Dust extractor comparison - is the Festool worth the money?

[Jake]

My CT44 has a nicely hidden compartment on the front of the vac, and I suspect Paisawood just hasn't found his yet.

See photos here

http://www.idealtools.com.au/category1787_1.htm

I've never bother to put anything in there yet, though

 

[Jake]

The CT22 is the exception, apparently. No storage, David was right.

 

[Jake]

I'll see whether a hose will go in the compatment ove the weekend. The 32mm might, but I can't see the 50mm hose getting in there.

 

[paisawood]

Tim,

I think that Festool/Minden are correct, but not very helpful! The 32mm hose will fit in the dust compartment, but not if it is full (or even a third full) of dust.

Cheers

David

 

[Mike B]

Tim

The CT22/33/44 have no hose coiling facility. Basically you need another systainer (size 3 or 4) on the top. I got one that was being sold off cheap by a Festool retailer exactly for this purpose (someone ordered lots of tools but did not want the systainers!).

The CT33 and CT44 do have storage in the front of the unit but this is not very big (on the CT33 anyway) and only really adequate for an attachment or two or a folded spare filter bag...

When they are delivered the hose is coiled up inside the body of the machine in the well where the bag goes in normal operation so should it be more than say a quarter full then the hose would not fit...

Otherwise I find the CT33 great to use - plenty of suck and fairly quiet. One thing you may wish to check out is the hose as it is ribbed and does tend to get stuck on square edges, so you have to use it over your shoulder. However, it is very light and flexible and has little impact on the "feel" of the tools attached to it.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Pete

I use a Performance Pwer pro shop vac form B&Q that has poewer take off with auto start and stop and a very fine filter

i got it after reading Philly's review
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6893&highlight=vac

I use it with a Festool TS55 and the Metabo SX450 and in both cases it removes all dust and I am left stunned :shock:

i've had it since 2003 and it still works as well today as then - there is no point in buying an expensive shop vac.

 

[pooka]

Another vacuum, or range of vacuums, to throw into this mix is the Nilfisk Alto Attix range. I've spent time comparing the Festool CT22, the Fein Dustex 2, and the Alto Attix 360-21 over the last few weeks. My opinions on the machines are based entirely on their printed specs, on what reviews I could find, and on feedback from users of them both on this forum and elsewhere.

I have been planning to start a thread to put the info that I dug out about them in one place, for easy reference by anyone else making a decision amongst these machines - some of the info is not very easy to find. I have been holding off on this though until I have used my machine of choice (the Alto Attic 360-21) so that I could put some feedback in there too. It still hasn't arrived, but in case it is of any help, the following are what put it to the top of my list of choices:
- It is a reasonable price (relatively speaking!) of £249 in most cases, but currently on offer from D&M Tools (http://www.dm-tools.co.uk/product.php/section//sn/ALTATTIX36021) for £199 for April.
- its spec is almost identical to the Festool, including power take-off, auto-start, and it runs for a few seconds after tool is stopped (only found this bit of info from the online manual). The main differences are that Festool claims airflow of 3800 l/min versus 3600 l/min for the Alto, Festool claims max power take-off of 2400W versus 1800W for the Alto (Alto claims 2400W elsewhere in Europe, which makes me wonder about whether the Festool is really 2400W in the UK and Ireland).
- it claims to be the quietest at 57dB versus 72dB for the Festool. I plan to use this as the house vacuum cleaner too so the noise level is important to me for a couple of reasons.
- the Alto is a more convenient size and shape for me - it's a bit like the Festool stood on one end so takes up less floor space.
- the Alto will handle MDF dust, and its ilk, just by using one of its filter bags but I don't know about the Festool. Neither of them are marketed as handling this dust but in the case of the Alto this is because extra features such as an alarm for when it is full, are needed to meet European regulations - the same may apply for the Festool but I don't know for sure whereas Nilfisk Alto have confirmed it when asked.

Obviously my choice is biased towards my specific needs, but it seems to me that the Nilfisk Alto is well worth considering as a more economical alternative to the Festool with what appears to be the same spec. Incidentally, I ruled out the Fein for my needs for a number of reasons (no anti-static hose, smallest airflow, etc.) but it's spec looks good in its own right and it is the cheapest.

 

[paulm]

Interesting Pooka, I've been chewing over the very same models recently plus the Trend one also, and your thought process is about where I had got to.

The D&M deal looks very good especially as Rutlands stock the same model at about £60 more if I remember correctly.

The main hesitation I had with the Alto was over the 12 month warranty versus (again if I remember right) 3 years on the Fein, and I forget the Festool warranty period, especially since I saw in one post here that a forum member had to return an Alto (cheaper model though) because of burning out.

That aside the Alto does look a good deal, particularly with the filter cleaning method and also the noise levels which is a big attraction.........

Cheers, Paul.

 

[cambournepete]

Blimey - I started this thread 3 years ago!

I got the Festool, and have absolutely no regrets - it's powerful, quiet, and stable. Can be a bit heavy when full though...