Hi. This is a review on the Hose Garage. Here's a pic of the Hose Garage on top of my CT 22 with Boom Arm:



One thing that I was concerned about was whether I could use the Boom Arm and Hose Garage together. The answer is YES! They work just fine together.

Installation: Installation was trivial. About the only "trick" is that you have to slide the right side (when facing the front) into two little tabs and then slide home the green locking tabs. That's it. You're done. Grade: A+

"Storability": I.e., can it store a larger hose? Here's a pic showing the 3.5m D36 hose (medium size) stored inside the hose garage with a systainer completely latched on top. I have the hose nozzle sticking out the port, but you can completely store it inside if you wish. I was concerned about this, but had no problem. Check the pic below to see how much extra room you still have even with the D36 hose. Also check the second from last pic that shows the hose wrapped up completely. Even in this configuration, there's still plenty of room for several of the cleaning attachments.

It also turns out that it's more flexible than I realized and allows you to store the CT's hose and power cord while still connected to the CT. It is designed to store both hose AND cord in the garage. See "Usage" below. Grade: A.


Documentation - Installation: Simple, but very clear installation docs. Grade: A

Documentation - Usage: There was NONE and I had to research to understand some of the features. I know the answers now, but this is still poor. Grade: F

Usage: The documentation doesn't cover this, but Christian confirms what several users have explained in responses below - the big slot in the front and little slot on the left allow you store the CT's hose and power cord while still connected to the CT. This is very useful while taking it to the work site because it gives you a smaller package.

An added benefit is that that it reduces dust that can shoot out of the inlet port without a hose. If you transport your CT with a bag full of dust and then happen to drop it, you may see of a cloud of dust will shoot out of the CT's inlet port. Christian said that that most customers who take the CT on the road prefer to leave the hose plugged in to prevent this. The Hose Garage allows you to quickly store the hose while still plugged in and reduce the chance of inadvertant dust clouds.

If you prefer to store the hose in the garage completely for transportation, Christian recommends that you use a blanking plug like the Blanking plug, D 50/V to seal off the inlet port.

So the Hose Garage can be used in several configurations to suit your needs.

1) Store the hose with the connector sticking out the front for more maximum space inside. (See second pic above.)

2) Store the hose completely inside the garage as in this pic:



3) Route the hose boom power cord through the left slot as shown in the pic immediately above.

4) Store the hose and CT power cord completely in the Hose Garage as shown in the next two pics:




One thing that I did REALLY appreciate is never mentioned in the literature. It raises any systainer placed on it by about 4" or so. This means less bending over. I now store my C12 systainer (with bits and stuff) on top of the Hose Garage. It is much more usable at this height. Here's a pic:



I like it. I think it's definitely worth the modest cost. Overall Grade: A.

Regards,

Dan.

p.s. And here is how the Hose Garage is really meant to be used:

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I have the CT Mini, which has a built-in hose garage. One of the things I really like about it is that the TS55 perfectly straddles the sides of the garage. So that's where I place the saw in between cuts. Keeps the cord and hose out of the way of the table where I'm working, and keeps the saw close at hand.

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I don't have as many Festools as Fred. Or Marcou's, or Brese's, or Lie-Nielsen's, or Lee Valley's, or Blue Spruce's, or Harold and Saxon's, or...

Question about carrying the CT22/CT33 with the hose garage attached. What do you do about the carrying handle that's covered up?

Do you need to have a systainer attached on top, and if so, is the systainer's handle strong enough to use to lug the vac up ladders?

-George

The handle is reachable through the center of the coiled hose. I have never tried to lift the whole thing (my CT33) by a systainer handle. That might be a little heavy or awkward, especially with larger systainers.

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Water separates the people of the world; wine unites them.

I dont know if its bad or good but I've lifted the whole thing with 4 systainers on top (thats about it for my arms ) and nothings broke yet.

My wine drinkin' buddy has it correct. It's a bit heavy and bulky, but doable. With a hose in the hose garage, handle affixed, and the top 1/2 of the boom arm removed, I can still lift the CT22 with one hand. (Not bragging. I needed the other hand for the stair rail.)

Dan.

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"You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’" George Bernard Shaw

The systainer handles are rated at about 400 lbs. Latches are less. Latches should fail first.

Peter

They also work good for holding the Dust Deputy, see page 2 of Wayne's thread.

New Plastic Dust Deputy