After further review,
as they say on "Shark Tank I'm Out!"
Initially I was interested, until I did further research on other reviews of it.
For instance, a Home Depot product review-
"Verified Purchase"
I like the product but it doesn t seal against the lip of the bucket. There are two locking tabs that barely grab the side of the bucket to lock the Dustopper on top. Because of the poor seal, I have less suction and poor separation. So it was a waste of 40 bucks. I want to return it but I did use it so I guess I will keep it."
The material of the Dust Deputy is made of an anti-static resin as compared to Dustopper? From what I can ascertain from this review and other marketing photos- it appears to be awfully flimsy as compared to the
picture of the original creator's pitch.
Also, what actually is the material composition of Dustopper; for all plastics are not equal. I could not find out what type of "plastic" it is.
Not for me.
- Desert_Woodworker
Desert Woodworker. I normally agree with everything you write.. except this time. If you read Home Depot's response they clearly question the type of bucket the user placed the unit on top of. They go on to say that their unit is designed to sit on top of a HOMER bucket. I plan to pick one of these up and use it as intended on top of a Homer bucket. I'll report back how well it works or doesn't work. As far as what kind of plastic the head is made out of, I seriously doubt its made out of antistatic plastic but we are talking shop vac here. Something that's on for at most 5-10 mins at a pop. I'm no expert but it's not very likely that a shop vac could generate enough static electricity to cause a spark and ignite material in a plastic homer bucket.
Here is their response if you want to read it as its quite thorough:
Response from Home Depot
THD Customer Service
April 10, 2018
Dear Valued Homedepot Customer,
Thank you for sharing your initial experience with Dustopper. We understand you have some disappointment associated with suction loss, and would like you to know the Home Depot and it's manufacturer are here to help.
The photos you posted are very helpful in diagnosing the issue you have described. You are correct to point out a good fit between the Dustopper and the bucket it sits upon are essential for good separation performance, and to minimize suction loss. Let's focus on these do possible concerns one at a time.
Regarding fitment to the bucket: Dustopper was designed to fit ideally on a Homer Bucket. While most standard 5-gallon buckets work well when used with a Dustopper, some buckets may have been manufactured at the fringes of acceptable tolerance for "standard dimensions". This means there may be some leakage around the perimeter of the connection between the Dustopper and the bucket's top flange. Leakage around the perimeter will reduce separation efficiency and lower suction at the working end of your pickup hose. If you worry that air is entering around the edge of your Dustopper, we suggest the addition a gasket made 3/8" X 1/8" foam insulation tape. This works best when adhered to the surface on the underside of the Dustopper that comes in contact with the bucket. Another solution would be to purchase a Home Depot Homer Bucket which should work well in your shop.
More on loss of suction: Any device that works as a filter will cause some restriction to air flow. Going from a standard filter to a HEPA filter, for example, will result in a measurable amount of suction loss. It's also worth mentioning that ALL cyclonic separators are also restrictive to air flow. Generally speaking, cyclonic separators that are intentionally engineered for high separation efficiency, will be more restrictive to air flow than less efficient chip separators from years ago. We aren't certain why you chose to "daisy-chain" two high efficiency separators. The two separators in your photo, The Dustopper and a conventional cone-shaped cyclone, are both high efficiency devices capable of separating 99% of typical dust made in most workshops. This means that the first separator in your daisy-chain configuration will collect (in most situations) about 99% of the particulate before the air (with less than 1% dust) passes to the second separator. Since only the finest dust will enter the second separator, this dust has a higher likelihood of passing through to the vacuum's pleated filter. In other words, the second separator collects little, but ads significantly to the total restriction in airflow of the entire system. Daisey chaining of dust separators is generally not recommended in most shop applications. Suggest you try Dustopper on its own while fitted to a Homer Bucket. As you can see, those using this configuration are usually very happy with their results.