Author Topic: Dude!, whoa. Long life filter bag review. (Read 24352 times)

ericbuggeln · « **on:** April 12, 2012, 06:25 PM »

Those are the words that came to mind when I opened a package from Festoolproducts.com earlier today. My expectations ran high with a $205.00 price tag, but boy, was i blown away. The best dust bag ever. If you are sick of blow outs, not being able to re use, or having to leave the jobsite to make a run to the local Woodcraft, im pretty sure i got your answer here. The longlife bag is extremely well put together and actually sort of justifies the ridiculous price tag. The port is much nicer then the paper bags and looks like it will eliminate dust getting out of the bag. The material is rugged, yet breathable. In order to empty the bag you just remove the black bar, a really simple, but probably long lasting solution. Time will tell, but I am very impressed with the quality of this product. It looks like if you properly cared for it, that it would last indefinitely. This is gonna definitely save my company time and money in the long run, Eric

Alex · « **Reply #1 on:** April 12, 2012, 06:46 PM »

Quote from: ericbuggeln on April 12, 2012, 06:25 PM

In order to empty the bag you just remove the black bar, a really simple, but probably long lasting solution. Time will tell, but I am very impressed with the quality of this product.

It sure is a very good product, it was the only bag I ever used for my CT 22. It is as you say, rugged and long lasting. Only the black bar is not. Always be careful when you remove and replace that one. It breaks easily.

paul_david_thomas · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2012, 03:54 PM »

I'm sorry, whilst I love festool stuff & I've got one of these bags, they are way over priced and do not represent their true cost of manufacturing - and that includes R&D. But that's just my opinion !

Julian Tracy · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2012, 05:36 PM »

The clinch bar is easily replaced by a slit section of pex tube... I've been happy with my longlife bag, but then I bought mine used for $80 or so. works great even for drywall dust and mdf cutting, not too mention using the vac for a benchtop planer port.

I'm not sure if it'd be worth $200+ to me... does seem like a total scam price. Especially in light of all the money I've wasted on the CT22 paper bags that blew out on me for no good reason.

Don't get me started on the fact that I thought I bought a HEPA-rated vac only to discover that what I am really supposed to do is buy another "real" HEPA in the form of a $600 CT26...

Julian

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2012, 06:19 PM »

If you have bought six 5 packs of ct22 bags you could have paid for a long life bag and been done with it. That being said, $205.00 is an absolute embarrasment on Festools part. Not to bash my favorite tool company ever, but the longlife bag should come stock on all their vacs at that price point. The paper bags arent practical if youre any everyday pro. When faced with how much i would spend on paper bags for the rest of the vacs life, i couldnt afford not to buy the longlife bag, Eric

Alan m · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2012, 06:28 PM »

couldnt live without the long life bag. saves loads of money in the long run.
still use some disosable ones for sanding drywall etc

Chris Hughes · « **Reply #6 on:** April 14, 2012, 06:59 PM »

They need to make them fire resistant. Just my opinion.

Kev · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2012, 10:06 PM »

The price for a long life bag in Oz is $AU375. On current exchange rates that's almost $US400 ... It's a cloth bag with a plastic socket and a plastic sealing strip

The CT36 here is $AU1199 and the tradesman cleaning kit (Sys5, D36, metal tubes, etc) is $AU399

I'd add a scathing comment - but it'd be redundant.

Jason Kehl · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2012, 11:05 PM »

Has anyone here used the long life filter bag for enough time to be able to advise how long they actually last? Do they eventually clog up so that suction is minimized, would they be difficult to clean if this were to happen? I have considered getting one, but am concerned about this.

Thanks.

j

wolften · « **Reply #9 on:** April 15, 2012, 12:26 AM »

...self cleaning filter bags, (5 @ $37.00) plus these

...magic setup and cheap.

Timtool · « **Reply #10 on:** April 15, 2012, 03:47 AM »

Quote from: ericbuggeln on April 14, 2012, 06:19 PM

If you have bought six 5 packs of ct22 bags you could have paid for a long life bag and been done with it. That being said, $205.00 is an absolute embarrasment on Festools part. Not to bash my favorite tool company ever, but the longlife bag should come stock on all their vacs at that price point. The paper bags arent practical if youre any everyday pro. When faced with how much i would spend on paper bags for the rest of the vacs life, i couldnt afford not to buy the longlife bag, Eric

In my case 5 packs of CT22 bags would be about 3 years worth of bags, and i use my vac every day professionally, i just empty the bags 3-4 times before they wear out. I do this next to the hose of my DC system so i get no dust.
Has anyone used the same long life bag for at least 3 years daily? I am not certain yet of the real advantage of these bags, they are just a more rugged and easy to empty version of the paper ones, but they clog just the same and i suppose need a good beating as well to get a good part of the fine dust out of the fibers. I am not sure that using the same bag for a couple years is better than having 25 fresh bags over the same period, either for the machine and yourself.
No harm to the OP intended, but it made me smile to read in the first line of a review the words 'opened the package earlier today" , thats' more of a content description, make sure you post back about your experience once you filled it at least 25 times when you reach the ROI!

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #11 on:** April 15, 2012, 10:44 AM »

Tim, definitely was a "content description" or really first impression as Ive been in the shop since I wrote that and actually havent even used it yet bc i have a ct22 with sys5 DD that i use in the shop. i just wanted people to get a better idea of what it looked like compared to the paper bags which are obviously working better for you then me. I have been on and off this forum since 2007 and have never seen anyone post about this product before. I will give a repost when i first empty it and then another a couple years down the line. I was merely trying to explain that i thought it was much nicer then the paper bag set up, thanks Eric

BJM9818 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 15, 2012, 09:45 PM »

The reason I bought the Festool vac over a regular shop vac was the no mess clean out. Open the vac, fold over the cardboard cover and toss it. I do agree the old paper bags that blew out in my midi sucked but since I have been using the felt bags it's been much better. I would rather spend the money I a DD than a 200 bag. My $.02

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #13 on:** June 10, 2012, 12:42 PM »

Ive been using this bag since early April at which point I blew out the inners of the CT22. This is what it looks like after daily use. At one point while sanding a ceiling that we had skim coated, no Planex yet, the bag became so full that I almost couldnt get it out of the vac. Well this is what it looks like inside months later. Cant say what it will be like in five years, but seems to be containing the dust quite well. The price is still an embarrassment, but Im using it like 300 days a year, so mathematically it works out. Eric

greenMonster · « **Reply #14 on:** June 10, 2012, 01:26 PM »

Hmmm, pex tubing you say?

I'm one of the cheap bastages that reuses his bags and have been looking for a cheap reliable "clamp" instead of the high speed duct tape I've been using.
May give that a try, doesn't seem like it would clamp enough though.

1/2" or 3/4"?

Quote from: Julian Tracy on April 14, 2012, 05:36 PM

The clinch bar is easily replaced by a slit section of pex tube... I've been happy with my longlife bag, but then I bought mine used for $80 or so. works great even for drywall dust and mdf cutting, not too mention using the vac for a benchtop planer port.

I'm not sure if it'd be worth $200+ to me... does seem like a total scam price. Especially in light of all the money I've wasted on the CT22 paper bags that blew out on me for no good reason.

Don't get me started on the fact that I thought I bought a HEPA-rated vac only to discover that what I am really supposed to do is buy another "real" HEPA in the form of a $600 CT26...

Julian

Dave Reinhold · « **Reply #15 on:** June 10, 2012, 01:58 PM »

Im not too fond of my long life bag. I've came no where near the 500 fillings and the vac suction is no where near as good when I use the long life bag compared to paper or cloth. I keep meaning to try and wash is by hand and see if it's any better.

Dave

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #16 on:** June 10, 2012, 02:51 PM »

Dave, thats a bummer, how many do you think you got out of it before suction lessened? Eric

ScotF · « **Reply #17 on:** June 10, 2012, 03:06 PM »

Quote from: Dave Reinhold on June 10, 2012, 01:58 PM

Im not too fond of my long life bag. I've came no where near the 500 fillings and the vac suction is no where near as good when I use the long life bag compared to paper or cloth. I keep meaning to try and wash is by hand and see if it's any better.

Dave

Interesting experience -- I have been using mine and have had no ill effects so far and suction seems just as high as it was with the paper, but I have only filled it up a few times since installing it. My guess is that a washing would help as the inside is probably caked with dust.

Scot

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #18 on:** June 10, 2012, 03:48 PM »

I just checked my suction level. It is fierce right now. More so then my CT22 with DD on Sys5, but probably because that has so much hose.

My current set up can suck and hold a piece of 3/4 ply at 6 3/4 x 13 1/2. In six months or so I will see if it can still suck it up. It was hanging on just barely today. Eric

Rustynuts · « **Reply #19 on:** June 11, 2012, 07:49 AM »

Quote from: Jason Kehl on April 14, 2012, 11:05 PM

Has anyone here used the long life filter bag for enough time to be able to advise how long they actually last? Do they eventually clog up so that suction is minimized, would they be difficult to clean if this were to happen? I have considered getting one, but am concerned about this.

Thanks.

j

Hi,
I have had a reusable bag for 12 years and it is still going strong, admittedly it only needs emptying about once every 6 week and even less when I get a cyclone put on it.
Regards
Michael

Kev · « **Reply #20 on:** June 11, 2012, 07:59 AM »

I could be way off here, but can't you put them through the washing machine to "re-life" them?

ericbuggeln · « **Reply #21 on:** June 11, 2012, 08:57 AM »

Shane, is there any info from Festool about the maintenance or "washing" of these bags to keep the suction at a new level? There is basically no information about this product on the web. Thanks Eric

Richard/RMW · « **Reply #22 on:** June 11, 2012, 07:47 PM »

Quote from: Kev on April 14, 2012, 10:06 PM

The price for a long life bag in Oz is $AU375. On current exchange rates that's almost $US400 ... It's a cloth bag with a plastic socket and a plastic sealing strip

The CT36 here is $AU1199 and the tradesman cleaning kit (Sys5, D36, metal tubes, etc) is $AU399

I'd add a scathing comment - but it'd be redundant.

Kev,

What the heck is the deal with the high costs down under? Is it simply the cost of getting stuff there, or import taxes, or what?

Pardon my abject ignorage regarding currency exchange rates.

RMW

Kev · « **Reply #23 on:** June 12, 2012, 01:53 AM »

Quote from: RMW on June 11, 2012, 07:47 PM

Quote from: Kev on April 14, 2012, 10:06 PM
The price for a long life bag in Oz is $AU375. On current exchange rates that's almost $US400 ... It's a cloth bag with a plastic socket and a plastic sealing strip

The CT36 here is $AU1199 and the tradesman cleaning kit (Sys5, D36, metal tubes, etc) is $AU399

I'd add a scathing comment - but it'd be redundant.

Kev,

What the heck is the deal with the high costs down under? Is it simply the cost of getting stuff there, or import taxes, or what?

Pardon my abject ignorage regarding currency exchange rates.

RMW

That's a really good question - I don't have a really good answer.

Running a sales and distribution business across all of Australia is expensive because of the spread out population and very high cost of living (operational costs suffer).

Freight into Oz isn't too bad, particularly in bulk and there's nothing in terms of protective taxes to note ... Plus the 10% GST gets claimed back if you're a business.

I don't know what Festool Germany offer Tooltechnic Australia in terms of prices (we're not serviced by Festool directly - Tooltechnic Australai is a privately owned Australain distributor).

Bottom line, with the Aussie an US dollars hovering around parity, we're paying close to double what our US brothers are paying on many items. Not much change from $2000 on a Domino XL and $300 on a Syslite if we look at the latest releases.

Euro pricing is still higher than US pricing and bringing goods in from Europe as one offs isn't that attractive when you consider warranty implications and the general "dancing with grey" issues.

If you were equipped with a crystal ball, you would possibly wire your Aussie home workshop for 110v and holiday in the US with a full container of "luggage" on a boat for the homeward leg!

Kev

Timtool · « **Reply #24 on:** June 12, 2012, 07:10 AM »

it's to make you pay for the climate and environment you have there, were in the sixth month of the year now and i can count the amount of good weather days we had this year in western Europe on my fingers!

Kev · « **Reply #25 on:** June 12, 2012, 09:18 AM »

Quote from: Timtool on June 12, 2012, 07:10 AM

it's to make you pay for the climate and environment you have there, were in the sixth month of the year now and i can count the amount of good weather days we had this year in western Europe on my fingers!

I didn't know you'd lost three fingers

Sorry - couldn't resist that.