am I missing any cyclone makers

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zapdafish

New User
Steve
I am trying to upgrade my dust collector and the two models I want are not in stock. One is no ETA and the other is December.

This is a list of the companies I looked at, am I missing any?

Clearview - no wheeled units

Oneida - CFM/$ compared to others is high

Jds * - 2hp cyclone, early december

Grizzly - not enough CFM for portables

Penn State * - tempest portable, no eta

Laguna - would be interested if they didnt receive a shoddy workmanship review. I looked at the one at woodcraft and saw what might be the same issues the online reviewer brought up

The one with *'s are my top 2 choices.
Main thing is I want it to be mobile and then I want a CFM >= 800.
 

FlyingRon

Moderator
Ron
Ron,
What kind of experience did you have with ONeida? I ask because I am considering one of their units.
Thanks,
Gonzalo

They seem to think they invented the idea of sticking a cyclone on a paint bucket despite prior art to the issuance of their patent. They pretty much ran the previous ClearVue guys out of business over it. If you want the gorey details, read Bill Pentz's stuff on the subject.
 
M

McRabbet

I would recommend you get a stationary cyclone and not a portable for several reasons and among manufacturers, I recommend ClearVue (I have both their original CV06 minicyclone which Oneida forced them to remove from the market, and a CV1800 5 HP model). The noise produced by a cyclone is not a desireable feature in ones shop (typically 85+dB) and hard ducts are much more efficient than flexible hose inherent in a portable unit usage (I installed 6" PVC). The ClearVue models are all very efficient and easily remove the very finest of dust from any power tools you may have since they draw 1,400 CFM and often exceed the 800 CFM at the source as Bill Pentz recommends. As a testimony to the efficiency of the Pentz design in the CV1800, most users find almost no dust in their filters after weeks of usage since it gets removed by the cyclone (Ironically, many of the portables include filter cleaning flappers operated by the user or by a small motor that indicates one can expect lots of dust to get through their cyclone section.)

Just my two cents.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
I have an Oneida Super Dust Gorilla that I picked up from Scott Smith. It is a great machine and does all that I expect. But, as Rob has stated, a lot of very fine dust seems to get through the cyclone to the filter. The filter is trapping it, based on the lack of dust settling on everything in the shop, but it does need to be cleaned on a regular basis.

Oneida recommends blowing the filter with compressed air at the end of each day of use. I don't usually remember to do that. About once a week or so I do blow the filter with compressed air and also just bang on the outside of the filter with my hands. Maybe every 4-6 weeks or so I take off the tray under the filter and dump the dust. I have had the cyclone for a few months now and last weekend I vacuumed out the inside of the filter.

FYI. I recently purchased the new Clearvue CV06 mini and it works great. I have about 3/4 of the 5 gallon pail full at this point and the inside of my Ridgid shop vac is clean as the day I got it.

I also have a Dust Deputy which is now in the garage. It also worked good. One thing I noticed about the DD is that the dirt and dust would swirl in the cyclone for a long time. Light stuff would keep swirling around until the shop vac was turned off. With the CV06, the dust/dirt swirls down to the bottom of the cyclone and drops right down into the pail. It just seems to be a more efficient design.
 

DWSmith

New User
David
I have the Oneida Pro 2000 and I am happy with it. The suction is tremendous even when I leave all 6 of the blast gates open.

I also have noticed that a lot of dust gets past the cyclone and is trapped in the filter. I use mine more than most of you would so I take the filter off each Saturday as part of my cleaning routine and blow out the accumulated dust from the filter pleats. Blowing in from the outside does little to no good at all. I intensely dislike how the filter and the dust tray are attached. A pain to loosen and a pain to reattach. And you can't tell how much dust is in the tray unless it is taken off.

Noise can be an issue. After running for several hours, I get a slight ringing in my ears that goes away in a little while. Their "muffler" doesn't do very much in my opinion.

One thing about the Oneida that I detest, there is a blind bolt to attach the upper unit to the cyclone itself. You have to be a contortionist to get it turned down.
 

Bill Clemmons

Bill
Corporate Member
Ron,
What kind of experience did you have with ONeida? I ask because I am considering one of their units.
Thanks,
Gonzalo

I purchased an Oneida 5 hp cyclone 6 years ago when I moved into my new shop and I was very satisfied w/ their customer service. The representative that helped me was very knowledgeable and was able to guide me through some problems I encountered in my design. For customer service I would give them a A+.

As David pointed out, the unit itself is very efficient. In fact, the first time I turned it on I only had one 4" blast gate open. It collapsed a 7" metal duct in my main line. I haven't done that again. :nah: As for the cyclone, I would probably give it an A.

As David also mentioned, the weakest part of the system is the filter. While it does an excellent job of capturing dust, it can be a chore to remove and clean regularly. The filter is probably a B- or C+.

HTH

Bill
 

scsmith42

New User
Scott Smith
As MarkE mentioned, I sold him my 3 hp Super Dust Gorilla after I made my own system that would discharge directly into my larger system.

I can't speak to the Pentz / Clearview / Oneida situation, but I can state that Oneida's quality and customer service was excellent. I was pleased to pay a small premium for an all-American built product, and I felt that it was superior to my other options for a ready-built system.
 

red

Papa Red
Red
Senior User
I had an Oneida system years ago and it was great. As I recall the customer service was also very helpful.

Red
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
As others have mentioned and I forgot to mention, Oneida's customer service is very good. I bought most of my duct work from Oneida. Ductwork orders over $200 are shipped free.

BTW, you are welcome to come by and get a first hand look at my Oneida any time. Seeing and hearing one in person may give you some more information to use in making your decision.
 

zapdafish

New User
Steve
Thanks for the info, I have lots to think about now.

I don't want to run duct work which is one of the reasons for wanting the DC mobile. But now that I think about it I move my tools to the dc because the circuit breaker is right next to it and my 220v power source is right next to the dc. Having a mobile dc would mean 220v extension cords for both the DC and the tool hooked up to it. :eusa_thin


I was planning to connect my machines via this with a reducer at the end.
http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-W10...D2DY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317814176&sr=8-1

and hope something like this would work as a reducer.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/MUELLER-INDUSTRIES-Pipe-Reducer-or-Increaser-1WKV5

I think I'll take you up on your offer Mark to check out the Super dust gorilla. I'd like to get an idea of what you have to go through for cleaning it. Sounds like Oneida's lets alot of dust get to their filter and I don't particularly want to have to clean the filters. The self cleaning feature of the Tempest and the JDS is one of the things that made them pretty appealing to me and the Raleigh woodcraft has one in their class room which makes it easy for comparison.

The main thing clearvue has going against for me it is it appears their units have to be mounted to a wall which means transferring their sound and vibration to the house. With all the other collectors they have a stand as an option which I would definitely be getting.
 

DWSmith

New User
David
This come under the heading of DAMHIK!:realmad:

When setting up dust collection or tools, cobbling together a make-do system is asking for trouble and added expense. I am now on my 4th dust collector and the third dust collection pipe set up. Each of the previous set ups was much less than adequate and just didn't work well. Go ahead and design a real dust collection system using metal pipe, no not the stuff sold in home centers for heating or air conditioning ducts, and you will be more than pleased with the end results. May be a little more expensive up front but won't require changing in the future as your needs change. Cheap is expensive in the long run!

BTW Oneidas pipe style stand for their cyclones is a joke. :thumbs_do Flimsy and cheap looking. Their heavier duty flange stand looks to be more sturdy but I chose to mount mine to a metal I-beam in the shop with the wall mount.

I chose Oneida because it is American made and I can be a little more sure of the quality rather than buying an off-shore machine. It was a little higher in price but after I compared all the others, the difference in price meant little. I got a 5 year warranty, heavier guage metal, a little more CFM, a customer service department that spoke real American that I could understand and realistic customer service. Their free design service for the dust collection was a bit goofy but I realize they were trying to sell more stuff.

In short, don't be a scrooge and skimp. You WILL live to regret it!:BangHead:
 

FlyingRon

Moderator
Ron
BTW Oneidas pipe style stand for their cyclones is a joke. :thumbs_do Flimsy and cheap looking. Their heavier duty flange stand looks to be more sturdy but I chose to mount mine to a metal I-beam in the shop with the wall mount.

I chose Oneida because it is American made and I can be a little more sure of the quality rather than buying an off-shore machine.

I've got the Griz GO440. While it's not made in the US, I see no issues with the quality. Calling for customer support gets some nice English speaking lady from Bellingham, WA and her coworkers.

I have the Grizzley stand (why they list three part numbers for the GO440,441, and 443 I do not know because the actual stand says on the box and in the instructions that it fits all three). It's a nice hunk of steel but they aren't kidding when they suggest you have 2-3 friends help you stand it up after you attach the cyclone to it. Fortunately I have a chain hoist in the room it is in and I just haulled it up on that while a friend swung it into where it into place before I let it down.
 

DWSmith

New User
David
I have a friend who has the GO442 cyclone in a commercial shop. Great heavy duty stand, works well for the shop but the filter brackets are very weak and have bent in no time. That was the reason I threw that model out.
 

CDPeters

Master of None
Chris
My 0.02 worth:

If you have a cyclone model DC and you have to clean your filters regularly, then the cyclone is of a poor design. The purpose of the cyclone is to remove most (+99%) of the particulates from the air. If the fine dust gets through the cyclone and into the filter, then the filter clogs, increasing S.P. and reducing airflow, further reducing the efficiency of the cyclone - all of which forces you to have to clean filters regularly, which you should not have to do :nah:.

I've had my Pentz design CV for a little over 2 years now and have cleaned my filters exactly - once, yielding about a quarter cup of exceptionally fine dust.

FWIW,
C.
 

DWSmith

New User
David
Remember, I use my DC more in a week than most will use theirs in a year. Today I turned it on and it ran for most of four hours straight. I expect some dust. Some days, it only gets turned off while I eat lunch.
 
M

McRabbet

As the last two posts have suggested, Chris notes that efficient cyclone designs (e.g., Pentz for one) remove the vast majority of dust and the filters should require minimum maintenance but they do serve to remove the finest particulates unless the blower is allowed to exhaust outdoors. In addition, David adds that he keeps his cyclone running for most of the day -- as a rule, it is not advisable to start/stop a 3 to 5 HP cyclone frequently as their motors will overheat spinning up the blower impeller frequently. And, because of the importance of keeping the flow through the filters unobstructed by a "filter cake", cyclone users need to be sure they empty their bins before they overflow to avoid that problem -- a bin sensor is a good investment.
 

zapdafish

New User
Steve
Thanks for the info, kinda running all this through my brain filter now.

I went to Mark's and saw his Oneida setup and was very impressed. Then that night someone posted an Oneida on Craigslist about 10 mins from where I live. I thought it was kismet but after taking measurements for where I would put it, it doesnt seem likely. If it were an empty garage and I were planning the layout from scratch I could fit it, but most of what I wanted shopwise has been built and this would force me to make too many modifications I don't particularly want to do. I want to get out of shop building mode into household stuff mode. I am pretty sure fitting a clearvue would put me in the same situation. :tinysmile_cry_t:
 
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