Good value, but there are issues

I got one of these at Christmas when they were on sale as burned up my second shop vac. I have been very happy with it, it works well and as long as you have 4” DC lines it works great, when you taper the line down to 2 1/2” ports it has a lot bigger drop off than I expected but still it collects most of the dust. I have been looking at replacing the bags 30 micron with one of these, but I am not sure that spending the $95 plus shipping is worth it. I am really wanting a nice sized cyclone long term and need to decide how far off long term really is. With the kit you are supposed to get a nice performance improvement in flow with this type of filter.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Thanks for your review.

It’s funny how things have changed over the years.

When I bought my DC quite a few years ago, that’s all they had were 30 micron filters,

so later on they came out with the 5 micron bag, & I bought a set.

Now that’s not good enough, so I just ordered a 1 micron cannister.

What will be next? Maybe minus zero microns. LOL

-- Dick Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Thanks for the review Jeff. I have been looking at this one as I really need to upgrade my dust collection (3/4 hp delta). I may have to consider spending the money for a bigger one.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Thanks for the review. I still use a shop vac for the TS and router. I use a 1 1/2 hp DC for my drum sander. I’d like to have a ‘system’ to handle everything.

-- Maplewood, MN

sIKE. my brother-in-law upgraded this DC as you mentioned yuo might do. he spent about the purchase price of the machine to get it to a 1 micron rating. He says it seriously boosted the suction as well. He actually has two of them. I have mine connected to my bandsaw and tablesaw. I have blast gates to direct the flow. 4” ports to both. Works great on both given they are only 3-4 feet away.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Thanks for the review. I have been shoping around for dust collectors. I don’t want to pay a ton but I want a decent DC that will last a long time. I saw this one but the 1 1/2 hp version (so it can have a standard plug in) and the grizzly 1 1/2. The grizzly have gotten some great reviews so I am leaning twards it but the central machinery would be in my mind because of the price. I don’t know which to get, but I really want a dust collector as I will be makeing a closed in shop in my basement and I want to have a central DC system, instead of the worthless shop vacs.

-- Tyler, Illinois

Hadn’t ever had an issue with Grizzly, Tyler. I have gotten some nice machines from them. My Grizzly 1023 Cabinet Saw is easily my favorite. I think you’d find both will serve a hobbyist well at a good price.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

I have one of these and it worked great for what it is. I upgraded mine w/ a 1 micrin Woodtek top bag and garbage can on the bottom. This upgrade allowed me to run 20’ of stove pipe w/ out any problem. Only problem that everyone seems to have with this system is the switch melts or stops working. Now I am useing a much larger beast.

Thought I’d post a follow-up on performance. I’ve had it over a year now and have discovered a lot of issues over time. The suction isn’t great for my Grizzly 1023 Cabinet saw. This could be the saws problem as well. I have about a 3’-4’ run of piping to the saw, so the distance of the run should lead to less loss of flow. I split the flow via blast gates, the other end being hooked to a bandsaw 4’ away. The bandsaw stays dust free, the cabinet saw always has about a 2” layer on bottom. I’m wondering if using a false bottom to raise the floor would result in better collection. There is also noticable air loss surrounding the blade angle slot. I think I’ll use foam to close it off as much as possible. I also wonder if strapping a box fan to the opposite side of the dust port would direct the dust towards the exit.

On another note, I have found that cleaning the bags are a must. Suction drops greatly if the dust is inhibiting airflow.

-- Jeff, South Carolina