# Makita Dust Extractor / Shop Vac



## hackery (Jun 14, 2016)

Hi All

I recently upgraded my really cheap and nasty small (5L capacity) extractor for a Makita one and it arrived today. My old extractor had a zipped (zipper) dustbag which you just unzipped and emptied into the bin. The Makita one came with a disposable dustbag (25L capacity) but just checked the price for replacement bags and they cost a fortune… £30.00 for 6 (US $43).

So my question is do I need to use a dustbag on the extractor and I suppose if I don't the filter is going to clog up very quickly but will it do any damage as opposed to just having to clean the filter more often or would it kill the filter quickly as I imagine they would be pricey to replace?

I read on a few random places on the internet that woodworkers don't bother with dustbags on their extractors and I was wondering for how many of you that is true? I dare say a lot of you have very fancy built in extractors but I only have a very small workshop (12ft x 8ft) so the Makita was the space and cost efficient solution for me.

This is the one I bought.. LINK

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hackery


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

Why would you want to blow dust back into the air to breath. I would see how often a bag fills up and decide. If you do not use the bag you will clog the filter quickly.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

I have the Dewalt DWV012 dust extractor, which I think is somewhat similar to your Makita. The air is filtered through dual HEPA filters with or without bags. On my unit anyways, the bag is nothing more than a convenience factor when it comes time to empty the unit.

I am using mine without bags, and have no issues. You might want to check the Makita manual just to be sure.


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## hackery (Jun 14, 2016)

Hi Pintodeluxe thanks for your reply.

Mine doesn't have hepa filters but does have L rated filters for hazardous dust just not sure if that applies if you don't use the bags. There was no mention in the manual either way so if it did effect the L rating not using the bags then in the EU I am fairly sure they would need to state that for regulatory reasons.

Redoak49… The exhaust is air that has been filtered. If I wanted dusty air I wouldn't bother with any dust extractor and just use a cheap vacuum. Yep as I thought without the bag the filter will clog quickly I suppose trial and error will tell me just how quickly to see if bags are worthwhile or not. I found my old 5L extractor was needing emptied every couple of days with only fairly light use that's why I decided to go for the bigger Makita plus the Makita is on wheels and has proper EU regulated filters not sure if North America uses the L, M, H filter categories or not? And finally I trust Makita as a brand to be no nonsense, built well and last a long time as opposed to the off brand 5L cheap extractor.

Found a zipped reusable aftermarket bag for $15 us so think will use that to be on the safe side and its vastly more affordable than single use disposal bags at ridiculous prices.


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## jgt1942 (Mar 25, 2013)

Go to http://www.jpthien.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=12guc0t5hb8i5amd7744rj4mp6&board=1.0 and build yourself the Thien seperator. I built one for my big dust collector and have been SUPER pleased with the results. I plan to build one for my shop vac as well. For few dollars (possibly near free) you can build one. It will extend the life of your filters by at least 10 if not years.


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