Festool CT 22 E: Discontinued — What to Buy Instead

The CT 22 E was the mid-size machine in Festool’s CLEANTEC range: a 22 litre container, a tool-triggered outlet, variable suction and the smooth-start behaviour that stops a heavy extractor tripping a breaker.

It is discontinued. The range was reorganised and the CT 26 took over that position, followed by the current CT 26 E and CT 26 EI models.

Consumables are the question

For a discontinued extractor, the practical issue is whether you can still feed it.

Festool bags and filters are model-specific, and older CT sizes are gradually dropped as stock runs out. Before deciding to keep a CT 22 running, check that self-cleaning filter bags and a main filter for it are still available from a Festool dealer — if they are, the machine has years left, because the motor is the part that never fails first.

Third-party bags exist and fit variably. A bag that does not seal properly puts fine dust past the filter and into the motor, which is how these actually die.

What replaces it

The Festool CT 26 E HEPA, linked below, is the current machine in that size class: a larger container, HEPA certification on the whole unit, and the same tool-triggered outlet and antistatic hose system.

It is expensive, and the honest comparison is worth making. If what you want is raw suction and capacity, a good shop vac with a HEPA cartridge costs a fraction as much. What the CT gives you is filtration certified on the whole machine, a noise level you can work beside, and a system that integrates with the tools. If you do not own Festool tools, much of that value does not apply.