Derek Cohen
02-25-2019, 8:58 AM
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.
https://i.postimg.cc/d0Cg7BBN/Ca.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/sgynqFVr/R4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/G2Ky09Hc/M4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/NfjS7RyL/Finishing-The-Drawers-html-6237eaad.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/QxXVQ7Yq/5.jpg
It also fits the Festool vac perfectly ...
https://i.postimg.cc/0jCjg5jm/6.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/SKwJCtHX/1.jpg
The only external difference is the Mirka tapers down for about 400mm from the end.
The bayonet ends are the same ...
https://i.postimg.cc/FFb7kppR/3.jpg
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) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/3JnNnwPQ/8.jpg
The ends that connect to the vacuum cleaner are also the same ...
https://i.postimg.cc/1tw4HrZv/2.jpg
And the Mirka fits perfectly ...
https://i.postimg.cc/7h4hQJHw/7.jpg
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) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/Dw0ZDTTJ/4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/sgLXCNjn/9.jpg
.. and the connection to the vac (which does not bother me since I connect it to the Dust Commander cyclone) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/3wDw8FW3/10.jpg
So there you have cheaper choices. Hope this helps.
Regards from Perth
Derek
https://i.postimg.cc/d0Cg7BBN/Ca.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/sgynqFVr/R4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/G2Ky09Hc/M4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/NfjS7RyL/Finishing-The-Drawers-html-6237eaad.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/QxXVQ7Yq/5.jpg
It also fits the Festool vac perfectly ...
https://i.postimg.cc/0jCjg5jm/6.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/SKwJCtHX/1.jpg
The only external difference is the Mirka tapers down for about 400mm from the end.
The bayonet ends are the same ...
https://i.postimg.cc/FFb7kppR/3.jpg
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) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/3JnNnwPQ/8.jpg
The ends that connect to the vacuum cleaner are also the same ...
https://i.postimg.cc/1tw4HrZv/2.jpg
And the Mirka fits perfectly ...
https://i.postimg.cc/7h4hQJHw/7.jpg
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) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/Dw0ZDTTJ/4.jpg
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 ...
https://i.postimg.cc/sgLXCNjn/9.jpg
.. and the connection to the vac (which does not bother me since I connect it to the Dust Commander cyclone) ...
https://i.postimg.cc/3wDw8FW3/10.jpg
So there you have cheaper choices. Hope this helps.
Regards from Perth
Derek