Another Small tool dust extraction thread

[George Bokros]

I am looking to upgrade my dust collection for some of my small tools, mainly sanders. I am thinking about a Fein 920282360990. Currently available from cpofein.com for ~$450. Is this a good solution? I have an old C-Man shop vac that I feel just doesn't do the job very well. I have to new sanders (ROS and qtr sheet sander) and am not planning to upgrade those since they are less than three years old.

Is the Fein a good solution though pricey or what would be be less expensive but effective improvement?

Link to Fein unit http://www.feinus.com/en_us/surface-finishing/dust-extractors/turbo-ii-hepa-0313401/


Thanks

[John Lankers]

I don't own one but would like to.
I have not heard or seen negative comments, having said that the shop vac is only as good as the dust collection capabilities of the sander.

[Bryan Cramer]

Whatever vac you chose add a Dust Deputy to it. It helps keep the filter clean and maintain suction.

[Mike Chalmers]

Whatever vac you chose add a Dust Deputy to it. It helps keep the filter clean and maintain suction.


Fully supported. I am using a smaller (2.5 hp) shop vac with w DD. I fill the 5 gallon bucket with hardly anything in the shop vac itself. I did purchase the expensive filters fr it.

[Keith Outten]

Try this one that is offered from one of our sponsors:

http://www.clearvuecyclones.com/cv06-mini/71-cv06-mini-system.html

[glenn bradley]

Whatever vac you chose add a Dust Deputy to it. It helps keep the filter clean and maintain suction.


Ding, ding, ding. I have two $100 Ridgid vacs with Dust Deputy's modified to reduce size, added Clean Stream .3micron filters and still have not spent near the cost of a Fein. Don't get me wrong, the high end vacs are great. I assumed I would get one someday but, well over a decade later the Ridgid's just won't die.

The mod:

327912

Here it is hiding behind the original vac form factor:

327913

[Jim Dwight]

In addition to the dust deputy, which I fully endorse, I would get a HEPA filter for your old shop vacuum. With the cyclone, you will not need to clean it often and you will not recirculate the fine dust that can get into your lungs.

IMHO, the worst thing to do is to pick up the chips but spew out the fine dust. That happens with a coarse filter on the vacuum or DC. But if you filter effectively and do not use a cyclone, your filter clogs all the time. So what you need is the separator and the filter.

I think the Fein is a good and quiet shop vacuum. It is a little cheaper than the Festools. But I think any shop vacuum will work pretty well with a cyclone and good filter on it. Especially on a sander. I have my old Rigid on a little cart based upon plans from Wood Smith with the DD and use both the 2.5 inch hose it came with (on the table saw and for vacuuming the floor) and a Bosch 5 meter hose (sanders, track saw, CMS and RAS). The Bosch hose conveniently fits over the inlet to the DD. At least for now, no DC. I also have an auto-on switch on the shop vacuum which is convenient. I have to move cords and hoses around but save a lot of cleanup.

[Larry Frank]

I use the Festool for sanding and on my scroll saw. Both of these produce lots of very fine dust. I want to add the dust deputy to it. Another thing about Fein and Festool is that they are rated for continuous use. I will use my scroll saw for long periods. There are others that are also rated for continuous use.

Whatever you get, the HEPA filter is a huge help in reducing small particles in the air.

[Eric Schmid]

For the money Nilfisk aero line is worth a look($2-300). The filter can be cleared during use (without opening the canister) and can be upgraded to HEPA. They are compact, fairly quiet and have a tool switch.

In the $5-600 range many more options are available. Makita, Bosch and Dewalt are all using auto clean and tool activation on their HEPA capable vacs. These all use a similar filter clearing technology found in the Nikfisk/Alto vacs and are probably a good value since they seem to be designed more like the Attix line which sells for more like $8-900 equipped with the same features.

Although I don't like the initial cost or the cost of disposables the Festool vacs are a pleasure to use. Having owned and used a variety of vacs I have to say for woodworking they are my favorite. They are specifically designed for small tool dust extraction and excel at this specific use.

While a Ridgid or Shop Vac hooked up to a separator may work just as well for less money the extra clutter and noise is a real detractor. I prefer a vac which is designed for the conditions I'm subjecting it to. I have two Ridgid vacs which do dirty work and if I could kill them I'd replace them with the Nilfisk aero or Bosch for general use. I haven't found anything in the other vacs that would sway me from the Festool for woodworking, however.

[Greg R Bradley]

I was a big Fein fan, having bought one about 20 years ago that I still use, even though it required some repairs a few years ago, and a Turbo II HEPA and Turbo III bought in the last 10 years. I wouldn't have anything to do with the current Fein as they no longer have variable vacuum but rely on a calibrated vacuum leak to lessen suction when a sander requires it. That makes that $450 Fein worth about half that for most applications. Yes, it will still run for the entire day at zero air flow for vacuum table applications so is worth the money if that is your need.
I also have a Festool Midi, which is worth it for the square shape, wheels, and Systainer locking system built into the top but only because it lives in the engine room of a big yacht where space and locking into a small secure unit is important. I suppose those features could be worth it to somebody that has to haul stuff constantly to job sites and needs the portability. Of course, if you are doing RRP, it is certified as HEPA as a unit which makes them legal for those uses. It doesn't apply to hobby users, but a vacuum with a HEPA filter added does NOT make the vacuum legal for RRP commercial jobs.

If you have to pay regular price for a Fein, the Festool starts looking better. I can't think I ever paid more than about $325 ever for a Fein as they are going on sale. In your position, I might pay that for an OLDER model Fein. Otherwise there are better alternatives out there.

[Dave Arnett]

I have the older Fein turbo ll with HEPA filter dedicated to my PC ROS. I couldn't be happier.

I'm no help on the new ones, but that old one :)