Festool shop vacuums - a quieter option

[druxey]

For years I've been using a standard vertical canister style shop vac. It has worked well, but the noise level when running for any length of time in my small workshop has been excessive. Currently I'm cutting a lot of wood and thicknessing it for framing and realized that something had to change. I'd looked at the Lee Valley website a number of times and saw Fein shop vacuums, but the $CAN1,000 plus price tags were far more than I wanted to pay for a quieter vacuum. 

 

A new, portable model at about half the price has just been introduced and I picked one up yesterday. What a difference! This model, the CT 15 E HEPA, is quite sophisticated and is rated at about 70dB. One can couple it with machine tools to switch on simultaneously if one wishes (the device to do this is extra) but I found manual start was just fine. There is an additional electrical outlet on the front of the unit as well. It filters particles down to 3 microns (hence HEPA). Bags are either the disposable type, or there is a more expensive re-useable option available. Capacity of this small unit is 15 liters.  The unit can be converted to a wet-vac by changing the filter.

 

In addition, the suction can be electronically controlled to 4 different levels. There is an overload cut-out that operates when the bag is full. The bag has a closure device for removing it without producing a cloud of dust - clever. The unit comes with a long hose of narrower diameter than standard N. American units at about 1⅜" external diameter. An adaptor may be needed. The unit includes a crevice nozzle and small floor brush in the top storage compartment. A wide range of add-ons is also available.

 

This unit was designed for portable on-the-job use, but is great for a small workshop. If you have a large workshop with a lot of full-size machine tools, I would suggest you consider one of the company's larger and more expensive models.

 

I have no connection with Festool other than as a customer of the supplier, Lee Valley Tools.

[dragonflyxlii]

HI:  I went through an extensive search for a new shop vacuum around the first of the year and arrived at the Festool as well. I don't have any skin in the game either except for my slight allergy to wood dust. I too have been very happy with my choice and kinda am drawn to the German design of my new vacuum. I attach it to all my bench tools but must add that the slightly different sized hose fitting needs an adapter to fit to the tool hoses.  Good vacuum so far!

[Jaager]

I used an old Craftsman 16 gal that could have substituted for a 747 jet engine for noise in a closed area.

I bought a Festool Midi when the Craftsman burned out.  It is quiet, not enough to allow music, but I could ditch the ear muffs.  

Two problems though - it says not to have a cyclone trap in-line - which I insist on - and trap or not, it turns itself off after 15 minutes at most.

Bandsaw ripping of framing stock takes longer than 15 minutes.  Doing the thickness sanding on the ripped stock takes much longer.  A hull of any size (with a reserve for mistakes) can need 60 pieces 2" x 2'  planks.  And that always takes me longer than I imagine it will take  before I start.

The Midi was ~$500 - I checked HomeDepot and bought a 14 gal Rigid for  < $100.  It is about as quiet as the Festool, likes the DustDeputy, and says on as long as I can endure a session.   A radio control On/Off - (budget models bad)  - is a help - it lives in a condo, and I have to unplug it when done because neighbor garage door remotes can turn it on. 

The Festool is $500 that I will never get back and is now a support for the 5 gal cyclone trap catch drum..

My ideal solution for a shop vac is to have it in a room where I ain't.  Alas, this is not an option in a condo.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Jaager

[No Idea]

Hi druxey 

 

I used to use a Bosch vac on my tools and like you I thought that it was very noisy.  So a few months ago I swapped to Festool as I wanted a quite option but it did come at a cost.  These things are not cheap and I bought a CTM Midi not really knowing if it would be better and more quiet.

 

So what did I find?  Well the extraction is extremely good and I rarely use it on full suction.  The bag holds twice as much as my last vac and not only that it can also do wet extraction too.  It also has a blow function too which sometimes comes in handy.

 

But overall it really is a lot quieter than my last vac especially on half power.  The hose is so long that it lives well away from my tools and its anti static too. I also have the bluetooth switch on the hose so I can turn my tools on and the vac at the same time.  I don't use the power outlet on the Festool as it cannot handle the power of Byrnes tools but the bluetooth solution solves this problem.

 

I too recommend this product but it does come at a price

 

Mark

[gjdale]

I too have a Festool vac that I use not only for all of my Byrnes equipment, but also my full size hand held tools (sander, router etc). I also have the blue tooth unit, which is handy, and I always plug my machines directly into the Festool power outlet so that the vac turns on when the relevant machine turns on and turns off a few seconds after the machine turns off (to clear the line).

 

I also added Festool’s own cyclone attachment, which stacks on top of the base unit and works well, although it does add to the overall size.

[BobG]

I'm in the market for a new shop vac to replace my very old Sears Craftsman which I am sure has helped my hearing decline over the years. The available choices and sizes amongst Fein, Festool and Rigid makes my head spin though so I hope this discussion will help clarify things for me. 

[Ian_Grant]

I bought a Rigid a few years ago after my old Shop-Vac burned out (again; their motors are junk quality).

 

The Rigid came with a "muffler" which can be plugged into the exhaust port. It makes quite a difference although I think it is still loud.

[VTHokiEE]

2 hours ago, BobG said:

The available choices and sizes amongst Fein, Festool and Rigid makes my head spin

I went through that dizzying process, finally settled on a model, and unfortunately they raised prices in the new year and priced me out when I was ready to buy :-(. I eventually came up with a different plan but someday I hope to get one of these (and hopefully be able to be more lax on the ear muffs).

[Ian_Grant]

I have bought a lot of my tools on Black Friday, or at least the Canadian equivalent. Got an incredible deal on my air nailers, and on my portable table saw. In the case of the table saw, Home Depot gave me their "10% less than competitors" price, below Canadian Tire's Black Friday price!!!! I was a happy camper. My old shop vac just happened to pack it in shortly before another Black Friday.

[Roger Pellett]

Unless you own stock in a shop vacuum filter company, if you plan to hook your vacuum up to a major woodworking tool, a cyclone installed between the tool and vacuum is a good idea.  The cyclone separates the “big chunks” that would ordinarily plug up your vacuum’s filter and dumps them into a dedicated container.  These cyclones have no motors or moving parts.  

 

Roger

[Maury S]

I've got a cyclone hooked up to a ShopVac and handle the noise issue with a good set of headphones. 

Maury

[druxey]

Personally I don't like to wear headphones in the workshop. I use sound to judge if I'm overloading a power tool before it bogs down or stalls. Since acquiring a quieter vacuum, this is much easier to hear.

[Jaager]

I cannot keep the Festool running - the overheat switch or whatever keeps tripping - the Rigid that I bought said it was quiet.  It is quiet enough not to need ear muffs, but not quiet enough for Mozart to be heard.

[druxey]

The Festool will cut out when the bag is full. Is that the problem?

[Jaager]

I have a DustDeputy  in-line - so except for some really fine particles the filter is clear and bin is empty.  Besides, it started life with me having a short on cycle.   I figure that a sensor is faulty.  I used to be big on using IPL and ordering and replacing faulty and worn out parts.  Either living alone or getting beyond retirement age has greatly dampened my enthusiasm  or I guess it could be my black dog.   I am betting that replacement sensors and the trouble involved with taking things apart and reassembled would match the cost of the Rigid, now that I think on it.   It annoyed me that the instructions said not to use a cyclone trap.  There is no constricting aperture involved with the trap, so what possible effect could it have?   Trap or no trap,  remote control on/off or straight to 110V wall outlet - none of it affected the short cycle unreliable nature of the Festool - so I am more than a little displeased with it.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Jaager