Festool Sanders Dust Collection

[amtc]

I am primarily a hand tool worker but have found myself needing to sand and as I get older I have noticed the dust really bothers me (yes I wear a mask). Most of the time I sand outside but to be honest I am not a fan of sanding in freezing temperatures. I have been looking at the Festool CT 15 HEPA dust extractor and Festool ETS 125 REQ random orbital sander. My primary desire for the set up is dust control. I would appreciate any feed back or recommendations for other setups. 

Thanks,
Jim

[Cabinet Monkey]

I am primarily a hand tool worker but have found myself needing to sand and as I get older I have noticed the dust really bothers me (yes I wear a mask). Most of the time I sand outside but to be honest I am not a fan of sanding in freezing temperatures. I have been looking at the Festool CT 15 HEPA dust extractor and Festool ETS 125 REQ random orbital sander. My primary desire for the set up is dust control. I would appreciate any feed back or recommendations for other setups. 

Thanks,
Jim

The ets125 req is a bargain in my view. Not inexpensive at $200, some of the cost can be mitigated by selling the systainer carrying case it comes in. 

Ct15 is a decent vac but over priced in my view. Doesn’t come with most of the features that make festool vacs stand out. 

I get this if I were looking to save some dosh. 

https://www.amazon.com/Karcher-Multi-Pur...r=8-2&th=1

But add one of these hoses :

https://www.amazon.com/Cen-Tec-Systems-9...r=1-8&th=1

-or-

https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-16-4-Foot-V...WNrPXRydWU=

[lift mechanic]

About a month ago I made the leap to the Festool CT 15 hepa vacume and the ETS 125/3 EQ-Plus sander. The dust collection is much better than my other sander that I could hook up to a shop vac. The only thing I find I don't care for is the Festool non-grounded hose. I have never felt and static shock but I feel the hose is a little stiff and stays a little kinky. The power cord and hose can get tangled up if not taped together. Would I buy this again? Yes. I feel the center hole in the sand paper helps align the holes up on the sander. Don't expect zero wood dust after sanding but it is much better than what I had.

[fredhargis]

The Festool fans will beat me up for this, but I have a Bosch 3725 (now replaced by another model) and hook it to a Fein vac and have excellent dust collection. Though I didn't out a meter on it (dust meter) I think it's as good as the Festool. I did have the Festool 125 and sold it (I wanted standardized holes in my discs) and it's nice enough and actually affordable. The only test I've seen on the DC of the various ROs models available was in FWW quite a few years ago. It was almost laughable as the tester covered the middle hole on the Festool models for some reason (claiming it didn't capture any dust) and then declared the best dust collection was with another brand. I don't remember the details but it not so well conducted. Anyway, consider other vac models given the high price of the Festool units and I wish you luck.  Fine dust is a bigger hazard than most of us realize.

[Handplanesandmore]

Ct15 is great as long as you dont need blue tooth. For your sanding application, you dont, so Ct26, midi etc would be a waste of your money.

ETS125 is light and great for finish sanding. You dont even need an antistatic hose.

It is not dust free but the pair will suit you.

Simon

[ajkoontz]

I am going thru the same process as you are right now. I really wanted a Festool ETS EC sander, which led me to thinking I need a Festool sander. So I'm not speaking from hands-on experience here but I have been doing my research. FWIW, I scored a midi on FB marketplace for $500 after about a month of looking so if you keep your eyes out you may be able to find a used one. So I ended up with the midi, ordered a BT switch, and an additional 36-32 hose to go with the 32-27 hose that came with the midi. I plan to use this with my domino, Makita tracksaw, and future sander whenever they are back in-stock, + whatever else I end up with down the road.

Here are some things I found doing my research-

Do you need a Festool dust extractor? No, but they are nice and if you're going down the Festool rabbit hole why not. 
Do I need a top end Festool vac, i.e. CT 26/ 36/ 48? Probably not unless you are a big-time user. The suction on these is slightly better than the mini/midi/15, but they are bigger/ heavier, and WAY more expensive. None come with BT out of the box so if you add that the cost goes up again.
The Mini/ midi/ CT15 have the same suction- most users say the suction is fine and they usually don't turn it all the way up especially when sanding. Mini/ midi- only difference is capacity. CT 15 has cheaper hose, no kick-stand, no BT and no way to add BT, it doesn't have the filter cleaner thingy, and the hose garage is supposedly not so great.

Some people buy the 15 and add the upgraded hose and sometimes hose garage, but by the time you do both of those you are almost at the midi price. That leaves BT, and the mini/ midi require a switch (+$65 add-on) unless you have a battery powered tool with BT already in it. The Bosch anti-static hoses fit the Festool vacs and are half the price so a lot of people go that route.

The ETS EC sanders are crazy expensive, but get great reviews. I played with one in a store and decided to pull the trigger on one as soon as they are back in stock. The 125 (5") sander has the same guts at the 150 (6") and the 150 pads fit the 125 sander so you can save a little and buy the smaller sander and get the bigger pad to have option of 5" or 6" sanding pad/ sandpaper.

For me, the midi was the sweet spot and I wanted the BT switch at the end of the hose so that's what I did. There are cheaper options that probably do as good a job, maybe better maybe worse but same ballpark.

[Handplanesandmore]

"Some people buy the 15 and add the upgraded hose and sometimes hose garage, but by the time you do both of those you are almost at the midi price."

You sure have done your homework.

Some fellows try to save a few bucks by starting from the bottom and spending on the addons. They don't realize the warranty on a CT15 + addons is not the same as the warranty on a midi or mini or whatever it's.  If money is really an issue, why not get a cheap shop vac with a hepa filter! That could save $200 or more right from the get go!

I've used Midi, CT26 & 36 and 15. The Ct15 offers pretty much everything the bigger guys do in terms of suction, filtering and even blowing. For sanding, you cant see any difference. Other features like antistatic hose, BT feature etc of course cost money. The best choice is to match your current and foreseeable dust extraction needs to one of the models (other brands are available too such as mirka from Finland). I use the CT26 for mobile jobs while Ct15 (with its auto switch function) as a dedicated vac for a Bosch miter saw, domino and ETS where BT and antistatic are not needed.

Simon

[Cabinet Monkey]

The Bosch anti-static hoses fit the Festool vacs and are half the price so a lot of people go that route.

and the hose garage is supposedly not so great.........and sometimes (add) a hose garage

Not exactly.                


They are roughly 10% less, or only a couple of dollars. Depends on where you can find one.   And the hose garage is non existent and cannot be added.   Nor can systainers be attached.


This AS hose is significantly cheaper though:  almost 40% less

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q7SSTPX/ref...Y2s9dHJ1ZQ==

other brands are available too such as mirka from Finland

Mirka is more expensive and has an entirely different ergonomic layout.  Not really place to look if one is trying to economize.

They don't realize the warranty on a CT15 + addons is not the same as the warranty on a midi or mini or whatever it's.

Not sure where you came up with this nugget, but it isn't correct.     
  

The Ct15 has the same warranty as all other vacs from festool.

[Handplanesandmore]

Mirka is more expensive and has an entirely different ergonomic layout.  Not really place to look if one is trying to economize.




Not sure where you came up with this nugget, but it isn't correct.     
  

The Ct15 has the same warranty as all other vacs from festool.

I already mentioned the econ option of a shop vac. Mirka is comparable to Festool in terms of functionality and EU origin. I didn't say it's more economical.

Ct15 alone and other models have the same warranty but some addons are considered accessories and when you add them to a ct15 (say to make a midi more or less), the warranty on the accessories is not the same.

Simon

[ajkoontz]

There is a 36mm Bosch anti-static hose on Amazon for $90 vs $180 for the Festool 36mm hose, so half the cost of similar hose. It’s not half the cost of the 27mm hose to be fair. There’s a thread about this on the Festool forum.

And you can buy just the hose garage part and it fits on the CT15. There’s a YouTube video all about upgrading the 15 and he does this.