Ok, I can’t wait for the article to come out. I’ve made the decision to INVEST in a Fein vacuum to replace my Genie dying a slow agonizing (read loud) death. I’m looking for real world experience on which model to buy. The Turbo and Turbo II appears to be only different by canister size and $80 (correct me if I’m wrong) and the Turbo III is bigger, badder, and a lot more expensive ($349). I’m leaning toward the Turbo I because of price ($219). I thought about buying a cheaper vac but I figure I can spend more for a quieter vac that will outlast 2-3 of the cheaper ones. I should have jumped on the Woodcraft deal that ran until the end of the year with the Multimaster but didn’t want to part with $500.
Help,
John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
Replies
I've been running a Turbo III for almost ten years, on the job and in the shop. I've owned at least a half dozen other vacs that have all died. That's a few $99 vacs as well as a couple commercial ones. The Fein is a great vac. Mine has been through some real tests of durability, tumbling down stairs, left out in snow and rain, it's almost indestructible.
I use a felt cone filter along with a Teflon bag pre-filter. I would not buy a vac that has pleated filters or ones that can't be washed, I'd be changing filters every day, The Teflon bag is a good addition to any vac, it keeps things like sheetrock dust out of the filter.
I really like it's low noise, ease of moving around, power plug with activation, waterproof switches, long hose, diverted exhaust, ease of cleaning and capacity. This is a very well made tool and you won't regret shelling out the extra money. I might be the last vac you have to buy. There are some pieces of equipment that are heads above the competition and you notice and appreciate the quality each time you use them, Fein vacs fit that description.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
I have the T-2, if it was stolen or died I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. I plan on the small one some time soon just because its easier to bring on a job.
I think you can safely buy a Fein based on the size of the canister you need.
I have the Turbo II (6.8 gallons), which I use in my shop: but for job site cleanup, I think you would be more happy with the Turbo III (14.5 gallons).
I actually looked on the Fein site to see what the differences were with the motors, but they are not at all clear. My impression is that you get a bigger, more powerful motor as you move up the line in price.
********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
From what I can tell, the T-I and T-II have the exact same specs. I'm kindo of leaning to the T-I because of price and size. I guess that I'm hoping someone won't say it's too small. The T-III sounds nice but I'm kind of hesitant because of the larger hose and of course pricetag. I know the larger hose would be nice with the planer, but I think the smaller would be nice with hand tools. And my thoughts are that this will be the last vac I buy. My Genie lasted 13 LOUD years. John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
Upon further inspection, the T-I and the T-II have exactly the same specs except the volume and the noise. The T-II is supposedly as quiet as the T-III. I think I'm going to agree with you that the T-I is too small. According to Fein's website, the Turbo II is their most popular model. I think the fact that it's quieter gets the swing vote from me, but the $300 hurts!John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
I have the T II . I use it a lot hooked up to my chop saw.
The ability to connect my saw to the vac, and the vac automatically comes on when I make a cut, is a huge convenience.
Personally I'd go with the II.
I passed on buying the Fein when I had the chance and went with the big loud Crapsman. Thats pretty much the only good thing Crapsman makes...their shop vacs but I'm really sorry I spent the hundred bucks on it and didn't spend the extra cpl a bills on the Fein.
But I'll tell you ONE thing. I'm sorry when I buy large vacums cause they're a real pain in the azz and I don't think I've EVER needed such a big vac....not for the most part.
If I plan on using it for a planer or the like than I should be buying a dust collection system. If I'm using saw dust making tooks THAT MUCH in my shop than the shop deserves the right tool. A complete dust collection system.
Bigger is most definatly not better IMO. Neocons'll love this...lol~What do John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Robert F. Kennedy, and John Lennon have in common?~http://www.john-lennon.net/whoauthor...johnlennon.htm
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Andy,
I'm agreeing with you. I've got a large crapsman at the office that we take on jobsite and use in the shop to vacuum out trucks. The Fein T-II would mostly stay at my house for use in my shop, wife to vacuum out her mommyvan, and me to take on the occasional jobsite hooked up to a tool. I hate dragging around huge noisy vacs.
Thanks,John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
If you have plans to use the Fein for your planer, I think the Turbo II (the 6.8 gallon that I have) would be pretty useless. It works great for shop clean-up, dust collection for portable tools (sanders, biscuit jointers, circular saws etc) and maybe a miter saw.But with a planer, you'd probably have to empty the T-II every 5-6 passes on wider boards. ********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I use my planer 2-3 times per year. And honestly I'm a hobby woodworker and with the size of my basement shop if I have ALOT of planing to do, I would probably move my Dewalt planer outside. (Which would probably make DW happy too!) I think I'm seriously leaning toward the T-II but I greatly appreciate your input.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
I've got the T-III, which has worked well so far, but I've mainly used it for fairly routine cleanup jobs - sawdust around some tools, vacuuming the car, etc. Once I've finished building my garage/workshop, I expect I'll be using it more for woodworking stuff - at least until I decide I need a full-blown dust collection system. Think I spent either $309 or $319 a couple years ago at Western Tool.
A friend has the T-II, and made the comment that if he had it to do over again he would have gotten the T-III, as he's constantly emptying it when he's using the planer.
So, if you're going to be using it in applications where you'll be generating a lot of volume - planing or jointing, especially - then I'd suggest the larger one. If not, the smaller one will be easier to store and maneuver.
Don
I have a small ShopVac (1983), a 200CFM Craftsman (1989), and a 1200CFM dust-control system. One bonus with Craftsman is that I have a "central vacuum system" hose and head for it that I can use to clean the carpets (but I have to wear hearing protection).
Speaking of hear protection, I tried to hook up the dust-control vac to the central vacuum plumbing, it sounded like banshees had possessed the house. The craftsman could pull the central system when it was newer, but it doesn't have the draw to do a really good job any more.
<!----><!----> <!---->
Phill Giles<!----><!---->
The Unionville Woodwright<!----><!---->