Thread: Shop vac hoses going flat. How to fix/prevent? And other questions

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

Hi all, got a few questions about shop vac hoses.

Got a Festool MIDI and CT33 and the hoses (27mm) have started to go flat (oval shaped). Before I go replacing them, is there any way to re-shape them? If not, are there any tricks to stop it happening?

Also, is going up to a 36mm hose on the CT33 worth the extra cost? It's mainly hooked up to a 150mm ROS, with occasional biscuit joiner use. The sander is designed to thread directly onto 27mm hose without any adapter, so not sure if you can even get reducers that will work.

Finally, is the Festool hose really worth the massive premium over generic hose from a vacuum supplier?

Going to the 36mm hose is definitely worth it, and it's really easy to rig up an adaptor:
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f58/festool-vac-ducted-system-184637

I eschewed the Anti-satic hose in favour of the Non-AS for two reasons:

• less cost, and I've never had a static shock from the non-AS, and nor do they seem to get covered in dust (from static)
• Much better behaved than the AS - no self-recoil, and is easy to manipulate into the required positon

Is it going flat when being used or for some other reason.

Thanks FF, I'll look into that.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

Is it going flat when being used or for some other reason.

I think they've just been stepped on a few times too many. I also run the vacs at full power all the time, so maybe it's too much pressure on the hose?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I think they've just been stepped on a few times too many. I also run the vacs at full power all the time, so maybe it's too much pressure on the hose?

The latter would only be due to the former anyway.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

The latter would only be due to the former anyway.

Thought that might be the case. I'll stick with generic hose, cheaper to replace.

The 'Mr Nozzle' brand vac hoses sold by Lee Valley and Rockler (and others) seem to be identical with the Festool non-AS vacuum hoses except for the colour (flouro orange) even down to the rotating cuff at one end - I have one that has been lying around the shop for several years now without any noticeable damage.