A dust extractor is the one tool in the shop that runs whenever another tool does. Plug a sander into it and it starts when you pull the trigger and runs on for a few seconds after you let go. Over a day of sanding, its motor adds to every minute of noise you hear. That makes the extractor's own figure worth checking, even though the sander or saw will usually be louder.
We read maker noise figures for thirteen dust extractors built to run with power tools, and tied each figure to a US model. Seven have single value declarations under EN 60335-2-69 or its IEC twin, and at the operator's ear those run from 67 to 82.9 dB(A). The other six are declared in ways that cannot be ranked against those seven, and we list them in their own groups.
The test behind the numbers
Makers selling in Europe declare dust extractor noise under EN 60335-2-69, the safety standard for wet and dry vacuums for commercial use, including dust extractors. It gives LpA, the sound pressure at the operator's position, with an uncertainty K. Some makers also give LWA, sound power, the machine's total output.
We rank on LpA and show LwA beside it. Both come from the same test, but they measure different things and never belong in one ranking. The sound power vs sound pressure explainer covers why.
Four more rules shape this guide. A figure printed as "or less" is an upper limit, not a single typical value, and is ranked only against other upper limits. A figure with no standard named sits on its own. 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.
The ranking under EN 60335-2-69
Festool's cordless CTC MIDI I HEPA-Basic declares the least, 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.
Mirka's corded DE-1230-PC comes next at 68 ± 2 dB(A) under IEC 60335-2-69, the international version of the same standard. It is the quietest corded extractor with a declaration under either version. The DEWALT DCV585 follows at 69 dB(A), through the UK manual for its European version, the DCV586M, and it also declares the lowest sound power in this group at 81.5.
Festool's corded extractors sit a few decibels higher: 71 for the CT 26 to CT 48 EI family, one figure for all three sizes, and 72 for the compact CT 15. Then comes a gap. DEWALT's corded DWV010 declares 80 dB(A) at the ear and 93 or 94 sound power through its UK twin, the DWV901L. Hilti's cordless VC 4LX-22 declares 82.9 at the ear and 92.7 sound power, the highest single value figures here.
Only DEWALT and Hilti give sound power in this group. Festool and Mirka give sound pressure only, so we cannot say how the DCV585's 81.5 compares with them for the rest of the room.
This category is better documented for US buyers than most power tools. Festool's US product pages print no noise values, but the US manuals they link, printed in English, French and Spanish, carry the EN 60335-2-69 figure. Mirka's US manual for the 1230 L PC and AFC carries its figure, and Hilti's US manual for the VC 150 family carries both pressure and power.
For DEWALT and Makita we quote European documents and match each US model to its European version. The DWV010 and the UK DWV901L share an 8 gallon (30 litre) container, a 15 ft hose, a 21 lb weight, the DWV9316 hose accessory and a filter cleaning system that cleans one of two filters every 30 seconds. The DCV585 and DCV586M share the FLEXVOLT battery platform, which DEWALT sells as 60V MAX in the US and 54V in Europe, along with Wireless Tool Control, dual self cleaning filters and TSTAK latches. The US documents give no capacity to compare, so that match rests on features. Makita's matches are closer: the EU manuals and US pages give the same capacity, airflow and water lift in different units. Each catalog entry states the pairing and the evidence.
Makita's upper limit
Makita's European manuals for its cordless XGT extractors state 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). The same wording covers the VC002GL and VC004GL, the 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, so these three are not ranked against the single value declarations.
Makita's US pages give a different figure, a "working sound level" of 67 dB(A) for the GCV02ZX and GCV04ZX and 69 for the GCV07PMU, with no standard or condition. Makita's European manual for its corded VC4210L shows what that label can mean: it lists "Sound pressure level (IEC 60335-2-69)" 68 ±2 dB(A) and 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 corded pair and Bosch
Hilti's US manual for the VC 150-6 XE and VC 150-10 XE lists a sound pressure level of 70 dB(A) and a sound power level of 83 dB(A), with an uncertainty of 2 dB(A). The manual cites EN 60335-2-69 for its dust classes but names no standard beside the noise figures, so the pair stays in its own group.
Bosch's US manual for the VAC140AH prints "Sound pressure level 70 dB*", with the footnote that it applies when the Power Broker dial is at its maximum setting. It is printed as "dB" without "(A)", so we cannot tell whether it is A-weighted and do not rank it.
The silent aisle
Milwaukee's US page for the 0888-20 M18 FUEL 9 gallon dual battery dust extractor prints no noise figure, and neither does the EU page for its European counterpart, the M18 ONEF2VC34M. The US operator's manual for Milwaukee's corded 8960-20 prints none, and Milwaukee's European 30 litre AS 30 LAC differs from it in power, airflow and weight, so we have 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. We also did not find US product pages for Makita's VC2012L or DEWALT's DWV012, so neither is included.
What the spread means
Almost sixteen decibels separate the quietest single value declaration from the loudest at the ear, and there is no simple rule behind it. The quietest and the loudest 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, and a clean filter keeps the motor from working harder than it has to.
We did not measure any of these dust extractors. Every figure is the maker's own, quoted as published, with the standard, uncertainty and document identified wherever the maker identified them.
