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Thread: ClearVue - Poor Customer Service

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Central Michigan
    Posts
    1,508
    [QUOTE=PeterTorresani;1377429]
    I recently purchased the mini-cyclone that fits on top of a shopvac, and within a couple weeks the PVC housing started to crack at a joint. Not a big crack, but it doesn't take much to cause an efficiency drop.

    I sent a picture to Ed and asked if I could get it replaced.


    Peter as you state it’s only a few weeks old you should not have to pay for shipping … new is new and should be 100% no matter how nice of a guy he is. He should stand behind his product. Yes he might be losing some on this deal but that’s part the manufacturing process and doing business.
    Richard Poitras
    Central, Michigan....
    01-02-2006


  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Canada, eh
    Posts
    108
    Gotta agree with Ken here, bought new you should get new - warranty included. Perhaps its why they got schooled on this unit and no longer carry it?

    I'm setting up a full on plumbed-in cyclone set-up and Ed just lost a potential customer.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    South Dakota
    Posts
    1,627
    Simple. Just call him and talk to him. It's not like a big company where you can't get anyone to listen to your problems. Just call him and talk to him. You will get the solution a lot quicker than asking people here how they would solve it.

    I bought a cv1800 from Ed and I broke it when I installed it. I called Ed and told him that I broke it and ask him how to repair the part I broke. He told me how to fix it but a 1/2 hr latter he called me back and said that he and Matt were just going to send me a entirely new cyclone free. A replacement cyclone would have cost me $425 but he sent it to me FREE.

    The best thing about dealing with a small company is that you can talk directly to the decision maker. So my recommendation is to call him and explain your thoughts to him.
    The Plane Anarchist

  4. #19
    I am puzzled by this story. It does not ring true with the excellent customer service that I have received from Ed and ClearVue or with ALL the other reports that I have seen on ClearVue customer service.

    Ed once sent me parts to modify my my machine, all free, shipping included. Mind you this was not for repair of a defect, and he had no obligation whasoever to supply the parts at his expense. This is just the sort of service that he is known to provide.

    I suggest that we hold off on hasty conclusions in this case. Perhaps Ed will post with additionial information.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Tyler, Texas
    Posts
    2,041
    I don't know Ed but judging from the comments here, his response was a bit out of character. But, no matter, the cyclone was bought new and he should make it good...with a replacement, not a suggestion to caulk it.
    Cody


    Logmaster LM-1 sawmill, 30 hp Kioti tractor w/ FEL, Stihl 290 chainsaw, 300 bf cap. Solar Kiln

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Bloomington, IL
    Posts
    6,009
    Perhaps the credit card company could give him a call and see what could be done. CC Account managers have a way of influenicing less than helpful sales folk. I would not be caulking my new product either regardless of how cheap or easy to do. Give him a call and then let them give him a call if he is less than satisfactory.
    Glad its my shop I am responsible for - I only have to make me happy.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Prairieville, Louisiana
    Posts
    578

    Smile I think . . .

    I think the use of plastic for cyclone on a stationary dust collector is "almost" practical, maybe even an entertaining novelty, but to mount it on top of a mobile shop vac is not a practical application by any stretch.

    I realize that all of his units work very well for their intended purpose, but I see no advantage to having plastic, much less clear plastic. PVC like that used in plumbing is very durable, but I have yet to see a clear plastic that can handle being part of a "machine". . . .

    Airplane windscreens, fantastic . . . But from a durability standpoint there are many plastics that would be far more durable than the handful that are clear. You "need" to see through a windscreen . . I couldn't care less as to what is happening inside my shop vac or my dust collector.

    Why not have a clear shop vac? Or a clear engine (easy to check the oil)?

    My point is, if you have chosen to purchase something made of a material that you know to be less durable than what is normally used as for the sake of "novelty", you have to be prepared to live with the drawbacks.

    Please don't waste your time trying to explain to me how Plexiglas, Lexan, etc . . is a superior product for any application that does not REQUIRE transparency. I work in a plastics plant, I see the wonderful things plastic can do everyday, but in order to create "clear" plastic you lose a lot of the structural characteristics that make plastic such versatile product.
    Support the "CREEK" . . .

  8. #23
    Actually, the clear plastic holds up just fine, even on top of the shop vac. I have the large cyclone AND the shopvac one, and they both perform and hold up to abuse as well as anything else I've owned.

    Period.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Washington, NC
    Posts
    2,387
    . . . and the Oneida mini is even a less durable "clear" plastic. I guess two major manufacturers of DC equipment got it wrong! I should have been really scared with "clear plastic" canopies on my Navy jet "flying machine" moving along at 450+ kts, too!
    Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 03-20-2010 at 12:25 AM.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    441
    The defective item should be replaced or the buyer can make the repair and be refunded 1/2 the original purchase price.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Prairieville, Louisiana
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    578

    Smile That my friend . ..

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Schaffter View Post
    . . . and the Oneida mini is even a less durable "clear" plastic. I guess two major manufacturers of DC equipment got it wrong! I should have been really scared with "clear plastic" canopies on my Navy jet "flying machine" moving along at 450+ kts, too!

    That is a entirely different application . . . If you read my post you can see where I mention jet canopies . . . The canopy is very well supported evenly with no stress points . . .it is also molded under extremely high pressure @ a temperature that increases the strength. I can assure you the Plexiglas you buy at home depot will not stand up to the abuse your jet generated. Would you think a piece of steel the same thickness as your windscreen would be more resistant to flying debris? I hope you agree on that . . Oh yea, you could not see through it, a feature you really need. You don't need to see your dust ! ! ! Why sacrifice any durability for novelty . . .

    When you drill, machine and cut most of the clear plastics you create a change in that area of the material which can cause you to develop cracks . . .

    Also, if you look carefully at the Oneida cyclone you will see is is in fact not the same "crystal" clear plastic you see on the Clearview. . . .it is translucent . . and yes that makes a big difference . . . .

    All I am saying is that there are plenty of materials that are more suitable for this application, but you would lose the novelty of it being clear . . .sort of like buying a stainless steel pistol versus a carbon steel pistol. You gain some and lose some . . .



    Steve
    Last edited by Steven DeMars; 03-20-2010 at 2:47 AM.
    Support the "CREEK" . . .

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Bucks County, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    940
    From the description it sounds like the crack occurred at one of the construction seams. Instead of using two parts and gluing them together he uses one part that he grooves and bends prior to gluing - this way the thin exterior wall remaining acts like both a clamp and positioning device.

    It seems from the first e-mail that he felt you were concerned with what he probably felt was nothing more than a cosmetic problem with a joint - when you further explained the situation his solution was the use of glue. The use of glue may be exactly what he would have used to fix an incomplete joint during normal manufacturing. He may not view a re-glued joint as a defect. The fact that all of this is clear makes it all very visible.

    If this was an actual crack in the plastic I would be concerned - and I would also be concerned if the whole joint was coming lose. But if this is just a few inches long I would just re-glue the joint with the proper adhesive.

    I do not have one of these so I am only going by the posts.
    Last edited by Tom Godley; 03-20-2010 at 9:34 AM. Reason: spelling

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Kansas City, MO
    Posts
    832
    My experience with Clearvue 1800 had a crack in the ramp. Matt suggested thatI could glue it or he could send me a replacement. I chose the replacement and it was here within a week. The OP experience seems very nontypical and I suspect that there is more to the story.

    PETG is not lexan and is not acrylic or PVC. the term Plastics paints with a wide brush.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Harrisburg, NC
    Posts
    2,255
    There may be more to the story, but, Ed was on the forum yesterday at 6:30 pm and didn't respond to the thread. Odd that he didn't notice it.

    Richard
    Richard

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Washington, NC
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    2,387
    Quote Originally Posted by Steven DeMars View Post
    That is a entirely different application . . .

    Steve
    A few clarifications- I have a couple thousand hours in Navy jets and quite a few private plane hours also, so I know what I'm talking about. The canopies are durable as were the windscreens in most WW II aircraft. They were all cut and drilled many times (stress points) during manufacture- if I were to count the number of holes around the edges used to mount just on half of a canopy (there are four on the EA-6B) - they would likely number close to 50.

    As far as differences in application- not much- high velocity air often containing small particles, including wood chips (shop) and sand (Iraq, Afghanistan) impacting the plastic.

    As I understand his rationale for using plastic, Ed built a Pentz cyclone for himself. He liked it so much that when he decided to build one for his son he wanted to see what was happening inside. He had experience in fabricating metal and plastics but thought that with his skills, woodworking tools, and some basic molds and heaters, he could make it from plastic easier than from metal.

    But just not any plastic. He uses PETG (a thermoplastic polyester) which if you check the properties is well suited (likely better than Lexan, a polycarbonate, or Plexiglass, an acrylic) for THIS application. PETG is tough, machines well, can be solvent bonded, and has a low forming temperature. It was no longer a "novelty" but something Ed could easily and quickly "manufacture" with woodworking machines, a few jigs and heater units, without the need for welding or other special metal fabricating tools, and did not need priming and painting when done. Sounds like a wise decision!

    Now as to the OP's problem. I think we might have a terminology problem. If he has a "crack"- an actual failure of the PETG then by all means Ed should replace it.

    But . . . what I believe he has is an open seam- and overlap that has separated because it was possibly not bonded completely. The ClearVue mini top cylinder and lower cone are made by heat forming sheet PETG. They have overlapped seams which are solvent welded together. The cone is also solvent welded to the cylinder. A "crack", really a small gap, in this context, could be easily and adequately fixed with either caulk or solvent welded together. Remember, in most applications it is under suction so any caulk will be drawn into and seal any "crack". The solvent, Methylene Chloride and others (IPS is one brand), typically used to bond acrylics and other plastics is available at plastics stores (ACME, Reed, etc.), craft stores, and Ebay.

    And yes, I have ClearVue mini, so I know how it is made:

    Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 03-20-2010 at 11:23 AM.

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