Sander/Dust Extractor advice

[Ian Albinson]

Hi folks,

New here, and looking for advice on my first bit of Festool kit.

Lee Valley currently has both new and previous version CT MIDIs, and I was curious about the differences. I can't seem to find details on what those might be.

The same goes for the ETS 125 REQ. The model pictured on LV's page seems to be without the speed dial?

Lastly, is the CT MIDI + ETS 125 REQ a good combo for finishing work in a soon to be small shop I'm building with my Dad, or should I be looking at a CT 26 for a sander, plunge saw, router etc.?

Thanks!

 

[Mario Turcot]

Welcome to the FOG  [welcome]

New and old CT-Midi: The new comes with three upgrade/changes;
1) The new/more flexible hose. A big upgrade if you are used to the old one.
2) The CT Garage accept the T-Loc instead of the old attachments and seems to be more robust.
3) The CT cord is easier to pull out

Short video

ETS 125 REQ: Last year I opted for the ETS EC 125 because the motor is brushless and it fit better in my hand.

CT-Midi or CT-26: Again I opted for the CT-26. Keep in mind that the CT-Midi cannot accept the new bluetooth device. However the Ct-Midi will works just fine with your sander and any other tools.

 

[Ian Albinson]

Awesome, thank you!

 

[RKA]

One more case for the CT26 is it can accomodate a 36mm hose if you need better dust extraction for a miter saw, router or even the track saw.  And you can still stack systainers on the CT26.  With the Midi, the 32 to27mm hose connects at the top with a right angle connector.  The 36mm hoses don't have a right angle connector, so if you were to use a 36mm hose, you would need to clear the systainers off the top of the Midi for hose accessibility. 

But, the CT26 does need that clearance in front of the unit where the hose connects, where the Midi does not.  So when you talk about small spaces, it depends on what you mean by small (we have members that work in their living rooms and sheds). 

 

[LooseSox]

The 36mm hoses don't have a right angle connector, so if you were to use a 36mm hose, you would need to clear the systainers off the top of the Midi for hose accessibility.

https://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=AHA000004 will solve that issue

 

[chrisrosenb]

One more case for the CT26 is it can accomodate a 36mm hose if you need better dust extraction for a miter saw, router or even the track saw.  And you can still stack systainers on the CT26.  With the Midi, the 32 to27mm hose connects at the top with a right angle connector.  The 36mm hoses don't have a right angle connector, so if you were to use a 36mm hose, you would need to clear the systainers off the top of the Midi for hose accessibility.

A 36mm hose works just fine on a CT MINI & MIDI without any adapters or limiting the use of systainers on top.

 

[nickao]

I have to say I just hate my Midi and Mini, I am lucky enough to own every size Festool makes from CT Sys to CT 48 and everything in between.

I hate the way the hose come off the top of the smaller units. Yes, I use them to collect dust from tools,  but when I  want do some quick cleaning forget it, they are useless. It's a horrible design, If I can't pull.the hose and get the machine to roll around easily then it useless to me for clean up. And yeah I know the hoses snake out the front, but it's not the same. It just problematic the way the hose connects at the top instead of the front for a couple reasons.  It aggravated me so much last night I thought about tossing my mini  across the room.

Festool should just make the midi and mini sizes identical to the larger units, just smaller, they would be a whole lot better.

So in short if you are only going to have one it has to be a CT 26, me, I love my CT 48's. Because I don't go anywhere I really don't see the point of anything smaller except for clean up and it's a shame the smaller units drive me crazy when using them for that purpose.

 

[RKA]

A 36mm hose works just fine on a CT MINI & MIDI without any adapters or limiting the use of systainers on top.

I stand corrected!  My 4 year old mini barely allows the 27mm through the slot in the hose garage.

 

[Ian Albinson]

Thank you, folks! You've given me some good stuff to consider.

 

[sancho57]

Find a good used CT 22. I have a 22 and a 26 and I really like my 22. It seems to have a stronger suction at least to me it does.