New Fein Turbo I

JCLP

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Oct 27, 2013
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Good evening everyone. Does anyone have experience with the new Fein Turbo I. I'm looking at purchasing one to replace the MIDI that I traded in for a CT26. I've been told by our Festool rep that there is no plan at getting the MIDI CSA certified for sale in Canada anytime soon, thus forcing me to go to the competition.I love my CT26 but it is just to big to lug around. I want to make my CT26 a permanent attachment to my Kapex and use the Fein as my portable dust extractor.
 
I have three Feins, two IIs and a III and have a really hard time that the Festool vacs can be much better.  The Feins have adjustable suction and tool triggered start.
 
I don't have the new model, but I have had a Turbo I for about 5 years.  I'm a hobbyist woodworker, so it doesn't get a huge amount of use, but it is very effective and durable.  The variable suction and the ability to have it start when the tool plugged into it is turned on are like Festool.  I also like the extra wheels on the bottom for excellent stability -- rolls easily in any direction and is reluctant to tip.  I don't know if they changed that on the new version.  Fein has an adaptor for the hose end that will fit on Festool tools, as well.  It is available on Amazon and from other Fein dealers.

I also recently bought a Festool CT36 for the HEPA capability, and use both of them, depending on what I'm doing.  Love it, too.

Steve
 
I have both the old and new turbo 1's, and I bought the new one for exactly the same reason you are thinking about it; no mini or midi in Canada. The new turbo is a significantly more powerful vac compared to the old one, also in regards to specs it's more powerful than any of the festool vacuums. It is small, quiet and very compact in its design, the tool tray on top is a nice addition but my only beef is the lack of hose storage. One think to remember with this vac; Fein got rid of electronic suction control and replaced it with a mechanical suction control at the end of the hose right by the tool. When I asked about this my rep stated that in the design process they asked their users if they actually use the feature, most didn't and those that did disliked having to walk back to the vac to change the setting. The new mechanical control solves this and I find it works well even with sanders. Also one less electronic part to fail, even though I've had my old one for five years and it's rock solid.
 
As a side note, all my Festool sanders (six) have a Fein step adapter installed.
 
The new turbo has an updated hose nozzle made out rubber. The inside of the nozzle fits over the small ports on the carvex and ls130 (very snugly and a bit tricky to get on but won't ever fall off), and outside is tapered and fits the dust ports on ts55 and of1400 very well.
 
I have a 20+ year old Fein, and more recent Turbo II and fairly new Turbo III. I also have a Midi, bought two years ago.

The strong points of the Mini/Midi is hauling it!!!! The strong points of the Fein are power, quiet, and cost - everything BUT hauling it.

The Fein doesn't have a way to store the cord or the hose on the unit or have a convenient rectangular shape. It also has a handle that cuts into your hand when the unit is heavy, easily fixed with wrapping it with rubber electrical tape.

As much as I like Fein vacs for those reasons, I think you will not like it for your application. I would be tempted to look elsewhere than either of those units.
 
GregBradley said:
I have a 20+ year old Fein, and more recent Turbo II and fairly new Turbo III. I also have a Midi, bought two years ago.

The strong points of the Mini/Midi is hauling it!!!! The strong points of the Fein are power, quiet, and cost - everything BUT hauling it.

The Fein doesn't have a way to store the cord or the hose on the unit or have a convenient rectangular shape. It also has a handle that cuts into your hand when the unit is heavy, easily fixed with wrapping it with rubber electrical tape.

As much as I like Fein vacs for those reasons, I think you will not like it for your application. I would be tempted to look elsewhere than either of those units.

This post is in regards to the new updated Fein turbo 1 recently released this year, not the older and much larger ones you are talking about. The mini and midi from festool are not available in Canada, because festool has chosen not to CSA them for our market, probably doesn't make financial sense in terms of the cost of certification vs. units that they will sell.
 
I didn't realize Fein had redesigned their vacs. Sorry for the confusion.

The new one does look easier to carry. Still no hose storage and no Systainer attachment. Without several Systainers attached, I would be storing less in my truck. Without Systainers attached, I would be bending over to roll it along.

Sounds like the Canadian government is making things difficult for you. Ours is racing to catch up!

 
This new Fein looks like a shrunken version of the old WAP turbo except with the addition of hooks to hold the hose/cord. The WAP was an excellent design. No extraneous moving parts to vibrate and make noise. (The opposite of the earlier CTs.)

Turbo-II-with-Accessories.jpg

 
jkuisma,
I just saw a review video on youtube (below) about the new model where the motor housing didn't securely clamp down. In fact it was loose/ratteling.
I just wanted to ask you if this is also the case with your unit or if the guy in the video just got a lemon?


 
First of all I will say I don't like this video, it does not appear that he actually used the vacuum at all other than unboxing and barely assembling the unit. Let me explain my own experience with the tool. I have the turbo I (he has the turbo II, larger tank but same motor), the latches on my unit are very secure (it's never going to 'pop' open) but there is some small movement (rattle?) up and down, his 'rattle' seems more pronounced but mine is less, perhaps the rubber gasket is missing on his unit. That said I never noticed mine until I watched that video, but it actual use the suction from the motor finishes the seal (it feels like a solid block), and the dust goes in the bag anyways so I don't worry about anything leaking out.' It terms of how he calls the plastic feeling cheap, I'm not sure what he's talking about, to me it feels as solid as anything festool makes out of plastic. Fein put some solid engineering into this machine, I heard that in development they significantly reinforced the bottom half due to the motor being so powerful. In the video the reviewer complains about it being made in Romania, well the earlier model that this one replaced (and he raved about) was made in Italy, I know I own both units. The older unit is a great vac but the new one is significantly better in every aspect. I'll still keep the old one as it work great and it's dedicated to my ts55 cutting table, but new model is more mobile and I'll use it with sanders, routers and jigsaws or any thing that I need more dexterity. Bu at the end of the day I would recommend you check it out in person and compare it head to head with any other vac, personally I've never used a dust extractor that's this powerful but also so small and compact.

Regards
John
 
Those "what's in the box" reviews are often pretty lame. Watching the guy read the box to try to figure out how it goes together is a profound waste of time.
 
I watched this again and each time I watch it I get more pissed off. Anyways he talks about a secondary additional filter for bagless operation (which he really likes the idea of), well that gap is probably for that additional filter (it has another rubber gasket) to provide the seal against the dust leaking out when you use it bagless. Maybe he's got a lemon but it really seems he hasn't thought much of this out. Metal in product are nice when you need it but plastic in most cases is lighter and will generally take more abuse.
 
Thanks for the replies guys.
I too had a round Dustex 40 (Turbo II in the States I believe) before I sold it and got CT26, which is why I'm interested in the new model.

I'm still on the fence for two of these units to place below the miter saw, but I'm wondering what the hose connection port diameter is. More to the point, does a 50mm Festool hose fit like it did the older model?
 
I can't say for sure about the hose, If anything it may be a tad larger than the old opening. The standard 2 1/4 shop vac hose connections fit and I have a nilfisk/mirka hose for my ceros that fits as well. If the 50mm festool hose fit the the old machine it will fit in the new machine for sure though it may be loose if anything.

Regards
John
 
Hi jkuisma,

It's kind of funny that the only place I can find ANY information or discussion/mentions of various Fein products is usually on various Festool forums... I don't really have any Festool gear (a bit too rich and fancy for me  [embarassed]) but I have some of Fein gear (and love all of it) so I joined here for an occasional bits of Fein info and discussion which is hard to get anywhere else (plus, I guess, I have to admit to having a little jones for some of Festool stuff and eventually I might talk myself into graduating into a Festool owner  ;)).

Anyway, many thanks (jkuisma) for sharing your experience with the new Turbo 1! My Turbo 2 is coming into its 10th year and although it works as well as the day I got it (!) I've been looking at getting another (smaller) vac to complement it.  The other thought I'm toying with is building a cyclone canister with a inlet hookup for two vacuums which is another reason why I'm considering the purchase.  Given my stellar experience with my original Turbo 2 (which, at a time replaced a ShopVac which did little other than make my ears bleed and take all the mess from the floor and tools and shoot it up into the air! LOL Never again!), going with another Fein was a no brainer.  But then I, too, stumbled upon the YouTube review (as posted here by jonathan-m) which made me re-think my choice.  I'm glad to hear from you that much of the criticism was unfounded.  I dismissed some of the "review" criticisms right off the bat - such as his complaint about the warning to use only 6A or lower consumption tools in the receptacle! I mean, it's just common sense that with a vacuum that can draw 9A and with most household receptacles being 15A rated, you shouldn't use the on-board receptacle for powering high-draw tools.  I do use my current Turbo 2 with my table saw (which can easily pull very close to 15A on its own!) but I plug the two into two different outlets on different circuits - duh!  No big deal and in no way does it detract from the utility of the power tool receptacle for sanders, palm routers or even full size routers when hand operated.

However, I must admit that some of his criticisms (in particular, his comments about plastic latches and pour fit between the canister and motor) have rattled my conviction somewhat and started me looking at alternatives too.  Up here in Canada, getting Fein tool almost always means buying it online, sight-unseen and returning stuff (especially big stuff like this) is always a royal PITA - so, whenever I get something from an online source, I like to make sure that it is either a "sure thing" or small/inexpensive enough where I can just toss it and not worry about it...  I thought anything Fein falls into the first category but now I'd like to see it for myself before ordering.  I gather from your posts that you're also in Canada?  If you don't mind me asking - where did you get your unit?

Even if majority of the review was crap and noise, one good thing is that it made me look around for alternatives.  10 years ago, I researched all the possible alternatives and Fein was a clear choice (with Festool the only possible alternative).  A little bit of looking around, shows me that nowadays things are quite a bit more competitive in this segment of quiet and powerful shop-vacs (or dust extractors as we are supposed to call them LOL).  In fact, I was shocked to learn that Fein is no longer the quietest unit around (Makita claims 59db for their 446L!) though, as far as I can see, nobody tops the 150CFM/98"pull combo of Fein (though some do come pretty close).  One feature I've seen on some of the other units is the "flow reversal" for cleaning the filter which seems like a nice option to have (if it does anything, that is).  Do you know if the latest Fein units have that ability?

Anyway, after this long preamble, these are the other units I've identified as worth looking into:

http://makita.ca/index2.php?event=tool&id=950&catid=3
http://en.stihl.ca/STIHL-Products/Pressure-washers-and-vacuums/Wet/Dry-vacuums/21388-330/SE-122.aspx
http://karcher.ca/ViewCategories.aspx?Pid=632&frm=FloorCareQuote

Some of them don't have the on-board tool receptacle but I don't mind (mainly because I still have my Turbo 2 for that) though, in general, I do think it's an important feature.  I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with any of those?  I'm still most likely to go with Fein Turbo 1 (since, Turbo 2 has kept me quite happy for 10 years now) but will make a point of seeing one in real life and decide whether the fit between the components and "plasticity" of it is any cause for concern.

Thanks again for sharing your experience jkuisma (if you have any further thoughts on the unit - please post or PM me).

Marko

 
Marko

I bought mine at Atlas Machinery in downtown Toronto, I'm not sure why they are not on their website, but they have them, if your in the GTA call ahead just to make sure they one in stock before you go. I support seeing it in person 100%, it's a rotten video and makes the vac look horrible. The new fein does not have an reverse flow or auto clean feature. The Makita and the Stihl vaccums are rebranded nilfisk vacuums and are probably pretty good, the Karcher looks like it has a sys dock on top!!! I've never seen that one and now I'm interested!
 
@jonathan-m - Thanks for that link!  Definitely another one for consideration. Canadian Amazon has it for $545 which is more than Fein but "in the ballpark" (apparently down from the ludicrous MSRP for $1,210 LOL).  What impressed me at first glance in the link you sent me is that it seemed to be the first vac (sorry - I just can't bring myself to call them "dust extractors" LOL) that seemed to have better suction specs then Fein!  74 l/s would make it 157 CFM to Fein's 151 CFM and 254 mbar of pressure to Fein's 245 mbar.

Then I realized that the link you sent is for the UK model so the specs don't necessarily apply (as the 220V models often have better performance).  I found that out looking at the Stihl's specs where their UK site for the SE 122 had their specs as 131 CFM (when converted) and 250 mbar which was quite respectable but the US website (presumably for a 110V model) dropped that down to 113 CFM and 23o mbar (which is considerably lower than Fein). Canadian Stihl website didn't show any such specs for some strange reason.

I think the equivalent North American model of Bosch vac is:

http://www.boschtools.com/Products/Tools/Pages/BoschProductDetail.aspx?pid=VAC090A#specs

And, of course, those specs for a 120V unit are lower than the UK model - but not by much - as they are virtually identical to Fein specs (assuming that, in practice difference between 150 and 151 CFM or 245 and 242 mbar are indistinguishable LOL).  In fact, I would be not at all surprised if that was a Fein vac engine on it (?). The only thing that bugs me about the Bosch specs is that I can't find their noise specs anywhere (if they WERE using a Fein engine, I imagine this would not be an issue but I don't know if that's the case).  Quiet operation is a big feature for me which is why Makita looked appealing though at 113 CFM and no flat top (which is another thing I think would be a good feature) it's not in the running...

@jkuisma - Yes, I'm in GTA (Mississauga) and Atlas was the first website I checked and was surprised that they are only showing old models.  I figured that meant they are no longer carrying Fein vacuums and they are just unloading the old inventory but I'm glad to know that that's not the case.  Fein corporate offices are nearby in Mississauga too so I figured I'd just knock on the door and say "hey, can you show me this vacuum please?" LOL...  I can't remember exactly where they are any more but remember going there once to pick something up I bought at a dealer (so as not to have to wait 4 days for them to deliver it to the dealer and come back to pick it up from them).  I vaguely remember them having some of their products in the "showroom"...

As far as Karcher - yes, I am also intrigued by it.  One thing I especially like about it is the fact that the vac detaches itself from the wheel/handle base - which I think is clever and could be useful...  Noise-wise it is also comparable to Fein (66db for Fein vs 68db for Karcher).  Suction wise it is a bit behind at 129 CFM and 72" waterlift (I reckon that would be 180 mbar) - but still better than my current Fein.  What turns me off is the lack of tool receptacle (though that's not necessarily a deal breaker - since, as I said, I still have my old Fein vacuum for that - but I would like to have one anyway) and, I guess, the fact that my past experience with Karcher electric (consumer-level) equipment has been, how shall I put it, less than stellar...  I have their gas pressure washer which is working quite well so far (though I haven't put it through a lot of strain either) but several of their electric pressure washers I owned have been "disposable equipment" by and large.  So, although, they are certainly capable of making a good, lasting product (otherwise, I don't think they'd be able to sell commercial equipment), I am not sure that the same level of engineering and quality is there in their consumer devices (though, I could be wrong about non-pressure-washer products - as I've never had anything other than pressure washers from them). Still, looking at that all plastic base and long (plastic) handle - it seems it would be just a matter of time before they are history.  There's a Karcher shop out in west end of Mississauga and I might swing by to see if they have one on display.  Based on previous experience, Fein product I MIGHT be willing to purchase without seeing first (though I'd prefer to see it, of course) but a Karcher (electric) product - I would definitely need to see and touch before parting with money...

Many of these including Karcher, Makita, Bosch - feature things they call "pulse", "semi-automatic" or "automatic" filter cleaning - and as far as I can see Fein (even newest models) have nothing like that...  Has anyone used any vac with some kind of filter cleaning built into it?  In theory, something that will be of at least SOME assistance in cleaning off the gunky, disgusting filter full of sanding dust before I take it out for full cleaning is DEFINITELY a welcome thing (surprised Fein hadn't done at least something about that) - but I was wondering if any of it REALLY works or is it all just a "marketing feature"?  Any experiences?

Guess, Fein is still at the top of the pile but now I'm seriously leaning towards at least checking out some of the other units...

Marko
 
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