Festool Sanders Dust Collection

[amtc]

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.

Thank you for all the information. I started looking at Festool based on their reputation of making quality products. I currently have a Makita 5 inch sander, Metabo 6 inch sander and a Dewalt palm sander. All work very well but dust collection isn't very good. I normally use hand planes for finish work as I think it produces better results than a sander but, there are times I need to sand and would like to be able to contain the dust.

[Cabinet Monkey]

Handplanesandmore
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.

Ok.







You're a bit misinformed on Festool's warranty.   Whether the hose comes with the vac or you buy it separate - it has the SAME WARRANTY from festool.  Which is to say it doesn't really have one either way.









Accessories purchased separately are not afforded the 30 day NQA return policy.  You could argue warranty would be extended to accessories that came in a "kit" version of a tool you decided to return.   But, warranty and return policy aren't really the same thing.

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.

That hose - vac008 doesn't fit festool vacs 
  If you look close you'll see it has a locking type connection that only fits a specific bosch vac that was made in Italy I believe.  That lock prevents it from seating in the festool inlet.  You might be able to modify it, but maybe not too.

All work very well but dust collection isn't very good. I normally use hand planes for finish work as I think it produces better results than a sander but, there are times I need to sand and would like to be able to contain the dust.Give the festool ets125 REQ a spin.  You can try it for 30 days and give it back if you don't think it's an improvement.

Why not give the ets125 REQ a spin for 30 days ?   If you don't think it's an improvement , or worth the xtra cost - you can send it back for a full refund .

[amtc]

Ok.







You're a bit misinformed on Festool's warranty.   Whether the hose comes with the vac or you buy it separate - it has the SAME WARRANTY from festool.  Which is to say it doesn't really have one either way.









Accessories purchased separately are not afforded the 30 day NQA return policy.  You could argue warranty would be extended to accessories that came in a "kit" version of a tool you decided to return.   But, warranty and return policy aren't really the same thing.















That hose - vac008 doesn't fit festool vacs 
  If you look close you'll see it has a locking type connection that only fits a specific bosch vac that was made in Italy I believe.  That lock prevents it from seating in the festool inlet.  You might be able to modify it, but maybe not too.









Why not give the ets125 REQ a spin for 30 days ?   If you don't think it's an improvement , or worth the xtra cost - you can send it back for a full refund .

I will get them both. I was needing a nudge and this thread answered my questions. I am more leery about the CT 15 than I am the sander but I shall find out soon enough. Thank you again for all the advice.
Jim

[Derek Cohen]

I primarily use hand planes, but there are times when sanding makes more sense.

I have two sanders, one is a Festo, the forerunner of the Festool 150/3. 30-odd years old and still going strong. It is heavy, but this suits sanding panels. The second sander is a Mirka Ceros. It is so light and nimble, and the best sander out there for vertical panels or smaller areas.





I run a Festool CT26e  dust collector. The variable speed is very important.

Hand sanding is something you need a vacuum cleaner for as well - these produce as much fine dust! Mirka make ones you can attach a VC to ...



Abranet is my go to for dust control ...





That photo was with a 27mm Festool hose. I now use a 22mm Mirka hose.

Regards from Perth

Derek