Thanks Michael. Like Ron P and others, I have a lot of products that complement the Festool line very well. And occasionally these other product lines might compete with Festool. The objective of anyone in Sales should be to ensure that the customer gets the right product for his (or her) particular needs.
For example, I've been an Alto/Wap shop vac dealer for many years, having supplied Fine Homebuilding and other magazines (and even our own Christian O) with models for test and evaluation. A few weeks ago I got a referral from Alto of a contractor beginning a massive stone and tile restoration project...Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Station in NY city. Working on scaffolds at 50' above the floor, they are cleaning and replacing (as needed) approx 10,000 Caen stone tiles. With crews working around the clock, they must complete the project by October 2008.
The contractor is using dremel like grinders which need to be coupled to quality dust extractors. The CT33 won out over the Alto Attix 12 RDFD XC as it was a better fit for the customer (I would have made considerably more profit with the Alto sale)....
1. The architects required a Hepa filtration with minimum 90" of water lift and minimum 120cfm air flow. Hepa filtration is standard on CT22 and CT33...it's an additional $110.00 cost with Alto.
2. They required 1" lightweight hoses as they will be tethered to grinders and stone cutting tools for hours on end....most Alto machines come standard with 1 1/2" hoses.
3. Vacuum/extractor must be lightweight with a small stable footprint as the machines will be used on scaffolding 40-50' in the air...CT33 was a better fit than Attix 12 or Attix 19.
4. Festool has a longer and heavier gauge power cord....minimal loss through extension cords while working on scaffolds.
5. Contractor did not need all the floor tools and extension tubes that come with the Alto machines.
There are now 4 CT33's working around the clock on this project. If they make it to through October without a problem, this will be a great testimony to what a solid workhorse this vacuum is. If not, I know Festool be there for me and the customer for quick service and minimal downtime.
