Question about Boom Arm

[ear3]

I was contemplating getting the Boom Arm set, and I have some questions:

First about hose length.  Is it better to get the longer 5m hose with the boom arm, since so much of it is tied up on the arm?  Or is there still enough slack for tool movement with the 3.5m?  If you do use the 5m, can you easily adjust the slack, feeding more back up into the arm (or vice versa), depending upon how much the tool will be moving around?

Second, can it be modified to accommodate two hoses, so if I wanted to switch back and forth between the 27 and the 36 when sanding and cutting?  If not, how quickly can I switch out the hose?

Third, I saw a post on the FOG from someone who, at 6'4", complained that his height made the Boom Arm work not as well as he hoped (something about hose getting in his face).  I have one inch on him -- 6'5" -- and so I'm wondering if any other tall people have had problems with the Boom Arm like this person described?

Finally, does anyone regret having purchased it, or think it wasn't worth the money?

 

[GarryMartin]

The 3.5M is fine.

The boom arm ships with a length of 50mm hose that connects from your extractor to your existing 3.5M hose. You can see it in the photo in this thread http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/3-5-m-or-5m-for-a-boom-arm/

 

[ear3]

The 3.5M is fine.

The boom arm ships with a length of 50mm hose that connects from your extractor to your existing 3.5M hose. You can see it in the photo in this thread http://festoolownersgroup.com/festool-tools-accessories/3-5-m-or-5m-for-a-boom-arm/

Thanks Garry.  That thread answers most of my questions.

 

[Sparktrician]

The one suggestion I'd offer is to match the power cord length to the hose length.  As others have mentioned, 3.5m is fine for most things, and that matches most power cords.  If you go to a longer hose, you're going to have a problem finding longer power cords and will have to cobble something up.  Not saying it won't work; just be aware of the issue. 

 

[rljatl]

I was contemplating getting the Boom Arm set, and I have some questions:

First about hose length.  Is it better to get the longer 5m hose with the boom arm, since so much of it is tied up on the arm?  Or is there still enough slack for tool movement with the 3.5m?  [RLJ-Atl] Stick with the 3.5m.  Any longer and I think you would be defeating the purpose of the boom arm.  If you do use the 5m, can you easily adjust the slack, feeding more back up into the arm (or vice versa), depending upon how much the tool will be moving around?  [RLJ-Atl]  No, you cannot easily adjust the slack in the hoses.  The boom arm holds the hose tightly. 

Second, can it be modified to accommodate two hoses, so if I wanted to switch back and forth between the 27 and the 36 when sanding and cutting?  If not, how quickly can I switch out the hose?  [RLJ-Atl]  Yes, some people have two hoses rigged up, but the boom arm is not designed for it.  You cannot easily switch out the hoses.  Alternately,  some on-line retailers offer a short length of 27mm hose that adapts the 36mm hose for use with the sanders and some other tools.  I use this approach and it works well.

Third, I saw a post on the FOG from someone who, at 6'4", complained that his height made the Boom Arm work not as well as he hoped (something about hose getting in his face).  I have one inch on him -- 6'5" -- and so I'm wondering if any other tall people have had problems with the Boom Arm like this person described?  [RLJ-Atl] At 6'3" the boom arm works fine for me.  However, It may cause a problem for someone your height.  If your ceiling height allows, you could probably add another section of pipe to raise it.

Finally, does anyone regret having purchased it, or think it wasn't worth the money?
  [RLJ-Atl]  No regrets.  It was worth the money to me.

You got most of your questions answered already, but thought I would chime in.  For reference, I am 6'3".

 

[ear3]

You got most of your questions answered already, but thought I would chime in.  For reference, I am 6'3".

Thanks for all the clarifications.

 

[grbmds]

I have not regretted buying the boom arm. However I do find that sometimes it actually gets in the way.  I have the 36 mm hose mounted on it. I find the dust collection is better for the TS55, routing, and the Domino but hard to use the larger hose with sanders. I think the boom arm is best for routing and sawing .

 

[rljatl]

I just took a closer look at the boom arm.  There is short 12" to 15" piece of pipe at the high end of the arm.  This end part of the arm is actually more horizontal than vertical and is the part likely to hit you in the head or otherwise bother someone your height.

It looks like you could remove this ~15" piece and use the boom arm without it.  The shortened arm would not be as likely to hit you in the face or head and would even give you a little more loose hose to work with.  I don't know if this would solve the problem, but looks like it would help.  I might even try it. 

 

[sancho57]

I have a boom arm on my CT26. They are a nice bit of kit. There are somethings you should be aware of. Is it the end all in hose management? No , You'll still have some issues with hose management. It does make it a tad more time consuming when emptying bags. You still have to use a 27 mm hose when working with sanders, dominos, 1010 router etc.

I suggest getting a Y connector. It has a cap to seal off one of the Y legs when not in use. Also you can get some bast gates and use them to save you time from connecting and reconnecting the hoses.

I also have a plug adapter so I can plug other /multiple plug cords into. You'll find hose management and plug management still sort of a issue, but there are work arounds

Another issue is it will tip over, thus the arms/ stabilizers that come with the Boom arm. These will slow down moving the  extractor around. Not much of one, but its still another step.

But other then those little issues You will like having one.

 

[grbmds]

I have a boom arm on my CT26. They are a nice bit of kit. There are somethings you should be aware of. Is it the end all in hose management? No , You'll still have some issues with hose management. It does make it a tad more time consuming when emptying bags. You still have to use a 27 mm hose when working with sanders, dominos, 1010 router etc.

I suggest getting a Y connector. It has a cap to seal off one of the Y legs when not in use. Also you can get some bast gates and use them to save you time from connecting and reconnecting the hoses.

I also have a plug adapter so I can plug other /multiple plug cords into. You'll find hose management and plug management still sort of a issue, but there are work arounds

Another issue is it will tip over, thus the arms/ stabilizers that come with the Boom arm. These will slow down moving the  extractor around. Not much of one, but its still another step.

But other then those little issues You will like having one.

I haven't found it that complicated. I bought an adapter for the 36 mm hose that narrows it t a 27 mm connection for those tools that it's easier to connect the smaller end. I have also purchased a short secton of 27 mm hose that will fit into the 36 mm and, while I haven't used it that much yet, it does seem to solve those problems where a 27 is a better choice for the hose.

 

[sancho57]

I have a adapter to, I made a 2ft long adapter and plug it into the end of the 37mm hose. I use that mostly on my CT 22 works good as long as it dont fall off.