Sander and vacuum

[seanf]

Add me to the list of people that love the Festool extractors. I have the CTM Midi as I found a good offer when purchasing. The Bluetooth button is brilliant and definitely worth investing in. Another really nice feature is the level of control on the suction so it can be adjusted to suit the task, such as turning it down when sanding to stop your sander “sticking” to whatever you’re working on

Experiencing the quality and well thought out nature of Festool tools is definitely a slippery slope!

Sean

 

[Sideways]

Odds are high that the extractor ends of the festool and centec hoses are similar enough to swap back and forth. Usually just a 50mm ish gentle taper. This allows you to use multiple hoses.
e.g. I use a mirka hose with the sander because it is flexible and lighter than the others so it has the least effect of weighing down one edge of the sander..
I use the Attix own antistatic hose with my tracksaw because it's 4+ metres long so handy cutting 8' boards
I have some 5m x 50mm hose tucked behind and below the bench that lets me hook the vac up to a cyclone at the other end of the workshop that I use for hoovering swarf out of the metal lathe.
If you can unclip the bluetooth thingy and keep it in your pocket, all good.

The tapered rubber tool end connector on all the high end vacs just pushes into / onto most tools.

 

[Jacob]

The bluetooth is actually quite a deal breaker for me - I don't want to have to keep going to the machine to turn it on / off... I will use it for the sander I buy, but also mitre saw / bench sander / etc.
.....

Trend T30 and others have a socket built in where you plug in your sander or other tool. It's an auto switch so vac comes on as soon as you switch your sander on. Dead simple and very convenient.

 

[seanf]

have a socket built in

So do the Festool extractors and it works very well for corded tools. The Bluetooth is a simple on/off button that is incredibly useful when using the extractor with battery tools. No returning to the extractor to turn it on and then off afterwards, all is done from where you are working

Sean

 

[HOJ]

My 17 year old Festool RO150 sander stopped working yesterday, I'm presuming it's just the brushes

Mine just stopped working a month ago, but before I stripped it out I checked the plugit plug on my fly lead, it showed signs of arcing, swapped it out and sanders been fine since.

 

[akirk]

the socket which is built in is not of a lot of interest to me - I have it on the triton and haven't used it in 3 years - climbing under a table to switch plugs or switch on the vacuum is not where I want to be - I want to use a tool which is plugged in separately - click in the hose, press a button and have the vacuum fire up - the bluetooth is a very neat solution and is likely to mean that I will buy the Festool even though it is a bit more expensive and even a bit louder than some others...

 

[Molynoox]

the socket which is built in is not of a lot of interest to me - I have it on the triton and haven't used it in 3 years - climbing under a table to switch plugs or switch on the vacuum is not where I want to be - I want to use a tool which is plugged in separately - click in the hose, press a button and have the vacuum fire up - the bluetooth is a very neat solution and is likely to mean that I will buy the Festool even though it is a bit more expensive and even a bit louder than some others...

That was precisely my logic. Seemed like a lot of money to pay for a simple feature but now I have it I'm 100% convinced it was the right decision.

I use to use the pass through power on my old extractor with my mitre saw, because I could leave that one tool plugged into it, but it didn't solve all my problems for reasons you explain. That simple button on the hose has given my workshop a flow that it was missing

 

[curryjunkie]

after years of cheap sanders i snapped and got a festool ETS EC150 , it was an arm and a leg...and i think it was worth it .its quiet, comes in a 5mm or a 3mm stroke,stops almost instantly, and works beautifully. there are too many tales of mirka sanders packing up for me to get one, although i did hear newer versions arent as unreliable.

 

[Doug71]

Mine just stopped working a month ago, but before I stripped it out I checked the plugit plug on my fly lead, it showed signs of arcing, swapped it out and sanders been fine since.

I had similar a couple of years ago, the sander was spluttering a bit and I thought it was the brushes then but noticed the Plug-it lead had gone bad, I also changed the socket in the back of the sander as that didn't look well.

The lead etc looks okay this time so I'm presuming it's the auto cut off brushes which Festool use that have triggered.

 

[BradyS]

I'm surprised to see that nobody here mentioned the DeWalt. I use the DeWalt DWE6423 ROS connected to a Parkside shop vac with a built-in socket as Jacob said in a previous post. The Parkside is an industrial-ish shop vac which cost me about £80. I just realized how weird it is that we have the $ on European keyboards but not the £ or € one . When I purchased my ROS they were more expensive. I see they now sell for a similar price, £80-90. They used to be >£120, at least in my country.

Compared to anything Bosch green I believe it's an entirely different level. Same goes for the sander jokes I used before. I use mine wit net discs, not Abranet but Sianet (Swiss manufaturer SIA). I managed to buy a very good priced lot a while back. I want to try the new and infamous 3M discs but not there yet.

This DeWalt sander has a rating close to 5 out of 5 everywhere. I can't imagine how it compares to a Festool, Mirka, Bosch GEX which cost many times the price. When I used it the first time I felt I had never been using a ROS before. And then again, it has some small drawbacks to me but I firmly believe that the quality of the ROS is pretty much in the eye (hand) of the beholder and it comes down to personal preferences. My complaints are the way the handle is built, which transfers a decent amount of vibrations in certain situations and the pad which looses grip on some discs. I probably have to try the interface pads which come in handy in such scenarious.

All in all, I would upgrade my shop vac in a heartbeat but for the time being I don't have the budget. The Festool will probably be my go-to shop vac, although I still have some things I need to clarify, for example where does all the dust go in such a small bag . In respect of the sander though, I would try the Mirka but not sure I'll give up on the DeWalt.

- vacuum with Bluetooth to turn on

Lastly, there is an Euro alternative to the Festool. It comes from Metabo, no. 630234000. Here is the product link: Start/Stop set CordlessControl, type E (630234000) | Metabo Power Tools

What makes this better imo is that:
1. it doesn't require any proprietary power tool, you can use it with any machine from any manufacturer, and
2. [personal preference] it's RF-controlled not BT, which in some spaces can suffer from less interference.

Cheers,
Brad

 

[BradyS]

What makes this better imo is that:

Forgot to mention that the Metabo also has a neat 'vibration sensing' auto-start function, meaning it will sense vibrations in the hose. It's 16A and I believe it can bypass NVRs - not sure about the last part, needs further research, there are youtube reviews.

 

[Molynoox]

I'm surprised to see that nobody here mentioned the DeWalt. I use the DeWalt DWE6423 ROS connected to a Parkside shop vac with a built-in socket as Jacob said in a previous post. The Parkside is an industrial-ish shop vac which cost me about £80. I just realized how weird it is that we have the $ on European keyboards but not the £ or € one . When I purchased my ROS they were more expensive. I see they now sell for a similar price, £80-90. They used to be >£120, at least in my country.

Compared to anything Bosch green I believe it's an entirely different level. Same goes for the sander jokes I used before. I use mine wit net discs, not Abranet but Sianet (Swiss manufaturer SIA). I managed to buy a very good priced lot a while back. I want to try the new and infamous 3M discs but not there yet.

This DeWalt sander has a rating close to 5 out of 5 everywhere. I can't imagine how it compares to a Festool, Mirka, Bosch GEX which cost many times the price. When I used it the first time I felt I had never been using a ROS before. And then again, it has some small drawbacks to me but I firmly believe that the quality of the ROS is pretty much in the eye (hand) of the beholder and it comes down to personal preferences. My complaints are the way the handle is built, which transfers a decent amount of vibrations in certain situations and the pad which looses grip on some discs. I probably have to try the interface pads which come in handy in such scenarious.

All in all, I would upgrade my shop vac in a heartbeat but for the time being I don't have the budget. The Festool will probably be my go-to shop vac, although I still have some things I need to clarify, for example where does all the dust go in such a small bag . In respect of the sander though, I would try the Mirka but not sure I'll give up on the DeWalt.



Lastly, there is an Euro alternative to the Festool. It comes from Metabo, no. 630234000. Here is the product link: Start/Stop set CordlessControl, type E (630234000) | Metabo Power Tools

What makes this better imo is that:
1. it doesn't require any proprietary power tool, you can use it with any machine from any manufacturer, and
2. [personal preference] it's RF-controlled not BT, which in some spaces can suffer from less interference.

Cheers,
Brad

That's really interesting that metabo remote you linked! I didn't know it existed - it looks like a great halfway house if you don't want to invest in festool kit.

 

[Sideways]

And sold at the same price point as the Festool equivalent on Amazon.de
I'd never seen it either. Neat.

Edit: as well as a wireless receiver that metabo socket clearly contains a relay, whether mechanical or solid state, to switch the power.
I don't know for sure but I suspect the Festool bluetooth retrofit package for older CTL extractors doesn't. My bets would be on the module at the vacum cleaner end being essentially a bluetooth radio receiver that wires into a relay that's already in the vac to turn it on and off in time with a connected power tool.

 

[akirk]

thank you - that helps / confuses in equal measures!
Definitely worth looking at - I have a friend who is going to let me try various sanders, so that may help make a decision...
lots to think about, but no hurry, so worth getting it right

 

[Molynoox]

thank you - that helps / confuses in equal measures!
Definitely worth looking at - I have a friend who is going to let me try various sanders, so that may help make a decision...
lots to think about, but no hurry, so worth getting it right

Yes, in a way I'm glad I didn't know about that remote when I made my decision

 

[curryjunkie]

I'm surprised to see that nobody here mentioned the DeWalt. I use the DeWalt DWE6423 ROS connected to a Parkside shop vac with a built-in socket as Jacob said in a previous post. The Parkside is an industrial-ish shop vac which cost me about £80. I just realized how weird it is that we have the $ on European keyboards but not the £ or € one . When I purchased my ROS they were more expensive. I see they now sell for a similar price, £80-90. They used to be >£120, at least in my country.

Compared to anything Bosch green I believe it's an entirely different level. Same goes for the sander jokes I used before. I use mine wit net discs, not Abranet but Sianet (Swiss manufaturer SIA). I managed to buy a very good priced lot a while back. I want to try the new and infamous 3M discs but not there yet.

This DeWalt sander has a rating close to 5 out of 5 everywhere. I can't imagine how it compares to a Festool, Mirka, Bosch GEX which cost many times the price. When I used it the first time I felt I had never been using a ROS before. And then again, it has some small drawbacks to me but I firmly believe that the quality of the ROS is pretty much in the eye (hand) of the beholder and it comes down to personal preferences. My complaints are the way the handle is built, which transfers a decent amount of vibrations in certain situations and the pad which looses grip on some discs. I probably have to try the interface pads which come in handy in such scenarious.

All in all, I would upgrade my shop vac in a heartbeat but for the time being I don't have the budget. The Festool will probably be my go-to shop vac, although I still have some things I need to clarify, for example where does all the dust go in such a small bag . In respect of the sander though, I would try the Mirka but not sure I'll give up on the DeWalt.



Lastly, there is an Euro alternative to the Festool. It comes from Metabo, no. 630234000. Here is the product link: Start/Stop set CordlessControl, type E (630234000) | Metabo Power Tools

What makes this better imo is that:
1. it doesn't require any proprietary power tool, you can use it with any machine from any manufacturer, and
2. [personal preference] it's RF-controlled not BT, which in some spaces can suffer from less interference.

Cheers,
Brad

the festool ct15 extractor is great, i got it the same time as the festool sander, it currently sells for around 300 pounds, it has a relatively low volume bag, but i use a small cyclone interceptor with it so it lasts ages.

 

[akirk]

the festool ct15 extractor is great, i got it the same time as the festool sander, it currently sells for around 300 pounds, it has a relatively low volume bag, but i use a small cyclone interceptor with it so it lasts ages.

looks really good, however, no bluetooth and ideally I would prefer L or M rated so I think the Midi makes more sense even if a bit more…

 

[Molynoox]

looks really good, however, no bluetooth and ideally I would prefer L or M rated so I think the Midi makes more sense even if a bit more…

Yeah you have to buy and add the Bluetooth module to those ones whereas MIDI and MINI come with it. Although you still have to buy the button separate.

 

[Paultheroamer]

the festool ct15 extractor is great, i got it the same time as the festool sander, it currently sells for around 300 pounds, it has a relatively low volume bag, but i use a small cyclone interceptor with it so it lasts ages.

Interesting as I was just about to buy the CT15 and had same thoughts about limited volume collection. Which cyclone have you used with it?

 

[Doug B]

the socket which is built in is not of a lot of interest to me - I have it on the triton and haven't used it in 3 years - climbing under a table to switch plugs or switch on the vacuum is not where I want to be - I want to use a tool which is plugged in separately - click in the hose, press a button and have the vacuum fire up - the bluetooth is a very neat solution and is likely to mean that I will buy the Festool even though it is a bit more expensive and even a bit louder than some others...

My vacuum is under the bench & similarly I didn’t want to be climbing under it to change plugs so I simply wired a double socket above the bench via a 3 pin plug from the vacs power take off. My chop saw is permanently plugged into the one outlet & the power tool I’m using at the bench into the other, obviously I don’t use both at the same time so as not to overload the vac but have found this a great solution & would work off any vac with a power take off.