Help! Fein 6″RO sander/Turbo II Vac Q
Hello –
I am about to take the plunge into the Fein 6″ RO sander/Turbo II vac package. I’ve finally accumulated enough tasks that will kick up fine dust and can justify the cost of the setup.
After spending a good amount of time getting thoroughly confused over the accessories that DON’T come with the vaccuum to make it HEPA, I ask you for your help in determining what it is I need to purchase.
I have the following tasks ahead of me.
Rough sanding very slick lead painted bath and kitchen plaster walls for priming/painting over. (or maybe even complete removal if feasible with the Fein setup.)
Heavy water stain on a 6″ diamter area on the livingroom hardwood floor that still has the original wax finish from the 1950s.
Sanding some outside wood trim for entry doors that has lead paint.
Sanding several entry doors (stained) for refinishing.
Please tell me what I am leaving out or don’t need.
6″ RO sander.
Turbo II vac.
extra (high) cost accessories…
HEPA pleated filter
spare paper bag filters
the required filter mounting tools (unbelieveable)
(I am holding off on the cleaning tool kit.)
The vaccum will be used mainly for fine dust only.
No large chips or debris, which will be handled by my ShopVac that is also set up for HEPA but is quite a beast with several sections of 2″ hoses. (I also have the Craftsman tool trigger switch.)
I am not sure about the black HEPA bags.
Can someone clarify if this is necessary if I have the pleated HEPA ?
Also, there is mention of the cloth filter that comes with the vaccuum.
Is this used in combination with the paper bags and HEPA pleated filter as well as the black HEPA bags ?
As for the sander, can the velcro sanding discs be found in walk-in sources such as HomeDump or do they require special orders ?
That would be a pain in the butt if I have to have them shipped in whenever I need new ones.
After wandering the so-so Fein web site I thought it would be best to get info from owners.
I appreciate your help.
Alan
Thoroughly confused over the filters and bags combo.
Edited 10/1/2002 9:48:46 AM ET by Ahneedhelp
Replies
Hey there, I can't help you with any of the questions on the sander, but I recently got a Turbo II and had some of your same questions. I ended up calling Fein to get them resolved since the manual and website don't mention much about them. Here are the recommended ways to use the vac:
- bag + cloth (for 5 micron performance)
- bag + pleated HEPA (for HEPA performance)
The Fein guy said don't use the cloth filter and the cartridge at the same time since that will degrade the suction and is not necessary.
But still, I am loathe to get that frigging $80 filter dirty, so I am using bag + cloth + HEPA, and still get plenty of suction. After a lot of sucking up of busted plaster, lead paint dust, black attic dust, etc., the bag was pretty full so I checked out the filters when I changed the bag. The cloth filter had some dirty spots on the outside, but overall I was surprised how good the bag had done at keeping most of the dust inside. The HEPA was clean as a whistle, though theoretically it should have only been trapping dust under 5 microns so I'm not sure I should have expeced to see much anyhow.
If I found I needed more suction, I would probably take out the cloth filter. As it is it won't suck nails all the way through the hose to the bag, which is sort of annoying sometimes. So maybe I'll try it out without the cloth in. For anything short of lead dust there isn't really a need for HEPA I suppose, but I like not having any dust whatsoever in the air even during vacuuming of regular stuff.
Good luck on the sander. It looks pretty cool, but the price blows my mind. Gets super reviews on amazon though. It will likely be along the lines of other Fein products: really really great, though lacking in a few little places that ought not to be there for the price, costly special accessories that should come included, and of course wallet-crushingly expensive. I've got their VS polisher and the Turbo II, and will likely get the multitool at some point.
-Holly
Thanks for the feedback, Holly -
Yes, the cost of consumables is mind-blowing.
But according to your comment, a bag should last a good while for the stuff I will be tackling with the vac - mainly fine dust from sanding smooth surfaces or sucking up household dust/lint.
I ended up calling Fein and asked about the HEPA black plastic bag, which encapsulates the paper bag and contains everything and prevents any contaminants from getting on the inner surface of the cannister.
The sales person said this bag was used as part of the Anthrax cleanup.
For me, the pleated HEPA and paper bags should suffice.
Good to know the cloth filter can also be used with them.
Alan