# Spinoff question of the Festool Midi vac



## Brian339 (Mar 15, 2009)

I get impression that in order to appreciate and get the most bang for my buck I need to purchase a sander to go with my midi vac.
Can you guys help me to pick the right one? Or maybe I need to sell mine and just get a good shop vac.
I typically use fine/medium sanding blocks or 150/220 sandpaper. Typically we work with new doors and frames. The doors are as I call them stamped solid core Masonite. The require only sanding on the front and hinged edge. The rest is smooth and they paint up nicely. The casings are typically what I call 3 inch gel moldings or 2.5 colonial casings. Window frames and baseboard are typically smooth pre-primed stock and also require minimal sanding. I have been doing it this way for years. 
After saying all of this out loud I bought the wrong vac. I bought it for the quality, durability and the smaller size. It works very well with a brush adapter connected via good ole duct tape. lol yup on a $500 vac.
Hey does anyone need a used Festool Midi vac in Ma or NH lol.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Why not go try out one of their sanders before selling your vac? Around here, the places that sell Festool have set ups for you to use one. Think they even have a return policy if you get one and aren’t happy or feel you made the wrong choice. 

As to which one, probably best to look at the selection and think about which would best fit your needs. If you get one, very likely you will end up get others.

Also, FYI, Festool sells a brush for your vac so can ditch the duct tape look if you want to.


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## Brian339 (Mar 15, 2009)

RH I would really like to try out a sander. I just can’t wrap my thick head around it yet. Most of the materials the GC I work with on new work require minimal sanding but a real good vacuuming. I am still not opposed to having a versatile sander in the van. I’ll have to take a look.
I am way open to suggestions. For the folks that have been using these sanders which ONE would you keep if you only were to have just one?
I have been using the dewalt orbital multi-speed for years and I find them to be terrific on larger flat surfaces or the occasional flush door. I’m good for a new one every two years or so. The dewalt can also be hooked up to the Midi with good results.
I’ll have to pick up the festool brush head and ditch the DT, however I do burn through them monthly. Will the festool last longer? I’m sure they aren’t cheap. I have no problem paying for better quality so long as it makes sense.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Well, I only have one myself but that isn’t because I wouldn’t have liked to get a few additional ones - I’m just too close to retiring to buy a bunch more equipment. 

As I mentioned in your other thread, the one I have is the triangular model, the DTS400EQ. I got it because I do a lot of window sill refinishing and like the point for getting into corners but I think you’ll find that, because of their design, many of their sanders can get in tight and close much better than other brands. Also really like the velcro sanding pad and paper combo, makes swapping out paper a breeze.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

I have the DTS 400, too. For finish work on cabs and doors it's fantastic. It does very well for drywall patches too. I have the RO90 but I don't use it nearly as much as the DTS 400.


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## Brian339 (Mar 15, 2009)

I was just checking them out. I think I am going to I am going to look for a nice used one hint hint


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I have a Festool Vac with an RO90 sander. I hardly ever use it. If I need a vacuum, I'll use one of the other brands that are lighter and more powerful, like Dayton.

Ninety percent of my sanding needs are accomplished with a scuff with a folded sheet of sandpaper, or a quick scuff with a sanding pole. And when I do need a more aggressive approach, my palm sander works just fine. 

If I were doing more stripping and sanding on wood and lead projects, I'd probably develop my Festool extractor and power tool collection. but for now, that is not necessary. So it sits collecting dust. How ironic.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

CApainter said:


> I have a Festool Vac with an RO90 sander. I hardly ever use it. If I need a vacuum, I'll use one of the other brands that are lighter and more powerful, like Dayton.
> 
> Ninety percent of my sanding needs are accomplished with a scuff with a folded sheet of sandpaper, or a quick scuff with a sanding pole. And when I do need a more aggressive approach, my palm sander works just fine.
> 
> If I were doing more stripping and sanding on wood and lead projects, I'd probably develop my Festool extractor and power tool collection. but for now, that is not necessary. So it sits collecting dust. How ironic.


But for someone like myself who does a lot of cabinet refinishing (along with window sills - which is a rather strange little niche) the Festool is invaluable. Not only is it the most effective sander I’ve ever owned, not having to cover everything up and do a bunch of dust clean up is enough for the system to pay for itself IMO.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

The Festool brush head is a lot better that shop vac brand. First thing I do with a shop vac brush head is cut about half the bristles off the inside. If you don’t, they fold inward with use and almost close off the hole. That hasn’t happened at all with the Festool one. I do wish it was a little softer, but then it would probably fold up like the cheap ones do. 

I love my CT-26 and RO-90, they’ve made me a lot of money. I use for everything from refinishing doors to drywall patches. Given the description of what you usually do, I’m not sure you would find it as useful as I do. For something like slicking up interior doors, a Dewalt works just as well, arguably better. 

I want the DTS-400 next. Haven’t tried one but from all the feedback on here it seems like it would be a better replacement for Dewalt type orbitals than the RO is. 


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

RH said:


> But for someone like myself who does a lot of cabinet refinishing (along with window sills - which is a rather strange little niche) the Festool is invaluable. Not only is it the most effective sander I’ve ever owned, not having to cover everything up and do a bunch of dust clean up is enough for the system to pay for itself IMO.


I originally bought it about five, or seven years ago with the intention of using it for lead dust control on industrial equipment like pumps, motors, and the occasional office drywall patch job. 

I ended up preferring a pneumatic peanut grinder with dust extraction for the epoxied steel equipment, and since I try to patch as smooth as possible, I only need light sanding on drywall.

But, if I were to prepare more natural wood surfaces, I could see myself using more of the Festool system. It was just a poor equipment choice for my environment. But at least I can chime in as one of the elite that owns one!


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Brian339 said:


> RH I would really like to try out a sander. I just can’t wrap my thick head around it yet. Most of the materials the GC I work with on new work require minimal sanding but a real good vacuuming. I am still not opposed to having a versatile sander in the van. I’ll have to take a look.
> I am way open to suggestions. For the folks that have been using these sanders which ONE would you keep if you only were to have just one?
> I have been using the dewalt orbital multi-speed for years and I find them to be terrific on larger flat surfaces or the occasional flush door. I’m good for a new one every two years or so. The dewalt can also be hooked up to the Midi with good results.
> I’ll have to pick up the festool brush head and ditch the DT, however I do burn through them monthly. Will the festool last longer? I’m sure they aren’t cheap. I have no problem paying for better quality so long as it makes sense.


If you decide to go with ONE sander, hands diwn the dts400req with 180 grit at least. Its great. Understandably, it cant be used for everything, and many jobs don't allow power sanding. Like the cabinet job I just did was just hand sanding the existing clear coat etc. 
But for new mill work jobs with flat trim, and full wrap windows, and many other jobs, the DTS will save a lot of hand sanding and do a sweet job without compromise. You can use your dewalt orbital with your Midi, then use DTS for inside corners and other follow up stuff. But if you get a ETS EC 125/3 sometime, you can use the same power cord for all festool sanders, and dont have to reroute your dewalt cord. I've got a video of me switching sanders briefly and using the ETS EC 125/3 orbital.

As for the Festool round brush. It is a disappointment when it comes to cleaning up areas. It's only good for a small area, or when I have no other means to clean with. If I clean with the midi for a bunch of work, I'll use an adapter and the 2.5" 90° shopvac brush.
You can't beat that one for effectiveness, durability, and getting into corners, and not scratching the work surface or corners. 
The Festool brush lacks contact area of bristles, durability is weak (bristles break after 20-30 minutes of use), not effective at removing surface fine dust, and it won't fit into corners and neither does th diamond shaped brush oddly enough.
I even started a thread about their brushes not being up to par for painters who need to clean their work.

I like Festools stuff a lot too. So I'm not bashing them. 
On certain jobs, I have my shopvac 6hp vac, using the filter bag and air disperser and my Festool stuff close by.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Also I find it amazing, that the DTs 400 actually kicks butt when sanding hot mud patches. It works better than the orbital does for some reason.


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