Which Vacuum

[stevieob]

Not sure if I will even get a vacuum, but if I do, which one??  Forgive me here but I know nothing of Festool vacuums, so advice is much appreciated.

I am new to Festool, have a Router, Plunge Saw both with table set up and a Jigsaw.  I actually have a double hose!

My use is quite small as I am only using it for a few DIY jobs at the moment (of which most of the cutting has already been done) then it will probably sit around till the next job comes along..... next year probably!

So because of my light use I was contemplating the cheapest Vacuum, but I don't know Can systainers sit on top of this though?  is it tiny?  Would I be constantly changing the bag?  Is it really any good or is the next one up really worth all the extra money?

https://www.festool.ie/Products/Pages/Product-Detail.aspx?pid=768472&name=Mobile-dust-extractor-CLEANTEC-CT-17-E-GB

Last week I just stuck on the house Miele vacuum and it did a pretty decent job.  I have heard though I shouldn't use a normal vacuum, the sawdust etc will ruin it.

 

[jonny round boy]

I would not recommend the new CT17 in your instance. It's a jobsite vacuum cleaner rather than a proper dust extractor. Good for clean-up, but not recommended for much else. I haven't checked the specs in detail, but I'm guessing the CT17 has a lower level of filtration.

Also as you mentioned, you can't stack systainers on top of it.

If it's for very light/occasional use, the Mini or Midi would be fine. The mini is around £75 more than the 17, the midi about £90 more. They both come with the anti-static hose, which the 17 doesn't.

If you want to keep costs down, and aren't in any rush, you may well be able to pick a mini or midi up second-hand from ebay or similar. I've just done a quick search on ebay for 'Festool mini' and 'completed items', and they've gone for between £135 and £225 depending on condition, how well they're listed, etc., with the average being around £160. Bear in mind that these will be the slightly older version without the T-Loc top.

 

[wow]

The motor/suction on all the Festool Dust Extractors is identical, so you only need to worry about the size of the bin. Get whatever fits your space and needs.

The exception to my comment is the CT36AC which is intended for use collecting drywall dust with the Planex drywall sander.

 

[Michael Kellough]

The motor/suction on all the Festool Dust Extractors is identical, so you only need to worry about the size of the bin. Get whatever fits your space and needs.

The exception to my comment is the CT36AC which is intended for use collecting drywall dust with the Planex drywall sander.

The motors may have the same specs but the net air-flow is less on the Mini and Midi because of the right-angle fitting between the hose and the vac.

With a 36mm hose the Mini/Midi will outperform a stock larger FesVac, partly because there are no right angle fittings for the large hose.

 

[waho6o9]

Get the biggest vacuum you can afford and may

I suggest you get a dust deputy to save on bag

changes.

 

[shed9]

Is it really any good or is the next one up really worth all the extra money?

The difference in cost and what you get for your cash, I'd be swaying towards the midi at least.

Last week I just stuck on the house Miele vacuum and it did a pretty decent job.  I have heard though I shouldn't use a normal vacuum, the sawdust etc will ruin it.

There is often little difference in the design of home and shop vacs - look at the henry hoover line. You owe it to yourself though to ensure that you are not just removing the general waste from your jobs but the fine dust as well - this is where the CT's have the advantage.

 

[carlb40]

While it might not be relevant to your case as such. I work out of a car ( site chippie) so my choice was down to size. I was debating between the mini/midi and went with the midi in the end as there is only about 15 quid difference.

It is surprising how much difference a good extractor makes. Before i was covered with dust etc and now i'm not. It actually spoils you during use with how much the midi collects. About 3 months back i was cutting a load of osb sheets with the TS55/midi and could breathe. 10 minutes later another chippie was doing the same about 10mtrs from with his cordless saw and i could taste the dust from his cutting.

I know you can get various dust masks / respirators etc, but how many times do you leave it off for just one little cut or take it off straight after cutting loads of timber and breathe the dust in anyway?

So i would suggest a midi as a minimum but if stationary get the biggest you can afford, your lungs will thank you.  [smile]

 

[fin]

i went for the midi when i got my ts55 a little while ago. i use it with everything now. so much better not being covered in dust and breathing it all in.

 

[Wenyce]

I'd choose the mini, not much difference between it and the midi and u get a anti-static hose, I wouldn't recommend the ultimate dust deputy but I would recommend a dust deputy as mentioned above if ur going to use the vac for more then just projects. I bought a mini sometime ago with the bag about 3/4 full and it took be about 5 projects to fill up the rest. The bags last a decent amount for an infrequent DIYer.

 

[RKA]

Your Miele will be fine, don't worry about killing it. They use high quality bags just like Festool as as well as Hepa filters. It's not ideal though. The bags in your typical house vac are very small and the hose diameter is small as well. So using it with the router for example may shed light on those deficiencies.

In your situation I would probably opt for the midi. A little more capacity than the mini bit still almost as small an portable. If you really don't care about the extra capacity when using the router, the mini will be perfectly fine with all the other tools.

 

[rljatl]

I'd choose the mini, not much difference between it and the midi and u get a anti-static hose, I wouldn't recommend the ultimate dust deputy but I would recommend a dust deputy as mentioned above if ur going to use the vac for more then just projects. I bought a mini sometime ago with the bag about 3/4 full and it took be about 5 projects to fill up the rest. The bags last a decent amount for an infrequent DIYer.

What don't you like about the Ultimate Dust Deputy?

Also, can the UDD be used with the boom arm?

 

[grbmds]

Given your use, I would agree smaller is better. I also would not bother with the Dust Deputy to staft given your frequency For your use, though, I wouldn't really see that a Dust Deputy is worth the cost. If you begin to use it more and the bags fill up quickly, then that might be something to investigate. I am not a fan of the Dust Deputy on any size Festool vac. If you think that, in the futuer, you might use it more heavily for woodworking with tools that will produce more sawdust and chips, then a larger one, like CT 26, might be a better investment. One final consideration . . .if you move it around the house or up and down stairs, then smaller might also be better. Just examine all your uses and decide based on that.

 

[Wenyce]

What don't you like about the Ultimate Dust Deputy?

Also, can the UDD be used with the boom arm?

It's not that I don't like it, I just find it overkill for the frequency the poster is wood working. The UDD cost about $250 or so but a box of bags from festool could be had for $27/$32, at his frequency it'll take him like 7 years to justify buying a UDD, just to break even, lol

 

[Worm Drive]

The motor/suction on all the Festool Dust Extractors is identical, so you only need to worry about the size of the bin. Get whatever fits your space and needs.

The exception to my comment is the CT36AC which is intended for use collecting drywall dust with the Planex drywall sander.

The 36AC also works well with a dust bag, for wood dust. Remember to turn off the auto clean.

 

[Wenyce]

I forgot to mention that festal reconditioned tool sale is going on, I don't know if your in the states or not, but you can have a mini for $ 348 or a midi for $388

 

[Pyotr]

I would not recommend the new CT17 in your instance. It's a jobsite vacuum cleaner rather than a proper dust extractor. Good for clean-up, but not recommended for much else. I haven't checked the specs in detail, but I'm guessing the CT17 has a lower level of filtration.

Care to elaborate? I own a Protool VCP 171 which is, barring the color, the same thing as the Festool CT 17. And it works brilliantly with my Festools, from the OF1010 and TS55 down to the RTS400. Its 17 liter filterbag is 33% bigger than the CTL-MIDI and for hobby use seems to last forever  [smile] Festool doesn't specify the filtration, but the VCP 171 came with a big "class L" sticker on it (same as all the CTL machines)

But no, you can't mount a systainer on top, and hanging the hose on the rear when you're done is not as tidy as using the hose  holder on the MIDI.

 

[shed9]

Care to elaborate? I own a Protool VCP 171 which is, barring the color, the same thing as the Festool CT 17. And it works brilliantly with my Festools, from the OF1010 and TS55 down to the RTS400. Its 17 liter filterbag is 33% bigger than the CTL-MIDI and for hobby use seems to last forever  [smile] Festool doesn't specify the filtration, but the VCP 171 came with a big "class L" sticker on it (same as all the CTL machines)

But no, you can't mount a systainer on top, and hanging the hose on the rear when you're done is not as tidy as using the hose  holder on the MIDI.

The thing that puts me off the CT 17 is the quality of the hose comparative to the usual Festool hoses supplied with the CTL's. The CT 17 is not classed as an L-type machine in the Festool line up although what real world difference this makes I have no idea.

Also as I understand it from the Festool marketing, I would put the CT 17 as a clean up vac as well.

 

[paulhuse]

Given your use, I would agree smaller is better. I also would not bother with the Dust Deputy to staft given your frequency For your use, though, I wouldn't really see that a Dust Deputy is worth the cost. If you begin to use it more and the bags fill up quickly, then that might be something to investigate. I am not a fan of the Dust Deputy on any size Festool vac. If you think that, in the futuer, you might use it more heavily for woodworking with tools that will produce more sawdust and chips, then a larger one, like CT 26, might be a better investment. One final consideration . . .if you move it around the house or up and down stairs, then smaller might also be better. Just examine all your uses and decide based on that.

For contrast, I'm a weekend warrior with some limited weekday-evening work. I have a DD in front of my MIDI and easily go through 5 gallons of sawdust each week. If I'm using my planer then I could triple that. Keep your tools in mind—planers and routers generate a lot of wood, sanding maybe second to those two. Tool type + frequency is a good measure to determine need.

BTW, I love my DD but I purchased it before I was bit with the Festool-bug. I'm looking to justify a UDD since I already have the standard DD on a 5 gal bucket.

 

[semenza]

Welcome to the forum, Paul.  [smile]

  Thanks for the input.  You must be doing quite a bit to generate 5 gallons per week. Is that mostly from the planer? I have also found that The Panther blade generates larger  pieces that will fill a bag quickly.

Seth

 

[grbmds]

Given your use, I would agree smaller is better. I also would not bother with the Dust Deputy to staft given your frequency For your use, though, I wouldn't really see that a Dust Deputy is worth the cost. If you begin to use it more and the bags fill up quickly, then that might be something to investigate. I am not a fan of the Dust Deputy on any size Festool vac. If you think that, in the futuer, you might use it more heavily for woodworking with tools that will produce more sawdust and chips, then a larger one, like CT 26, might be a better investment. One final consideration . . .if you move it around the house or up and down stairs, then smaller might also be better. Just examine all your uses and decide based on that.

For contrast, I'm a weekend warrior with some limited weekday-evening work. I have a DD in front of my MIDI and easily go through 5 gallons of sawdust each week. If I'm using my planer then I could triple that. Keep your tools in mind—planers and routers generate a lot of wood, sanding maybe second to those two. Tool type + frequency is a good measure to determine need.

BTW, I love my DD but I purchased it before I was bit with the Festool-bug. I'm looking to justify a UDD since I already have the standard DD on a 5 gal bucket.

Lucky you that you have the kind of weekend and evening time to do that much work in your shop. I wish.