Shop Vac plus Festool dust extractor. Do I need both?

[ROBERT WRUBLOWSKY]

So here'e my issue. I have a 3 HP horsepower dust collection system with 6" lines running to all my main machinery so Im generally covered regarding dust control, plus I used a Rigid 5.5 HP shop vac attached to a hose reel for general cleanup plus I would attach the hose to my power tools. BUT I hated the noise it created as it was very loud and I came across a fairly new lightly used Festool 48 dust extractor on Kijjiji (buy and sell adds) for $350. Seemed like a steal so I bought it. I use the Festool for all my sanding and power tool use but not for general cleanup. So I still use the Rigid for that. I also attach the rigid to my sawstop guard dust extractor but again the noise is driving me nuts. So I thought I was in the market for a new general use quiet shop vac and came across a PF55 Powr Flite heavy duty shop vac with insulated motor at 75db. (quiet) for $250. Am I overthinking this? Should I just scrap the Rigid and start using the Festool for both tool dust extraction plus general shop cleanup? Should I but the Powr flite commercial shop vac?

Your opinion appreciated.

[Jim Becker]

While you CAN use the Festool extractor for general cleanup, I don't personally prefer that because of the bags. I keep mine dedicated to small, electric hand tool dust extraction and use an inexpensive Rigid Shop Vac and my floor sweeps off the cyclone for general shop cleanup.

[johnny means]

I like having several vacs. It's particular useful to have one that's good for the really filthy jobs such as clearing a sewage line or emptying an oil pan.

[Jim Becker]

I like having several vacs. It's particular useful to have one that's good for the really filthy jobs such as clearing a sewage line or emptying an oil pan.
Agree...I actually have a second Rigid identical to the first that I use for truly "dirty" tasks, like cleaning out the gas grill, etc. (it was my dad's coincidentally and I got it when my parents moved out of their single family home and into an assisted living facility) These are under $100 products.

[Mike DeHart]

have you thought about adding a dust deputy to the festool so most of the dust/debris goes into a bucket instead of the expensive extractor bags?

[Jim Becker]

have you thought about adding a dust deputy to the festool so most of the dust/debris goes into a bucket instead of the expensive extractor bags?
If that question was addressed to me, something like the DD isn't something that I can entertain as my CT lives under my miter bench where it is at the most convenient spot to my work bench as well as my CNC. I only use 1-2 bags a year so it would take a long time to get any payout from adding something like the DD plus dealing with the space inconvenience. That said, for many folks that's a good solution.

[Dan Friedrichs]

The new Ridgid "scroll noise reduction" shop vacs are only slightly louder than the Festools. Certainly no where near the same as the old "screamer" shop vacs, and they're only ~$100 (USD).

Aftermarket bags are available for the Festool at significantly less cost than OEM.

The 14-ish gallon Ridgid actually moves significantly more air volume than the Festool vacs, so it may be worth having one for general shop clean-up.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

I feel the pain of noise - I have a Delta 1 HP central vac for the stationary tools, and a 6 HP Ridgid "Screamer" attached to a dust deputy, plus a small Ridgid for job site and car vacuum duties.
I paled at the price of the Festool when I got my ROS, so I attached a 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" Fernco fitting and put it on the Dust Deputy inlet hose.
I have custom fitted ear inserts - and if I didn't have them, I'd buy a set from Lee Valley with a known db reducing factor and use them all the time - like I do in the shop, now.

[Joe Hendershott]

There was some discussion on FOG about this and issues using the DD. One poster replying to the question: "Yes me. As a matter of fact I just spent $150.00 US for a new controller board for my CT22. I am positive the cause was the UDD."

[Mike Cutler]

You're over thinking it.
Keep the Rigid for bulk shop cleanup, and use the Festal for your bench type power tools. If that Rigid is an older model, like mine, I'd get another one. I hear the new ones aren't quite the screaming Banshees the older ones were. I've been trying to kill mine by using it as a leaf blower to clean gutters, but it just won't die.:(
Is there no way to hook up your DC to your Sawstop??

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Robert

I wear hearing protection whenever I turn on a power tool, with the exception of cordless drills. Let's not even comment about routers! Everything, but everything else, has the potential to damage hearing.

A while back I measured the noise levels around the shop. The loudest power machine was the Hammer K3 slider (with 12" blade) at about 88db. Second to this was the 2 hp dust extractor, which was a surprisingly lower 80 db. What was surprising was the drop in noise levels after the hoses were swapped from 4" to 5". This latter level is bearable for a brief moment, but still too high for my liking. I need to upgrade the dust collection to a more powerful system, and what puts me off is the expectation that it will be so much louder.

Machines, such as the Hammer A3-31 j/p are so quiet that one can truly have a conversation with it running. The N4400 bandsaw is louder at about 78 db, which is OK-ish, but I would not want to use it for more than a minute or two without hearing protection.

Now that Festool vacuum cleaner ... I have the CT26e. It is a tad quieter than the Fein I had several years ago, but I still cannot use it without ear muffs. The adversing states it is 62 db, but I think I got 77 db.

The question is whether one needs both systems, and my answer is that they do a different job. The dust extractor is for the machines, and the vacuum cleaner is for the power tools. They are not generally interchangeable. I did try the CT26e on the guard for the tablesaw, but it was not a great success, and a hassle. I have recently added a connection to the bandsaw (near the blade) and it does a good job here. Outside of these, the vacuum cleaner is destined to do a job which the dust. extractor cannot, and I continue to wear hearing protection. I do love using hand tools!

Regards from Perth

Derek

[ROBERT WRUBLOWSKY]

You're over thinking it.
Keep the Rigid for bulk shop cleanup, and use the Festal for your bench type power tools. If that Rigid is an older model, like mine, I'd get another one. I hear the new ones aren't quite the screaming Banshees the older ones were. I've been trying to kill mine by using it as a leaf blower to clean gutters, but it just won't die.:(
Is there no way to hook up your DC to your Sawstop??

Thanks Mike. My saw stop is connected to the dust control but the guard also has the 2-1/2" outlet that I found easy to connect to my general vac. That way I get full max dust control from under the blade and excellent control over the blade. I just finished cutting 36-2x4' 1" thick MDF panels for a wood veneered video wall for my office and there wasn't a single grain of dust after the cutting was done. It was amazing.

[ROBERT WRUBLOWSKY]

Thanks all for the generally good conversation. So to move things forward I have decided to keep the CT48 to my tools and replace the screamer Rigid with something else. Im intrigued with the new Rigids. I didn't know they were less noisy. Incidentally I have the dust devil cyclone on the rigid. Mine is ancient and won't die even though I have it on DNR order (LOL) so I think I have to retire it to the garage for general car clean up. Has anybody ever heard of the commercial powr Flite machines. This guy on Kijjiji has a new one for $250 and it draws 100" water suction vs the rigid 6.5 HP 66" spec. Plus it has an insulated motor. It is the PF55. I will buy that or a new quieter Rigid likely. Thank you all for the great advice thus far.

[Robert Engel]

While you CAN use the Festool extractor for general cleanup, I don't personally prefer that because of the bags. I keep mine dedicated to small, electric hand tool dust extraction and use an inexpensive Rigid Shop Vac and my floor sweeps off the cyclone for general shop cleanup.

Agree. I have the same issue re: noise. Why not just wear ear protection?

How about a muffler or one of the newer Rigids that are supposed to be quieter?

[ROBERT WRUBLOWSKY]

Workshop is my happy place with good music on. I turn on the shop vac way too frequently to clean up after every cut etc. Its not practical to walk around with the ear protection 80% of the time. Im going to measure the db's with my current rigid to get a better sence of the benchmark and go from there. This powr flite vac intrigues me though.

[Nick Decker]

I don't know anything about the Powr Flite machine, but at $250 you're pretty close to the Fein Turbo I, which I've been using for a couple of years and recommend. Truly quiet and plenty of suck.

( By "truly quiet" I mean "as tested by my ears" as opposed to mfgr. decibel ratings which are often nonsense.)

[Hoang N Nguyen]

I'm like most here and have more than one shop vac. I have a dedicated rigid vac for my Kapex, one for my big green egg to vac out the ashes, a newer rigid vac for general clean up (it's no where near as loud as the older rigid vac) and my festool CT36 to use with all of my festool stuff. I also have a Roomba that sweeps the shop every night at 2am and that sucker does a really good job. I only vacuum the shop if I'm making crazy dust like hogging out a few dozen 35mm holes for door hinges or stuff along those lines. Other than that, I just blow everything to the floor and let the roomba handle it.

[Ryan J Carpenter]

I too can't be separated from my music in the shop, but I have always worn ear protection 100% of the time in the shop. Last Christmas my family gave me a pair of the isotunes pro bluetooth ear protection and I was skeptical but very pleasantly surprised how I can still hear my music even while the rigid shop vac is screaming away.

[Randy Heinemann]

With a CT48 in the shop and given the CT's great performance, I wouldn't buy another one. If you can stand the noise for general clean up then just keep the Rigid for that (assuming it also has a HEPA filter). I currently own a Fein from many years ago, but it is quiet and I use it outside of my shop mostly. In my shop, I almost always use the CT. It's quiet, high performance, and collects much more of the dust with both Festool and other tools than any other vac I've owned. Whether you take the advice of another and equip the vac with a Dust Deputy or similar depends on how often you fill up the CT? I have just chosen to use the CT for almost everything. It is a great vac and I have found none other that does a better job.

One question though, why don't you create a Y connection and collect all the dust from your table saw with the dust collector? I suspect the result would be better with the DC anyway.

[Jim Becker]

Workshop is my happy place with good music on. I turn on the shop vac way too frequently to clean up after every cut etc. Its not practical to walk around with the ear protection 80% of the time.

While I might use a band-style hearing protection for a quick operation, anytime I'm doing sustained work that has a higher level of sound pressure, I use a pair of 3M Work Tunes so that tunes continue while I'm not exposing myself to excessive sound levels. They are not expensive at all and reasonably comfortable. There are other noise-reducing music solutions available, too. I tried a pair of IsoTunes a few months ago, and they did a good job at noise reduction while keeping the music on. I only returned them because the level of bass response was far below my long-term requirements as I wanted them for travel needs (such as on a plane), too.

[Rod Sheridan]

Like Jim, I use the 3M Worktunes earmuffs either with the built in FM radio or my ipod..........Regards, Rod.