Which dust extractor for a home workshop?
Wood dust is not just a mess. Fine particles below 10 microns stay airborne for hours, get past your nose and settle in your lungs, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer lists hardwood dust as a known human carcinogen. A cheap household vacuum does not solve this; it pulls the dust in and blows the finest fraction straight back out through a paper filter. A proper extractor does, and the right one depends on which tools you run.
This guide covers the two kinds of extraction a home workshop needs, explains dust classes, cyclones, hose sizes and auto-start, and compares the Festool, Bosch, Metabo and Oneida units we stock at Power Tool Services in Cape Town. Prices are from our store on the day of writing; everything ships nationwide and orders over R2,000 travel free. See the whole dust extraction collection.
Two different problems: fine dust and chips
Hand-held power tools (sanders, track saws, routers, mitre saws) make small volumes of very fine dust and need high suction through a small hose. Stationary machines (table saws, planer-thicknessers, bandsaws) make large volumes of chips and need high airflow through a big hose. No single machine does both well.
- A mobile dust extractor (what Festool calls a CT and Bosch calls a GAS) is a high-vacuum, low-airflow unit with a 27 to 36 mm hose and a filter bag. It plugs into the tool and is what you want for sanding, plunge sawing and routing.
- A chip collector (the bag-on-a-stand type, often sold as a "dust extractor" for machines) moves 850 to 1,150 cubic metres of air an hour through a 100 mm hose. It is for table saws and planers.
Most home workshops end up with one of each. Hand-held tools only? You only need the first.
Dust classes: L, M and H
European standard EN 60335-2-69 rates extractors by how much dust the filter is allowed to let through. L class (permitted leakage up to 1 percent) covers softwood dust, general construction dust and most DIY use. M class (up to 0.1 percent) is required on EU sites for hardwood, MDF and masonry dust, and adds a flow alarm that warns when the hose blocks. H class is for asbestos and biological hazards. South Africa has no equivalent rule for a home workshop, but the classes are still the best guide to filter quality. For a hobby shop cutting pine, ply and melamine, L class with a good filter bag is acceptable. If you work MDF and hardwoods every weekend, M class is worth the premium, and we can quote Festool CTM and Metabo ASR models on request.
Separately, some L class units carry a HEPA main filter. The Bosch GAS 12-25 PL, for instance, fits an H13 HEPA filter that stops 99.95 percent of particles above 0.3 microns. That is a useful spec regardless of class.
Hose sizes: 27 mm or 36 mm?
Festool, and the many tools that copy its port size, use two hose diameters. A 27 mm hose is light and flexible and suits sanders, jigsaws and the TS 55 track saw. A 36 mm hose moves more air and suits routers, the TS 60 and Domino joiners, which make bigger chips. Festool's current hoses taper from 27 to 32 mm for better airflow. Bosch and Metabo extractors ship with 32 or 35 mm hoses and adapt to most tools with a rubber reducer from our fittings range.
Auto-start and Bluetooth
An auto-start socket on the extractor senses current draw and switches the extractor on when you pull the tool trigger, then runs on for a few seconds to clear the hose. Every corded extractor in this guide has one. For cordless tools there is no current to sense, so Festool uses Bluetooth batteries and a remote on the hose end to do the same job, and its cordless CTLC extractors work the same way. If you are buying a Festool extractor, make sure the tool side matches: Bluetooth batteries are only useful if the extractor has the Bluetooth module, which the CTL MIDI I and CTLC SYS both have.
Cyclone separators: the cheapest upgrade you can make
A cyclone sits between the tool and the extractor and spins the heavy dust out into a bin before it reaches the filter. Oneida's Dust Deputy claims over 99 percent capture, which in practice means the filter bag in your extractor lasts months instead of days and suction stays constant. For a workshop with a planer or table saw running into a shop vac, a cyclone is the single biggest improvement per rand.
The Oneida Dust Deputy DIY (from R1,599) is the cyclone body only, moulded in anti-static resin with tapered 2 inch ports; you supply the bin and hoses. The Dust Deputy 2.5 Deluxe kit (from R7,699) adds a 17 gallon (about 64 litre) steel drum, wire-reinforced hose and elbows for 2.5 inch shop vac hoses, and Festool's own CT pre-separator (from R11,349) does the same job for CT 26, 36 and 48 extractors in a stackable Systainer bin. Both are in the cyclone collection.
The extractors we recommend
Festool CTL MIDI I
The Festool CTL MIDI I (from R13,849) is the mobile extractor most Festool owners end up with. It has a 15 litre container (12.5 litre bag), 3,700 litres per minute of airflow and 24,000 Pa of vacuum from a 350 to 1,200 W turbine, an auto-start socket rated to 2,400 W, Bluetooth auto-start for cordless tools, manual filter cleaning, an antistatic system and a flat Systainer-compatible top. It weighs 11.4 kg and has a 7.5 m cable. L class. If your tools are Festool, this is the easy answer.
Festool CTLC SYS cordless
The Festool CTLC SYS I-Basic (from R9,099, bare) is a dust extractor inside a Systainer. It runs on two 18 V batteries for 14 to 25 minutes on 4.0 Ah packs, delivers 2,400 litres per minute and 18,000 Pa, holds 4.5 litres and weighs 6 kg. It ships with a 27 mm hose, a shoulder strap and a remote. It is the extractor for installers who sand or cut a few metres in a client's home, not for a day of sanding at the bench.
Bosch GAS 12-25 PL
The Bosch GAS 12-25 PL (from R3,999) is the value pick. A 1,250 W motor, 25 litre container, 65 litres per second of airflow and 200 mbar of vacuum, semi-automatic filter cleaning, an H13 HEPA main filter with a pre-filter, and a 3 m 35 mm hose with an antistatic pipe. It is a wet and dry unit, so it also clears the floor after a plumbing job. L class, 10.5 kg. For a Bosch, DeWalt or Makita tool owner on a budget, buy this and a Dust Deputy and you have a two-stage system for under R6,000.
Metabo ASA 25 L PC
The Metabo ASA 25 L PC (from R5,099) is the compact trade option: 1,250 W, 25 litre container, 3,600 litres per minute and 210 mbar, a 3.5 m 32 mm hose, an auto-start tool socket, PressClean manual filter cleaning and automatic shut-off when vacuuming liquids. It weighs 8.3 kg, the lightest corded unit here, and comes with floor and crevice nozzles plus fleece and PE bags. L class certified.
Axminster Perform PD57E chip collector
For the table saw and thicknesser, the Axminster Perform PD57E (from R6,099) is a single-bag collector with a 750 W motor, 850 cubic metres per hour of airflow, a 57 litre bag with cloth filter, a 100 mm hose connection and swivel castors. It is sized for one machine at a time in a garage workshop. Its 100 mm hose will not connect to hand tools, which is the point: it is the second half of the system.
Comparison table
| Unit | Type | Container | Airflow | Hose | Auto-start | Weight | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch GAS 12-25 PL | Mobile, L class, HEPA | 25 l | 65 l/s | 35 mm, 3 m | Socket | 10.5 kg | R3,999 |
| Metabo ASA 25 L PC | Mobile, L class | 25 l | 3,600 l/min | 32 mm, 3.5 m | Socket | 8.3 kg | R5,099 |
| Festool CTLC SYS | Cordless, L class | 4.5 l | 2,400 l/min | 27 mm, 3 m | Bluetooth / remote | 6 kg | R9,099 |
| Festool CTL MIDI I | Mobile, L class | 15 l | 3,700 l/min | not stated | Socket + Bluetooth | 11.4 kg | R13,849 |
| Axminster PD57E | Chip collector | 57 l bag | 850 m³/h | 100 mm | No | not stated | R6,099 |
| Oneida Dust Deputy DIY | Cyclone separator | your bin | n/a | 2 in ports | n/a | n/a | R1,599 |
Specifications come from the manufacturers' data on our product pages. Airflow figures are quoted in the units each maker uses and are not directly comparable. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
Our pick for...
- A Festool-based workshop: CTL MIDI I. Bluetooth, auto-start, antistatic and Systainer stacking in one box.
- Hand tools on a budget: Bosch GAS 12-25 PL plus an Oneida Dust Deputy DIY.
- Site work and mixed trades: Metabo ASA 25 L PC. Light, wet and dry, auto-start.
- Installers who work in finished homes: Festool CTLC SYS. No cable, carries like a Systainer.
- A table saw or planer-thicknesser: Axminster Perform PD57E on a 100 mm hose.
- Anyone with a shop vac already: Dust Deputy DIY. Keeps the filter clean for a fraction of the cost of a new extractor.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a normal wet and dry vacuum as a dust extractor?
For chips, yes. For fine dust, only if it has a fine or HEPA filter and you add a cyclone in front of it. Standard vacuum filters let the harmful fraction through and clog within minutes on sanding dust.
Do I need M class for MDF?
In the EU, on a commercial site, yes. In a South African home workshop it is your call, but MDF dust is fine and irritant, and M class filters plus a flow alarm are the better protection. Ask us about Festool CTM and Metabo ASR units if MDF is your main material.
What is the difference between a Festool CTL and CTM?
CTL is L class; CTM is M class with finer filtration and a hose-blockage warning. The container sizes (MIDI, 26, 36, 48) are shared across both. The Festool dust extraction range lists what is in stock.
Will a Festool hose fit my Makita or DeWalt tool?
Usually, with a rubber adapter. The 27 mm Festool sleeve fits many tool ports directly; 36 mm often needs a reducer. Bring the tool to the shop or check the port size on the product page before ordering.
Do cyclones reduce suction?
Slightly, because the air takes a longer path. In practice suction improves over a day's work because the filter stays clean. Keep the cyclone hose short and the bin sealed.
