Noise (decibel) is measured on a logarithmic scale. 9db is a very substantial difference.

I have both types of vacs in my shop. The biggest advantage with the Hepa extractor is that it mostly eliminates the very fine dust that hangs in the air for hours or days. That stuff settles on freshly varnished furniture and is a pain. Sanding always comes right before applying finish. If we could do that backwards it would be a lot cleaner.

Ever met anyone with COPD? Feels like your drowning 24 hrs a day. Years in a woodshop is a huge contributor. Buy the Festool.

I have the Ridgid 12 gal vacuum. I bought an anemometer to measure what my Ridgid is capable of. At the inlet, on the side of the unit, I get about 185 cfm. At the end of the hose that comes with the vacuum, I get about 140 cfm. When I add in the Dustopper, a cyclone separator, it goes down to about 75 cfm at the end of the hose. Even with the Dustopper, it works really well with my random orbital sander and my circular saw. I've used it on my table saw (Ridgid R4512) but it really only gets whatever falls straight into the dust chute. With the Dustopper though, I don't have to worry about the filter. It all goes into a bucket, not the vacuum. I recently added a router table to the extension wing of my table saw and then built a fence with dust collection and the vacuum/Dustopper combo does a very good job of clearing the shavings. I am in the process of making a "dust box" for when the fence is not in use or too far away from the cut. The vacuum, a Ridgid hose kit and the Ridgid HEPA filter/bag kit will cost you about $180. It will work just as well as the Festool with the only difference being the auto-start feature. That convenience is nice and if you have the money, go for it. The downside is, the capacity. Whatever time you saved with the auto-start, you lost with having to empty the unit more often. Pick your poison. As a hobbyist, you will be well served with the Ridgid vacuum, with the hose and HEPA kits included. There is always something better and if you've got the scratch, have at it. If you're just starting out, you should at least get something like the Ridgid set up. It is a necessary expense, regardless.

I have both of these vacs. I use the Rigid for large cleanup like cleaning my barbecue or sweeping the driveway. I use my CT15 dedicated to my mitersaw and as a lightweight job site vac when delivering furniture. Great video

I've had a Craftsman vac like your Rigid for years. Recently bought the Festool Midi...just a notch up from yours. I really like the longer, more pliable, anti-static hose compared to the Craftsman. Was always wrestling with the Craftsman hose which was always too short, and the canister really didn't roll that well. I purchased the optional blue-tooth on/off switch for the end of the Festool hose primarily because I was taking a tile floor and kept the vac just outside that room to lessen the noise which let me use the vac as necessary for concrete dust/chips, etc. without constantly getting up and down off the floor. I also wanted the hose garage on the Midi so that I can stack/latch other Festool products on top. I'm buying one of their sanders next. The 15 liter dust bag is plenty for my work...I still sweep before I vac, so not that much going in the bag anyway. And, at least on the Midi, there is a HEPA filter self-cleaning mechanism, and I've always extended the life of filters by blowing them out with compressed air so don't expect to be replacing the HEPA filter anytime soon. I don't see getting rid of the Craftsman, but I don't expect to use it for anything in the near future either. Finally, the Festool is nice enough to use around the inside of the house which is great for us because we don't have a traditional vacuum like a Hoover. With all wood and tile floors we were getting by with a Roomba and a Dyson stick vacuum, but neither of those work for vertical or elevated surfaces. I invested in Festool because after a lot or research, I will start upgrading my handheld power tools with Festool as projects come up and the vacuum is central to all of that. Sander, Track Saw, and Domino Joiner are on my short list.

Good video. You mentioned sanding with the Festool. I have the CTL MIDI (same specs as the CT15) and when sanding I always run at the lowest setting. You get near perfect dust collection, significantly lower sound and power use and much better results. Auto start and adjustable suction are very important features for a dust extractor. As far as the filter, I have been running my CTL MIDI with the same main filter for over 3 years and still looks like new. (I use bags). Never used my Festool as a wet vac.

Nice review! Just ordered the ct15 and 5” festool orbital sander. My shop is in an unfinished basement and never sand inside, hoping between this and some box fan air filters I put together I can work inside all year round!

As for sound levels -- a 6dB change is a doubling in sound pressure, so 9dB is 3x louder.

I'd replace that non antistatic hose that came with the 15 if you are using it for wood dust. If the $130 Festool hose is a turn off the Cen-Tec antistatic will do just fine. Antistatic isn't just for the user but also for the material in the hose. It's an older vid so maybe you have replaced it but still worth mentioning for anyone just finding the vid I suppose.

For a portable set up Ridgid propack + IVAC unit screwed on top. Add a dustopper set up for extended filter life. Cheapest effective portable solution

Thank you really useful comparison!

Nice honest and fair review… thanks

One thing about Festool CT collectors and tools. Everything fits together, auto start and 5 sec run after stop with tools. 5 adjustments for suction, for sanding use 1. They are quiet and HEPA. Compare this with standard shop vac. No auto on, loud and shoots out dust, no bluetooth and hose does not connect to tools. The Festool is worth the money.

Great comparison. Have looked at the CT15. Recently got the Festool sander and is extremely nice. Didn’t realize the plug is an auto start. Their other vacs use Bluetooth. Nice to have the plug option. Might be on my Christmas list.

Thanks

Ridgid is more of a workshop, job site cleanup type of vac and the Festool is something you’d want to use if your are working in someone’s home because it’s a lot less noisy. Both will work either way but I own a Festool unit and it’s how I’d use if I had both.

After watching the review, I noticed that both have one flaw in common. You have your dust collector and you also have your dust extractor like these for small tools. I bought a Kirby vacuum cleaner motor head which has a impeller that is separated from the motor. The motor has a separate assembly to get cooled. The impeller sucks the dust and within few inches exhausts it to a bag via 3 inch pipe. I removed the bag and connected it to my large shop three stage dust extractor with cyclonic action. This way I have one place for all the dust from the small and large tools, none of the filter expense, takes very little space and it’s in-line install setup for under 100 bucks. Awesome review.

Rigid makes a OSHA compatibility kit which includes 2 cyclonic dust bags and a HEPA filter for $60. With that kit, it's hard to justify the Festool, especially if you already own a shopvac.

This video was very helpful

Great info on this topic, I've always steered away from Festool simply because of price. 👍

New subscriber. Appreciate the comparison!

what about overheating on the shop vac that is run during excessive sanding vs. the dust extractors which seem to be built to handle the longer run times? Any observations there? Longevity because of this?

Great presentation and good advice all round. Along with your eyes, your lungs and ears are often overlooked when it comes to protection. Dust extractors are in a whole other league from 'ship vacs' and I recommend anyone who does home remodeling, hobby woodworking or crafts using silica to do themselves a favor and save up for one. Consider it a downpayment on your future health.

Thanks for this

The HEPA filter is the biggest difference IMO. To your point you don't need huge size for handtools. Having used shop vacs for dust collection in a garage for awhile I won't use anything that doesn't have HEPA anymore. Dust control has become the one thing I am most willing to spend more $$ on to get whatever is the best product. Festool is not the only brand that makes HEPA rated dust extractors either though, but the others are similarly price from Makita and Bosch etc.

You can buy the hose garage for the CT15 and then put festool boxes on it like the Midi

Hi. Thanks for this video. I have been going pretty crazy trying to figure out what setup i should go with. I live in major city in an apartment and am sanding the plywood parts of my kitchen cabinets. I am doing this inside my apartment so I'm super worried about dust for our health. I just bought a Bosch palm sander (not RO just 1/4 sheet sander), a Ridgid shopvac and a separate Ridgid HEPA filtration kit that includes a HEPA filter & bag. So once i get the sander, I will hookup the sander to the shovac. Keep in mind the HEPA bag & filter will be in the Shopvac while im sanding. I am now unsure that this would provide adequate dust protection. I am thinking of returning the shopvac and filter kit - its all unopened - and just buying a dust extractor. I dont know what to do ... What are your thoughts? Hoping you see this :) Thanks a toN!

I will stick with the rigid vac. They sell the Hepa filter and bags. Did some drywall sanding with it and had great success!!!

Great review. You forgot to mention that festools self cleaning bags allows the vacuum to use 95% of the bag before needing to even change it or before losing suction. Whereas most vacuums start losing suction at around half to 3/4 bag full. Lastly, because the bags work so well, the hepa filter on the festool barely gets any dust on it. Which drastically increases the longevity

Very good content and review Scott. Looking into investing on a good vacuum for sanding and small stuff etc..... awesome video

I’m so glad to run across your video. Do you know how often you need to change Festool filter ? Thank you

My health is worth far more than $100. The $600 model is M class, which meets the regulations for hard woods and cement type dusts. Its all about the filtration. A $100 vac might have just as much or even more suction, but it won't remove anywhere near the percentage of the dust from the air as the M class extractor. the tiny particles will just pass through the filter and be blown back into the air.

use the 16 gallon ridgid as a central vac exausted outdoors and everything.... I stand by ridgid 100% With a little non manufacturing mods you can get almost 300 cfm, 185 at the end of a 40 ft oreq stinger pool vac hose with a power nozzle and 50 ft pig tail and a heap filter and bag

The rigid bags also have a nasty tendency to blow out. I have one blow out every other package. For $8 a bag, I feel like that shouldn’t happen.

Cool content!!!

Good review for the professional shop. However, coming back down to earth, the Festool products are professional grade no doubt and should be considered as such. The average homeowner/hobbyist can’t justify those prices. I can outfit a very good shop with Ridgid, Ryobi, Dewalt and others, without taking out a second mortgage. Festool, while making excellent products are still at premium prices and are very difficult for the average homeowner.

$420 for the CT 15 E now. Do you still think it is worth it?

Awesome video, is the hose quality and flexible , how does the Festool gray hose compare with the ridgid upgraded orange hose.?

When you put a reducer on the hose of the rigid, doesn’t the engine race? Doesn’t causing the motor to race wear the motor prematurely? Would that be covered by warranty? What is the DB level in that set up?

I bought a $40 "7hp" sun joe vacuum and run it without a filter and just put a long hose on the exhaust well away from my work space 😅

Doesn't the Festool and other Dust extracting vacuums have the automatic filer cleaning? (Thumping every 15 seconds to clean the filter Keep suction higher for longer.) I only have a very old OSHA 10hr. But i know new regulations are required for Silica dust I know all the other big players hit those requirements at the current time. I dont think the regular shopvacs do that?

If the bluetooth or bluetooth upgrade worked for this model I might consider it. Bluetooth isn't an option until you spend at least a couple hundred USD more.

Can you tell me the difference between a "dust collector" and a shop vac? Thanks. Good video by the way

I like how you kept the review simple. So many people get all into details that the average person either doesn't understand or doesn't care about - we just want to know the basics that matter.

What about large drywall jobs?

My friend has been pleased with this vacuum. I put it together and other than one of the wheels coming back out(which I had a bit of difficulty with) kzfaq.infoUgkxnBiz5H40H0BTcRcPDEHZkcV2smSjfUD0 it was easy to assemble. It's worked well and the large size has been handy for vacuuming up sawdust around my friend's tablesaw. The wheels and handle make it simple to move around, so the bulky size isn't overly a negative, unless you're lacking on space. It has a bag that can be used to collect the dust, though it doesn't have to be used. It works perfectly great without it and it is an added expense when replacing the bag. If vacumming water, just leave it out. It comes with various attachments, which are handy. A durable bag attaches to the handle to hold them and I love this feature. It has good power and it's a nice option for a shop vac.

1hp is 745w of power. That would put the rigid at 4. 47kw of power. I am pretty sure a standard us circuit breaker won't take that load.

German engineering, boys 👍

1) You can get HEPA filter for RIDGID. 2) PLug in auto start doesn't work with battery tools. Festool doesn't make the best dust collector. Nope.

Hobby diy folk don’t really need festool quality anything lol. WEN dc3401 is only $130 and works great

From $16 to $70 for the filter is "a little more pricey"? Hahaha. Some of us would call that 4x more.

$350? Where's that price?

use a dust cyclone like a dust Deputy Love my dust cyclone!!!!!