No more $500 shop vac

[Greg Portland]

Guys, the Festool has a 50mm (~2") inlet. If you use the boom arm you'll have a section of 50mm hose that connects to the standard 27mm? hose. When I use my chopsaw I only use the 50mm hose to get greater CFM @ the tool.

I'm not sure if the manufacturers rate the CFM & s.p. with or without the hoses...

[Brice Burrell]

Static pressure is the critical rating for shop vacs if you're connecting them to hand held tools, not CFM (like a large DC). Also, dropping a HEPA filter into a vacuum doesn't ensure that the entire system is HEPA rated.

The Rigid has lower static pressure ratings but higher CFM #s than Fein or Festool. This means that it is better suited for general shop cleanup & connecting to large tools (contractor saw, etc.) while the Fein and Festool are optimal for use with hand held equipment. I've noticed blow-through of dust on the Rigid (i.e. dust in the air after vacuuming) while the Fein and Festool keep the dust in the vac. Having said that, the Rigid is an excellent value for the $$$.

Static pressure or CFM, however you want to look at it, the quality German vacs aren't easy to compare to the made in China Rigid, Craftsman or ShopVac brands. Remember the Festool vac has two stage filtering and HEPA filter standard, I believe that is optional on the Fein vacs and some of the cheaper brands. Also keep in mind that the Fein and other brands vacs with a HEPA filter and no prefilter bag will kill the HEPA filter in short order.


The Fein and cheaper brands post their static pressure and CFM ratings without HEPA filters. Add the HEPA filter and these are going to drop. Festool's ratings are with the HEPA filter. I've used almost every brand shop vacuum and I can tell you the Fein and Festool vacs are every bit or more powerful than the other brands I've used. The difference is HEPA filtered, tool triggered starting, easy, dust free cleanups and hack of a lot less noise. That makes my Festool vacs a much better value for me over the made in China vacs. Of course not everyone will feel the same....

[Brice Burrell]

Guys, the Festool has a 50mm (~2") inlet. If you use the boom arm you'll have a section of 50mm hose that connects to the standard 27mm? hose. When I use my chopsaw I only use the 50mm hose to get greater CFM @ the tool.

I'm not sure if the manufacturers rate the CFM & s.p. with or without the hoses...

Yes, you are right, also, most other brand hoses will fit the Festool vac, Rigid, Craftsman, ShopVac and other brands will work.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Andrew, your Festool vac likely has pretty much the same cfm as your Craftsman, the difference is the size hose. The Festool vac comes with a 1 1/4" hose and your Craftsman a 2 1/2" hose so of course it's going to move more air.

I wondered about that..... I think that I will try a larger hose and then perhaps move one of my vacs out of my tiny cramped shop. Thanks for the tip.

Since it was also stated that I can probably use a standard hose, I will see if the standard hose does the trick (as a proof of concept anyway).

[Brice Burrell]

I wondered about that..... I think that I will try a larger hose and then perhaps move one of my vacs out of my tiny cramped shop. Thanks for the tip.

Since it was also stated that I can probably use a standard hose, I will see if the standard hose does the trick (as a proof of concept anyway).

Shouldn't be a problen to try out since your Craftsman hose should fit on the Festool vac. Also see my reply #18.

[Matt Meiser]

If you want a good bigger hose, check out the premium Shop Vac hose at Lowes or Ridgid hose at Home Depot. I've got the latter to use with my CT22. Not quite as nice as a Festool hose but much nicer than the junk that comes with a standard shop vac.

[ian maybury]

If increasing the hose size significantly increases the cfm, then it's going to similarly up the amps drawn. I'd want to be reasonably sure the vacuum was designed to pull those amps.

To the original point that started the thread. I'd be pretty teed off if having bought a top of the range vacuum it quit after relatively little use too. As would I suspect most.

Three questions: (1) Is it possible that something else (e.g. a temp switch or similar) is causing it to shut down?, (2) If indeed it is a failure is it something that others have experienced, or is it an isolated failure?; and (3) Is there a mode of operation likely to cause premature failure? (e.g. running with the filters blocked/the air flow restricted)

If it's an isolated failure for which there's no obvious cause then would it not be worth chasing up Festool to see if some some help might be available? I'd imagine they would want to know anyway...

ian

[Matt Meiser]

Since Festool sells a hose that large, no worries. Just that the "standard" hose for power tools is smaller, and more than sufficient with the design of the tools. I'm glad they do it that way because the small hose is a lot more manageable attached to tools.

[Ken Masco]

I purchased my Festool vac 19 or 15 years ago. Recently it started shutting down (Sounds like the same as yours). Since mine was so old, I took it to a local repair shop and they found it was a faulty connection on the switch. The guy "formed" (read bent) the connectors and said if that didn't fix it I should replace the switch. It's been running fine now for a few weeks.

[Joseph Tarantino]

[QUOTE=Chris Rosenberger;1683987] ...When any product that is out of warranty & something fails, the owner has to pay for the parts if they want it fixed, no matter if it is the highest priced or the lowest priced.... QUOTE]

and that's one of the reasons the majority of my tools are ridgid. they are either gray (lifetime warranty) or registered with the lifetime service agreement (LSA). i only want to buy a tool once and i expect it to last a loooooonnnngg time. i'm not suggesting that ridgids are comparable to festools, but at least when they break, i'm not paying for the repair.

[Brice Burrell]

[QUOTE=Joseph Tarantino;1684577]

...When any product that is out of warranty & something fails, the owner has to pay for the parts if they want it fixed, no matter if it is the highest priced or the lowest priced.... QUOTE]

and that's one of the reasons the majority of my tools are ridgid. they are either gray (lifetime warranty) or registered with the lifetime service agreement (LSA). i only want to buy a tool once and i expect it to last a loooooonnnngg time. i'm not suggesting that ridgids are comparable to festools, but at least when they break, i'm not paying for the repair.

I'm sure you'll pay one way or another.

[Larry Frank]

I recently bought the Festool CT 26 and yes I paid a bunch. I have now used it to finish a bunch of kitchen cabinets and could not be happier. The HEPA filters provide very clean air and with sanding red oak it was much easier on my lungs and sinus. The second part is the noise level which is much less than any other vacuum that I have ever used. I still have my old large Craftsman that is used for some general cleaning but it is loud and dusty. It is also good for picking up water.

Is the Festool expensive - Yes.
Does it collect nearly all of the small dust - Yes.
Is the noise level much less than other vacuums - Yes.

What is great about power tools is that there is a great variety and everyone can pick the one which best fits their needs.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Clean Stream make replacement filters which are far superior to OEM ones. I find them to be the best upgrade you can do to most any vacuum.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

Since Festool sells a hose that large, no worries. Just that the "standard" hose for power tools is smaller, and more than sufficient with the design of the tools. I'm glad they do it that way because the small hose is a lot more manageable attached to tools.

I agree with that. For testing purposes, I will probably just drop on my existing hose. I do like the Festool hose, but the nice Ridgid hose is around $40. The Festool hose (anti-static) if about $160 for a 50mm (almost 2") diameter hose that is about 13 feet long. The 23 foot hose I think is $200, but I need to check.

[george wilson]

I have had 3 Fein vacs,2 at work and 1 at home. They have been around for at least 15 years and are still doing fine(sounds funny!) I like them because they are MUCH quieter than cheaper vacs that scream. They pull the same CFM as the biggest Sears vacs,and by luck,I can jam a soft Sears 2 1/2" vac hose into the opening when I take the long,but smaller Fein hose out. I just use th Fein hose for hooking up with power tools. The automatic start and stop of the vac with the power tools is CERY convenient. I don't see the need to spend more on a vac than the Feins cost.

I find that using the original "bucket" shaped filter bag,and adding a Cleanstream filter inside the bag filter keeps the Cleanstream filter from getting jammed up for a great deal longer than if it is used alone. The vac is still plenty powerful even with both bags on it.