Why is a Festool dust extractor magical?

[JSpill]

Recently I have seen some used Festool dust extractors for sale on Craigslist. The least expensive one was selling for $400.00. That is very high for a used vacuum and a mid sized vacuum at that. So I have to ask..what is so special about Festool dust extractors? I have a Festool orbital sander and I like it. Will I like it a lot more if I have it hooked up to a Festool dust extractor instead of a Ridgid shop vac?

[Jeremy s]

Because they look like a piece of medical equipment that belongs in a hospital.

[Mr Eddie]

I like them because they are quiet, have adjustable vacuum for when you are sanding, and the tool triggered on/off outlet.  Hepa filter and quality bag are nice features, too.  It will be a totally different experience from using your sander with the Ridgid vac.  Just my 2 cents!

Lonnie

[davidmichealco]

Magical, no but quiet, tool triggered and does a fantastic job getting up the vast majority of dust.

[Robert Adams]

They are good unis but still not worthy of the price imo except in a few cases. Course have you looked at the prices of the bosch vacs? 

    Oh and FYI amazon has been selling the bosch hoses for $20. And were down to $16 the other day after 20% off. Ordered two more in the morning and had them before 1pm at the door.

[AHill]

They are not vacuum cleaners.  They are dust collectors.  Aside from being very quiet, a Festool dust collector has adjustable suction, which comes in handy for your detail and/or random orbit sanders.  It has a switched outlet so that your tool can plug into the dust collector.  The dust collector automatically turns on when you turn on your tool.  The capacity of the bag is certainly not on a par with some of the larger shop vacs, but if you use something like a Dust Deputy in line with the vac, your bag will not fill for a very long time.  One other thing is that it comes with a 20A plug, so that your collector can handle both the tool and the collector on the same circuit (provided you have a 20A circuit in your shop).  The cord is longer than most vacs, and properly sized (gauge) to handle that 20A at the full distance from the outlet to your collector.  There's an adapter that comes with it that coverts the plug to a 15A plug if you don't have a 20A outlet.  Expensive?  You betcha.  But, it's hard to find a legitimate shop vac that has all those features.  Dewalt, Fein and Bosch have similar features, with a similar price tag.  My second shop vac is a Ridgid 16 gal.  It's the one I use to clean up after a job.  I bought an aftermarket anti-static hose and I use a Dust Deputy with it.

[Steve N]

I think a lot of Festool users have sipped the cool aid, and are addicted to the color green. I have had a Fein for several years. I have also seen more than one Festool in use, and I can't see the difference in price.

[AHill]

I think a lot of Festool users have sipped the cool aid, and are addicted to the color green. I have had a Fein for several years. I have also seen more than one Festool in use, and I can't see the difference in price.

Fein is a good machine.  Nobody offered me cool aid when I bought my green machine.  I got mine as a package deal with my track saw.  It was a luxury item I got it.  My choice, my money, and I haven't regretted it.  For the money, Fein is a better choice.  One advantage of my Festool is the ability to stack systainers on the top of it, saving me a lot of space in my shop.

[WaterlooMarc]

Much better experience than your ridgid or the "quiet version" of the shop vac I came from. Not comparable at all imo.

I have less confidence they're that much better than than a Fein or Bosch though.

I also find it very annoying that the Festool has to be "steered". Would the design really have been compromised that much by having 4 casters?? I don't like having to do a 3 point turn with my vacuum to put in back in its spot on those rare occasions when I actually much it.

[daddo]

To save 600 bucks, I'll reach over and hit the on/off switch on the Ridgid, and for the noise, the power tool I'm using usually warrants hearing protection anyway. The ridgid has HEPA and bags too. It also, extracts, removes and collects dust.
I'll never miss what I never knew.