hoses without external ridges

[Taylormade]

The external ridges on the standard CT hoses get caught on the work piece very, very easily.  A hose with a smooth exterior would be a huge improvement and in many cases people would not have to purchase boom arms or retrofit hoses with cable covering material.  Extractor hose without external ridges should be a development/improvement priority for a high quality tool like Festool.  Maybe these types of hoses already exist and I just missed them.

 

[Alan m]

im guessing those ridges on the outside allow the hose to bend easily. if the hose was smooth on both sides the outside would have to stretch rather than unfold itself. i think it would tear rather than stretch. but i would like a smooth hose on the outside.

 

[DKurzweil]

Building on Alan's response, you also don't want ridges inside (allowing the outside to be smooth) as they would promote clogs.

Daniel

 

[sheeschen]

One way around the ridges on the outside is to use those stretchable cabling sleeves.  Here's a thread that covers that:

http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tool-reviews/review-of-festool-ct-midi-dust-extractor-(583376)/msg106143/#msg106143

I finally did that with mine and am much happier with fewer snags.  If you decide to go that way, make sure to order it on the long side, since it'll shrink length-wise when it grows diameter-wise.  Also be aware that heat-shrink tubing can handle a lot more heat than the sleeve (I melted mine a little).