LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Laguna C|flex or P|Flex Cyclone -- Any Opinions?

34K views 208 replies 44 participants last post by  bjhess 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hiya Jocks. I'm looking to upgrade my Harbor Freight DC with something beefier, and am targeting a 3HP unit. My preference is a cyclone for the better separation. Because I have low ceilings, I need a low profile unit.

I've been circling the Laguna C|Flex or P|Flex units which look great on paper, but I'm a little put off by the almost total lack of reviews or experience online. I can't remember a major tool that had so little feedback available. I'm a little nervous-would I be the first person to buy one of these units?



In my searching, I've come across a few other low-profile machines, but all seem based on the same design (JDS and Jet). The Lagunas look like iterations on that design, with several improvements if their marketing can be believed. The pricing on all seems about the same.

Anyone have any thoughts-or better yet, anyone own these things? I know there is some concern out there about Laguna service, and while I don't love the idea of rewarding a company that provides poor customer service, I've also never had to contact the maker for any of my tools, so I don't know that it makes sense to weigh that too heavily. Thanks for reading.
 
See less See more
1
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think they look pretty good with reasonable sized impeller s and rated CFM much better than the HF.

It will be interesting to see how good the cyclone works as it is a bit short.

To me it looks like a good new alternative design. Hopefully, someone will get one and do the testing to see actual performance data versus the Laguna results.

The testing setup that Laguna shows looks very good and hopefully they will publish the data.

If I was in the market, I would consider the Laguna.
 
#4 ·
Thanks guys. I didn't realize how new this lineup was. As far as the short cyclone, I don't think I have much choice as I only have 85" clearance, and I can't build into the ceiling. This throws out all the Oneida, ClearVue, and Grizzly offerings. For my ceiling height it really comes down to a shortened cyclone design like these, vs a dual canister 3HP which doesn't seem as efficient, although they are much cheaper.
 
#5 ·
GeoffKatz,

You mentioned that you found no Oneida product that fits under the ceiling of the workshop. When I was researching cyclone dust collectors, I ran across a pair of Oneida Cyclone Dust Collectors that are 77" tall with a 35 gallon dust bin. The Oneida SMART Portable cyclone dust collector is about $1000 more than the Laguna, but it features a number of included accessories (and can be connected to portable power tools like the router, as I understand their description). It also features a long tapered cyclone funnel. Since I am not an air engineer I cannot say for sure, but my feeling is that the longer the taper and smaller the funnel opening to the dust bin, the better the separation. In the end, not constrained by the height restrictions you have, I selected the Clear Vue, although I did briefly give the Oneida's SMART Portable collector some serious thought.

I was unable to successfully post a link to the Oneida Site. By selecting Dust Collectors on the Oneida web site, then selecting Premium Systems, and then clicking on SMART Portable, you should find the 2hp and 3 hp SMART Dust Collectors.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
JBrow-I can talk myself into a lot of things, but $3,500 for a dust collector is just too rich for my blood. Not sure how they are getting the number that high based on the specs and materials.

Yeah, I think the Laguna looks pretty good too-and with Rockler doing a sale on them at this very moment, I pulled the trigger on the P|Flux 3hp. I'm not particularly experienced compared to most on this forum, but I may try posting some setup and first impressions here once I set it up.

The period between ordering a tool and receiving the tool-pure pain.
 
#8 ·
GeoffKatz,

I agree and I doubt the Oneida SMART Portable dust collectors are flying out the door at that price. For that same $3500 I managed to upgrade to the Clear Vue and install all of the duct work. Even so, I thought I would mention that unit since you indicated that Oneida offered nothing that would fit your space. By the way, if memory serves me, that same Oneida unit was about $600 or so less money about a year ago.
 
#10 ·
Yeah, I saw that Toolmetrix video, and he actually gave me a sneak preview of their upcoming testing on the P|Flex in the video comments there, if anyone is interested. I probably should have waited for it to be published, but I tend not to be too patient once I decide a tool is for me.
 
#11 ·
This is a nice looking cyclone and I like that it has a built in warning light for bin level. However, the basic design isn't great, ie. there is virtually no separation b/t the cyclone and the DC bin. The only advantage to a cyclone unit is the cyclone provides better separation of dust from the air stream, which should keep the filter relatively clean. When there is minimal separation b/t the cyclone and the bin though, a lot of the dust still gets pushed into the filter. When coupled with the relatively small filter area (109sqft on this machine) I think you'll find that this machine overall is not very efficient, ie. the filter will get quickly caked with dust and lose efficiency due to the cyclone design and filter size.
 
#12 ·
Manitario-I think you are almost certainly right, but if you don't have the ceiling height to support a properly-sized cyclone, the decision then becomes between a single stage and a compromised machine like this. I have to think that's why they include an automated filter cleaning mechanism, which others have noted likely isn't essential in a more efficient machine. Since I'm only looking at machines under 85" in total height, this seemed the best of imperfect options.
 
#13 ·
#14 ·
I considered that-I run my HF unit as a rough two stage with a trash-can separator now, but since I wanted 3HP it looked like most units were dual-canister and so very wide already, and I don't have that much floor space to spare. I imagine it would be 5ft or more of horizontal space to accommodate a dual-canister machine and a large stand alone cyclone. And I believe the cyclone would have to be so large that I'd likely hit a limit with my dustbin clearance in any case.
 
#16 ·
I bet your increase in HP will more than cover any inefficiency in your new unit and I'm curious to find out how you like the Laguna once you have been using it for a while. Sounds like you've really done your homework on the options available and are getting the best bang for your buck given your specific needs. Looks like a sweet setup and I think you nailed the implementation of the self-cleaning feature, they planned on more dust making it to the filter. I look forward to your review post :)
 
#17 ·
Thanks! Fair warning: I don't have the equipment or expertise to talk about or measure CFM/Static Pressure/other technical matters in anything but anecdotal "seems better!" terms. I also have 4" ductwork everywhere which I know is less than ideal, but moving to 6" trunks is going to have to wait for my bank account and mental capacity to replenish.
 
#18 · (Edited by Moderator)
The cost of running 6" duct is not too bad. I put it in with 6" PVC DWV and a couple of the fittings. I built my own blast gates and it all works well. The down side is that most machine ports are 4" so you either reduce to 4" at a blast gate or enlarge machine ports.

With a larger CFM/Static pressure machine, the loss due to 4" ducts and flex hose still results in good flow.
 
#19 ·
This is so new that we just got a demo unit a few days ago in our store. It has a lot of improvements over the previous model. Once we get it assembled and use it a couple of times, then we'll be able to make a judgement. The old models worked very well but i thought the large chipp bins were too small. Time will tell with this unit. I can't imagine the new model performs at least a level above the old model.
I'm surprised that it is part of the laguna sale being such a new product. Jet would wait 12 - 18 months before giving discounts. Kudos to laguna.
 
#20 ·
Yeah, I'd say the sale was pretty effective, as it got me to pull the trigger without waiting for more general impressions to come to light. It even convinced me to upgrade to the P|Flex model over the C|Flex I was initially looking at. It's funny how a little savings can convince you to spend more money than you had budgeted to begin with.
 
#25 ·
I just got the 2HP C|flux model and in the process of assembling so can't comment on performance yet. I've never had a proper dust collector so gonna be tough to offer any comparative feedback.
The instructions are ok, there are little things that seem to be overlooked which I've had to spend time figuring out. Two examples: where to specifically put the foam gasket and no instructions for the center drum bin. I did call Laguna to ask if I can rotate the motor plate either 90 or 180 degrees since it would put the power button facing the wall. They said that was ok, but would think that should be documented somewhere. They said build time is about 5-6 hours, but I think 3-4 is more realistic. I don't really like the sheet metal screws and the little caps that go over the tip, but we'll see how it performs. My other beef is that there are no locking casters which is going to make standing it up interesting.

will keep you all posted…
 
#26 ·
It's funny that you mention standing it up-this was an enormous challenge for me when assembling my P|Flux 3. The thing weighs a ton, has unlocked casters, and is top heavy. Getting it onto its base by myself was unpleasant to say the least. I can't possibly recommend this to anyone else (get a friend over instead), but what I did was slide the pallet it came on right next to to the lower wheels, then let the friction-drag of that pallet stop the wheels rolling as I tilted it up. Then when the top/far set of wheels came down, instead of rolling this entire thing back into my face, it crashed hard through the pallet instead. Then I tore the pallet apart with a hammer to free the machine. My brain must not have been working right that night, but it worked and I survived.

I do plan to leave a somewhat more comprehensive review on the p|flux soon, but here are some early thoughts:

  • Assembly was a bear. It took a really long time to get it all pieced together. Fit and finish on the components seems good to my untrained eye.
  • Instructions were pretty poor. The photographs were hard to make out, and when I finished there were several important pieces that hadn't been included in the instructions at all.
  • Customer service, a classic Laguna weakness from what I've read, has been pretty good. A technician has been in regular contact with me, sending several self-taken photographs of each piece so I could finish the assembly.
  • Unfortunately it's not yet fully done after several weeks of ownership, because my bin came with the wrong panel, which needs to be replaced. Laguna is waiting on shipment from their overseas supplier. The machine works, but I can't yet install the low-pressure hose to keep the bin-bag in place. I'm using a big rock at the moment.
  • The vaccuum's power and cyclone effect seems good to me, with limited use so far. Certainly not comparable to my HF 1.5HP.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top