Cheaper antistatic hoses for a Festool vacuum cleaner

[Derek Cohen]

I have  Festool CT26E vaccum cleaner, here connected to the dust guard of the table saw with a 50mm antistatic hose, and also used for the router table. 





Up until now I have used the standard 3.5m long 27mm Festool hose for my old Festo ROS. Locally, this hose costs $226 (AUD). Then I purchased a Mirka Ceros ROS and, although the same diameter, the Festool hose did not fit it. They use different connectors. Actually, the Ceros does not use a connector, and removing and replacing the Festool connection each time the Ceros is used is a pain in the watsit, so my thoughts turned to a second hose.

Here is the Ceros with the Festool hose. The connector is removed and the hose screws into an internal thread ...



Another issue with trying to connect the Festool hose to the Ceros (and I would consider this to be an issue with the Deros as well), is that a big part of the reason for choosing these sanders over a Festool is their light weight (especially the Ceros). These sanders more than any feel like an extension of the hand - less fatigue and more control. Adding a connection to the Festool bayonet adds mass and unbalances the combination. Better to use the hose without a connector, as the sander was designed.

The 27mm Festool hose was also used on a Mirka hand sander. This works by simply jamming the bayonet end of the hose onto the inlet ...



These hand sanders excel when using Mirka Abranet mesh. The sanders are rebadged for Festool, and so the later recommendation is the same.

The first decision I made was to get the 20mm Mirka hose for the hand sander. I was conscious of the weight of the 27mm hose which, as with the Ceros, needed a better match for balance. 

The 4m long 20mm hose is cheap - just $35 (AUD) from the local Perth agent. Here it is contrasted with the 27mm hose ...



It also fits the Festool vac perfectly ...



But it is the 27mm hose that most want to know about. A 4m long antistatic 27mm Mirka hose cost me $93 (AUD) on eBay UK, including shipping and import tax. That's 60% less than a 0.5m shorter Festool hose. The question is how do they compare?

Mirka on the left, Festool on the right ...



The only external difference is the Mirka tapers down for about 400mm from the end. 

The bayonet ends are the same ...



In the case of the Mirka, this unscrews, which is easy peasy (unlike the Festool, which needs to be unclipped - do that several times and the pins are likely to break off) ...



The ends that connect to the vacuum cleaner are also the same ...



And the Mirka fits perfectly ...



Importantly, the hoses actually feel similar. If anything, I found the Mirka to have slightly better flexibility, certainly at the important end (which was no doubt aided by its taper) ...



What about a replacement for the antistatic Festool 36mm hose? In Oz this costs $340 (AUD). From Amazon USA, the 35mm antistatic Bosch hose came to $188 (including all shipping costs). That's nearly half the Festool, plus the Bosch is 5m long against the 3.5m of the Festool. The only difference is the colour ...



.. and the connection to the vac (which does not bother me since I connect it to the Dust Commander cyclone) ...



So there you have cheaper choices. Hope this helps.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Lumber Yard®]

This Bosch VAC005 Hose is what I use on both my Festool MIDI and CT22E... I also use I on my standard shop vac. It is a direct hook-up for all my Festool sanders and the Domino. 

[Jack01]

Derek

Thanks for the info. I will start looking for that hose in US