EN 60335-2-69 is a safety standard written for commercial wet and dry vacuums, and it takes in dust extractors too. In Europe, dust extractor noise is declared under it. Festool, Mirka and Hilti also print the result in the US manuals they link.
The test produces an LpA, sound pressure where the operator works, with an uncertainty K. That is the ear figure. Some makers add an LWA, sound power, which is the machine's total output. The extractors here are ranked on LpA, with LwA printed alongside where a maker gives it. DEWALT declares both for the DCV585 through its European DCV586M, 69 dB(A) at the ear and 81.5 sound power from the same test, and because the two measure different things they never share a ranking, a split our page on extractor-style power and pressure figures walks through.
Four more rules decide where a figure lands. A figure printed as "or less" is an upper limit, not a single typical value, and is ranked only against other upper limits. One with no standard named sits in a group by itself. A figure printed as "dB" without "(A)" is kept apart from A-weighted figures. And where a maker prints a separate "working sound level" beside its sound pressure level, we quote it but never rank on it.
Festool's cordless CTC MIDI I HEPA-Basic, at 67 dB(A) at the ear with K of 3 dB, in the US manual Festool links from its product page. It runs on two 18 V batteries and starts from a Bluetooth battery or a remote, so it has no cord at all.
| Extractor | At the ear (LpA) | Sound power (LwA) | Document |
|---|
| Festool CTC MIDI I | 67 dB(A), K 3 dB | Not declared | Festool US manual |
| Mirka DE-1230-PC | 68 ± 2 dB(A), IEC 60335-2-69 | Not declared | Mirka US manual |
| DEWALT DCV585 | 69 dB(A) | 81.5 dB(A) | DEWALT UK manual for the DCV586M |
| Festool CT 26 to CT 48 EI | 71 dB(A) | Not declared | Festool US manual |
| Festool CT 15 | 72 dB(A) | Not declared | Festool US manual |
| DEWALT DWV010 | 80 dB(A) | 93 or 94 dB(A) | DEWALT UK manual for the DWV901L |
| Hilti VC 4LX-22 | 82.9 dB(A) | 92.7 dB(A) | Hilti manual |
IEC 60335-2-69 is the international version of the same standard, and the Mirka is the quietest corded extractor with a declaration under either. The DCV585 adds the lowest sound power in the group. Festool's corded extractors sit a few decibels higher, with one figure for all three CT 26 to CT 48 EI sizes.
Then comes a gap.
DEWALT's corded DWV010 is rated 80 dB(A) for the user through its UK twin, and Hilti's cordless VC 4LX-22 carries the highest single value figures here. Only DEWALT and Hilti give sound power in this group. Festool and Mirka give sound pressure only, which leaves no way to say how the DCV585's 81.5 compares with them for the rest of the room.
Makita's European manuals give a "typical A-weighted noise level determined according to EN60335-2-69" of "70 dB(A) or less", with K of 2.5 dB(A). That wording covers the VC002GL and VC004GL, twins of the US GCV02ZX and GCV04ZX, and the VC006GM and VC007GL, which match the 80V max GCV07PMU.
An upper limit could sit at 70 or well below it. These three therefore stay out of the ranking against single value declarations.
The US pages give something else again: a "working sound level" of 67 dB(A) for the GCV02ZX and GCV04ZX and 69 for the GCV07PMU, with no standard or condition. The European manual for the corded VC4210L shows what that label can mean. It lists "Sound pressure level (IEC 60335-2-69)" 68 ±2 dB(A) beside a separate "Sound level" of 60 ±2, and the US page for that model shows the 60. The VC4210L is in our shop vac guide, so it is not repeated here.
Hilti's VC 150 and Bosch's VAC140AH sit apart
Both print a 70. Neither can be ranked.
The VC 150-6 XE and VC 150-10 XE share a US manual listing 70 dB(A) of sound pressure and 83 dB(A) of sound power, with an uncertainty of 2 dB(A). That manual cites EN 60335-2-69 for its dust classes but names no standard beside the noise figures, so the pair stays in a group by itself. Bosch's US manual for the VAC140AH prints "Sound pressure level 70 dB*", with a footnote tying it to the maximum setting of the Power Broker dial. Printed as "dB" without "(A)", it gives no way to tell whether it is A-weighted.
In their US documents, Milwaukee's 0888-20 and 8960-20 and DEWALT's DWV015 print none.
Milwaukee's US page for the 0888-20 M18 FUEL 9 gallon dual battery dust extractor has no noise figure, and neither does the EU page for its European counterpart, the M18 ONEF2VC34M. The US operator's manual for the corded 8960-20 is blank too. Milwaukee's European 30 litre AS 30 LAC differs from it in power, airflow and weight, which leaves no twin to quote. Milwaukee's PACKOUT wet and dry vacuum is covered in our shop vac guide.
DEWALT's US manual for the DWV015 10 gallon extractor prints no figure. DEWALT UK sells two 38 litre extractors that could be its European relative, the DWV902M at 75 dB(A) and the DWV905M at 72, and we could not tell which one matches, so the DWV015 is not ranked.
Makita's VC2012L and DEWALT's DWV012 had no US product pages we could find, so neither is included.
Battery or cord tells you nothing. The quietest and the loudest ranked extractors are both cordless. Suction setting, hose length and the tool on the other end all change what you hear in use, and none of the ranked declarations says which suction setting it used.
If an extractor has a variable suction dial, turning it down to what the tool needs is the easiest way to make it quieter. A clean filter keeps the motor from working harder than it has to.
The tool most often feeding an extractor hose is a sander, since in most workshops no noisy job lasts longer than sanding; our guide to random orbital sanders covers that tool.
