OK - I got my Festool sander - now what

[Rick Alexander]

I was one of the guys that jumped on the $100 Festool sander last year and I just now got mine in the last week. This is the first Festool for me because I've always been a little leery of the plunge into the bottomless money pit abyss that appears to surround these high dollar tools. My other sanders are the Porter Cable 394 that is attached to a 7810 vacuum and a Boxch 1250 DEVS that's attached to a second metal sided shop vac style vacuum using a general purpose hose from Peachtree WW supply (using duct tape I might add to keep it together). My question is just how are you suppose to hook the Festool sander to a vacuum system unless you buy their hoses and vac? Is there some sort of adapter or something? I'd love to have their collector - just not right now.

Ricky

[Ben Rivel]

No official adapter to third party vacs, youll have to rig something up yourself with whatever you can find. You were supposed to pick up a vac with that $99 sander! That was their plan all along! lol

[Jacob Barnhart]

I have one of the Bosch 35mm hoses. It should fit over the port on that sander. The other end will fit into a standard shop vac. Bosch also sells adapters that go from a 1.25" I think down to a metric size that fits. I've never bought them separately, they just came with my sander, jigsaw and routers.

[Chris Stephenson]

pick up the shop vac attachment kit from rockler. Works with festool

http://www.rockler.com/dust-right-universal-small-port-hose-kit

[Rick Alexander]

No official adapter to third party vacs, youll have to rig something up yourself with whatever you can find. You were supposed to pick up a vac with that $99 sander! That was their plan all along! lol

Yep - I know that and dang it it's probably going to work. Now to figure out how to sneak a new tool in the shop and disguise how new it is once it's in there. I'm absolutely screwed if she finds out how much this "little" vacuum cost me. It's all good - been kicking around a Domino for a good 3 years now and that might happen after all as well and I'm pretty much sure that won't work without the Festool collector. She's the one that wants the new bed and I've about convinced her that will absolutely require the purchase of a Domino. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Funny thing is when Festool started advertising over here I thought who in their right mind would EVER spend that kind of money on those kids of tools.

[Ben Rivel]

Yep - I know that and dang it it's probably going to work. Now to figure out how to sneak a new tool in the shop and disguise how new it is once it's in there. I'm absolutely screwed if she finds out how much this "little" vacuum cost me. It's all good - been kicking around a Domino for a good 3 years now and that might happen after all as well and I'm pretty much sure that won't work without the Festool collector. She's the one that wants the new bed and I've about convinced her that will absolutely require the purchase of a Domino. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Funny thing is when Festool started advertising over here I thought who in their right mind would EVER spend that kind of money on those kids of tools.Oh me too man! No joke. That stupid $99 sander got me in over my head with their tools. I replaced almost all my hand power tools with their stuff right after I got it. So far Ive been pretty happy I did. Stuff is just nicer. Plain and simple. And tons of useful accessories! Plus the systainers feed my OCD nicely! lol

[Bruce Page]

Shuck out a few grand for a lathe and make your own adapters. :rolleyes:

[Nick Decker]

One of the things about that Rockler small port kit that I really appreciate is that hose that comes with it. Much more flexible and less cumbersome than the usual 2-1/2" shop hose.

I remember when those sanders were (briefly) offered. I was considering one myself but they didn't last long enough for me to persuade myself. Sanding is just about the worst way to make sawdust, IMO, so I was a slow sell.

[Victor Robinson]

Sounds like that sander is working out to be the gateway drug they hoped it would, lol.

As others have said, you have to piece together hoses/adapters if you want to go the non-Festool route for dust collection. The Bosch hose is a really good option and fits many Festools perfectly. For adapters, Fein used to make a nifty $5 step adapter that you could cut to size. For some ridiculous reason (and possibly the same reason they decided to stop making vacs that were actual competition to Festool) they decided to stop making it.

[Van Huskey]

Sounds like that sander is working out to be the gateway drug they hoped it would, lol.



The real insidious thing is that $50 voucher that just must be used....

[Nick Decker]

Sounds like that sander is working out to be the gateway drug they hoped it would, lol.

As others have said, you have to piece together hoses/adapters if you want to go the non-Festool route for dust collection. The Bosch hose is a really good option and fits many Festools perfectly. For adapters, Fein used to make a nifty $5 step adapter that you could cut to size. For some ridiculous reason (and possibly the same reason they decided to stop making vacs that were actual competition to Festool) they decided to stop making it.

I'm not sure that's the case. I recently got the Fein Turbo I and am very happy with it. It's quiet, has excellent suction (it claims a greater CFM than Festool, but I don't know what conditions either are tested under) and doesn't cost nearly as much. The Festools may be better at meeting OSHA requirements, but OSHA doesn't come around my shop.

I've never used one of the older Feins, so I can't compare them, but to me, the new one is better in all respects than the big box vacs. At $265, I see it as a good option for someone who wants something in between Shop Vac/Ridgid and Festool.

[Van Huskey]

I've never used one of the older Feins, so I can't compare them, but to me, the new one is better in all respects than the big box vacs. At $265, I see it as a good option for someone who wants something in between Shop Vac/Ridgid and Festool.

The older Feins were indeed better, more feature rich vacuums but the newest ones are still very good and worlds better than a standard screamer you get at the big box.

[Rick Potter]

Still waiting for mine to show up from Tool Nut. Maybe soon??

[Nick Decker]

It's the "standard screamer" thing that moved me away from those vacs. It's obviously possible to make a powerful machine that's quiet, so why don't people seem to care? I read comments by folks that say they're wearing their ear muffs anyway, and that's fine. I wear them most of the time myself, but there are times (sucking up some chips from the drill press, cleaning up a little mess on the floor, etc.) that I don't have them on and flip on the vac anyway. Maybe I'm more sensitive to loud noise than most, but I'll do what I can to avoid it.

[Brian W Evans]

I have a newer model Fein and it works perfectly with my first foray into the Festool vortex (Domino XL) - no extra adapters other than what came with the tool. The Fein is quiet, it has a long hose, a long power cord, and I like the built-in auto-on / auto-off. I will be connecting it to a Dust Deputy one of these days. I believe the Fein plus a Dust Deputy will still be cheaper than any of the Festool vacs.

[Van Huskey]

I have a newer model Fein and it works perfectly with my first foray into the Festool vortex (Domino XL) - no extra adapters other than what came with the tool. The Fein is quiet, it has a long hose, a long power cord, and I like the built-in auto-on / auto-off. I will be connecting it to a Dust Deputy one of these days. I believe the Fein plus a Dust Deputy will still be cheaper than any of the Festool vacs.

That is an example of the power of the Festool system, even when it comes to third party companies. Oneida makes the Ultimate Dust Deputy which attaches directly to the top of a CT vac and while certainly more expensive than a Fein and DD the CT + UDD it is an elegant solution.

That said for a in-shop system only I think the Oneida Dust Cobra with piping around the shop to plug hoses in (and either a simple or sophisticated on/off or auto on/off system) makes for a better solution for not a lot more money than a Festool vac and likely cheaper in the long run when you consider the cost of bags and filters for the life of the vac.

[Victor Robinson]

I'm not sure that's the case. I recently got the Fein Turbo I and am very happy with it. It's quiet, has excellent suction (it claims a greater CFM than Festool, but I don't know what conditions either are tested under) and doesn't cost nearly as much. The Festools may be better at meeting OSHA requirements, but OSHA doesn't come around my shop.

I've never used one of the older Feins, so I can't compare them, but to me, the new one is better in all respects than the big box vacs. At $265, I see it as a good option for someone who wants something in between Shop Vac/Ridgid and Festool.

I didn't mean to say that the new Feins don't make sense for a lot of people - as you've said, they are a nice middle ground in terms of price while still providing a good feature set, and certainly a giant leap above big box screamers. It's just that the previous generation was an apples-to-apples comparison against the Festools that actually came out ahead in certain respects for the hobbyist:

- The feature sets were basically the same. Specifically, tool-triggered on/off, adjustable suction via variable motor speed, available HEPA filtration, and extremely quiet operation. The variable motor speed is now gone on the new Feins, with suction being controlled by a vent at the hose collar. The Festools retain variable speed motors. Manufacturing has also supposedly shifted on the new models - not to Asia - but to cheaper Eastern European countries. It remains to be seen whether this new generation of Fein vacs can last the 10+ years people were getting out of the previous generation. I do not know if they still use the same high quality motors (Lamb?) but my guess is no.

- HEPA filtration. Both Festool and Fein were and are available with HEPA certified units. However, the kicker in the previous generation for hobbyists (those not needing a certified unit) was that you could purchase the cheapest Fein and put a 3rd party ($30) HEPA filter on it. That was pretty sweet. Now the HEPA filter is proprietary and is expensive (~$100+), same as the Festools.

That might not sound like a lot of difference, but for someone who didn't want to shell out a ton for a Festool vac (twice!), the previous Feins weren't even a compromise - they were a bargain and a no-brainer. Now, that's exactly what they are - a compromise that's perhaps more in line with their price relative to the Festool vacs.

[fred woltersdorf]

Still waiting for mine to show up from Tool Nut. Maybe soon??

I got an email from Tool Nut that mine will be delivered on or about March 23.

[matt romanowski]

I have this adapter https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WAAFXA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It goes from the regular shop vac to my Makita track saw and Festool Domino with no problem.

[Jared Sankovich]

The bosch vac005 hose fits.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/jar944/rps20170228_213159_zps7kanidgr.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/jar944/media/rps20170228_213159_zps7kanidgr.jpg.html)

[Jared Sankovich]

The real insidious thing is that $50 voucher that just must be used....
Ha, that's the truth. I finally got my voucher yesterday.

And ordered a Domino xl this morning.

[Van Huskey]

Ha, that's the truth. I finally got my voucher yesterday.

And ordered a Domino xl this morning.

Too late I guess but eBay has 8% back in eBay bucks this week, Hartville, CPO and several other authorized dealers sell on eBay. Unfortunately, Amazon UK nor DE ship the 700 tenon assortments to the US (they are close to 1/2 what we pay) but Amazon UK sells the 500 kit but is OOS now... I actually think someone on this thread may have bought the last 2 they had in stock a couple of weeks back... :p

I bought 4 sanders because I thought I would at most buy 4 tools in the next year, I went through all 4 in 6 weeks, now wish I had bought two more. C'est la vie

[Larry Edgerton]

Buy Festools little suitcase vac, its only $375. I have one mounted on the ceiling just for sanding, can sand several large projects on one bag.

[Bob Grier]

I use this adapter to connect shop-vac hose to Festools. It is 2 3/8" long and is flexible rubber. Works well. I bought it at Woodcrafters for a few dollars. It was displayed near the Festools and sales person showed it to me when I balked at buying Festool vac, hose, or any other expensive solution for connecting to my vacuum.

355135

[Mike Henderson]

I got my $100 Festool sander today - just about to the day that it was promised. Haven't really used it yet - just sanded some scrap to see how it worked. The Bosch hose I have fits it perfectly, as well as the Festool hose I also have.

For some reason, it came with two $50 vouchers (in the box), with two different voucher numbers - so they're both usable. I don't have any plans for a future buy yet but I'll have to think of something.

It also came with a hose adapter, obviously intended to be screwed on the end of a Festool hose. Any idea why they included this? The Festool hose fits perfectly already - the end doesn't need to be changed.

Mike

[Van Huskey]

I got my $100 Festool sander today - just about to the day that it was promised. Haven't really used it yet - just sanded some scrap to see how it worked. The Bosch hose I have fits it perfectly, as well as the Festool hose I also have.

For some reason, it came with two $50 vouchers (in the box), with two different voucher numbers - so they're both usable. I don't have any plans for a future buy yet but I'll have to think of something.

It also came with a hose adapter, obviously intended to be screwed on the end of a Festool hose. Any idea why they included this? The Festool hose fits perfectly already - the end doesn't need to be changed.

Mike

I wonder if both will actually work since you need a sander serial number and T number to use the voucher, my guess is the system will throw out the second attempt with the same numbers from the sander.

[Mike Henderson]

I wonder if both will actually work since you need a sander serial number and T number to use the voucher, my guess is the system will throw out the second attempt with the same numbers from the sander.
Yeah, I thought of that. I suppose I could just change the serial number by a couple of digits and see if that would work. But I really don't have any plans to purchase any future Festool products. Because of that, I may just put the sander up for sale on eBay. I'm happy with the sanders I have now and the Pro5 is going for about $250 on eBay right now (plus shipping).

Mike

[Edit: I put it up for sale on eBay. I have a couple of PC sanders (8-hole) that I like and I'd have to buy a set of different sandpaper (9-hole) for this sander.]

[Wow, 50 minutes after I listed the sander on eBay with "Buy it Now" for $250, someone bought it.]

[John Ziebron]

I got my sander a couple of days ago. The adapter that comes with it ended up fitting perfectly with the tapered working hose end of my old Fein vac.