Fein turbo noise level

[Zac wingert]

Is a fein turbo vacuum significantly quieter than say, my 6 gallon craftsman shop vac from sears? I realize there may be other benefits to it, but thinking mostly only about noise level. It’ll be used with a dust deputy.

I have a dust collector for table saw etc.. but I use the shop vac with cyclone for certain things like sander and bandsaw etc. actually I do t even end up using the shop vac for the ROS sander because it’s just loud and annoying.

is it $300 quieter? And no, I will not buy a festool for $600 or whatever it cost. That’s too much and I’ll just deal with it.

[Bruce Page]

Worth it is a subjective question, it was worth it to me. I dumped my old Craftsman shop vac over a decade ago for a Fein T3 and have had no regrets. The Fein does not have as much suction power as the Craftsman but has more than enough for everyday chores. It is much easier on my hearing.

BTW, my sister lives not far from you in Volcano.

[Zac wingert]

Thank you. I guess I am not asking if it’s worth it, but rather is it really quieter as claimed. That’s my main thought, noise. Or if there are other suggestions of actually quiet vacs in the same price range - below $300. Thanks.

And Bruce, volcano is a nice place. A lot of woodworkers there.

[Bert McMahan]

I have a Turbo II and it's VERY quiet. I don't know how loud your Craftsman is but I can have mine running and have a conversation in the same room. I wouldn't want to sleep next to it but it's not bad at all.

[Dave Sabo]

Is a fein turbo vacuum significantly quieter than say, my 6 gallon craftsman shop vac from sears?

Absolutely. Without a doubt. At <$300 it's a pretty good deal.

...but so is this for 35% less.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karcher-6-6-Gal-WD5-P-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-1-348-197-0/300262391

you'd need another hose or adapter to hook up to tools like a sander, router, ect...though.

[Curt Harms]

I have a Fein Turbo II and compared to what I had before - early mid '90s Shop Vac - it's a lot quieter. I think most vacs today are quieter than they were 20 years ago. One big difference in the Fein is the pitch of the noise, there's no high pitched scream.

[Brian W Evans]

I have a Ridgid 6 gallon that works great but requires hearing protection, IMO. You'd have to yell to have a conversation next to it while it's running. My Fein Turbo II is WAY quieter. You can have a more or less normal-volume conversation next to it.

[David Buchhauser]

I like my Craftsman shop vacs - all 6 of them. But I do generally wear ear plugs when using.
David

[Bill Dufour]

Except for drills and dust collectors with ac motors I can not think of any power tool in the workshop that is safe to use with out ear protection. Maybe a big belt or disk sander. Even a hand drill used near the head is too loud not to cause damage. Any universal motor needs ear protection for sure.
Bill D

[Bruce Page]

Thank you. I guess I am not asking if it’s worth it, but rather is it really quieter as claimed. That’s my main thought, noise. Or if there are other suggestions of actually quiet vacs in the same price range - below $300. Thanks.

And Bruce, volcano is a nice place. A lot of woodworkers there.

The T3 I have is much quieter than the old Craftsman. The Craftsman sounded like a F16 at takeoff. Standing 6’ away the T3 measures 69db using my dbPro phone app. 72-73db a foot away.

We visited her several years ago and I worked on Kauai off & on for several years. The greenery is always a shock for this desert dweller. We were planning another visit in May, but, you know... Maybe next year.

[Randall J Cox]

I'm on my 2nd Fein Turbo II, first one lasted 13 years with a lot of use. Liked it so much, bought another about 6 years ago. Great vacuums in my opinion, and relatively quiet. Randy

[Zac wingert]

Thanks for all the input.

anyone have input on that karcher one? Noise-wise? Didn’t even know it existed, looks a lot better than a regular vac.
434925

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have both the Fein and the Kracher unit. They are both quiet compared to some of the screaming meanies out there. I find no need to wear hearing protection with either. Beware of the Kracher unit that has a tool trigger, not enough amperage. The Fein is an excellent unit my two have lasted for years.
the Kracher I use in the garage for general cleanup with generic felt bags or without bags. But for my 5 cents I’d stick with the Fein.

[Zac wingert]

Thank you for your input. I just want a quiet one for my bandsaw. Thanks

[Dave Sabo]

Beware of the Kracher unit that has a tool trigger, not enough amperage.


Could you elaborate with specifics ? Looks to me like the Karcher linked has a connected tool load rating of 6A - same as the Fein Turbo.

[Joe Cowan]

I recently bought the Fein and hooked it up to my mitre saw to come on automatically. When I use my Festool sander that is hooked up to the Festool Vac, the Fein will come on as well. I guess there is a sensitivity level that I need to figure out how to adjust on the Fein.

[Bernie Kopfer]

Could you elaborate with specifics ? Looks to me like the Karcher linked has a connected tool load rating of 6A - same as the Fein Turbo.
I might have to stand corrected. My research prior to purchasing the Kracher showed some complaints about lack of tool amperage. I have a older Fein II dedicated to a chop saw with no apparent problems. And the newer FeinI has never indicated overdraw with any tools.
that said I really like the Kracher, wish it had a longer hose and power cord.

[Dave Sabo]

I might have to stand corrected. My research prior to purchasing the Kracher showed some complaints about lack of tool amperage. I have a older Fein II dedicated to a chop saw with no apparent problems. And the newer FeinI has never indicated overdraw with any tools.
that said I really like the Kracher, wish it had a longer hose and power cord.

Maybe.................... , maybe not.

These manuf. are playing three card monte with these turn on receptacles. For instance, my Festool vac's socket has a rating of 3.7A for a connected load yet they claim I can hook up any of their tools without issue. Their large router is 2200 watts and a low rating of 15amps. That well exceeds the rating, yet no problem. A mitersaw is going to draw well over 6 amps too ? Again, no problems with my 13A DeWalt on any Festool vac or a first gen. Fein Turbo.

However, I did have an issue many years ago with that same saw and a WAP vacuum. It had a fused socet that would constantly blow when the saw was powered up. Which, is why I ended up with the Fein.

So, it sorta depends on how a specific vac regulates the turbine and the tool you've connected. My festool is almost half the rating of the Fein, yet both perform
satisfactory with big tools. Does your mitersaw work with the Karcher ? Do you have the one linked, or another model with a different rating ?




I recently bought the Fein and hooked it up to my mitre saw to come on automatically. When I use my Festool sander that is hooked up to the Festool Vac, the Fein will come on as well. I guess there is a sensitivity level that I need to figure out how to adjust on the Fein.


There is no user adjustment for sensitivity on any of these vacuums.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I did not buy the Kracher with the tool receptacle because of the comments I had read. But your point is interesting in that we hook high amp tools to the vacuums and they work fine despite their ratings. Guess one has to take a chance.

[Zac wingert]

Thank, really just thinking about noise. It’ll probably get used with my bandsaw and absolutely not with the bandsaw plugged into the vac.

[Dave Sabo]

All the European branded "dust extractors" are quieter than domestic shop vacs.

So you really don't have to fret over that.

[Curt Harms]

I did not buy the Kracher with the tool receptacle because of the comments I had read. But your point is interesting in that we hook high amp tools to the vacuums and they work fine despite their ratings. Guess one has to take a chance.

How long the tool runs on the vac outlet might matter as well. I use a 15 A. miter saw on a Fein outlet and no problem but the saw only runs for a few seconds at a time. My miter saw has a laser, the laser has a switch but apparently the laser's power supply is powered all the time. The vac would be off with the miter saw plugged in but once the vac started it is slow to turn off or it doesn't turn off at all.

[Tom Bender]

Had a Fein Turbo II for a long time till it quit. Had to compromise it to get it apart for repairs. Turned out the failure was in the plug but could not discover that till it was apart. Next time it quit the disassembly was fatal.

[Lee Schierer]

I own a Fein Turbo II and it is noticeably quieter than my previous shop vac. You can actually carry on a conversation without yelling while standing right next to it. I also like the variable speed control so I can vacuum more delicate things without fear of sucking them up the hose. I can remove sawdust from my work surface without removing screws and nails.

[Jim Tobias]

Have had a Fein Turbo III for 10 years.....very quiet. Rating on Fein TIII is 67DB. Rating (varies on site) on Karcher is 71DB.
Jim