Hmmm
@TinyShop your comment that the rankings on TNO are "sure to touch off a storm of commentary" overlooks the complacency of most users of Festool extraction. Reference the thread here - Re: New products for January 2018 (Europe) - Facelift for 26, 36, 48
« Reply #162 on: April 02, 2018, 05:14 PM »
"Thanks fellow Foggers - some great contributions there.
Particularly loved the "near perfect vac" as "all the basics are taken care of" - reassuring to know there's nothing actually that can be improved with respect to the principal function of these extractors.
Thanks to Peter too, for drawing our attention back to the topic at hand - the new hose garage and Bluetooth.
Improved performance in the efficiency of the extractors seems to be a non starter then, as far as it's users are concerned. Perhaps a representative of Festool could comment? - Is the airflow improved? Have there been any changes in the design of the new extractors which improve the efficiency of the dust collection? Is the exhausted air cleaner?
Gotta love the new hose though."
@Gregor the TNO site makes it very clear what it's testing regime was for the various extractors read - Dust Extractor Classification, here -
http://www.dustfreeworking.tno.nl/dust-extractors/dust-extractor-classification it would be a waste of time if there wasn't a standardised test - seems so, no? The details for the test are clearly stated.
You might not cut bricks or concrete, but there a lot of us who do, and in my view these sorts of applications are an excellent test of an extractors capabilities - given the volume, velocity and nature of the materials being extracted.
The figures given for duration of operation are more than just a means of ranking extractors they illustrate how long a set up can be safely operated before a workplace becomes compromised and the users health is affected -
"The label shows the total “responsible operating time” in hours – between one and eight – per eight-hour working day. That is the length of the time for which the system can be operated without exceeding the statutory occupational exposure limits for hazardous substances such as crystalline silica and hardwood dust, as measured in the “employee inhalation zone”."
This is pertinent to everyone who uses tools which create dust, no matter what the type of dust or the application - and certainly helps in making a more informed choice of extractor.
I think most people who routinely use Festool extraction assume with
@Coen in the thread 'New products for January 2018 (Europe)....'thread-
"Nah, once all the basics are taken care off, people will find other "wants" and so we end up with a near perfect vac where the biggest thing to about was apparently the hose."
So given that premise, it's pretty unlikely there's going to be a storm of commentary. Let's have a look though - it's been roughly a month since TinyShop's comment about the TNO ratings for Festool extractors
Here you go - http://www.dustfreeworking.tno.nl/dust-extractors/dust-extractor-classification
Like many I found it difficult to find independent testing or even much in the way of reviews about dust extractors - so it was great to locate this independent Dutch research organisation, which has some clear and concise information about a field where there seems to be a fair amount of disinformation.
Ouch - the dust extractor rankings on this page:
http://www.dustfreeworking.tno.nl/dust-extractors?tested=100345,100344
...(which, among those machines tested, rank Starmix among the best and Festool among the worst in terms of health and safety)....
and the apogee of the commentary has been Gregor's grudging -
"Seems not....."
But if your main concerns are new hoses and hose garages and bluetooth technology, then all the above are immaterial concerns.