New General cyclone DC for my shop

[Adam Cormier]

Hey all,


I just bought a new cyclone Dust Collector for my shop. I went with the 1.5hp General cyclone. Got a great deal on it to boot.


A few points I have from assembly:


-Great quality! Very heavy and thick gauge metal. Also, General has several pieces that come right out of the box sealed with silicone to ensure no air leaks.
-Packed extremely well.
-There are no extra bolts/nuts/washers...so don't lose any!
-Assembly and instructions were very clear and easy to understand.
-You definitely need two people during the assembly when you have to flip the unit over (its 200lbs). That being said, you need two people to help get it out of the truck as well.


A few points on testing/usage:


-I tested the unit for air leaks and only noticed one spot where there was a slight air leak. Right where the ABS Y fitting attaches to the cyclone intake, there was a leak. So, to fix it, I used some metal ducting tape. It is air tight everywhere now.
-It is a powerful little machine. For my use, its perfect. I have a 20' 4" clear flex hose and connect it to one machine at a time because my shop is a garage and I move each tool to the center of my shop when I use it. The DC itself remains stationary though.
-I hooked a regular end attachment to the flex pipe followed by an ABS coupler so that connecting and disconnecting from each machine takes 2 seconds. It's simply a friction fit with no issues at all.


If anyone has any questions about this specific machine, let me know and I will do my best to answer them. Also, don't be fooled by the low 600+ CFM rating compared to similar machines (like the Laguna 1.5hp rated at over 1200CFM). General did proper testing when determining the CFM capability of this machine and it was tested the way it would actually be used in a shop. Also, the little motor on it is stated to be "industrial quality" and General is pretty damn reliable. Not to mention that there is a local guy who does on site warranty repair for General.


Enjoy the pictures.

[Jim Andrew]

Looks like a nice unit.

[Jim O'Dell]

Cool! Glad it is working well for you. Only thing I would suggest is since the cyclone stays in one place is to run rigid pipe to the spot where you use the tools, and then you can use a much shorter piece of flex that will still reach each of the machines. Your loss of CFM will be much less. Jim.

[Adam Cormier]

Thanks guys.

Jim, that is a good idea. I'd actually be able to run about 8' of rigid pipe and then I'd only need an additional 4-8 feet of flex pipe. I will keep that in mind.