IF I bought a Festool sander and vac...

[Frank Pellow]

I spent a little time looking up the specs on the vacs and found the following
...
Assuming Fein and Festool measure in the same way, It kind of looks like the Fein Mini Turbo on closeout at Woodcraft is the best value for performance. Of course the Festool has an onboard auto switch, onboard hose storage, and a more stable design.

Also great on the CT22, is the great flat top surface.

[Peter Pedisich]

Hey Frank, where's my RS400?!? I entered it last week.

Matt, about the vacs...the ridgid (if anything like mine) is possibly as powerful or more powerful than a CT22 (I have this, too) but as I've recently discovered the variable speed is very helpful with sanders to avoid too much "stiction". And the Festool is quieter than the Ridgid by a LARGE margin (although the new Ridgids have improved).

I thought about the mini also, but figured with a router and biscuit jointer the CT22 would be better.

Lastly, as far as the ampere rating vs the Fein (which I almost got!) I've plugged a 15 amp miter saw into my CT22 on full speed (rabbit) and no problems.

Pete

[Matt Meiser]

Hey, I am an ex-database administrator. And I have a degree in math and physics with a heavy emphasis on statistics.

I guess, even though I am retired from all that, I just can't help myself.

I've seen you mention that before.

[Tim Sproul]

Thanks for bringing this up, James. It is the first time I'd heard this. I looked at the respective websites, and boy, it's quite a difference in amperage capacity. From what I found it's 10A vs 19A. Is that right?

That doesn't sound right. I've not seen 120V circuits past 20A. The Fein vac is 120V, IIRC and it must have more than a 1A motor to drive the vacuum.

The Festool is rated at 10A because the max capacity receptacle/outlet you should plug into is 20A. The vacuum motor can pull 10A by itself.

If the Fein is 19A, I would be very suspicious that the 19A pull is only when the vacuum is not on.......which kinda negates the whole purpose.

[Matt Meiser]

I thought about the mini also, but figured with a router and biscuit jointer the CT22 would be better.

I forgot about the biscuit joiner. So I would be using this vac with a TBD Festool sander, a PC biscuit joiner, and a PC circular saw.

[Matt Meiser]

If the Fein is 19A, I would be very suspicious that the 19A pull is only when the vacuum is not on.......which kinda negates the whole purpose.

That might be the rating of the contacts or the electronics in the switch circuit???

[Jim Becker]

I chose the 150/3 with the CT22 for this. (I do own the Rotex 150, too, but don't use it that much) I find that the 150/3 is agressive enough for the type of sanding I do and it's nearly total lack of vibration means I can sand for "a very long time" without losing the feeling in my hands and arms.

As to the sound level, remember you can turn down the speed on the Festool CT22...I run it at about half speed when sanding. Any more isn't usually necessary and just makes the thing "stick" to the workpiece a little harder. I also looked at the Fein which is a great vac, but found the physical format of the Festool vac to be much more convenient for my use and needs.

[Frank Pellow]

A couple more statistics from the Festool Owners Group database that may (or may not) help you Matt.

Two thirds of the members who reported their inventory and who own Festool sanders, own two or more sanders.

Of the one third who own only one sander, this is the number of sanders owned by type:

RO_125_FEQ___11

RO_150_E______8

ETS_150/5_EQ___6

ETS_150/3_EQ___3

ETS_125_EQ_____1

RS_400_EQ______1

LS_130_EQ______0

DX_93_E________0

DS_400_EQ_____0

[Rob Blaustein]

Matt,
I went with the 150/3 and like it , although I haven't used it all that much. (but didn't enter it into the database--sorry Frank). It doesn't hog off wood as much as I thought it might, even with 80 grit, but I don't think I'd need to do that very often. If I did I might just get the Rotex or add it one day if I think I'd need it. I use it with my Fein Turbo II cause I already had one and didn't feel like getting another vac, but there are some things to keep in mind about that combo:

1. As Jim B. points out, the Festool vac has the nice feature that you can lower the vacuum level, which I'm guessing is a good idea for the sander. I suspect that I am not sanding ideally and wonder if my Fein sucks the sander to the piece too much.

2. If you go Fein plus Festool sander, you'll need to figure out a way to join the two. Easiest is just getting a Festool hose.

If you can take someone up on their offer to try one out, as above, I would.

Rob

[Matt Meiser]

It looks like the Fein Turbo I which replaces the Mini Turbo is out now. It has the same specs as the Mini Turbo, but add the auto switch.

[Bill Simmeth]

That doesn't sound right. I've not seen 120V circuits past 20A.

NEMA 5-30 is a 120V, 30A receptacle/plug scheme. Granted, you don't see them everyday, but they're out there.
nema_5-30p.gif

HTH,

[Steven Wilson]

I use the Rotax (RO150) for aggressive sanding and buffing, an ETS 150/3 for finish sanding (replaced the PC 333), an RS400 for finish sanding especially corners, and the CT22 Vac. If doing over I wouldn't change a thing

[Dave Avery]

Matt,

If you're only going to buy one, I'd go with the Rotex. It can do it all, though it is a bit heavy. If you do a LOT of sanding, that might be an issue. If you're a typical hobbiest as I am, it has not been an issue at all. I have the CT-22 vac and I've been very happy with it. All the best. Dave.

[Scott Coffelt]

If you have the Ridgid 6", it is pretty aggressive, so you can get buy with a 150/3 or 150/5. Of course, I think I would hit up uncle BOB. Vacs, I have the Fein-mini and it works fine, but if I were to buy I would probably get the CT22.

[Scott Coffelt]

I spent a little time looking up the specs on the vacs and found the following

CFM:
CT Mini 99, Fein Mini Turbo 116, Fein Turbo II 116, CT 22 134

Static Water Lift (inches):
CT Mini 80, Fein Mini Turbo 90, Fein Turbo II 90, CT 22 90

Sound Level (db):
CT Mini 72, CT 22 72, Fein Mini Turbo 63, Fein Turbo II 57.8

Ridgid doesn't list static water lift or sound level. They claim a 5HP (10A, so more like 1.5HP) vac is 150CFM.

Assuming Fein and Festool measure in the same way, It kind of looks like the Fein Mini Turbo on closeout at Woodcraft is the best value for performance. Of course the Festool has an onboard auto switch, onboard hose storage, and a more stable design. I would guess any of these 4 vacs have more flow and suction through a small diamater hose than the Ridgid I have.

I have that set up and it works fine for me, I use a X10 that I had lying around to turn it on and off with remote. The new Mini will have an auto on/off feature. For the money it is a good vac and comes with attachments. There are two advantages I see with the Festool over my mini (1)hepa filter and adjustable air flow which I hear can be nice for sanding. Then again, I use bags in my mini and don't seem to have dust problems and I never see any issues from too much air.