Festool Midi or CT26 Dust Extractor

[John Goodin]

Why not the CT15? It’s presence seems to go against the usual simple marketing of Festool, so it’s a bit difficult to determine how it differs from the midi. As best I can tell it doesn’t offer sustainer lock in and may not offer an anti static hose. I’ve seen them at the local dealer, but since I’m stocked up on dust extractors I haven’t inquired. The price is a lot more compelling.

Anyone know how the CT15 differs from the midi?

I’ve owned a 26 for almost a decade. It’s a great machine if you’re rolling around a shop or once you’re already set up at a job site. Not much fun to haul around, but really no machines are. The capacity of the 26 is a good compromise. I wouldn’t want much smaller for shop use.

I have used a CT15 and it is a great tool and at $350 most likely the best bang for the buck of any Festool product. The performance specs are the same as the Midi. Storing the hose on top of the unit with a bungy cord is a bit of a hassle and it does not have systainer stackability.

[Dave Sabo]

Anyone know how the CT15 differs from the midi?

ct15 = NO:

anti-static hose

no hose garage

no syatainer stacking ability

no bluetooth trigger

same great taste, less filling

[Justin Pfenning]

This is a fantastic discussion. I'm on the exact same path, Midi or CT26??? I plan to use which ever one I decide on, to collect dust from a 5" and 6" RO sanders, Domino, and routers / track saw in the future. I have a large Onieda cyclone dust collector hooked to my planer, jointer, table saw, band saw, and sliding compound miter saw. The Festool would basically never have to collect chips and dust from them. Here are the pros and cons for each machine as I see it. Please feel free to comment, correct, or debunk any of my pros and cons.

CT26 pro's
1- larger bag capacity resulting in less bag changes
2- larger wheels for easy transport over bumps and cracks
3- likely much more sure footed when stacked with systainers

CT26 con's
1- $100 more than the Midi
2- takes up more floor space
3- I have to spend an additional $80 to retrofit with bluetooth

Midi Pro's
1- $100 cheaper than CT26. Down the road I could use that savings to help purchase a cyclone separator
2- built in bluetooth
3- built in filter clog alert (I'm pretty sure I saw this on a user video, but I haven't seen much mention of it anywhere else)
4- smaller foot print for easier storage

Midi Con's
1- smaller bag capacity
2- smaller wheels requiring smoother terrain, and potentially less stable with systainers on top
3- is there reason to be concerned about the additional electronics on the Midi being problematic down the road?
4- no off the shelf hose boom or push handle options

Questions I have about these machines:

Do they both have the same diameter of hose?
Do they come with any attachments?
Do they come with on board attachment storage?
Can I use both of these units to vacuum out my cars?
Do they both offer easy HEPA filter cleaning to extend it's life?
How often do I have to change the HEPA filter?
Will either of these lose suction if I use them primarily with my RO sanders?

I'm leaning toward the Midi, I think. The additional $100 for the CT26, plus the additional $80 for the bluetooth get's me nearly half way to a cyclone separator in the future. On paper it appears the Midi and the CT26 have basically the same suction, and the same hose diameter and length. I'm using a loaner midi now. It's the older version without bluetooth, and filter monitoring, but seems to be working extremely well with my 6" RO sander and domino.

I'm a little concerned about how hard I've fallen for Festool equipment.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Do they both have the same diameter of hose? Yes
Do they come with any attachments? No
Do they come with on board attachment storage? No
Can I use both of these units to vacuum out my cars? Yes
Do they both offer easy HEPA filter cleaning to extend it's life? While the HEPA filters are removable, I'm not sure how/if they are cleaned. I've never seen one dirty.
How often do I have to change the HEPA filter? Not sure.
Will either of these lose suction if I use them primarily with my RO sanders? It's what they're designed for, so not something to be concerned with.

extra characters

[Justin Pfenning]

Thanks for the reply Dan.

[John Goodin]

Justin
The MIDI Bluetooth does not include the hose remote which if IIRC is an additional $35. I think you get this with the $80 CT26 module. I ordered a MIDI today mainly for the smaller footprint. My shop will never get larger and saving space is always a key consideration. Quite frankly, I think I would be just as happy with the 26.

[Doug Dawson]

I was considering getting the Festool cyclone unit when a friend advised me against it. He has both units, and uses them in a professional shop, that is, on a daily basis. In his opinion (which I respect), the Festool cyclone is about 10% less effective than the Oneida. I think that it also has less capacity.

The other feature I really like about the Oneida unit is that it can be lined with a bag. There is a valve which equalises pressure to prevent the bag being sucked into the outlet. This is unique to Oneida.

I’ve seen reports that indicate that the Festool separator is rather sad performance-wise in comparison with the Oneida Dust Deputy.

My only concern is that on a smaller unit the Oneida on top of it might be a little top-heavy, as the Oneida catches all the debris, and the Festool bag (which you may never change again, haha,) stays rather empty. Those Festool bags are super-expensive, BTW, so that Oneida is darn useful.

[Jim Becker]

The Bluetooth control is only really "required" if one is using the cordless sanders, etc. Wired tools can use the automatic on/off feature. It is handy, however, if one is using the extrator for cleanup tasks, such as bent over in a vehicle where you can't physically reach the vac and still want to cycle on/off for convenience as you root for that nasty rotten apple under a seat or something.

[Dave Sabo]

Justin - read your decesion matrix with some interest.

Couple of questions :

on the 26 -
why is less bag changes necessarily a plus ? more capacity= more weight tocarry around.

do you anticipate moving the vac ove a lot of cracky and bu,py surfaces ? I don't think either is well suited to that.

Midi - why does a separator appeal to you ?

[Bobby Robbinett]

I wouldn’t buy a Mini or MIDI due to the optional accessories not being compatible. I would go for the CT15 over them due to the cost savings.

I am struggling over the same choices. I need a dust extractor to dedicate to sanding only in the shop. The CT15 will probably be my choice due to price.

The CT 15, the CT midi and the CT mini can’t use the boom arm, or the dust deputy attachment. The boom arm is a big deal for me since it will be dedicated to sanding in the shop only. But at just under $500 for the boom arm alone then another $600+ for the CT26 is a big pill to swallow.

I could however just get the CT15 and build a diy vertical beam for the hose and save a lot of money. I would also have to rig up a dust deputy separator as Sami g dust only would benefit from it, I would imagine.

[Justin Pfenning]

Bobby, what accessories are not compatible? I thought only the boom arm and the add on handle were not compatible with Mini/Midi/CT15. I thought the dust deputy and Festool cyclone separator would both fit on the Midi.

Regarding the CT15 and sanding, I didn't give it much consideration due to the hose not being anti-static. It gets dry here in the winter, and static is a real concern. Also, no hose garage is a big downside for me on CT15.

[Dave Sabo]

I wouldn’t buy a Mini or MIDI due to the optional accessories not being compatible. I would go for the CT15 over them due to the cost savings.

Might want to re-word that. Makes it sound as if the CT15 is compatible - which of course it's not. Even less so.

Lots of solutions (arguably better) exist for fixed base boom arms. Like this quick & dirty + cheap solution on a midi:
Attachment 447950


Why do you feel the need for a separator or what do you hope to gain from one ? For sanding, I feel it's a complete waste.

If you're budget sensitive; there are other vacs with similar specs that compare with the enntry level ct15-

Fein turboI - more capacity , $60 cheaper
https://www.rockler.com/fein-turbo-i...CABEgISpPD_BwE

Karcher - more capacity ,$125 cheaper even after you upgrade the iffy hose
https://www.toolbarn.com/karcher-1-3...iABEgK-Q_D_BwE

CT15 has no advantages over these vacs that I can see other than as a status symbol.

[Justin Pfenning]

Dave, I'm only considering the separator for future use with a track saw or router. I'd use it without the separator till I add dust collection from those tools. I think I've settled on the Midi, but now I may put the vacuum on pause, and get a 5" RO sander and the angle sanding attachment for a project I'm working on. I can hang onto my loaner Midi for a while, so I'm still covered for dust and chip collection. The 5" sander would make my life much easier on this project.

[Dave Sabo]

The 5" sander would make my life much easier on this project.

THAT is an excellent reason to purchase a tool .

[Dan Friedrichs]

I didn't realize they are also making a new version of the Mini that has all the updates that the Midi has:
https://www.festoolusa.com/products/...ini-i-hepa-usa

And it's $50 cheaper than the Midi.

If you're leaning towards the Midi (for the smaller size/weight), why not the Mini?

(BTW, I didn't realize the extra vent on the side is so you can hook up the hose as use it as a blower. That's kind neat...)