Why Spend $700 On A Festool CT Dust Extractor?

[SS Teach]

I have had a CT 36 for a little over 3 years. As Brent and others have said the ability to mitigate the suction for sanding is a must. The automatic on off is great. It is quieter then many shop vacs. Most importantly when I refinished my bathroom cabinets I did not have to empty the cabinets when I sanded the 30 year old finish down to bare wood. Using Festool sanders, papers, and CT, the dust collection was that good. Even my wife was impressed. Is a CT expensive, yes. Festools cost more. But then you use them and wonder why it took you so long to pull the plug. One more thing, it's not really a good thing to see the air you breath. Good luck in deciding. 

 

[junk731]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the boom arm, handle and WCR 1000 work center, shop accessories no other company makes and they make life so much easier in the shop.

John

 

[Tyler Ernsberger]

My wife steals my midi all the time.  She says when her vacuum for the house fails she wants me to get her one.  She uses it for cleaning the floors and her car.  Looks like I will be getting a turbo suction head and a midi for my wife lol.

We just finish a addition for a clinet and she asked her son to buy her a vacuum like mine.  It was a little werid when I came back in the house and her son was taking pictures of my vacuum.  She said that she watched me use it through out the job and was very impressed with the vacuum.

 

[ScoFF]

Steve, I'm a woodworker too and have the nice big machines on a dust collector and have a shop vac also.  I got the mft, bunch of tools and the festool vac.  I didnt need the vac. I've never needed to adjust the vac down with my sander yet.  I haven't seen the suction thing.  Always full.  The suction is way less cfm than my shop vac. 
My shop vac also has the  later hose needed for the kapex and possibly ts75.
The quiet factor?  Your router and Ts saw and everything else for that matter other than the sander is louder than the shop vac.

The only thing I see is the auto on/off feature. If you have money to blow sure.
And the mft...I wrk out f my shop only and use my nice Roubo workbench.  I'm trying to find used for the Mft but it's losing and taking up space.   

 

[Stephen B]

Why?
Because they last. 12 year old CT22 in the Untidy Shop, also regularly visits a house we are renovating.

MIDI? Even quieter. However like Tyler I seldom see it. Ms Untidy uses it domestically, although I use it if working in the house.



[member=40343]Tyler Ernsberger[/member]

 

[thedude306]

It' s a luxury.  A nice luxury, but as ScoFF stated you can do without.  And the noise is a non issue as you should be wearing muffs with most things in the shop.  My domino screams louder then my shop vac.  And you can get a $50 ivac switch to have tool control. 

Suction is suction.

I do have a fancy HEPA bosch vac and I like it.  It was a luxury too.  One thing that guys don't mention is the systainer integration.  I LOVE the ability to have an L-boxx or two on top.  I assume it's the same with the festool vacs and systainers? 

I have all three.  Shop vac, big DC and a fancy vac and I am glad I have all of them, but I would make sure I had the first two before spending on the third...

 

[ScoFF]

They last, maybe maybe not.  3 years down the road you're on the hook for a potentially broken $700 shop vac.  A ridgid I have will suck the pants off ya, I paid $80 and it's 8 years old.  If it dies I'll get a other.  If my festool vac dies (now out if warranty) I won't. 

 

[Kev]

Festool isn't the only expensive brand of vacuum off the market. There are many that are far more expensive. You should buy on features that firstly meet your need, then your desires.

Put a bag on the end of your sander if you really want to save.

People will buy a Festool CT because of its features, compatibility with other Festool gear, reputation and the minimal fuss.

 

[Just F Me]

Like everyone else said...

adjustable suction is great for the tools.  you can store the hose neatly and it's a "rectangle" so no weird odd shapes like a big round bucket like many other shop vacs, and honestly, the NOISE.  For how much power this vac has at such low dB, that in itself is worth the $500+

 

[SoonerFan]

I have had a 36 for almost two years.  Always stays in the shop so size is not an issue.  In fact I love the capacity.  I also have a Midi.  Got one with a router and one with a Kapex to get the discounts.  Not one single reason for me but rather lots of smaller things which have been mentined.....variable suction, sustained integration, noise level, auto on/off, etc. 

Buy one as Shane said and return it if you don't like it. 

 

[Staniam]

I've never had to adjust the suction for any tool, including the RO 125. I love the auto on feature, for me its a game changer. That might seem silly to some on this particular threat but to each their own. I like the outlet that enables the auto on as well as I stick a three gang adapter on it and have regularly ran my TS 55, Bosch router and RO's while just swapping the hose on my MIDI. The integrated systainer tops are super useful as well. I purchased the MFT systainer and it never leaves the MIDI top. Sometimes I use it for cuts/clamping and sometimes it's used as a spot out of the way to set whatever tool I'm using at the time.

Is it a luxury? Sure, but really, any Festool item is. Before I got into Festool I did everything I do today with other brands (from the orange box) but the "system" Festool provides has just enabled me to be quicker, more efficient, cleaner and more precise. Not to mention safer (namely with the TS as opposed to table saw).

And for whoever said the quietness of the CT's doesn't mean anything,  well that's not really entirely true. I've seen and used plenty of Vacs that put the tools to shame when it comes to screaming.

If you're invested in the Festool system already, the CT's simply build onto it and really do enhance your tools. All your tool brands.

 

[DzordanoBruno]

Isnt. I have Nilfisk aero 26-21, really good vacuum - lot of power,  wery well made, cheap  bags vacuum isnt so expensive

BUT!
Loud,
systainers  dont fit on top,
Really nice feeling

Have You money? Buy it.
Have You Domino? Rotex? Buy cheaper  vacuum and than another  tool

 

[peter halle]

My old CT-22 is still going strong after 8 or 9 years.  And it hasn't been pampered.  One thing not mentioned is that although you can use an off the shelf shop vac without suction control for many tasks, and they are often times available with a HEPA filter, the current Festool extractors are HEPA units with all the requirements in place to have achieved certification for the entire units.

Peter

 

[leakyroof]

Get a midi and save. 

The 26 and up are just too big for me anymore.

  What... WHAT.... [eek] [eek]  Okay, explain this.... [huh]  [smile] [smile]

 

[jaguar36]

I have a small shop-vac, and it works great.  Its quieter than the big ones and I've never had an issue with it and the ETS, yet it still pulls enough to clear a Domino or a track saw.  Best of all it was only $30, and I've had it almost 10 years now and it still works flawlessly.

I love most of my Festools, but I just don't get the CTs.

 

[HDClown]

Get a midi and save. 

The 26 and up are just too big for me anymore.

  What... WHAT.... [eek] [eek]  Okay, explain this.... [huh]  [smile] [smile]

He's probably hauling his CT around between locations, where as OP said it will sit in his shop and doesn't need portability. 

As for the cost, a MIDI might save you $175 up front, but over time, it will cost more.  Smaller bags need to be changed more which increases consumable cost.  A CT36 bag is 2.5x capacity of a MIDI bag.  You need to spend $83 on CT MIDI bags to equal the same total capacity as $43 worth of CT36 bags.  We're talking about a lot of bags over time to cover the up front savings, it will happen, and then you're into the "costs more" category.

 

[fshanno]

I wouldn't call a high end woodworking vac a luxury but you don't have to spend $600.

Hepa for your shop vac $30

A router speed control works fine with a Shop Vac $30

Auto Switch $35

Sound muffling box  Muffles sound and provides place to mount switch and speed control.

So - I'm going to round the whole thing up to $200 depending on how much you want to spend on the sound box.  You can have practically the same thing as a high end woodworking vac.

You may like the idea of rigging up your own home made CT36.  It sounds kind of fun to me.  Certainly something you could show off to friends.  I bought a CT33 years ago.  At the time I didn't even have a Shop Vac.

But either way, I think you should have those kinds of features on your vac.

 

[Kritta]

Interesting thread, and answers a question that I have had about the actual and percieved benefits of the Festool vac over other brands with similar features and specs.

In summary, it seems that the CT offers:

• Better looking - not ugly like most other vacs
• Warranty / Parts availability guarantee
• Build quality
• Systainer compatibility

For a price that is at least double that of a Hitachi, DeWalt, Makita, Karcher or similar workshop dust extractor, and at least six times the price of ShopVac or other wet-and-dry vacuum cleaner.

When I bought the track saw it was pretty reasonable to justify the additional 30 per cent for the Festool compared to the Makita. However, another 100 per cent or more for the Festool vac? Very hard to justify that.

 

[mastercabman]

I have a 10 years old ct 22 and it has been a great vac
But I really need a small vac for onsite work
The ct 22 can be difficult to haul up and down stairs or narrow path way
So I looked at the mini but can't believe how much the price went up
I went with the Fein turbo 1
This little vac is perfect
Quite! Very quite! And it has a lots of suction
Mode than the Festool IMO
And for $300.00  you can't beat that
The only thing that I don't care for is how long the vac stays on after a pluged tool is turn off
It's a long 15 seconds but I guess I can get used to

 

[Shane Holland]

Ok, I've gotta say a little more at this point. And this time I'm going to put on my marketing hat.

Some of the benefits of the Festool CT include:

- HEPA filter, but even beyond that... these have been tested to be FULL UNIT HEPA which is more than just marketing BS. It means there's no leakage around the filter. The filter is only as good as the gasket/interface that it's in.

- Variable speed, great for small sanders and it really does make a difference.

- Self cleaning filter bag. Again, not just marketing BS. It allows you to get more in the bag. I have a Shop-Vac too and I have never come even close to filling a bag in the thing. Sure, you can use it without a bag, but that defeats the purpose of collecting the dust/debris.

- Tool-triggered. While it's not a must, it's sure is convenient. If you have to turn the vac on every time you use it, you're less likely to use it. It's that simple.

- Bigger wheels and a lower center of gravity mean that if you move it around, it'll go over cords and thresholds without trouble. With the optional handle, stairs are easy.

- Sysport. The option to use it as a Systainer dolly is smart. Multiple trips to your truck is not smart.

- It's quiet. My Shop-Vac roars. I was young and stupid and didn't realize the importance of hearing protection when I was younger. I will no doubt pay for that mistake as I age.

- Support. It's hard to put a number on it. But when something goes south and you need it, it's invaluable. A three year warranty with free shipping. It's worth a premium.

Is a Shop-Vac a good choice? Yup. What about a Fein or other brand vac? Yes, definitely. How about a Festool CT? Most definitely. A dust pan and broom? Sure. Just let the dust fall where it may? Ok.

All of these are viable solutions. Each person has to decide what's important to them and that translates into value. We buy based on value, not price. Is the price worth the benefits?

We could debate all of the aspects of various solutions but the answer is different for every person. A 30-day money back guarantee is the perfect way to decide if the value is there. That's why I opened with the suggestion to buy it, try it, use the heck out of it for a month and if it doesn't live up to the price tag, return and get your money back. Congrats, you used a very nice dust extractor for free for a month if it doesn't work out.

And, my CT 22 is almost 8 years old and still kicking like it was new. I hope to get many more years out of my newer CT MIDI. And my Shop-Vac.

Edit: Oh yeah... Some really smart guy made a website about all of this. You should check it out... http://hepa.festoolusa.com. [big grin]

Shane