Jet vs. Delta dust collector

[Jason Fastenau]

I've recently finished the construction of a garage/shop. I'm starting to put together the shop side of the building, and want to get a dust collector as my next tool. The trouble is, I'm in rural Alaska, and am finding that shipping is brutal. (The shipping quotes I've gotten so far are far more than the dust collectors themselves).

I've got a place that's a 4 hour drive away that sells the 1.5 HP Delta for $449, and 1.5 HP Jet for $349, however. I was hoping there would be knowledgeable folks here that could give me some feedback on the two. My plan is to replace the bag with a Wynn filter, and put a 35 gallon garbage can with a Thien baffle in front of the unit if that helps at all.

Thanks in advance.

[Paul McGaha]

Hi Jason,

I used to have a Delta Dust Collector. I had the 50-850A. It was pretty good.

Always ran well and a lot of cfm (1200) for its size.

I used it for maybe (5) years for all the dust collection in a 2 car garage workshop. Eventually upgraded to a cyclone system.

PHM

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

hmm, that's a tough one. I run the Delta 50-760 1.5HP unit (I assume it's this one and not the 70-860A, based on the price you mention). I like it a lot. It has a 1micron bag. I have not yet plumbed it into permanent ducts, but I've read a lot from people who have (successfully).

I don't have any experience with the Jet.

My primary cause for hesitation is that you plan to replace the bag with a filter. That might make the Jet good enough to call it a wash - I am not sure.

Edit - here's a link to a DC review I used when buying mine. http://www.deltaportercable.com/uplo...Collectors.pdf

[Jason Fastenau]

Thanks for the feedback and the link.

[mreza Salav]

I had the Delta for about 3 years and sold it. It's a good unit and works well until the bag gets clogged and it looses a lot of suction.
If you want to spend that much money + a new filter from Wynn I think you can get a used cyclone for not much more and that will be a lot better dust collection.
I picked up a used ClearVue (in very good conditions) without filters for $450, adding the two filters the total is still under $650 for me.

[Jason Fastenau]

Used would be great, but Alaska is a beast of it's own. I could wait a year and still never see a decent dust collector come up on craigslist within a 4 hour drive of where I am.

I'm thinking I'm going to go with the Delta.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Not the best cyclone in the world, but you could build a Wood Magazine Cyclone. I'm very happy with mine. Instead of a filter, I use 7 of the 6" X 65" snap in socks. Rockler carries a replacement 1 micron bag for the Jet dust collector for about $30. You could put two on a plentium on the outlet. Each time DC shuts down, fines slake off into bottom of plentium. To build Wood Magazine cyclone, you can get both cylinder, cone, and neutral van from one sheet of 26ga that is 3' X 8'.