Extractor,vacuum L class or m class recommended?

[Corky74]

I'm after a new portable extractor,vacuum cleaner either L class or M class ,can anyone recommend a decent one at a reasonable price say no more than £250 ish

 

[tomatwark]

M Class is the one for fine dust, such as sanding dust and MDF

 

[Corky74]

M Class is the one for fine dust, such as sanding dust and MDF

So for normal power sanding and power tools this is Over kill ?

 

[Corky74]

I ideally want one to use as a vacuum as well as extractor

 

[tomatwark]

M Class is the one for fine dust, such as sanding dust and MDF

So for normal power sanding and power tools this is Over kill ?

No that is the one you want, you can use it as a normal vacuum.

Or buy a good M class one for the power tools and a cheap one for vacuuming.

At the end of the day dust will kill you so you cannot put a price on your health.

 

[Corky74]

M Class is the one for fine dust, such as sanding dust and MDF

So for normal power sanding and power tools this is Over kill ?

No that is the one you want, you can use it as a normal vacuum.

Or buy a good M class one for the power tools and a cheap one for vacuuming.

At the end of the day dust will kill you so you cannot put a price on your health.

Good point as I've definitely noticed a difference working in doors with the dust ,mostly saw dust ,time to invest In decent one I reckon , fein do one that's L class but says it has a m class filter it's around 250

 

[yetloh]

I think you may find that the required standard of filtration is the same for L and M classes. In the case of Festool machines the filtration is definitely identical. The difference is that it has electronics that sound a warning when the bag or filter needs to be changed. This circuitry is I understand required for M class certification. I bought the L class machine because I feel I can trust nyself to monitor performance and act accordingly, plus I didn't want to pay a 20% plus premium for an electronic nanny. If you are going to use it in a multi user workshop in which filter and bag changing will be nobody's responsiblity then M class is essential. If it's just for you, do you need it?

Jim

 

[Corky74]

Will only be myself using extractor so pretty sure I'd be sound with L class if I get that one ,cheers for information it's been a great help

 

[tomlt]

Festoll ctl midi, only rated to L class but as above no problem and a bloody good vacuum/extractor, so good i have 2 of them!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

 

[chippy1970]

Midi is a great machine. I've been using a midi ten years now. Only changed once and that was just because I had a money off voucher so it made sense to upgrade and sell the old one.

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[Corky74]

Festoll ctl midi, only rated to L class but as above no problem and a bloody good vacuum/extractor, so good i have 2 of them!

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

Looked at the midi, looks good, will it turn on with power tools ok,when they start up also is it reasonably priced for bags, filters

 

[petermillard]

+1 more for the Midi - as Chippy above, I've had (at least) one for the last 10 years, great general purpose vac. Have switched to the CTL SYS for jobsite work now, but wouldn't want it as my only vac. Filters are reasonable, considering how infrequently you change them, bags are relatively expensive, but much cheaper than a new lung; I charge them on as a consumable - bags, not lungs

Edited to add; yes, power take-off is very reliable and well thought-out, e.g. vac runs on ~10 seconds after the tool stops to clear the hose.

 

[Corky74]

I've looked at the festool midi and a few others with power take off. But is it possible to get a extractor and workshop vac all in the same machine, I've read the festool midi is mainly a extractor,and not a vac, id
rather have just the one machine in van if possible

 

[Roughcut]

I've looked at the festool midi and a few others with power take off. But is it possible to get a extractor and workshop vac all in the same machine, I've read the festool midi is mainly a extractor,and not a vac, id
rather have just the one machine in van if possible

I'm fairly sure the midi can be used as an extractor and vac as Festool do offer a cleaning attachment set as an accessory to be purchased.

 

[Doug71]

I have a midi and think it's great.

When people say it's not a very good shop vacuum I think it will be because of the hose. It tapers down to the tool end and only has a small opening compared to some others and can clog if you are trying to suck up big curly woodshavings etc. Festool supply it with the smaller hose as it fits ALL their machines (domino and Sanders need small hose end) but they do larger hoses which do work better with their saw and routers etc but don't fit their Sanders without some kind of adapter.

Larger diameter hoses are easily available and most makes fit it so you don't have to buy a Festool replacement.

Doug

 

[Corky74]

I will use what ever I get more for mitre saw, plane etc do will be shavings mostly but now n then sanding too

 

[yetloh]

Nothing is really any good when connected to the standard dust pot of every mitre saw I have met, simply because the design of these ports and associated ducting (if any) within the machine is complete rubbish. I've got round this with my own Makita by enclosing the back half of it in a ply shroud with a 4" port to my fully ducted cyclone extractor system but that's no help whatsoever if you want to use your saw on site. I think your best bet is a Festool with a larger hose as another poster suggested, but don't expect it to be anything like the perfect answer - there isn't one.

Jim

 

[Corky74]

My old Henry used to pick up wood shavings no problem but not great on the fine dust, I'd use it and most shavings would be sucked up but afterwards there would still be a layer of dust on everything so guessing it kicked back out the fine particals or misses them totally

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

I think you may find that the required standard of filtration is the same for L and M classes. In the case of Festool machines the filtration is definitely identical. The difference is that it has electronics that sound a warning when the bag or filter needs to be changed. This circuitry is I understand required for M class certification. I bought the L class machine because I feel I can trust nyself to monitor performance and act accordingly, plus I didn't want to pay a 20% plus premium for an electronic nanny. If you are going to use it in a multi user workshop in which filter and bag changing will be nobody's responsiblity then M class is essential. If it's just for you, do you need it?

Jim

Spot on. I have my own Festool CTL26 and was given a CTM26 to use by previous employer "because we have too" .Had both vacuums tested when Airplants did their yearly checks on our main machine shop extraction and results were exactly the same do save yourself a lot of cash and get L class.

 

[Corky74]

So pretty much I'd be better getting a l class extractor but if I want one that does the work of a shop / worksite vac as well as a extractor il be struggling