3M has come out with a dust extractor late in 2022, trying to compete with the Festool.  Is this something that they can actually pull off?  Let’s find out!

3M Dust Extractor - https://lddy.no/1ffg9

Festool CT36 Dust Extractor - https://amzn.to/3JAaVxv

All 3M Extractor Accessories https://lddy.no/1ffh8

Festool Vacuum Accessory Kit - https://amzn.to/3mPSifQ

Full disclosure, 3M sent me this for review, but that doesn’t mean I won’t tell you what I don’t like about this extractor.  If you saw the Ryobi Track Saw review, you know what I mean.  We’re gonna be all honest here.

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I’ve been using this over the past week while working on projects.  Specifically, I built an outdoor bench that required quite a bit of sanding because it was pine and spruce, so it created a lot of fine dust.  I used this extractor to see how well it would perform, and I can tell you it did extremely good.  There are some features on here that I really appreciate that if they came on a Festool, you’d be paying a little more.  However, there’s things on the Festool that aren’t on the 3M that I wish they had included. I’ll cover both in this review.

First and foremost, what do you get with the 3M dust extractor?  You get a 15-foot hose with an adapter on the end that connects to a lot of different hose connections.  I used this on my Massca pocket hole jig (pictured below), and the adapter fit into that port perfectly.  Because of the step-down design, you don’t really have to worry about whether it’s going to fit or not.  This hose will fit most tools in your shop.  Since it’s an anti-static hose, you don’t have to worry about getting shocked everytime you’re using the extractor.

The 3M has some nice features built right in, like the auto-filter cleaning.  You’ll hear a sound like rat-tat-tat-tat, almost like, “Say hello to my li’l friend” when it’s cleaning that filter.  That’s knocking the dust out of there, and it’s going to make those filters last longer.  It also has a standard 120v plug on the front where you can plug in your sander (or other tools).  That means it’ll automatically turn on and off when you power on the tool you have connected.

You’ll also notice two air connections on the front for pneumatic tools.  These pneumatic connections work the same way as far as auto-on and -off if you’re using pneumatic tools.  There’s also a volume control knob to control how much air flow you’re getting, as well as a warning light to let you know when the bag is full.

The control dial has some different settings on it, and there is a legend across the top of the 3M Xtract to let you know what that dial setting is between Off, On, Automatic Cleaning, and Auto-On/Off with Automatic Cleaning.  There’s also a very long power cord so you can easily move this around your shop, and there’s an arm at the back that extends up to hang the cord on to keep it out of the way.

Included with your dust extractor is one poly bag.  This is where I had a little bit of an issue with 3M.  This feels just like a thick plastic garbage bag and if you buy 3M branded bags, you’re looking at over $100 for 5 plastic bags.  They say you can dump these out and reuse them, but I prefer the fleece style bags.  One, because it gives you a little extra filtration and two, it’s just easier to work with.   When you open the 3M extractor, you’ll see that filter is just exposed to all of that dust if you use the poly bags (or no bag at all).  Th poly bags help you clean out bin easier, versus not using the bag.  You can use this without a bag.  If you’re using this for catching sanding dust, I would recommend the fleece bags. 

There’s a metal arm that attaches to the back of the 3M Xtract Dust Extractor to help you push the extractor around.  Because this has such a short low-profile dust extractor, that is handy to have attached.  I do wish there was some kind of accessory for that arm that you could hang your hose on.  The top of the 3M extractor does not have hose storage, and I really wish they had that.

I’ve been using this for about a week now, and I want to see how bad the filters are stopped-up.  As I suspected, they’re pretty dirty.  There’s a lot of fine dust in the extractor, and that’s the stuff it’s saving from your lungs.  There are two filters, one on each side, and both have a lot of dust in them.  It’s disappointing just how much dust is on there.  This is some super-fine sanding dust, and that’s why you’re buying a dust extractor with HEPA filters.  That’ll keep that really fine dust out of your lungs.  I highly recommend you using a fleece bag if you use this for a lot of sanding. Those fleece bags prevent the filters from getting clogged-up like this (picture below).

I’ve been using the Festool CT36 dust extractor.  This is a comparable model to the 3M.  It’s been in my miter station since early summer 2021, collecting the dust from my miter saw, and I also have a hose that I clean the shop with.  When you compare the Festool filter (below) to the 3M filter (above), the Festool filter is Supa-Clean.  You can run your fingers over the Festool filter and see there’s a little dust in it, but it’s not clogged-up.  My Festool doesn’t have an auto-clean feature on it.  The difference is the fleece bag.

3M sells their own fleece bags, and they’re similarly priced to the Festool ones.  The CT36 bag will fit over the 3M port, but there’s no clip to lock them in place.  Even though the inside of the 3M extractor is really dirty, you can look inside and see that the motor where the air is exhausted is extremely clean (pictured below).  There is zero dust around the motor, so it’s doing its job, I just think a fleece bag would just be better.

With the top open, the filters are very easy to pull out and clean.  They’re located on either side of the motor, and you can just pick them up. 

A lot of people asked me to compare the 3M to the Festool to see which one was better.  The 3M has 157 CFM while the Festool has 138, so the 3M is pulling in more airflow, but I really don’t think that matters.  If you’re just sanding with this, or just using it with a machine that’s creating a little bit of sawdust, that amount of CFM is not going to matter.  Both machines are rated into the high 90s on percentage of dust being collected.

If you’re in the market for a dust extractor and you have the 3M sander, I would highly recommend just picking this 3M extractor, especially if you don’t have any reason to get into the Festool system.  Now, if you are starting to look at Festool tools, then you might want to look at the Festool dust extractor.  They are similarly priced if you don’t get the Festool with the auto-clean feature.  If you get the Festool with the auto-clean feature, you’re looking at about $120.00 more.

Both machines have right around 9.5 gallon capacity.  The Festool may look bigger, but that’s because of the garage up top where you can store your hose and power cable.  That garage is really handy to have, and I find myself using it quite often.

Both machines come with a bag.  Festool comes with a fleece bag, the 3m comes with a plastic bag, and I really wish they would put a fleece bag in there.  As far as sound goes, you’re going to find very little difference in the sound level these.  The Festool is rated at 71 dB, and the 3M is rated at 69 dB.  The Festool has a single HEPA filter, and the 3M has dual HEPA filters.  With the 3M’s auto-cleaning feature you don’t lose any suction while its cleaning.  Both also have adjustable airflow.  Where that’s useful is when I’m sanding.  I don’t want suction maxed out because the sander sticks to the board.  Both machines also have an auto-on and -off feature so when you have a sander plugging in it will automatically come on with the sander.  When you turn the sander off, both will automatically shut off.

Where the Festool starts breaking away a little bit is it’s a wet-dry vac.  The 3M is not.  It’s only for dry materials like sawdust or sanding dust.  On the Festool you can buy a wet filter and suck up wet stuff.  Another thing I like about the Festool is it has a sustainer support, so whether I need to put my vac accessories or my sander box on top it will lock in.  Doing that does cover up your hose garage, but if you’re transporting your dust extractor it’s super nice.  The 3M doesn’t have it included but it is an option to add on for another $100.00.  That’s a little pricey for what you’re getting.

Both machines have an anti-static hose.  The Festool comes with an 11.5-foot hose, and it’s fabric covered.  I like that better than the 3M plastic covered hose, but the 3M hose is longer at 15 feet.  While the 3M hose will not fit on the Festool, the Festool hose does fit perfectly on the 3M extractor.

There are two things that start separating Festool from 3M in my opinion.  Number One is the optional Bluetooth.  You can put a Bluetooth module on the end of this, and then you have a button you can use to active the dust extractor just with that button.  Why does that matter?  If I don’t have a tool plugged into this, I can still just switch the hose out between tools and not worry about having to go around plugging and unplugging tools.  I can just use the hose button, and it’s just easier.

The second thing is the warranty.  3M says this is a 1-year warranty to be free from defects and all the normal jargon.  Festool has a 3-year all-inclusive warranty, including wear and tear.  If you just wear this thing out in the first three years, it’s under warranty, and they have a 10-year parts guarantee.  For 10 years from the day you buy this dust extractor, they guarantee there will be parts available to repair this should it need it.  For accessory availability, 3M does have a number of accessories available, such as different hose attachments.  Festool has those same accessories, but because it’s been out longer, they do have a few more accessories available.

Dust extractors, no matter which model you go with, are designed to collect that fine particle dust.  Both units come with HEPA filters, which if you don’t know, HEPA will filter down to .3 microns.  The human eye can’t see smaller than 40 microns, so just because you don’t see the dust floating around doesn’t mean it’s not there.

I consider these to be an essential tool in the woodshop, especially over a regular shop vac that you can pick up for less than $100.00.  In addition to that HEPA filtration, you’re also getting higher airflow which helps keep your sander and sandpaper cool.  Another thing is dust extractors don’t make as much noise as a shop vac.  Most shop vacs don’t have the auto-on/off without buying an extra switch.  Shop vacs also aren’t meant to run for as long a period of time as dust extractors are.

You can watch the full video review here - https://youtu.be/yP9N-NwgZyQ

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