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Thread: Loud and Boisterious Be Gone

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Beaufort, SC
    Posts
    135

    Loud and Boisterious Be Gone

    Last night while sanding on a pine table top, I banned my old Master Mechanic shop vac for excessive loud and boisterious behaviour. I have relegated it to the garage/yard as a primary tool for hot tub maintenance, never again to work in a confined area. So, I am seeking recommendations for a replacement. I readily admit to being a "Boschaholic" and am seriously considering a Bosch Airsweep, but before I pull the trigger: What else is out there that is as good or better, and is QUIET? Primarily it will be used as the driving force for a new mini dust collector Clear Vue cyclone dedicated to power hand tool dust collection.

    By the way, this is by far the best wood worker web site on the internet. You can see from my posting total, that I am new, but have been here for some time.
    Bill

  2. Fein and Festool both make great vacs. For general shop and mini-cyclones, I think the Fein III is better if for no other reason it doesn't need paper filters.

    For hooking up to sanders, the Festool is hard to beat because of the variable speed--not that you asked about that.

    Take care, Mike

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Greenville, South Carolina
    Posts
    756
    Welcome to the Creek, Bill! You picked a great question because we love to "discuss" tools.

    After a lot of research, I bought the Festool CT-22 and I have never regretted it. Not only is it quiet, but it has great filtration (HEPA) and a paper dust bag that eliminates the old "shake and choke" emptying process. Some here will argue that the bags make it too expensive to operate, but I for one am glad to pay for the bags to keep the dust where it belongs.

    I can't speak for the mini-Clear Vue part, but for direct hand tool dust collection, especially sanding, the CT-22 is tops in my book.
    Cheers,
    Bob

    I measure three times and still mess it up.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Monroe, MI
    Posts
    11,896
    I've been very happy since I got my Festool CT-22 vac. The Fein's are nice too, but I like the integration of the Festool system, especially the fact that the Systainers lock onto the top of the vac.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Kalamazoo, MI
    Posts
    781
    We recently got a new Shop Vac brand unit at work for cleaning chips off the milling machines. I've never been impressed with their products in the past, but this unit is pretty nice. Extremely quiet and it really sucks!! (I mean that in a good way). Takes the pleated cartridge filters and has beefy wheels and a handle for moving it around. I think we got it from Grainger. Don't know the price, but probably around $100 or so.
    Kyle in K'zoo
    Screws are kinda like knots, if you can't use the right one, use lots of 'em.
    The greatest tragedy in life is the gruesome murder of a beautiful theory by a brutal gang of facts.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,622
    Bill, I banished my old Craftsman vac for the same reason. I bought a Fein turbo III and never looked back!
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  7. #7
    Another vote for the Fein here. I bought mine earlier this year and am delighted with it - planning on another 1 or maybe 2 next year.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Placitas, NM in the foothills of the Sandia Mountain.
    Posts
    527

    Shocking!

    I'm a Festool fan. A couple of neat tricks not mentioned yet are: 1)the anti-static hoses prevent that annoying spark I used to get from my old shop-vac and 2)the wheels are very well engineered - you can turn that baby on a dime and park it with ease in a tiny space.

    Its so quiet that even when I'm using it with the sander, I can still hear the radio.

    Another fact that a lot of people don't seem to realize, you can hook other sanders to the Festool vac and the integration still works. My PC 333 fits the hose nicely and if I plug the sander into the vac, the vac starts when the sander does and runs for a few seconds after the sander is turned off to suck up that last little bit of dust.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Overland Park, KS
    Posts
    617
    I now own both a Festool CT 22 and a Fein Turbo II.

    I like the Turbo II better, seems to have more power.

    I like the CT 22 for use with my Festool equipment, and it's very nice.

    But after having owned both, if I had to keep only one it would be the Fein.

  10. #10
    Hey Guys -
    Even with your new quiet vacuums, you're still wearing hearing protection, right?
    George

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Pittsboro, NC
    Posts
    30
    I used to have a shop Vac- Hated it Noisy and blew dust everywhere.

    Replaced it with a Porter Cable with tool trigger. This is same vacuum they sell for their power drywall sanding so filtration is excellent. It is also pretty quiet. Love it !

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Overland Park, KS
    Posts
    617
    Quote Originally Posted by George Leicht
    Hey Guys -
    Even with your new quiet vacuums, you're still wearing hearing protection, right?
    George
    Just the Vacuum, no. A sander and the vacuum, no.

    A router and the vacuum, of course.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    In the foothills of the Sandia Mountains
    Posts
    16,622
    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Roxberg
    Just the Vacuum, no. A sander and the vacuum, no.

    A router and the vacuum, of course.
    Same here.
    Please help support the Creek.


    "It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
    Andy Rooney



  14. #14
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    15,332
    What? What?

    I always don hearing protection now. In fact, my wife and kid use them when she vacuums the house. We now have 3 pairs of earmuffs floating around so we can all join in the fun of keeping the noise down!

    I hate to say it, but I'm more conscientious of wearing hearing protection that eye protection. I must improve here, I know it.

    One thing I've found in wearing hearing protection, I feel like I can concentrate better on what I'm doing and that is pretty important with non-discriminating metal blades that cut whatever is put in their way!

    Oh, BTW, I have a CTS-11 Festool vacuum. I picked this baby up cheap a couple years back when they were discontinuing them. Even at this smaller volume, it still takes a while to fill the bag. Oh, and a big kudos to being able to lock a systainer on the F vacuum...real nice.
    Wood: a fickle medium....

    Did you know SMC is user supported? Please help.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    La Plata, Maryland
    Posts
    199
    Bill, not much to add, other than I'm in La Plata. Email me if you're coming over here sometime.

    I have gone through 3 Porter Cable 333's, actually when the bearing went out on the 3rd one, I used parts from it to fix the second one. It still works fine.

    I'm seriously considering a Festool, but it takes me a long time to decide on something that expensive. That said, I finally got a Forrest Woodworker II and it's as good as everyone said it is.
    Larry, AKA Uncle Fester

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