Is the Fein Shop vacs really as quiet as they say? and how do they get them so quiet? Im also wondering why no other company has made a vac that is equaly as quiet.
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It's pretty quiet, but not silent by any means. I don't like the skinny hosel. My shop-vac has to be able to swallow babies whole. It's a good vac for attaching to tools with the switched time-delayed shutoff. Not as nice as the Festo vac. Both of them are too exepensive. I don't own either, but worked with a guy who owned both.
Steve
The midi-Festool is quiet.
I have that now, had (still do) the Fein (midrange) for several yrs. Evil drywall dust / wood ash from the heater did it in as far as quiet. Bearings or something now makes it whine loud. And when nearing full-blows the fine dust out. Gave me good hard use-but I feel it should have lasted longer. I did not abuse it, but would advise using their bag or whatever-I used just the tank bag.
I'm now a festool satisfied user.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
We always used the bags in both the fein and the festool. Adds to the cost, but saves the machine. The Fein started getting busted up on the outside from hard use though. The handle on top broke off, and the cover for the switched outlet broke off.Steve
Thanks,
I have a 15yr old Craftsman Shopvac that has worked very well, sucks great. The problem is, it is so loud.
The Festool is much more expensive than the Fein?
Fein's got 3 diff. sizes, the festool maybe 4. Compare and contrast so your price pts are geared toward the similar units.
Nice feature on the Festool-on bd cord and hose storage (midi for sure), tools come in one of those systainers. Couple it up with the cutting system and you've spent a bundle-works real well.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I have one of those 15-yr-old Craftsman screamers too. It's still around and functional as a backup, but the bearings are getting really loud on it. I replaced it last year with one of the larger Ridgids from Home Despot. I think it was about a hundred and forty dollars to get to one that was relatively quiet. I just couldn't bring myself to shell out for the Fein or Festo. It mostly depends on what you are using for most. I like the big hose and the suction of the ridgid for hooking to the job-site table saw and for sucking up chunks of plaster and other large and heavy debris. Ideally I would like the fein or festo as well for use with my festo sander and saw. But I still can't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a one.Steve
Edited 3/16/2008 8:22 pm by mmoogie
What Festool sander do you have? Like it enough to get again? Thinking about taking the plunge on one of the Rotexes.'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Steve.I've got the ETS 150. I got it on a promotion for 50 dollars for people who had never bought a festool before. I would buy a boatload of them at 50 bucks. At 260 bucks, I think I would pass.A former workmate has the rotex. It can be very aggressive if you want it to be, which is nice, but I like my ETS 150 better for most things.Steve
Thanks Steve,That's sort of where I am now. Unsure if the ETS 150 would be aggressive enough when needed (stripping paint or a few layers of paint). Leaning toward the Rotex for knocking down high spots on joists, and its polishing ability. From what I've read it's not as good as the 150 at fine finishing. But I'm not turning out Chippendale reproductions. At least not yet.What do you prefer about the 150 over the Rotex? Weight/balance? Finishing? General use?Thanks,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Steve,What I like better about the 150 is the ergonomics of it. Because it is like a palm sander rather than like a right angle grinder, you can set it on the work piece and put as little or as much pressure on it as you want with just one hand, in a a direct line with the axis of the machine. I use mine mostly for prepping new wood for finishing...trim, siding, etc. and for refinishing older doors and things on which I've usually done a preliminary stripping of the paint with a heat gun. I've also used it to sand flooring where I didn't want the floor to be dead flat when I'm done, like cleaning up 160-yr-old wide-plank pine flooring. And I sand a lot of bondo with it, as I do a lot of interior and exterior trim work in paint grade, and use screws to o fasten and fill the screw holes with bondo. It feathers bondo very well.The aggressiveness of the dual-action rotex comes in handy occasionally, but not enough to offset the greater comfort of the 150 for my needs. If i need agressive I get out the belt sander. I find the 150 is pretty aggressive as it is. You can get paper as course as 20 grit for it. I like the 6" pad better than 5". It feathers stuff nicely and gets things nice and flat. I get the harder backer disk to keep it really flat longer. The backer disks need replace maybe once a year, as they start to get too rounded over and they loose their hook and loop holding power.Steve
I've had the Fein Turbo II for years. (maybe 6-7) Love it.To clarify though, the Fein is about $250-299, the Festool CT22 is about $440 I think.I also have the Festool CT-22 as part of a huge Festool Craigslist deal from last year.- Fein is quieter. You can be vacuuming up in the hallway while your client's are watching tv in the living room - it's that quiet. The Fein vac attch's are excellent - well worth the $60-100 they cost, the floor attch gets every bit of dust - great design and it's dual mode, works great on carpet as well.-The Fein seems more durable. Aside from the previous poster's broken handle, the plastic seems less brittle than the Festool vac.-The Fein I'd use for rougher stuff without a bag - the Festool, I wouldn't, cause it looks like it'd be a pain to empty.-I use my Fein with a pleated filter and a bag for drywall and in general (the bags are only about $3.5 each, and you can slit the ends and empty them and tape them up for reuse). It also came with a cloth "bag" filter that is good for general sawdust cleanup.-The Festool is lower to the ground, has nice flat top, variable speed and is cool looking. The standard Festool hose is too short, the ID is even smaller than the Fein's and the DARN cord is way too long and has a STUPID 20amp adapter pigtail on it that makes it that much worse to coil around the cord wraps. I'm all for long cords, but the cord wraps barely contain the cord so it's a pain. Plus, you cannot open the unit to change or empty if the cord is wrapped up. The Fein you can very simply wrap the cord around the motor housing and hold it in place with the tank clip.I'll not get rid of either, but if I had to have just one - it'd be the Fein. You want variable suction for sanding, use an in-between with a little slider opening. Tough, powerful and sucks.Having said that, the festool does store the systainers neatly and in conjunction with the hose garage and the boom arm would be a nice workshop or onsite system for cutting or sanding.For your client's comfort at the very least, either is a wise investment for working at other's homes. I couldn't imagine bringing a rocket engine Craftsman shopvac to work while people are at home (very often). Unless you are doing really grimy work.I have a large Dayton (Grainger) industrial metal shop vac on wheels that I use for rough cleanup and it's a bit quieter than my crappy rocket shop vac.Julian
Steve,Thanks for that info. That's very, very helpful. Think I'll have to wander down to Woodcraft and see which one of those fits best in my hands.Spring arriving yet in the Chenango Valley? Should I ask that question in March? :)Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
It's getting here. Snow is mostly off the ground...for now. But you know how march (and april) can be. Birds are coming back. Now it gets tough mentally because you keep expecting it to get warmer, and it just doesn't...Steve
I bought the rotex last fall & love it. If something happened to it, I'd get another. The dual-mode feature is awesome. The dust collection is very good too. I was torn between the five or six inch models. The salesman said cabinetmakers usually get the five inch, & hardwood floor guys usually get the six - well, I do both so that wasn't much help. I ended up getting the five, & have been happy with the choice so far.
Bosch & maybe others make a ro sander with a similar dual-mode feature, but I've never tried them.
Mike
What I like better about the ETS than the Rotex is the form factor. I find the Rotex fatiguing to hold for a long time. But the dual-mode is nice. I like the 6" size of the ETS for most things.Steve
Is the ETS more like a palm-sander shape?
Yep.
View Image
Thanks. As for the 5" or 6" issue, the 5" works out ok on refinishing floors? And to tie this back to the original discussion. What size vac are you using?Best,
Steve'Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt man doing it' ~ Chinese proverb
Haven't used the little rotex on a floor yet - I think if that was your main reason for getting one, I'd get the 6". We use the 6" Fein RO sanders to chase the edger with. Those Feins are a quality tool, & if I remember right, more money than the Rotex also, even tho they lake the dual-mode feature.
As far as vacs, I've got the CT22. All it really ever gets used for is my sander & Festool circular saw. Works great for that. I mostly use the dust bags - fine sanding dust plugs up those hepa filters pretty quick & I get tired of cleaning them.
I still use my Craftsman for shop & some job-site cleanup. Not sure of the model number, but it's quieter than most & still just as powerful.
For general vacuuming needs, I'd probably have to recommend the Fein vacs. Like the others said, powerful & quiet and less $ than the Festool.
We have some longevity issues with the motors on the Feins; I think the three we have have all been in for repairs, but only after quite a few hours of sucking.
Mike
It is all the Euros they pack around the motor. It is not silent but comfortable when working in an inhabited house. I love mine but do not love the cost of accessories and the lack of cord/hose storage. Have not had enough down time (or concern) to come up with some redneck engineering fix.
The cord wrapped around and looped in that depression on the bottom of the black lid worked for me. The hose I velcro strapped-coiled up to the handle.
Tools, still in the original cardbd tool "case".A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
I bought a lot of five of the 24" DeWalt bags and put the tools and hose in it when in the van. I think I will get some of the plastic pipe hangers and attach them to some of the grey pipe strap in a loop to go around the tank. I wrap the cord in the groove you were talking about.
I was looking for when it is on the job and not havein to roll up, just roll around the tank. I also scored a bunch if industrial velcro clone material, might do something with it.
Mine is quiet, its the Turbo 2. If you buy it get the accessory cart because it holds the hose. It may not be a tool for employees use. You have a hepa /lead dust vac with this. To make this vac work right, you need to use the right combinations of bags and filters.
I think i would just use it for my shop. I like the idea of being able to plug in my miter saw and use it as a dust collector.
According to the FH test on shopvacs, the Fein is the quietest.
I had the Ridgid with the muffler attachment and the higher quality filter. Roared like a banshee even with the muffler. My hearing isn't as good as it used to be - not enough hearing protection when younger - and I always had to use earplugs when running that sucker. The filter clogged easily and when you went to dump it all the benefit of a good filter went up in a cloud of dust - literally.
Got the Fein Turbo II with the HEPA setup. Use it in the shop so it doesn't get jobsite abuse. Remarkably quiet, very powerful and very clean, even when emptying. Since I've gotten smarter about hearing and lungs I have to say that the cost differential to the lower end machines is a no-brainer - prevention is a whole heck of a lot cheaper than treatment!