Grizzly vs ClearVue cyclones

[Mike Suiter]

I'm going to put a cyclone in my new 30x40 shop I'm building and finally retire my HF DC (it just won't die). I've been doing a lot of searching and it pretty much seems that anyone that has a cyclone loves it no matter what brand. I've decided my choice will be between the Grizzly G0441 and the ClearVue 1800. The Grizzly is on sale and currently $1500 delivered and CV $2100 once you add the electrical box with remote, filter clean out box, hanging brackets, and shipping. For those prices you get the 55 gallon drum with the Grizzly and none with the CV.

Now I know the CV has a better American motor and better filters but I plan on putting the cyclone in its own room. So in doing that does the filter matter that much? I plan on running 6" main lines in my one-man hobby shop and will probably only need one blast gate open at a time. Is there anything else I'm missing here? I own several Grizzly machines and have been happy with them and I've heard good things about ClearVue, but $600 is money that could be used elsewhere in my new shop.

What do you guys think? Let me know if I'm missing anything in evaluating the 2 cyclones.

[Matt Meiser]

If you are putting the cyclone in its own room the air you are sucking out of one room still has to be replaced. That means either it gets pulled in from outside or recycled from that room, whatever is easier. Not really a comment on the filters but just the general physics of the situation.

I just sold my G0441 since I'm moving and downsizing my shop significantly. I was very happy with mine. Its much better built than that cyclone company in New York would have you believe from their comparison. Not sure if Grizzly used that as constructive criticism for improvements or what.One thing that needed to be done on mine, but I never got around to it, was to figure out a better seal where hoses clamped to metal parts. There tended to be some blow-by especially at the mechanism on the clamps. That's probably true of any hose/clamp joint. We don't notice it at machines because those are on the suction side. The filter design works, but the bags at the bottom are prone to damage if you drop something against them, especially once they get a year or two old. More frequent replacement to guard against UV degradation is probably not a bad idea. The non-standard drum design makes finding bags other than from Grizzly a little tricky but I did find them at McMaster Carr. Overall it worked very well though and mine collected many bags of sawdust over the years--along with a tape measure or two, remotes, and some small parts that got away.

Clearvue owners love them but I couldn't get past the plastic-and-MDF construction, especially on the blower housing for that kind of money. My second choice was an Oneida.

[Rick Alexander]

I went through the same decision some years ago and ultimately went with the G0441 like you are considering and never looked back. I'm like Matt - couldn't see that plastic and MDF lasting longer than steel and for a much better price point for me. I do have to make sure I pay attention when I use the drum sander that I'm not getting too much pressure on that little clear cleanout bag. I guess the cyclone itself isn't probably as efficient as the clearview. I also think like Matt that I'm having issues with the seal at the cyclone itself as I get some fine dust around the corner there where it's sitting. I never considered that to be honest but I bet that is what's going on. I've taken the filter off a couple of times and blew it out with compressed air as well. Might want to do that on a rainy and slightly windy day. I came off the cyclone with the 9 inches for about 2 feet and then split if off into two separate 6 inch branches - one for one wall of the shop (RAS/chop saw/belt-disk sander/TS) and one to the other side of the shop (Planer/horizontal sander/jointer/2 router tables/drum sander/pocket hole machine). It depends on the machines but I can usually keep 2 gates open for each leg and not have a problem with collection. The drum sander however requires all the gates to be closed but that and like I said I have to watch the pressure buildup at the bag. Also, if I'm planing a bunch of wood at once, I put two 55 gal separator bins on a Y in line to collect the chips prior to going down the pipe to the cyclone and when I'm doing that I have to have all the other gates closed. Planing will fill that 55 gal bin up fast but this setup works great to solve that problem. Most of my machines are set up on 6 inch lines at least to very close to the machine to maximize air flow. Be aware if you're going to run 6 inch it gets pretty expensive but I can tell you it makes a gigantic difference - well worth the one time expense.

[Ole Anderson]

Six inch lines seem to be the standard, but with a larger cyclone like you are considering, you will be better served with a main run 7" in diameter. That is the sweet spot between optimum duct velocity and pressure losses for 800 cfm which is where you want to be with your top and bottom sucking TS hook up. 7" 26 gage snap lock steel isn't much more expensive than 6" plastic S&D pipe. As for the cyclone choice, the CV might suck better but you pay more for the MDF and plastic unit. Like Matt, I couldn't get by that. Went with yellow.

By the way, this thread might be better served in the Workshop forum where most DC discussions take place.

[David Kumm]

Not really an apples to apples comparison but if you decide to go the Grizzly, I'm with Ole. Spend for a 7" main at get the most out of your $$. Static pressure is the killer in small cyclone systems and you will gain significant cfm with the extra inch of main. My other concern is that the filter area could be greater. Spun bond is pretty durable but filtration is always better if you can increase the area of fabric. Also adds cfm. I don't know if a larger filter can be specified but I'd ask. The CV filters are probably $200 of the price difference. Dave

[mreza Salav]

You'd appreciate being able to see how far up the cyclone cone you have over-filled your bin. It is not a matter of "if", but how many times that happens. I have an over-fill bin sensor that kicks with about a 30 seconds delay but if you are planing a 12" wide board it takes only a few seconds to get passed the sensor and into the cone (planers produce a LOT of shavings).
As David said, extra filter area is important. I am not banging my CV or don't plan to mount/unmount the thing on a daily basis. So MDF/plastic thing is not of a concern to me.

[Art Mann]

The Clearvue and Grizzly units aren't directly comparable because the Clearvue is only a partial kit that you have to assemble and supply some of your own materials.Personally, I would rather build furniture than dust collection equipment.

For what its worth, Wood magazine did a comparison of the various cyclones that are available and the Clearvue didn't rate very well. The builders had a lot of trouble sealing up the air leaks that go along with a build-your-own kit.

[Mike Suiter]

Thanks for the replies. I thought about putting a furnace filter opening in the room for the air replacement. Don't know if that's a good idea or not. With ClearVue's site it's hard to figure out what all else you need with the main unit to use it.

Anyone know which issue of Wood did the cyclone test?

[David Kumm]

I don't own either cyclone so I don't have a dog in this fight but don't take that magazine test too seriously. something was wrong in the testing execution as the difference in cyclone efficiency among any wood cyclone of similar length and design will be incremental. It is more about adequate size to provide the cfm under pressure to grab the dust at the machine and how efficient the filters are relative to the resistance they produce. Dave

[Cary Falk]

I was making this decision last year. I first started out thinking I would take my 3 hp double bagger and make a cyclone according to Bill Pentz's site. Then I thought maybe it would be better to sell the 2 bagger and buy the 5hp motor and blower per Bill's site. By the time I priced out materials I was real close to the G0441. I figured why waste the time to make one. I looked at the clearview but decided I didn't want to make one before so why make one now. I was put off by the plastic and particle board for the cost as others had said. I bought the G0441. I'm no dust collector expeert but I am happy. It is built like a tank and hasn't given me a bit of trouble. I use the 55gal drum liners from HD for the bags. They are tight but they work good enough.

[Cary Falk]

Anyone know which issue of Wood did the cyclone test?

It was May 2013. I can't find my issue. If I recall Clearview was not testd and then they reported Clearview results several issues later.

[Art Mann]

The follow-up test of the Clearvue dust collector comparing it to all the other units was published in the March 2014 issue. Air flow measurements of the system showed that it was somewhere in the middle of the group. The measurement of the effectiveness of the filter system placed it at the bottom of the group. Their overall conclusion was that the unit is expensive for a unit you have to build yourself and the performance is worse than many lower cost units.

[Curt Harms]

The follow-up test of the Clearvue dust collector comparing it to all the other units was published in the March 2014 issue. Air flow measurements of the system showed that it was somewhere in the middle of the group. The measurement of the effectiveness of the filter system placed it at the bottom of the group. Their overall conclusion was that the unit is expensive for a unit you have to build yourself and the performance is worse than many lower cost units.

As I recall, the problem was with the filter assembly, not the blower or cyclone. There was speculation that perhaps the filters were not assembled correctly or something but I don't recall any explanation.

[glenn bradley]

It was May 2013. I can't find my issue. If I recall Clearview was not testd and then they reported Clearview results several issues later.

They also reported them as being fairly poor which I found hard to believe. This caused quite an uproar and I don't know that it was ever resolved. I have run a Grizzly almost daily for about 5 years and have been happy with it.

[Rick Fisher]

I have a friend who runs a 5hp Shop Fox, which I would suggest is similar to Grizzly.. He loves it and has found it a reliable workhorse ..