I'm a hobbyist woodworker looking for a dust extractor to manage the mess in my garage. I've come across the Harbor Freight Hercules dust extractor, which was previously listed at $299 but has now gone up to $370. I've also found the Festool 577413 CLEANTEC CT 15 E HEPA model, which is about $60 more. While Festool's model has a smaller capacity, it comes with a 3-year warranty, unlike the Hercules, which only has a 90-day warranty, extendable for an extra cost. Has anyone compared these two models or found similar alternatives? I'm open to better options in the $100-$200 higher price range too. Thanks for any help!
2 Answers
When it comes to Festool, aside from the higher price, one of the main advantages is how easily the extractors connect to their other tools. If your tool has a 27mm inner connection, it likely uses a 36mm on the outside, so you won’t need any adapters, which is a time saver! However, I get that as a hobbyist, investing in Festool might seem excessive, even if they do make fantastic tools.
I don’t have personal experience with either dust extractor, but I've seen positive reviews about the Hercules. For my own setup, I just use a Dewalt shop vac with HEPA filters, which works well enough for sanding and such, plus it cost me under $200. A two-stage filter might be a future upgrade, but for now, I find it does the job just fine. So, the Hercules could still be a solid choice if others are happy with it!