Are Festool extractors better?

[Seve88]

Sorry if I have missed anything already posted. A search and read of the guide to dust extraction didn't answer or went above my head.

I bought one of these a couple of years ago for £160.00. MIGHTY - 21L M-Class 240v Industrial Dust Extraction Vacuum Cleaner

Pretty happy with it for the price. It seems to have as much suction as a Festool Midi or CT36 and is rated as M class.

In terms of just capturing dust (ignoring practical features such as Bluetooth etc) would there really be any difference between it and the Festool?

 

[Spectric]

Just compare CFM and efficiency, I use a 50 litre SIP extractor which works well with smaller power tools and it must work because the bin has to be emptied quiet regular. If doing sanding or working with MDF I will also wear a mask as you always get dust with wood.

 

[Doug B]

whilst in use the festool has a cleaning cycle which cleans the filter so whilst other vacs may have the same suction the cleaning cycle helps maintain that suction.

 

[Doug71]

In extractors I have had 2 Trend, 1 Fein and 3 Festool.

I couldn't really tell the difference between any of them when it comes to sucking up sawdust but both Trend and the Fein burnt out with not that much use. All the Festool ones are still going strong after many years of hard work.

My first Festool vac was a used CT26 off ebay, looked in a right state. covered in dust and paint, bits broken and parts missing, looked like it had a tough life., I put in a cheeky bid and won it (looked so bad I don't think anyone else bid on it). When I picked it up it came with free dust and shavings in and they had been using it without a bag. I brought it home, cleaned it up, fitted a new filter and dust bag and put it to work. That was nearly ten years ago, it gets used daily and hasn't missed a beat. This experience convinced me Festool extractors are worth the money which is why I have stuck with them when I needed more extractors.

The difference between the V-Tuf and the Festool might be how long they last but at £160 the V-Tuf is about a quarter of the price of the equivalent Festool so nothing to lose really if you just want an M class to suck up dust!

 

[DBC]

Unlike Doug above I have had a good experience with a Trend extractor so there might be an element of luck involved in buying these. I bought my little ’Trend Routing Technologies’ extractor - which I attached to a cyclone - about 10 years and it gets very heavy use. It probably ran for about 2 1/2 hours today alone attached to a Domino and a dropsaw. It was also several years old when I got if off ebay for £80 way back when. This has been one of the best value for money machines in the workshop. Maybe this company has gone downhill in the meantime.

I also have a really old 3hp double bag axminster extractor and a new 2hp SIP single bag extractor. The only extractor I’ve ever had that was a real dud was this R2D2 looking thing from Rutlands which probably lasted about 50 hours of work then died.

 

[Steve_Scott]

Festool dust extractors are good, but I’d say nothing special in terms of how much they suck. However, they have very good filtration and like all festool kit, they have neat little features and work superbly with other festool kit. The warranty is amazing too should you ever need it.

With that in mind, I’d highly recommend them if you are already invested in Festool kit but there is a premium to pay for green and grey so it’s hard to justify the cost if you plan on connecting it to machines with poor collection at their end.