# Dust Collection Oneida or ClearVue and any words of wisdom?



## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

All,

I've been doing a lot more wood work and with the winter the doors are best kept closed to keep warm. I have come to the realization I'm not doing a good job with my shop vac collecting dust. For my health I've decided I have to drop some cash on a good dust collection system to capture as much as possible.
I've read through much of Bill Pentz's stuff and have some idea what is necessary, but have noticed there's been no updates in years now. There's good information there and I'm basing much of my decisions on that information. 
I have a 3 car garage and all but have decided there's no chance more than one car will ever fit in there and that said a car hasn't sat in the garage for several months now. I work with metal and starting to work more with wood so space is a factor. So I'm still deciding if I want to build an anex room off the garage to house the DC system and vent it externally or just mount it in the shop. I'd rather have it externally located as I don't like the noise and venting externally with out a filter gives added power from what I understand. I'm leaning towards the flexibility of using Norfab or equivalent QF piping as I seem to move things around.
I currently have a router, table saw, bench top planer, and miter saw (with out a permanent station). I'd also like to rig this up for a hood or downdraft table for sanding.
I'm a bit torn on what company to go with here Oneida or ClearVue. I've seen and read some negative things about both but more concerning reviews with ClearVue. Not sure what is what here or if there's a big difference. I am pondering either the Oneida V3000 or the ClearVue CV1800 or CVMax. I'd rather go to big than have to regret not having enough power, and I'd love to have the upgraded Steel cyclone but I'm having a hard time justifying the $1000 increase in cost.

Love to hear the feedback from those of you with recent experience with these products. I've seen the previous posts here on LJ but most of them are several years old, so I thought it was worth posting again.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I switched from an Oneida SDG to a CV1800, so that should clarify my opinion between the 2. Should you go with the CV (just got it installed last summer), the annex room makes a lot of sense (not sure the venting out does, but that's a heating thing). My CV has the 16" impeller, and the noise is 94 dB before I turn on any other tools. Since my shop is a freestanding building out in the country, it bothers no one but me…but I shudder to think what that would be like in the house with an attached shop. As for the 16" impeller…this thing moves an absolutely incredible amount of air. I have an Excalibur overarm guard on the saw, and it will suck the insert up. I would suggest the 15" impeller…it will move plenty f air, and be just a tad quieter. Lastly, about the metal CV…had that one been available when i bought mine, I would have got it. I have no problem with the plastic model, but the steel one might be a little more quiet.


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## Sawdust35 (Jan 15, 2016)

I have the Oneida V3000 (older style w/metal cyclone). It's CFM has been outstanding and it is quiet (ridgid shopvac is much louder). I have it in the corner of my basement shop area. The only thing I've had to replace is the filter after 5 years of use. Oneida also offers a add-on silencer to further drop the noise of their cyclones. 
I have 5 blast-gate zones for the different equipment connected via metal ducting. 15" planner is biggest chip maker connected and V3000 easily handles it without an issue. 
I've had very good experiences with the Oneida staff as well. I only regret not buying the machine earlier.


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## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

Thank Fred. Let me clarify, when I say an annex room I really mean a room external to the garage. I'm thinking of building a small external structure (against the side of the garage) to house the DC system and simply vent externally. This isn't ideal but I live in California and the warm or hot days far out number the cold days, so venting air outside isn't ideal at times but it is probably not an issue and it could be helpful in the summer.

Bottom line I want to make the DC usable and if the CV1800 is 93 DB that would run me out of the garage being that these motors are not designed to be turned on/off all the time (my understanding they should be left on all the time versus turned on/off constantly). That said CV claims that CV1800 is 79 DB now, so I wonder if that was a change recently to the system. If the Oneida is really only 74 DB (as reported by Oneida) at 10 ft it might be possible to live with that but even then I know that would get annoying to listen to for 10 minutes after I turned on the saw for one cut. I can live with a shop vac that is that loud but (that's what my current shop vac measures, 74 db) but it begins to annoy me shortly after I turn off the saw if I leave it on.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

You'll read opinions about both that are good and bad but the bottom line is that both are reasonable options and will perform well enough to provide you with clean air. My concern with Oneida products is that they minimize their filter area; I wonder how this affects the airflow with use eg. the V3000 has a 95sqft filter vs the CV which has 300sqft. I've also heard about the Oneida having less effective dust separation with their cyclone design. Not sure how much of an issue this is in real life though.

I've had a CV1800 for 7 years. Started with it in a 2 car garage and now use it in a 1000sqft shop. The objective evidence that it works well for me is that the particle count in my shop stays less than 200 when I'm out there for an afternoon and running tools. This is cleaner air than my house! The CFM at the end of my longest runs (50ft) averages just over 500, which I think is pretty good for the static pressure in the long runs.

I don't have any complaints about the CV and haven't had any problems with it. It separates dust effectively. It does require more effort than the Oneida for setup and more attention to detail, but once it was set up, it's been great. I'm not sure that there is any reason to buy the new metal version; I'm sucking up wood chips not rocks. For me, 7 years of use and the cyclone unit shows no wear.

I also have the QF piping. The initial cost hurt bad but it pays for itself every time I move a machine or reconfigure my shop for a new tool and can quickly change up the piping. I used KB duct (cheaper than Nordfab) but experience showed me that the Nordfab clamps are better so used them with the KB ducting. Both brands are compatible with each other.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Comment about the noise; I have my DC in a well insulated closet in my shop. Noise level is ~70 db at 10ft from the closet.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

> Thank Fred. Let me clarify, when I say an annex room I really mean a room external to the garage. I m thinking of building a small external structure (against the side of the garage) to house the DC system and simply vent externally. This isn t ideal but I live in California and the warm or hot days far out number the cold days, so venting air outside isn t ideal at times but it is probably not an issue and it could be helpful in the summer.
> 
> - Todd_R


I got that about what the annex room was, and like I said it's worth considering. Don't overlook the larger impeller I have, I'm sure that contributes to the noise level. As for how loud they are, the installation (mine is in a corner which gives me maximum sound reflection; and my sound meter is a $20 Amazon job. Also, not sure how much this impacts the noise, but I do use 6" PVC ducts. Manitario's results with enclosing are more (I guess) what you would experience.


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## JoinerCP (Aug 2, 2019)

> You ll read opinions about both that are good and bad but the bottom line is that both are reasonable options and will perform well enough to provide you with clean air. My concern with Oneida products is that they minimize their filter area; I wonder how this affects the airflow with use eg. the V3000 has a 95sqft filter vs the CV which has 300sqft. I ve also heard about the Oneida having less effective dust separation with their cyclone design. Not sure how much of an issue this is in real life though.
> 
> I ve had a CV1800 for 7 years. Started with it in a 2 car garage and now use it in a 1000sqft shop. The objective evidence that it works well for me is that the particle count in my shop stays less than 200 when I m out there for an afternoon and running tools. This is cleaner air than my house! The CFM at the end of my longest runs (50ft) averages just over 500, which I think is pretty good for the static pressure in the long runs.
> 
> ...


Manitario, would you be willing to share where you picked up your QF piping and kb duct? I'm new to this world but looking to get a Clearvue 1800 and it'll be set-up for a little less than a year before moving to a new home. Flexibility is key for me because I'm sure my next shop will have a completely different layout.


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## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

> You ll read opinions about both that are good and bad but the bottom line is that both are reasonable options and will perform well enough to provide you with clean air. My concern with Oneida products is that they minimize their filter area; I wonder how this affects the airflow with use eg. the V3000 has a 95sqft filter vs the CV which has 300sqft. I ve also heard about the Oneida having less effective dust separation with their cyclone design. Not sure how much of an issue this is in real life though.
> 
> I ve had a CV1800 for 7 years. Started with it in a 2 car garage and now use it in a 1000sqft shop. The objective evidence that it works well for me is that the particle count in my shop stays less than 200 when I m out there for an afternoon and running tools. This is cleaner air than my house! The CFM at the end of my longest runs (50ft) averages just over 500, which I think is pretty good for the static pressure in the long runs.
> 
> ...


Update. I ended up with an Onieda system and purchased QF pipe as well. In the whole process I discovered a new company making the QF pipe called US Duct. Their pricing saved me about $400 on the who thing which equates to about a 15% discount over Nordfab. I would recommend that you get a quote from both ducting companies as that may have changed, but make sure you ask them to get a quote on the shipping cost (I got a last minute surprise on shipping cost with US Duct, but the vendor dealt with it and absorbed some of the cost I think). 
The two ducting system are backwards compatible for the most part as well (if I recall the only issue was with the nipples you have to use Nordfab if you switch between brands, but don't quote me on that now).
I'm satisfied over all with the ducting but it was not cheap and I was a bit disappointed in some aspects. I think the quality between the two companies is very similar. I was short one clamp and I ordered an Nordfab clamp to use on the US Duct pipe and it works as well or better than the US Duct clamps.

In either case contact the companies and ask for the local vendor who can give you a quote. I contacted a couple others I found on Bill's site as well. All of them were slow or inconsistent to respond, which I found frustrating but I imagine I was a very small order compared to what they normally get. I did find that you can buy some if not most Nordfab ducting from Grizzly and Grainger but pricing can vary drastically from reasonable to very expensive. If you wait Grizzly sends out 10% off occassionally, but the vendor matched/beat that deal for me. My guess is that all the vendors will give you a 10% discount if you pressure them, some will just do it right off the bat (I had one out of 3 that I contacted give me the 10% off with the initial quote with out asking). Also you can download the price list off Nordfab which is exactly what I was quoted (with out the 10% off) if you want to price it all out on your own. I would highly recomend that you either design this on your own very carefully or have someone design it for you (preferably be on site). It took me hours and hours to figure it all out on my own but I think if someone else had done it online it would have been short on parts or I would have been left with extra parts I didn't need.
If you have questions feel free to PM me with your number and I'd be happy to share my experience with the entire process.


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## farmfromkansas (Jun 16, 2019)

I built a storage room onto my shop, and have lumber storage, cyclone, air compressor and a tire machine in there. It really cuts down on the noise from the DC, and air compressor in the work area. Could put a door between, but I like to have a 48" plus doorway so I can roll a flat sheet of ply through the opening. I vent outside, and some times would like to have a CV max, like when I am sanding.


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## pmayer (Jan 3, 2010)

I've had a CV1800 and currently have an Oneida DG 5 HP. The Oneida outperforms the CV on my longest duct runs, but just slightly. In my shop they performed very comparably. Even the air/dust separation was comparable in my tests, and I figured that CV would have some advantage there. Both great options, and I really have no complaints with either.


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## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

Two things I should add.
One I bought an Onieda Dust Gorilla Pro. Primarily I bought this for the soft start and the varialble speed (VFD) which is supposed to increase the WC pressure based on the system port opening. I'm not entirely sure it was worth it yet to be perfectly honest. I don't have a way (yet) to determine if this is working as "stated" in the literature and there's some things that make me question it. I'm not going to bash Oneida but I'm not going to give them a plug here either. I am happy for the most part but was disappointed in a number of aspects from the sale to the delivery. They were always nice to talk to but from what I can tell the first level staff sales and tech support know very little. I finally got escalated to a VP and got some answers, which seemed legit. I can do a review in a few months if there's interest, but just a highlight. The system has some serious suck (note that this is my first DC system though). My test so far have consisted of some light use, but I did connect this to my bandsaw which is a Grizzly 17", with two 4" ports. After cycling the DC system on and off I opened the doors on the bandsaw and you would have thought it was brand new (never used) it was so clean. Same thing happened when I connected the 4" port on my router table.


















As for the noise. I did install this in a "closet" external to the shop/garage and then run the ducting into the shop above the rafters. The walls are insulated and have 5/8" sheet rock; however, the ceiling is open and there's no sound barriers/dampening above the 8' wall. Outside I measure the DC system around 85 db and inside the garage it is between 72 & 76 db depending on the blast gates open/closed and where you are standing. With just a 4" port open it is pushing 76+ db. So I think it was worth the effort to put the unit out in a external room for not only the sound but also it provides me more room in the shop. I've also run some 2.5" ducting in and put my shop vac in the external room as well. This is super nice for general clean up.









I used my iPhone with a free app to measure the db. I can't attest to the accuracy here but it gives me some point of reference at least.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

I have an older Super Dust Gorilla and very happy but am jealous of your new machine with the increased suck.


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## mdhills (Mar 12, 2011)

Todd,
do you have a hot water furnace in your garage? (this is one of the complications we have with venting outside)


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## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

> Todd,
> do you have a hot water furnace in your garage? (this is one of the complications we have with venting outside)
> 
> - mdhills


Yes, but I added a couple additional large vents in the garage and usually have a door open as well (it's summer and warm now). But you have reminded me I need to test this with the doors shut to see if there's going to be any issue. Thanks!


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

In looking at the model you have, it appears to me that Oneida has changed the dimensions of their DCs quite a bit, principally the body diameter. I would think that would seriously improve the separation from the one I had. In any case, you have a good setup and most importantly you're happy with it. It took me 3+ tries to get to that point. Congrats.


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## Todd_R (Feb 3, 2019)

> In looking at the model you have, it appears to me that Oneida has changed the dimensions of their DCs quite a bit, principally the body diameter. I would think that would seriously improve the separation from the one I had. In any case, you have a good setup and most importantly you re happy with it. It took me 3+ tries to get to that point. Congrats.
> 
> - Fred Hargis


Thanks Fred! Yes, I've learned over the years to do it right the first time. It will likely cost less to do it right the first time, even if it hurts. I did a lot of research and feel pretty good over all about it other than it cost a small fortune. I'm not sure I'll get over that any time soon.


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