 1010 router and Deltex 93 have oval shaped dust outlets.  I made up a short section of 27mm AS hose which I normally leave coupled to the 36mm AS hose installed on my Boom Arm.  The 27mm hose is much more maneuverable than the 36mm hose.  I can simply pop out this short piece of 27mm hose and connect the 36mm hose directly to my saw or router or floor cleaning set when I need to move more debris.  I wholly concur with the remarks of others about use of the smaller hose for maneuverability and the larger hose to reduce clogging which is especially a problem when routing.

Dave R.

Dave R.

 

[thender]

Dave-

I have a Tradesman set and a Hose Garage on order from the local dealer (Woodcraft). 

Any idea how long it takes Festool to fulfill an order from one of their dealers?  This store just opened, and the folks don't know what to expect. 

-TH

 

[Dave Ronyak]

OK, TH.  I'm sure you'll find your purchases useful.  Time to receive your order from a dealer store who has to order it into the store?  I usually buy from Bob Marino, even though I live in Ohio and Bob is in NJ.  Most orders through him result in the products being delivered to me in 2 or 3 business days; those that take longer have been due to my having requested obscure parts some of which he had to special order from Germany.  In contrast, if I order from my local dealer store, it usually takes more days before they call me to pick up the merchandise, and then I have to drive 52 miles round trip to get it.  I do occasiionally go to that dealer (Hartville Tool) to buy various tools, hardware items and lumber and when I am there, I will pick up some Festool products if I am in need and they have them in stock.

Dave R.