Reusing Festool Vac bags

[aldrichf]

Has anyone tried to reuse the standard Festool vacuum bags? I have a CT 26 and the prices for the replacement bags and the long life filter bags is obscene in the extreme! My thought was to cut the back of the bag and roll it up with a dowel and secure it with several binder clips.

 

[duc996]

Has anyone tried to reuse the standard Festool vacuum bags? I have a CT 26 and the prices for the replacement bags and the long life filter bags is obscene in the extreme! My thought was to cut the back of the bag and roll it up with a dowel and secure it with several binder clips.

There is an alternative brand called Powertec. Their filter bags works great.

 

[six-point socket II]

It would completely defy the reason behind using the filter bags in first place. You won't be able to clean out the "pores" anyway, at least not without making an incredible mess/ wearing appropriate PPA.

Calculate: Time, PPA, main filter cleaning, less runtime with each "re-use". ... And if for any reason that user-sealed bag pops open, the clean up will be time consuming as well.

Not worth it at all.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[AlexThePalex]

In the past I had a longlife bag, the re-useable version. I found out emptying them was yuck to the ultimate power.

Don't do it.

 

[Cochese]

I emptied out a bag a couple times back through the intake port. A bit of a pain, but works in a pinch.

 

[Doug S]

I have reused them a few times, normally when I suddenly realise I have run out of spares.

If you hold it in a bin liner you can do it without making much mess. It does depend what you have been doing though, if its just sawdust from say a tracksaw it's fine but if you have been hoovering up the workshop floor and have some big curly shavings mixed with fine dust it's not an easy job.

 

[morts10n]

Ive emptied my current unaltered midi bag about 25 times now....usually outside.

 

[aloysius]

I've had good results with both Longlife bags &/or an Oneida Ultimate Dust Deputy cyclone.  Both are (relatively) expensive, yet both will save you heaps in the long run.

Nevertheless, it's probably best to use them in an either/or capacity rather than in tandem, as the fine dust residues allowed past the DD will eventually clog the pores of any vac bags.  This means the Longlife bags will require occasional machine washing with a tennis shoe as required to ensure long-term efficiency & efficacy.

With a DD inline, dependent of course on your own personal type, intensity & duration of use, you'll find that disposable bag exchange becomes something like an annual event only.

 

[Sourwould]

You can probably get a bag with a zipper sewn onto it from the UK. I can get them for my midi.

 

[CeeJay]

I realised I had bought mk1 Midi replacement bags instead of mk2 a few weeks ago when I went to change bags.

So I emptied the old bag out through the intake port, outside, wearing a mask. Took about 5 mins. What a mess!

Now got the right bags for next time.

The bags are about $13 each. I don’t find that outrageous however I  am only changing every couple of months.  If it was once a week I’d likely feel differently.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RKA]

As was mentioned above, the bag itself is a filter.  It cakes up and can restrict airflow as it fills and the pores in the bag clog.  I see some of that fine stuff make its way past the bag and coat the inside of the bucket (and I only use my bags once and toss them).  And what gets past the filters ends up in the hepa filters.  My suggestion is to use an inline separator to remove the bulk of the debris, but realize you’ll need to replace that bag periodically even if it’s not full.  It will accumulate the fine stuff that clogs the bag.

 

[DeformedTree]

Depends, if you have been sucking fine dust and that sort of thing, replace it.  If you just stuffed it full of big chips from a router and similar, shake the big bulk out the inlet and carry on.

 

[AstroKeith]

You can probably get a bag with a zipper sewn onto it from the UK. I can get them for my midi.

I bought one of these (in the UK). Being a nerd I looked closely at it and was concerned that at the zipper ends there are gaps, about a square mm or so in area. Not a fault really but standard zips are just like this. It is also just a standard disposable bag modified.
My CTL is still quite new and clean inside. I installed the reusable bag and carried on. When it came to emptying it I noticed the inside of the CTL was noticeably dusty, and the filter too. Plus now the pores in the bag must be getting clogged?
A false economy I have decided. A disposable bag costs £4, which put alongside the cost of timber, fixings, finishing products, brushes, blade wear, power, heating, etc, is OK I think. A full day's work in the winter in my workshop costs about £5 in power alone.

 

[HiCal]

I use mine for work so the bags are just charged to the job but for hobbyist use it can get expensive. I have tried using cheaper alternatives from ebay and have not had good luck. Poor quality, bags bursting before even full. I will look at the Powertec bags. Thanks for the tip duc996. 

 

[egmiii]

If the vac is mostly stationary, get a Clearvue CV-Mini cyclone. Works so well, I bought three. Haven't replaced a bag since.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Roger that on the cyclone. I have bought a cheap one for 30 euros, made my own reservoir, and it works just as good as the more expensive cyclones. A cyclone really takes a lot of the dust you suck up. Most of it.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Since I never use my CT for "cleanup", the bags last a very long time. I keep an inexpensive Ridgid shop vac for "cleanup" type duties. The only tools that appreciably fill the bag quicker are my Domino XL and the OF1400...most of the hours on the CT is for sanding.