Festool Cleantec CT33 HEPA Review

What the reviewers like:
Expert reviews consistently praise the sturdy construction and quality of Festool shop vacs. A separate filter door and internal filter-shaker make the Festool CT33 easy to clean, and it comes with a HEPA filter. One review says the accessories are more comfortable to use than most. Reviews also say its large wheels and high handle make it easy to move around a workshop, and a separate tank for liquids makes that task extra convenient. It also doubles as a blower. The top is flat, with a recessed area to hold small tools and parts, and its controls are easy to use. Wheels lock when needed. Variable-suction and speed can reduce the sound level from 72 decibels to 58.5 (though one review rates the top level at 75 dB), and reviews say Festool shop vacs don't have the annoying high-pitched whine of competing models.

What the reviewers don't like:
The main drawback is that the Festool CT33 is so much more expensive than its competition. Although the Festool CT33 can vacuum liquids into a separate tank, it lacks a drain, and it's inconvenient to empty the dry tank unless you use a dust bag. The one-inch hose is suitable only for dust collection; larger hoses cost extra.

Festool Cleantec CT33 HEPA review highlights

Reviews say the 8.7-gallon Festool CT33 shop vac is the top choice for collecting dust from handheld sanders and other small power tools, with superb quality and features. Variable power enables dust collection from tools that draw more than 10 amps (on a 20-amp circuit). Experts praise the Festool CT33 shop vac’s overall build quality, as well as its quiet performance. The Festool has a self-cleaning filter, anti-static hose and blower. Its main drawback is simply its price. Though it's messier to empty and clean, the less expensive Fein Turbo III (*est. $250) can also double as an all-purpose shop vac to collect workshop debris since it comes with a bigger hose. Larger hoses are available for the Festool CT33 HEPA, but at extra cost.

The Festool Cleantec CT33 HEPA adds HEPA filtration and a drain to its predecessor, the Festool CT33E. This largest Festool Dust Extractor is tested thoroughly in various comparison reviews of shop vacs for woodworkers, the most recent of which is at Fine Homebuilding. This review compares it with four other tool-triggered wet/dry vacuums, giving each numeric ratings for power, filtration and dust collection, noise, mobility, ease of emptying and overall design. Earlier reviews in Fine Woodworking and Taunton's 2005 Tool Guide covering the earlier Festool CT33 are still applicable, as is a detailed single-product review at Benchmark.com.

Also see full report: Shop Vacs

*In order of credibility (see our Ratings Criteria).

1. Taunton's 2008 Tool Guide
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Tool-Triggered Shop Vacs
Rob Wotzak and Taunton Press Editors
Sept. 2007

The Festool Cleantec CT 33 dust extractor is the top-rated shop vac in a survey of more than 9,000 readers of Fine Homebuilding and Fine Woodworking (published by Taunton Press). Editors' comparison tests also pick the Festool CT 33 as the Editors' Choice "best overall" tool-triggered shop vac, based on tests published earlier in Fine Homebuilding (see below).

2. Fine Homebuilding
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Untitled
Rob Wotzak
June-July 2007

The Festool Cleantec CT 33 Dust Extractor gets top ranking as Editor's Choice in this comparison review of tool-triggered shop vacs, although the Fein Turbo II gets the nod as the budget choice. Carpenter Rob Wotzak and his crew test all five wet/dry shop vacs on a 2,000-square-foot remodeling job. The author measures noise levels with a decibel meter held four feet from each shop vac at ear level, and each vacuum gets ratings for suction power, filter performance and convenience, ease of emptying, mobility, and overall design. In addition, the review provides specific pros and cons on each shop vac.

3. Taunton's 2005 Tool Guide
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Roland Johnson and the editors at Taunton Press
Jan. 2005

This roundup review compares the Festool CT33 with six other pro-level shop vacs plus three budget models. The Festool CT33 lacks a drain and HEPA filter, but is otherwise similar to the current Festool CT 33 HEPA Dust Extractor. Tests here show that on low speed, the Festool shop vac runs as quietly as the Fein. Even at maximum power, the Festool CT33 measures 68.5 decibels, so the manufacturers' rating of 72 decibels is conservative -- a good indicator of manufacturing dependability. This review includes survey results from more than 6,000 readers of Fine Woodworking and Fine Homebuilding, who rank the Festool CT33 second only to the Fein Turbo III.

4. Woodworker's Journal
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European Power Tools
Rob Johnstone
Apr. 2007

Tool expert Rob Johnstone reports on his December 2006 visits to European tool manufacturers, including Festool in Germany. While no specific shop vacs are tested here, the article gives an excellent sense of the build quality and research behind power tools in the European market, where durability and superb performance matter more than price. Festool makes tools primarily for professional woodworkers who view them as long-term investments and value quality. In fact, Johnstone says that to test the durability of its tools, Festool "employs an entire staff of people whose only job is to break Festool tools by misusing them."

5. Fine Woodworking
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Shop Vacuums
Roland Johnson
May/June 2003

Comparing 13 shop vacs for endurance, adaptability and ergonomics by using them in a variety of workshop tests, woodworker Roland Johnson praises the Festool CT 33 (the predecessor to the current model) for its variable suction, as well as for the top-mounted filter design and internal filter cleaner. The review notes that this filter design makes for excellent endurance in dust-collection because you can work longer without stopping to maintain the shop vac. However, the Porter-Cable 7814 gets top ranking here despite being louder; it diffuses the exhaust better and provides a similar filter design plus a separate filter door.

6. Benchmark
Festool CT22e Vacuum Review
Phil Bumbalough

This well-illustrated review goes into detail about the smaller Festool CT 22 shop vac, but recommends the Festool CT33 for workshops needing a larger capacity. Woodworker Phil Bumbalough is a true Festool fan, saying either Festool shop vac is more pleasant to use than a Craftsman or Shop-Vac model. The review notes no drawbacks and finds the Festool shop vacs even quieter than the Fein.

7. Power Tools for Geeks
Festool Dust Extractor
Brian Marks
Jan. 2006

Brian Mark usually explores tools with technical expertise, but this brief review of the Festool Dust Extractor seems more like an advertising blurb than a genuine review. Mark does note some special features of the Festool, like the antistatic hose and the ease of switching between wet and dry vacuuming.

Also see full report: Shop Vacs