As a remodeler, I wear a lot of hats on every job. I demo, I frame, I run trim-but more than anything, I clean, clean, clean. I also work out of a compact pickup truck, so when there's a chance to shrink my tools and cargo, I strongly consider it. Enter Festool's 15-lb. CT SYS. This new tool-activated dust collector and vacuum (previewed in "Tools and Materials," FHB #261) is about as big as a medium-size Festool Systainer, one of the company's well-engineered modular cases. It's actually two Systainer components. The lower half is the vacuum; the upper half is a carry tray that holds the hose and power cord. The CT SYS includes a 10-ft. antistatic hose, a filter bag, a HEPA filter, and a shoulder strap. The vac is quiet (67 db.), and at 106 cfm and 80 in. of static water lift, it approaches the specs of Festool's larger wheeled vacs. Compared to full-size vacs from Festool, Bosch, and Fein (see "Shop Vacs," FHB #240), the CT SYS showed no noticeable difference in power or dust collection. For moving around, the CT SYS is a dream. Moreover, because of its squat, almost cube shape, it's easy to stack beneath or on top of almost anything.
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