Author Topic: CTL-SYS (Read 48418 times)

L.J · « **on:** May 04, 2016, 06:18 PM »

I just unboxed this baby and tested it briefly and Wow !!!! I didn't expect it to be as powerful as it is. I'll eventually test it on a few tools and see how it performs,but as far as I can tell it'll suit my needs for it. I also have a CT 26 for bigger jobs but this is way more portable.

mikey2 · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2016, 07:00 PM »

It does work quite well, especially with the wand from the compact cleaning set. The 497856 carrying handle works well to carry it like a briefcase without the top hose garage part. Just be careful, if the hose gets detached, debris can spill out of the opening. I wish there was some kind of flap to prevent that.

L.J · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2016, 07:10 PM »

Thx for pointing that out and that crevice tool works very well. So far I'm extremely satisfied with this purchase.

copcarcollector · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2016, 08:36 PM »

Thanks for the review. I am waiting to see if I won mine from the Tool Nut giveaway!!

L.J · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2016, 09:27 PM »

Quote from: copcarcollector on May 04, 2016, 08:36 PM

Thanks for the review. I am waiting to see if I won mine from the Tool Nut giveaway!!

Good Luck !!! More reviews coming soon...

redbirdone · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2016, 12:04 AM »

This looks like a great great great little setup. Just want to be sure before I drop the cash. I'm looking for someone to do a nice solid review of this before buying. And I'm not talking dealers doing the 5 min youtube "oh this is awesome buy it now" or the "unboxing" shill out there. I need someone out there who is in homes every day and thinks this helps. This could solve a lot of issues for me, but need to make sure the NA version is as good, of not better than it's European sister.

When I hear from a few real world users I will decide.

Brice Burrell · « **Reply #6 on:** May 06, 2016, 07:40 AM »

Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 12:04 AM

This looks like a great great great little setup. Just want to be sure before I drop the cash. I'm looking for someone to do a nice solid review of this before buying. And I'm not talking dealers doing the 5 min youtube "oh this is awesome buy it now" or the "unboxing" shill out there. I need someone out there who is in homes every day and thinks this helps. This could solve a lot of issues for me, but need to make sure the NA version is as good, of not better than it's European sister.

When I hear from a few real world users I will decide.

Why don't you buy one, and be the guy that gives us that long, well thought out and unbiased review.

woodguy7 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2016, 08:32 AM »

Ive had mine for a while now. Great little vac with loads of suction. Fantastic for track saw, sander or jigsaw but forget routers & planers. Bag fills up way too quickly. I too have the 26 for bigger stuff but this is great to have in the van for every day stuff.

redbirdone · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2016, 03:27 PM »

Quote from: Brice Burrell on May 06, 2016, 07:40 AM

Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 12:04 AM
This looks like a great great great little setup. Just want to be sure before I drop the cash. I'm looking for someone to do a nice solid review of this before buying. And I'm not talking dealers doing the 5 min youtube "oh this is awesome buy it now" or the "unboxing" shill out there. I need someone out there who is in homes every day and thinks this helps. This could solve a lot of issues for me, but need to make sure the NA version is as good, of not better than it's European sister.

When I hear from a few real world users I will decide.

Why don't you buy one, and be the guy that gives us that long, well thought out and unbiased review.

You know what, I think I might. Going out of town this weekend and if I don't see anything up when I get back I think I'll pick one up early next week. Wonder if my local Woodcraft has one in stock?

copcarcollector · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2016, 03:29 PM »

Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 03:27 PM

You know what, I think I might. Going out of town this weekend and if I don't see anything up when I get back I think I'll pick one up early next week. Wonder if my local Woodcraft has one in stock?

I hope that you do! I look forward to additional reviews. And, you have the 30 day return policy - so if it ends up not being for you, you can send it back---

L.J · « **Reply #10 on:** May 07, 2016, 10:16 AM »

Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 03:27 PM

Quote from: Brice Burrell on May 06, 2016, 07:40 AM
Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 12:04 AM
This looks like a great great great little setup. Just want to be sure before I drop the cash. I'm looking for someone to do a nice solid review of this before buying. And I'm not talking dealers doing the 5 min youtube "oh this is awesome buy it now" or the "unboxing" shill out there. I need someone out there who is in homes every day and thinks this helps. This could solve a lot of issues for me, but need to make sure the NA version is as good, of not better than it's European sister.

When I hear from a few real world users I will decide.

Why don't you buy one, and be the guy that gives us that long, well thought out and unbiased review.

You know what, I think I might. Going out of town this weekend and if I don't see anything up when I get back I think I'll pick one up early next week. Wonder if my local Woodcraft has one in stock?

Like someone else said its not a complete replacement for the larger extractors but a supplement to them rather. If using with a track saw or router extensively wouldn't be satisfactory not so much a suction/power but bag capacity.

L.J · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2016, 10:25 AM »

The only real issue I have is that the hose garage is not large enough to adequately store the power cord and hose. It should have been at minimum the same height as the motor unit.

rst · « **Reply #12 on:** May 07, 2016, 04:01 PM »

I just started using mine and I've found that if you unplug the vac hose and place the cord in first and then coil the hose into the sys that I can store both and still install another systainer on top. I could not get both to store with the hose plugged into the vac.

erock · « **Reply #13 on:** May 07, 2016, 05:59 PM »

Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 03:27 PM

Quote from: Brice Burrell on May 06, 2016, 07:40 AM
Quote from: redbirdone on May 06, 2016, 12:04 AM
This looks like a great great great little setup. Just want to be sure before I drop the cash. I'm looking for someone to do a nice solid review of this before buying. And I'm not talking dealers doing the 5 min youtube "oh this is awesome buy it now" or the "unboxing" shill out there. I need someone out there who is in homes every day and thinks this helps. This could solve a lot of issues for me, but need to make sure the NA version is as good, of not better than it's European sister.

When I hear from a few real world users I will decide.

Why don't you buy one, and be the guy that gives us that long, well thought out and unbiased review.

You know what, I think I might. Going out of town this weekend and if I don't see anything up when I get back I think I'll pick one up early next week. Wonder if my local Woodcraft has one in stock?

@redbirdone
That would be great ! I was at my local Festool dealer today. I had the CT-SYS box in my hands ready to buy. But I'm holding back the temptation to buy it. I'm also waiting to hear what others have to say about the CT-SYS.
It's not something I would use everyday as a hobbyist. But I often get side jobs and I do a lot around my house. So having something portable would be a luxury for me. When I get side jobs I'm taking my CT-Midi. Which is a bit of a pain because I have to disconnect it from my Kapex every time I want to put a CT in my truck.

Eric

epicxt · « **Reply #14 on:** May 07, 2016, 06:05 PM »

I purchased a ctl-sys last week for this exact purpose. When I'm on site, I typically have my midi hooked to my Kapex and my ct26 with the Workcenter on it servicing my cms and mft with a splitter on a dust deputy. I often find myself taking my midi to do little cleanups while trimming out houses, which is a pain when I'm still using the Kapex. The ctl-sys has really good suction so far and in small cleanup tasks I don't require much volume. The suction so far has been pretty much on par with my midi.

Janmara1 · « **Reply #15 on:** May 08, 2016, 05:44 AM »

I just bought one and had to use it to clean up the trunk on my suv. It's the absolute best vac period cleaned up all the fuzz that usually sticks to the carpet
The only frustration is that the power cord and vac hose spills over the top
I was thinking about cutting down the vac hose. Haven't done it yet . Noticed that some other folks are having the same storage issue and will attempt to try some of their suggestions. This vac otherwise is superb

handymanty · « **Reply #16 on:** May 08, 2016, 08:45 AM »

i picked up a CT-SYS and a ETS EC 125/3 yesterday. love them both. the CT works amazing with the sander both outside at work bench and inside customers house. i used it for sanding some putty on some built ins I'm working on. dust control was on point! also used it for cleaning up my work space inside. crevice tool is great. kinda wish it had a round brush as well (like the one in this kit 492392 CT Cleaning Accessory Set). i have a midi for my tracksaw that i generally use for all day long cutting. in the past when making just a few cuts i would use the tracksaw dust bag. but the couple of cuts i needed to make yesterday i just gave the CT-SYS a try. it worked just as well as my midi. only downfall is dust capacity and length of hose. it stacks up to its bigger brothers as far as suction but wins the battle of accessibility and convenience. so far i really like it.

L.J · « **Reply #17 on:** May 09, 2016, 08:36 PM »

Well today I tested it out withe the wings and it works perfectly !!! One note though the CTL-SYS doesn't like max suction and causes a flapper inside to keep opening and closing. I remedied this by cracking open the valve on the wings a tiny bit.

neilc · « **Reply #18 on:** May 09, 2016, 10:23 PM »

Quote from: L.J on May 09, 2016, 08:36 PM

Well today I tested it out withe the wings and it works perfectly !!! One note though the CTL-SYS doesn't like max suction and causes a flapper inside to keep opening and closing. I remedied this by cracking open the valve on the wings a tiny bit.

What are 'wings' you refer to?

copcarcollector · « **Reply #19 on:** May 09, 2016, 10:34 PM »

Quote from: neilc on May 09, 2016, 10:23 PM

What are 'wings' you refer to?

https://www.festoolproducts.com/Festool-500312-CT-Wings-p/500312.htm

L.J · « **Reply #20 on:** May 10, 2016, 08:08 PM »

Quote from: neilc on May 09, 2016, 10:23 PM

Quote from: L.J on May 09, 2016, 08:36 PM
Well today I tested it out withe the wings and it works perfectly !!! One note though the CTL-SYS doesn't like max suction and causes a flapper inside to keep opening and closing. I remedied this by cracking open the valve on the wings a tiny bit.

What are 'wings' you refer to?

CT Wings if you don't have them get them !!!!

jimbo51 · « **Reply #21 on:** May 11, 2016, 09:08 AM »

This is a question about suitability in a specific situation.

I enjoy using my Festools to help build sets for local community theater groups. Dust collection at most places consists of a broom and dust pan after the work day is completed. I sometimes bring my Midi to hook up to my track saw or router. I have used the dust bag on my TS 55 with relatively good results.

The TS 55 is used to cut sheets of thin luan underlayment. A normal work day wold involve less than 150 linear feet of cutting. The router is used to trim luan that is used to face platform. Since the edges of the platforms get rather beat up, the practice is to run the facing a small bit long and then trim flush with a router. About 40-50 feet of cutting with 1/4 inch bit would be normal.

I would like to have the greater portability of the CTL SYS for this work and general small jobs around my house. Would the CTL SYS be able to handle the relatively small amount of chips and dust mention above with perhaps one emptying of the long life bag?

Shane Holland · « **Reply #22 on:** May 11, 2016, 09:26 AM »

@jimbo51, yes it would definitely be able to handle it. And, based on my mental image of your tasks, I don't think you'd even be close to filling the bag.

Edit: Here are the capacities of the various CT models for comparison. This is filter bag capacity.

Model	Liters	Gallons
CT SYS	3.5	0.9
CT MINI	7.5	2
CT MIDI	12.5	3.3
CT 26	24	6.3
CT 36	34	8.9
CT 48	46	12.2

ear3 · « **Reply #23 on:** May 11, 2016, 10:39 AM »

Thanks Shane -- this is a helpful chart. So the 2 litre difference in your chart for the 26-48 vacs represents the lower capacity of the bag vs. the theoretical full capacity of the vacuum housing itself?

Quote from: Shane Holland on May 11, 2016, 09:26 AM

@jimbo51, yes it would definitely be able to handle it. And, based on my mental image of your tasks, I don't think you'd even be close to filling the bag.

Edit: Here are the capacities of the various CT models for comparison. This is filter bag capacity.

Model Liters Gallons
CT SYS 3.5 0.9
CT MINI 7.5 2
CT MIDI 12.5 3.3
CT 26 24 6.3
CT 36 34 8.9
CT 48 46 12.2

Shane Holland · « **Reply #24 on:** May 11, 2016, 10:55 AM »

@Edward A Reno III, yes, that's correct. The bag capacity is slightly lower than the container itself.

I guess another way of thinking about it is this...

CT SYS = CT 4½
CT MINI = CT 10
CT MIDI = CT 15

redbirdone · « **Reply #25 on:** May 11, 2016, 08:31 PM »

Picked one up yesterday. Can't wait to put it through the gauntlet this weekend. Have to admit that first impression is what a phenomenal design and idea. Second impression was after pulling everything out and doing a quick 30 second test...how the heck do I get everything back in?

Also, it would be a grand slam, out of the park, home run if Festool could make this as an 18v powered vac. Even if run time was 10 minutes, that's fine by me. Or have it run off dual 18v packs. Still a home run.

L.J · « **Reply #26 on:** May 12, 2016, 12:21 AM »

I would also like to add that though the extractor appears to meet my needs it isn't particularly quiet though.

doctr-dan · « **Reply #27 on:** May 12, 2016, 06:58 AM »

The ct sys has problem in that fine dust gets sucked up against the filter and then reduces the suction and puts strain on the motor (that's what it sounds like) to the point where I could only fill the replaceable bag to 1.5kg and the long life was next to useless with anything fine.
What I have used it for,
Sanding plywood
Cleaning up plasterboard dust
Cutting plywood
Cutting fibre cement
Don't get me wrong I really really want this machine to not have issues but so far I'm a little worried

Kev · « **Reply #28 on:** May 12, 2016, 07:07 AM »

Quote from: doctr-dan on May 12, 2016, 06:58 AM

The ct sys has problem in that fine dust gets sucked up against the filter and then reduces the suction and puts strain on the motor (that's what it sounds like) to the point where I could only fill the replaceable bag to 1.5kg and the long life was next to useless with anything fine.
What I have used it for,
Sanding plywood
Cleaning up plasterboard dust
Cutting plywood
Cutting fibre cement
Don't get me wrong I really really want this machine to not have issues but so far I'm a little worried

I'm kinda glad the CTL-SYS isn't something of value to me. I think it's a great opportunity Festool got more than a little wrong!

Brice Burrell · « **Reply #29 on:** May 12, 2016, 08:08 AM »

Quote from: doctr-dan on May 12, 2016, 06:58 AM

The ct sys has problem in that fine dust gets sucked up against the filter and then reduces the suction and puts strain on the motor (that's what it sounds like) to the point where I could only fill the replaceable bag to 1.5kg and the long life was next to useless with anything fine.
What I have used it for,
Sanding plywood
Cleaning up plasterboard dust
Cutting plywood
Cutting fibre cement
Don't get me wrong I really really want this machine to not have issues but so far I'm a little worried

Cutting fibre cement I would think is far too taxing on such a small filter bag so I'm not at all surprised the bag clogs up quickly. Also, if by cleaning up plasterboard dust, you mean sucking up big piles of dust without first broom sweeping, again, I'm not surprised. However, if sanding/cutting plywood clogs the regular filter bag and/or the long life bag, then that is an abomination.

I really like the idea of this vac but posts like this don't make feel good about this tool. I will be keeping an eye on all the posts and see what the consensus is.