I am looking for a new dust collector. Simple, eh? Well, after what seems like weeks of comparing, my head feels about ready to explode.
It started by getting drawn in by the new Laguna generation two dust collectors. Have you seen these things?! They are about as sexy as a dust collector can get! Then... I started to read. And read. And.....read. I now know more than I should about the physics of a cyclone dust collector unit.... and (I admit) am now subtly excited about getting the clearvue unit just for the clear cyclone! Why? Well, we all know fine dust is the enemy, and I think it'd be mighty therapeutic to watch it all get sucked up Wizard of Oz style.
So.... here are the final contenders:
Laguna Pflux:3 - Sexy. (oh so pretty. I just want to gyrate against it). Portable. Comes mostly assembled. Kick ass dust bin removal thingee)
Clearview cv1800 - Taller, stationary, more powerful, clear cyclone (ooooo lala.... me likey). Much larger filter surface area (like 3x). Taller cyclone.
Oneida Dust Gorilla Pro - 5 HP - Not sexy. Not clear. Probably the best one..... but I really want to see the damn dust tornado!
I think all 3 are going to be around $2500. My shop is 36x36 with 10' ceilings, which seems like a lot of space... but isnt. Hence, everything is on casters with heavy duty/highly flexible extension cords. Hence the appeal of the Laguna. The more I think about it, though, the less it makes sense to have a mobile dust collection unit itself. I think it's probably better to have various attachment points/blast gates that allow various entry points than it is to haul around the dust collector itself... especially if you're running multiple machines at once.
So... who in the past year or so has gone through this same inevitable, mind-numbing dilemma? What did you ultimately decide upon, and why? How has it worked out? Any regrets? Has anyone actually gyrated against the sexy Laguna gen IIs? Is anyone else enamored by the thought of watching dust get sucked up? Is anyone else still reading this? Will this post culminate in two or more people arguing over who has the superior rig?