Festool574837 Dust Extractor CT MIDI I HEPA

I bought this because I owned a big ugly shop vac for years and storing and moving it was a pain. The fact that this is a smaller unit whose parts are stored inside it makes it a delight. Its only "fault" is that it has a small capacity but I now own a dust collector so my shop doesn't need more than this.

Festool Dust Extractor review; Excellent, I would highly recommend to purchase it along with the Festool saw.

For a portable dust extractor, this worked very well for me. I 3D printed a bunch of adapters as I primarily have Dewalt tools. Works great. I particularly like the power sense for my table saw. Don't need to manually turn it on and off, it'll sense the motor power draw and turn on automatically. The little remote works great at the end of the hose for hand orbital sanders.

When I set up my shop, I was determined to prioritize my respiratory health and safety. I purchased a decent 2 stage dust collector with a pleated filter and put in twice the number of ceiling mounted filters required for my shop size. I bought a 2.5 micron particle meter, and wore a mask for all but the most rapid operations. I really figured I had covered my bases. Especially for a serious amateur. I was so confident, that on my telework days, I would just work from the shop so I could putter around with projects while on conference calls and such. But I kept getting dust all over everything when I would sand. I had my ROS hooked into my dust collection and had built a (somewhat) efficient downdraft table. I just chalked up the dust to being in a workshop and dust was going to happen.Gradually I began to have minor respiratory issues. Irritation, etc. Went to the doc and was told there is nothing wrong, try being more diligent with the mask. I did, but I didn't wear the mask when I was working my day job from the shop. My symptoms continued, never worsening, but not going away either.Then I met Festool. I had been planning to make a series of small tables and I decided to finally bite the bullet and get the Domino to speed things up. That was going to be it. No more overpriced Festool. I am just a hobbyist. Why did I need all this Festool stuff? I walked into Woodcraft to get the Domino and got a chance to play around with an RTS400 mated with one of their dust extractors. I was totally blown away. Not only is the sander a joy to use, it really is virtually dust free.Being the skeptic that I am, I pulled out my particle meter, and set it about 12 inches from a walnut apron I was working on and sanded the back of it up through the grits. The thing peaked at 2ppm. Normally, with my Dewalt ROS hooked to my dust collector, from across the room, the thing gets up to about 45ppm.In terms of the machine itself, I am very impressed with the size as well as the fit and finish. It is incredibly well thought out and robust. Being able to plug my sander into the DC and having it start up when I turn on the sander is an amazing feature that will ensure I never operate the thing without having extraction running. I don't know about you, but that does happen to me from time to time.I also expect that this piece of equipment will greatly enhance the quality of my work. I used to dread sanding projects (who doesn't) but not for the act of sanding, rather for the dust storm it created. So far, I am finding myself sanding more frequently and more thoroughly and it does show in the finishing.If you are a hobbyist, I know the cost is a bitter pill to swallow. I spent years on the "hater" side of the black and green, but only for the high price barrier to entry for the hobbyist. I still resent Festool's high price but for a slightly different reason - If Festool products were more affordable, more people could benefit from the amazing engineering built into their products and more importantly, the health and safety benefits they provide.I am thoroughly impressed with this dust machine. It is dramatically improving my work and health. I will continue to buy Festool products and undoubtedly continue to complain about the cost, but in terms of the quality of the tools, there truly is no substitute.

Quiet and good suction. Size is comfortable for most of work and for transportation. Very useful container for hose. It’s not cheap but definitely worth the money

If I were to design a dust extractor with all the features I needed or wanted, it would end up being very close to a Festool. Their products are clearly top of line and work amazing.The accessories are GREAT, their support has been fast, and the product (So far) has worked incredibly.So, what can I complain about? PRICE.There will understandably be those who say, "If you love it so much, it's worth the price", and I partially agree.This has been worth the price so far, but I decided to go with the CT Midi instead of the 26 or 36 because I just couldn't justify the exponentially higher costs. I already felt the CT Midi was expensive, but since it is an important tool for my needs, I decided it was worth a try.These are already twice the price of similar units that would be adequate for most normal jobs; But just aren't nearly as nice. It is a tool that makes my work a little easier to manage, but does not help save me money or generate revenue for a job. For that reason, it is my only major complaint.PROSForm FactorStorageBuild QualityPowerFilter CleaningBluetoothAvailable AccessoriesCONSUnit PriceHose dimensions - The hose is great quality and their connection system is solid, it just requires additional adaptors to be purchased if you want to use it with other brands that are not Festool.Accessories Price - Like the unit itself, the accessories can be pricey. Even just a simple hose boom is almost 500 dollars.Accessory limitations by product - Some of the cool features like auxiliary bags, gates, etc. only work with the more expensive models. It would have been nice to have on the CT Midi, but they are not offered unless you buy the more expensive models starting around 900 or more.

Having this dust collector/extractor is the difference between hating your job and enjoying it. Having to sand ceiling drywall becomes a night and day experience.I am very sensitive to allergies, and without this machine, even with full PPE and air blowers in the room I'm working in, I'd still have issues with my sinus.Using this machine with the corresponding Festool sanders allows me to sand drywall with *NO* PPE and have NO issues with allergies. Bonus, I get to vacuum the rest of the house and the HEPA filter makes sure that no particles get picked up and shot back out into the air.It was expensive but very worth it. If you are reading this, check Festool Recon (refurbished) first for one of these and you can save yourself at least a hundred bucks. It's going to be the same great machine. I wish I had done that before buying this.

Very satisfying, works excellent with my festool sanders