I know this post is 5+ years old but I still got a lot of valuable information from it. Thank you for taking the time to post your results as well as updates!
So I watched this video and bought the Dust Deputy for the shop. It works great. I'm very pleased. Yesterday, my wife burned up the house vacuum. Because of our Springer Spaniel, this is actually a regular occurrence. Springers are great, but they shed, shed, shed. Well, when the house vac burns up, the shop vac goes in doors. Let me tell you, this thing works great on pet hair. Of course now she wants me to buy her a smaller shop vac for the house and, of course, attach another dust deputy and build her a cart for it and have places for some accessories, and, and, and, well, I'm off to try and make the wife happy.
Build it for her. But buy yourself a new toy or two that you need to make it. "Sure Dear. But I have to get a new dado blade for the saw to make the cart." Or a pocket hole jig. Or something like that.
Bought the Dust Deputy (just the cyclone upper part) several years ago for about $35.00. Thought it was cheaply built and overpriced at the time. I mounted it on an Ace Hardware (stiff sides) 5 gallon bucket and then built the Woodsmith rolling combination shop vac and Dust Deputy cart. Now I have the portability to roll the unit anywhere in my small shop and connect it to my various wood working tools. I've used it for about 6 months and found that it (the Dust Deputy) works very well. Just ran across your Shootout (Suckout?) video, and was pleasantly surprised to see your findings paralleled mine. For $35.00, a little plywood and some casters and my shop vac, I have a great little dust collector that meets all my needs. Thanks for the video that confirmed my lucky guess.
Great comp. review. Five years on, a price hike, but I saw this clip and bought. I got the DIY Dust Deputy, $50--I bolted it to a HD bucket lid. The version with 2 buckets and wheels cost $100. Center of gravity is not low enough to resist tipping over when in use to clean floors. Static use with a bench or floor power equipment poses no problems. It will get a stability solution.
This video is a winner by any standard: construction, content or clarity, etc. I learned more about cyclone separators than I have ever seen in one place and now have the tools by which I can make a good choice when deciding which one I'll spring for.
I have the Dust Deputy (made in the USA) sitting above a Fein vac and it works great! Very little goes into the vac. I made a wooden cart that rolls around, keeping the vac and collector together along with all the different vac attachments. Going vertical saves on shop space.
I just bought a house and am putting in luxury vinal throughout, before we move in. My wife HATES carpet, so there will not be a single thread anywhere in the house, which makes sweeping much easier. One of the things that she would really like is a kickspace automatic dustpan, which I am planning on building. There is plenty of space under the house to mount hardware, and this is perfect for keeping the vacuum filter as clear as possible for as long as possible. Really great to know. Thanks for the awesome video!!!
I made my own for about $40 CDN... it's essentially identical to the Oneida system. I paid $30 for the cyclone off of amazon and $8 for the 5 gallon bucket and lid from home depot. It took about 15 minutes to put together... works like a charm.
Interesting video. Built my own dust collector using pvc, 35 gallon metal can and some left over wood scrap. I could not believe how well it works. Built a carrier for shop vac and cyclone so I can wheel it around the shop since I never use the shop vac without it anymore. Added bonus of keeping your filters clean is the suction power doesn't deminish.
Before watching your video, I was ready to go out and purchase the Rockler product. I have since purchased the Oneida Cyclone separator and it has turned out to be one of the best additions to my small shop. I couldn't be happier about coming across your video. Thank you!
I am just getting into woodworking and learned my first lesson about shop vac filtration. After a day of sanding i completely fried my, relatively new, shop vac. Now i know the importance of filtration! I will buy the dust deputy.
You also might find it interesting that I was actually rooting for the ClearVue, as I am a fan of their products. But It wouldn't be a very good review if I let things like that influence the results. No opinions here....just results. :)
Hola! 🖐I can imagine it took a long time to put this video together and post it. I really appreciate all of your efforts. Not only did you purchase all the materials but you took the time necessary to run this experiment, document it all, then edit and create this video. Thank you for sharing your talents. Take care and have a good one, Adios!👊
I never noticed the clock, I was too interested in the review. I just tried one for a rock pulverizing circuit and it worked well. Not as well as with wood, but still a big improvement over other alternatives. I wanted to commend you on your presentation as it was very quick, thorough, and useful. I'm not much into wood working, but you sure did a good job on this video. Keith
Great video and even better review! I knew I wanted a cyclone separator and was actually going to go with rocklers dust right until I saw this video. After watching it I ordered the diy dust deputy with a 14 gallon drum. It works as shown in this video. I will have to get a good bag for my vacuum because the fine dust particles occasionally still make it into the vacuum like you stated. Glad I researched this before buying. Thanks for the help!!!
Thank you! I was leaning towards the Dust Deputy but then saw an ad for the Dust Right so I was happy to find your comparison of the 2! Going for the Dust Deputy
Thanks for the shootout vid. The 'Deputy" was on my list to get even before watching, but now I'm convinced it is the way to go. I'll be getting just the separator by itself and doing my own collection bucket thing to save even more $$. It's on sale right now at Menards for $45. Thanks again... Cheers!
Thank you for this product comparison. I have been trying to decide for a few days now on which unit to buy. You did a great job with explaining all the features, pros and cons, and I think in the end, I'll go with the Oneida as well.
I'm about done with the basic shop restructure and just now thinking about the dust collection system to use. I was already leaning towards the Dust Deputy, but I believe you've helped make up my mind. Thanks for taking to time to review these for us, bud.
I have the Dust Deputy and hooked it to a Rigid shop vac using 2" PVC pipe. Power for the system is run through an i-Socket device I bought from Menards. I plug my tool and the shop vac into the i-Socket and when I turn on the tool, the vacuum turns on as well. I turn off the tool and the vacuum runs for 3 extra seconds and then turns off. Everything is mounted to a plywood cart making it easy to move around the shop. The Dust Deputy works very well and I highly recommend it.
Wood whisperer thanks for this demonstration. I bought the diy dust deputy because of the shoot-out results and I got great results. The money I spent on the dust deputy was well spent.
I bought the Dust right Cyclone for $79 with a 10' anti-static hose on special from Rockler. The Dust Deputy kit (my original favorite) is $99 now. A little dust in the shopvac bag I can deal with. The Dust Right is also more stable on it's wheels. Thanks for the review.
Great comparisons and great video. I bought just the Oneida cyclone part last week and attached it to my own 5 gallon bucket with little time and effort. I've seen the same results as you have. Glad to see I chose correctly!
Thanks for the review. Based mostly on your results and comments, I went and bought the Dust Deputy (DYI edition) for $49.99 at Busybee. Contrary to claims published here and there, it does not pick 99% of the saw dust, but 99.99% !!! I use it with a Dirt Hawg 5 HP 12 Gal shop vac with a half a leg of pantyhose over the filter. It's been two weeks now and almost two full buckets of saw dust later, just TRACES of dust in the vac, hardly anything on the pantyhose. Should have done this years ago.
A good seal at the lid of the cyclone bucket can make that difference. I test my big and little DD with smoke to insure there is no air moving between the chamber and the outside at the lid. If you see ANY big chips in the vac can, it's a sign you have a leak. On the other hand, I've had plastic and fiber glass go through because they are both large and light, so don't spin out.
The dust deputy is one of the best workshop "tools" I've ever invested in. One thing that I was initially disappointed in though, was the fact that when I had it hooked up to my Makita shop vac it would actually start to suck the lid into the bucket. Was fairly easy to fix though. Just completely ditched the flimsy plastic lid and shop made a plywood lid. Just make sure to route a groove to the underside of the plywood lid so that it fit perfectly over the rim of the supplied bucket. After this fairly simple modification, it's now a 10/10 dust collection system when hooked up to the Makita shop vac. For Australian users:- I got the "Dust Deputy Deluxe" from Carbatec Current price $189 AUD. We'll worth the money as the Makita vac now works at 100% efficiency all the time and no more clogged filter!
I was going to do a video of dust deputy too, but what is the point, it does exactly what your video shows. I love this thing. Thanks for doing the video and anyone thinking of buying one of theses, I bought mine as a separate unit and mounted mine to a standard 5 gallon bucket and it works great and took me less that 20 min to do the mounting. I highly recommend them, it absolutely will add years to the life of both the filter and the motor of any shop vacuum!
Thank you for showing the Cyclone Separator, I well being getting on soon for my shop. It is wonderful to see people on RUclips doing things so other can get great ideas. Keep up the good work.
You get what you pay for. They are very high quality tools. I don't own any but I usually buy once and cry once. There are absolutely no Ryobi, Rigid, Crapsman or other garbage in my shop. I was one of the first to buy a Mirka Ceros sander at $500. Years later it is going strong like the day I bought it and have absolutely no regrets.
@@6milesup I would rather see a good woodworker with Ryobi tools than a hack with Festool. Just because someone finds a way to afford the high $$$ stuff doesn't translate to skill. I have seen exceptional things done with those supposed "garbage" tools and own a range of things myself from Ryobi, Craftsman, Porter Cable, Skill, Milwaukee and so on. I would not dream of paying Festool prices but if someone thinks they get the value out of that high price then more power to them.
To maybe fix bucket collapse of the ClearVue Mini try putting it into another 5 gallon bucket if it will fit or putting some other type of round stiffener around it. I think it will keep it from collapsing by forcing it to keep a round shape which is stronger. Chris Notap found this to be a solution for his homemade cyclone separator when he used it with his more powerful central vac.
I was about to by the Dust Deputy then I saw the Dust rite on sale and started looking for reviews. Spotted this and after watching decided to stick with my first choice the Dust Deputy, Great review thanks for the info. Also I would take the battery out of your clock every time you do a video just to drive the nitpickers nuts.
Not sure how long ago you ran this test, but it would be interesting to see a repeat of the test, with the Home Depot “dust stopper” and the Harbor Freight “cyclone” units being included.
I have the Dust Deputy and the Dust Stopper. I bought the Dust Deputy cyclone without bucket and supplied my own. Using a Home Depot bucket it would collapse it like in the video. The Dust Stopper never collapses the bucket but i bet i loose over 1/2 suction. Not happy with the Dust Stopper at all.
Great Review and Real World Testing...I was researching for my small hobbyist shop a reliable working dust collection system, and the Oneida Dust Deputy made my "must buy" list, I just need confirmation. Thank You!!!!
Hi Marc, I know all these tests are fraught with ifs and buts, but anecdotally I have the Vortex dust right and I have had it connected to my benchtop planer for a while now. In fact, I use it for nothing else. The chips from this planer are large and used to fill my ridgid vac very quickly. Since I have had the vortex, I have not emptied the ridgid once, but I have emptied the vortex three times. So I can say with full confidence that the vortex works amazingly with a benchtop planer.
I used to use the Dust deputy on my festool copy vac for concrete grinding with a 9' hitachi. I would empty 3 buckets of dust before a full bag. Works a treat.
I enjoyed your review. Prior to watching I had an opinion the Oneida was the winner. In the "connectivity" section as you were installing the hoses into the various cyclones. I noticed that 2 models used an OD connection and 1 (Oneida) used an ID fitting. The ID fitting is an issue. It causes 2 problems, restriction of the inlet size and a place for debris to accumulate. That might not be an issue for a woodworker but for any other uses like metal workng, it could be. Thorough review, thanks
I have an Oneida, and certainly the inlet fitting is some serious brain damage. I have a shop vac hose that goes around it, and I do get debris sticking in the gap. (The hose only makes contact where the inlet flares open.) I also find it doesn't stay on well. I am thinking of either making an adapter that matches the profile of the inlet (on the inside) and the size of the hose (on the outside) or cutting off the reduced part. Cutting off the reduced part might increase airflow, but I am a bit concerned about Something Bad happening if I do that. Is there anyone reading this who can comment on that?
I watched videos and decided on the " dust deputy " for me. For my first major use, i hooked up my ridged vacuum and went to town. I was genuinely surprised that i had about 6 inches of sawdust in the dust deputy and almost nothing in the ridged canister.
I figured at the start of the video that you would pick the Rockler unit since they are a sponsor. I was pleasantly surprised. Nice video! Also I will be picking up a Dust Deputy for the shop. Thanks.
Thanks a lot man, what a fantastic and very simple review. I'm in the process of getting one of these and the choice for me is now obviously clear as I want to upgrade from the system I currently have in my garage is quite frankly junk. Best of luck with your projects - Gold from South Africa.
Hi Mark, i have seen all of your videos and this one has let me buy the dust deputy here in germany :). I will use it on my selfmade wood-cnc machine. Thanks a lot for all your inspiring videos
Marc, nice review. As others have noted, it would be nice to see a review of the home-brew Thein separator as it seems so many folks hang their hat on one. You said that the most important criteria was the actual dust collection (or separation) efficiency. As you demonstrated, the Oneida was the winner based on what made it through to the green machine. But I was surprised that you didn’t emphasize more how much of a winner the Oneida was in this category, it looked to me that the others left almost ten times the dust of the Oneida, which frankly shocked me as I presumed the ClearView unit would do much better than it did.
Great video...and I am awe struck that among your skills....you are able to make time stand still...which means we can stay forever in the wood shop :) Thanks for sharing
Because most shop vacs are used to vac shops, not extract dust and chips. Also, there's a more expensive and critical component on top of that white bucket.
Is it possible to buy a shop vac with this cyclone system built in already, it seems really primitive to sort of drag this bucket on wheels around your workshop? Thanks
Got myself a dust deputy, without the hardware and bucket for just $30, bought a used 13 gallon high density Polyethylene barrel with a sealing hatch at the top for $10, removed the primary filter on the shop-vac, only kept the foam protector on the motor, and that thing sucks everything, all is kept in the 13 gallon barrel, once every blue moon I empty the barrel....my most satisfying buy! No more bags, I used to buy bags every other month....
Buyer beware... the standard Dust Deputy that was tested here is probably perfect for something with the flow rate comparable to a home vacuum cleaner. However, if you have a good shop vac you may want to look for something a little larger than this version. The reduction in flow is very noticeable. The results below are compared to a seasoned stock cartridge filter on a Rigid brand shop vac (the highest flow vac Lowes sells) 100% flow 183 CFM Seasoned stock filter 93% 170 CFM Dirty bag filter 85% 156 CFM Seasoned HEPA cartridge filter + Dirty bag filter 77% 141 CFM Homemade 7" diameter cyclone (99.5% efficient) -->>63%
+Tony Shulthise Thank you, I have a Shop Vac that has similar performance to your Rigid WD1851, if you had to do it over again would you have made your cyclone larger diameter than the 7" you have now for lesser pressure drop?
monkeyboy4746 no. Mine has 1/3rd the pressure drop of the Dust Deputy that I tested and only passes about 1/3rd more dust (99.7% efficient vs. 99.8%). However, this Dust Deputy would be ideal for a small shop vac or a home vacuum cleaner pump. I'm still experimenting with different designs. I'm going to build a two stage cyclone to see if I can get the efficiency over 99.9% without too much pressure drop. I'm also using an air pump that can provide over 3psi vs the 1.5 psi my shop vac delivers so I can afford more pressure drop now.
I couldn't be happier with my dust deputy. Haven't had to change the filter on my shopvac or the bag on my dust collector in over a year and I have used it while cutting and routing through probably 50 sheets of 3/4inch mdf(which is the king of dust) and dozens of sheets of plywood. And pretty much no dust buildup anywhere around the shop, rarely even have to sweep. Sounds like you have an under powered or poorly designed shopvac if you are having that much drop in cfm. I'm getting maybe 15-20% drop in suction which has little to no effect on saw dust, all while using a 30 year old made in USA craftsman shopvac, and similar results on my 3hp dust collector. Rigid tools used to be pretty good, like their old pipe threaders that are still prized by plumbers and electricians for example, but now-a-days they are basically junk. Remember when they rate those Chinese made tools they are always less powerful than stated on the box because they use peak power for their ratings to try and get more people to buy them. When in reality they should be calculating by continuous power consumption. So your 3 to 6hp rigid is probably around 1.5 to 2.5hp which is pretty underpowered. You might want to toss that crap rigid in the garbage and get a better vac or better yet a good quality 3 to 5hp 240volt dust collector.
I bought the dust deputy metal version and a 30 gallon cardboard drum. The biggest problem I found was when I cleaned out the sawdust under my Delta table saw, the dust deputy could not keep up with the dust separation fast enough and it plugged up my vacuum filter rather quickly. I wonder how the same use would affect the the other two units. I am asking you because you have the other two already. Thanks for listening-Tim
Some complaints I have about the Dust Deputy are that it is very top heavy and I noticed a loss of suction when using it. My shop vac could not pick up screws anymore with the dust deputy. THANKS for the video! I was considering buying the Vortex and giving it a try. Now I know better.
Wow. Outstanding video! No ums or aahs, good lighting and sound. Clear, concise, good information with appropriate vocabulary. Woodwhisperer, I don't know who you are and I'll watch more of your videos, but you are clearly not some weekend warrior who is showing off to his buds. I guess you must have some financial backing (Festool) but your sponsors chose well. .....um, how about comparing to a Thein separator?
Oh no doubt. In fact all the units would probably perform very well in most situations. I think the difference here was the focus on fine dust as opposed to large chips. I figured the large stuff is easy to separate. Its the small particles that separate the good from the great.
You need a couple of hold-down clamps on the lid of the Onieda model, that would make sure it doesn't pop off. I made a separator some years ago but it has it's disadvantages. Excellent review, by the way!
Just looking at them should make it obvious to most with minor understanding for physics, that the Oneida would be the one with the best separation. A flat structure does not have the same capability to drop the finer dust in the vessel as the taller ones do, which is also clearly illustrated in the test. One reason the Oneida works so well, is that it is a scaled copy of well known industrial applications, which have been calculated over and over and over again, based on airflow, type of material, filter capabilities, abrasion and everything else known to man, that might be relevant. One of the secrets is that the outlet pipe needs to extend lower into the cone, than the inlet, so only the inner and outer vortexes operate alongside one another, eliminating any direct draft from the inlet tube to the suction tube, thus giving a more effective separation. For industrial scale systems everything is calculated. Dimensions, angles, pipe lengths and so on. Multiple cyclones might even be coupled together to get rid of even more particles. In this case air speed is usually a factor to make greater use of the centrifugal forces, which explains why two cyclones connected are usually neither the same size, nor geometry. Dump the large and heavy stuff first at lower speeds, and then accellerate the rest in the next cyclone, to get rid of the finer particles. This way you can achieve ratings clean enough to release directly into outside air for some applications. Some might need final filtration, especially when dealing with toxic material. On a side note this could also be an argument NOT to buy a lifetime bag, since it means the risk of getting exposed to particles. With concealed one time use bags, it stays in the bag, and you minimize the risk of getting in contact with hazardous materials. Usually the finer dust is the most dangerous, as a wood chip is pretty easy to spit out, but that is not true for asbestos or fibre glass dust. Some wood dusts are also very unattractive, as they promote cancer, like merbau for instance. Whatever ends up in the extraction bins is not in your lungs - make sure your system runs as efficiently as possible and is well maintained.
OK I started with a dust right vortex. It rolls nicely, connected fine with multiple hoses, but only separated some of the dust. I got a Dust Deputy and it is a huge improvement in terms of separating dust. However, good luck pulling it around the shop on casters. It falls over. Constantly. I built a cart with vacuum on top and Dust Deputy below with a straight hose between the DD and the vacuum intake. If I had to guess I’d say 90% + of dust ends up in the bucket. The tipping over really ticked me off at first; however, I would’ve ended up making a cart anyway because 2 separate things connected by hoses thru the shop is a PITA.
Thanks a load for this shootout. I have been looking for some good comparisons between the DD & the clearvue mini, and you addressed all of them. Props for the Zelda shirt.
I believe these are really intended for smaller systems, as evidences by the port sizes. But I believe Oneida sells a larger unit for larger systems. You can also look into a Thein system.
I still like my ClearVue cyclone. There is a long story (of which I don't know the details) surrounding ClearVue's small cyclone design and Onieda suing them or something. This new design is their answer to that. But what works on the larger unit may not work as well in a small compact size. I don't think these results should have any bearing on an assessment of the large cyclone units.
Wished I had watch this vid prior to purchasing the Vortex. This unit is a piece of do do because it only picked up 50 percent and the rest went into my vac. I did purchase the Dirt Deputy and WOW it picked up all the dust and wood chips in my shop and my vac hardly had any dust or chips. Will buy another one because this little unit is the best.
I have the Oneida as well and love it. Like you I'm not a big fan of the hard type hose that comes with the Rockler, but I might like to try it for this application. When I turn on my vac the suction makes the flexible hose between the Oneida cyclone and the vac shrink right up, yanking the cyclone toward the vac, sometimes easily popping the top right off that can.
I have the Dust Deputy but the cyclone is steel and the top/ drum is also steel with a clamp band lock, purchased for $50. (Where did you get that plastic kit?) It works great for moving about the shop for small tool and mess clean up. Caution with the steel Dust Deputy: don't vacuum green wood lathe turnings as it rusts the interior rather quickly. However, I also have a full Oneida dust collection system steel piped to every tool which eliminates 99% of the dust and wood chips.
Fantastic review chief. You're a natural reviewer and announcer. I have one quick question. How do these separators fair against drywall dust sanding? I think I probably use my shop vac for that more than anything. Cheers!
We had one that worked on the galvanized garbage cans. It was really more like a cap with two holes. Not sure how well that worked but it had openings for the larger dust collection hoses. We used it on the planer the most because they make big mess in a short time. Just ask anyone who does wood work, they might say the planer makes the worst mess.
I am sure at some point it might be inundated, but I do know folks use these separators for larger tools. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test it under those conditions.
What was wrong with the Dust Right? What does "pitchy" mean? In another super complicated dust test, the Dust RIght far outperformed the Oneida one. I'm a bit confused what your conclusion was?
The larger the particle, the more chance there is that the particle will travel right through into the vac. So while I know many folks who use these systems for larger machines, I can't personally comment from experience on it. But at a certain point, you could probably overwhelm the cyclone.
I know this post is 5+ years old but I still got a lot of valuable information from it. Thank you for taking the time to post your results as well as updates!
It's now NINE years old, and still serving its original purpose. Terrific.
So I watched this video and bought the Dust Deputy for the shop. It works great. I'm very pleased.
Yesterday, my wife burned up the house vacuum. Because of our Springer Spaniel, this is actually a regular occurrence. Springers are great, but they shed, shed, shed.
Well, when the house vac burns up, the shop vac goes in doors. Let me tell you, this thing works great on pet hair. Of course now she wants me to buy her a smaller shop vac for the house and, of course, attach another dust deputy and build her a cart for it and have places for some accessories, and, and, and, well, I'm off to try and make the wife happy.
Build it for her. But buy yourself a new toy or two that you need to make it. "Sure Dear. But I have to get a new dado blade for the saw to make the cart." Or a pocket hole jig. Or something like that.
@Missouri Bob That is how I end up with new tools!
Cheaper than a Dyson
AND excuse for a few new doo dads for the happy wife/life build.
Happy Wife Happy Home and some added Tools to get the the Job Done Of Course !
Haha this is hilarious, men helping men help women to help men (to get more tools)
Bought the Dust Deputy (just the cyclone upper part) several years ago for about $35.00. Thought it was cheaply built and overpriced at the time. I mounted it on an Ace Hardware (stiff sides) 5 gallon bucket and then built the Woodsmith rolling combination shop vac and Dust Deputy cart. Now I have the portability to roll the unit anywhere in my small shop and connect it to my various wood working tools. I've used it for about 6 months and found that it (the Dust Deputy) works very well. Just ran across your Shootout (Suckout?) video, and was pleasantly surprised to see your findings paralleled mine. For $35.00, a little plywood and some casters and my shop vac, I have a great little dust collector that meets all my needs. Thanks for the video that confirmed my lucky guess.
Great comp. review.
Five years on, a price hike, but I saw this clip and bought. I got the DIY Dust Deputy, $50--I bolted it to a HD bucket lid. The version with 2 buckets and wheels cost $100. Center of gravity is not low enough to resist tipping over when in use to clean floors. Static use with a bench or floor power equipment poses no problems. It will get a stability solution.
This video is a winner by any standard: construction, content or clarity, etc. I learned more about cyclone separators than I have ever seen in one place and now have the tools by which I can make a good choice when deciding which one I'll spring for.
I have the Dust Deputy (made in the USA) sitting above a Fein vac and it works great! Very little goes into the vac. I made a wooden cart that rolls around, keeping the vac and collector together along with all the different vac attachments. Going vertical saves on shop space.
I'm glad to see the Dust Deputy rate well in your evaluation. I've had one in use for a couple years and just love it! Thanks Marc!
I just bought a house and am putting in luxury vinal throughout, before we move in. My wife HATES carpet, so there will not be a single thread anywhere in the house, which makes sweeping much easier. One of the things that she would really like is a kickspace automatic dustpan, which I am planning on building. There is plenty of space under the house to mount hardware, and this is perfect for keeping the vacuum filter as clear as possible for as long as possible. Really great to know. Thanks for the awesome video!!!
I made my own for about $40 CDN... it's essentially identical to the Oneida system. I paid $30 for the cyclone off of amazon and $8 for the 5 gallon bucket and lid from home depot. It took about 15 minutes to put together... works like a charm.
Interesting video. Built my own dust collector using pvc, 35 gallon metal can and some left over wood scrap. I could not believe how well it works. Built a carrier for shop vac and cyclone so I can wheel it around the shop since I never use the shop vac without it anymore. Added bonus of keeping your filters clean is the suction power doesn't deminish.
Before watching your video, I was ready to go out and purchase the Rockler product. I have since purchased the Oneida Cyclone separator and it has turned out to be one of the best additions to my small shop. I couldn't be happier about coming across your video. Thank you!
I am just getting into woodworking and learned my first lesson about shop vac filtration. After a day of sanding i completely fried my, relatively new, shop vac. Now i know the importance of filtration! I will buy the dust deputy.
You also might find it interesting that I was actually rooting for the ClearVue, as I am a fan of their products. But It wouldn't be a very good review if I let things like that influence the results. No opinions here....just results. :)
Couple other facts that I didn't hear mentioned is that the Oneida is made in the USA and you can use paint buckets from the home improvement store.
Great comparison Video and demonstration with superb to-the-point smooth no BS editing and narration !!
Good job buddy !! Thanks so much !!
Hola! 🖐I can imagine it took a long time to put this video together and post it. I really appreciate all of your efforts. Not only did you purchase all the materials but you took the time necessary to run this experiment, document it all, then edit and create this video. Thank you for sharing your talents. Take care and have a good one, Adios!👊
I never noticed the clock, I was too interested in the review. I just tried one for a rock pulverizing circuit and it worked well. Not as well as with wood, but still a big improvement over other alternatives.
I wanted to commend you on your presentation as it was very quick, thorough, and useful.
I'm not much into wood working, but you sure did a good job on this video.
Keith
Great video and even better review! I knew I wanted a cyclone separator and was actually going to go with rocklers dust right until I saw this video. After watching it I ordered the diy dust deputy with a 14 gallon drum. It works as shown in this video. I will have to get a good bag for my vacuum because the fine dust particles occasionally still make it into the vacuum like you stated. Glad I researched this before buying. Thanks for the help!!!
I bought a dust deputy years ago and it was all steel. I fitted it to a steel drum with a seal ring lock lid and It does the job perfectly.
you should do this again and include the dustopper. Seems to work amazingly well for woodworking
Thank you! I was leaning towards the Dust Deputy but then saw an ad for the Dust Right so I was happy to find your comparison of the 2! Going for the Dust Deputy
Thanks for the shootout vid. The 'Deputy" was on my list to get even before watching, but now I'm convinced it is the way to go. I'll be getting just the separator by itself and doing my own collection bucket thing to save even more $$. It's on sale right now at Menards for $45. Thanks again... Cheers!
Thank you for this product comparison. I have been trying to decide for a few days now on which unit to buy. You did a great job with explaining all the features, pros and cons, and I think in the end, I'll go with the Oneida as well.
I'm about done with the basic shop restructure and just now thinking about the dust collection system to use. I was already leaning towards the Dust Deputy, but I believe you've helped make up my mind. Thanks for taking to time to review these for us, bud.
I have the Dust Deputy and hooked it to a Rigid shop vac using 2" PVC pipe. Power for the system is run through an i-Socket device I bought from Menards. I plug my tool and the shop vac into the i-Socket and when I turn on the tool, the vacuum turns on as well. I turn off the tool and the vacuum runs for 3 extra seconds and then turns off. Everything is mounted to a plywood cart making it easy to move around the shop.
The Dust Deputy works very well and I highly recommend it.
Wood whisperer thanks for this demonstration. I bought the diy dust deputy because of the shoot-out results and I got great results. The money I spent on the dust deputy was well spent.
I'd love to see this recreated with newer option available.
Especially for 4" inlet/outlets
I bought the Dust right Cyclone for $79 with a 10' anti-static hose on special from Rockler. The Dust Deputy kit (my original favorite) is $99 now. A little dust in the shopvac bag I can deal with. The Dust Right is also more stable on it's wheels.
Thanks for the review.
Great comparisons and great video. I bought just the Oneida cyclone part last week and attached it to my own 5 gallon bucket with little time and effort. I've seen the same results as you have. Glad to see I chose correctly!
Thanks for the comparison.....I love how time stands still in your shop.
Thanks for the review. Based mostly on your results and comments, I went and bought the Dust Deputy (DYI edition) for $49.99 at Busybee. Contrary to claims published here and there, it does not pick 99% of the saw dust, but 99.99% !!!
I use it with a Dirt Hawg 5 HP 12 Gal shop vac with a half a leg of pantyhose over the filter. It's been two weeks now and almost two full buckets of saw dust later, just TRACES of dust in the vac, hardly anything on the pantyhose. Should have done this years ago.
A good seal at the lid of the cyclone bucket can make that difference. I test my big and little DD with smoke to insure there is no air moving between the chamber and the outside at the lid.
If you see ANY big chips in the vac can, it's a sign you have a leak. On the other hand, I've had plastic and fiber glass go through because they are both large and light, so don't spin out.
Was making out my Christmas list and had an eye on the dust deputy. Now it's on the list for sure. Thanks for the review.
The dust deputy is one of the best workshop "tools" I've ever invested in. One thing that I was initially disappointed in though, was the fact that when I had it hooked up to my Makita shop vac it would actually start to suck the lid into the bucket. Was fairly easy to fix though. Just completely ditched the flimsy plastic lid and shop made a plywood lid. Just make sure to route a groove to the underside of the plywood lid so that it fit perfectly over the rim of the supplied bucket.
After this fairly simple modification, it's now a 10/10 dust collection system when hooked up to the Makita shop vac. For Australian users:- I got the "Dust Deputy Deluxe" from Carbatec Current price $189 AUD. We'll worth the money as the Makita vac now works at 100% efficiency all the time and no more clogged filter!
Sean B
I was going to do a video of dust deputy too, but what is the point, it does exactly what your video shows. I love this thing. Thanks for doing the video and anyone thinking of buying one of theses, I bought mine as a separate unit and mounted mine to a standard 5 gallon bucket and it works great and took me less that 20 min to do the mounting. I highly recommend them, it absolutely will add years to the life of both the filter and the motor of any shop vacuum!
Thank you for showing the Cyclone Separator, I well being getting on soon for my shop. It is wonderful to see people on RUclips doing things so other can get great ideas. Keep up the good work.
14:47 "You're a little bit expensive for my taste" - has a shop full of overpriced Festool power tools.
exactly my thoughts.
i bought a set of festool, cant afford electricity......
@@aaroncarey7209 I can't even afford the letter F much less the other 3 letters..
You get what you pay for. They are very high quality tools. I don't own any but I usually buy once and cry once. There are absolutely no Ryobi, Rigid, Crapsman or other garbage in my shop. I was one of the first to buy a Mirka Ceros sander at $500. Years later it is going strong like the day I bought it and have absolutely no regrets.
@@6milesup I would rather see a good woodworker with Ryobi tools than a hack with Festool. Just because someone finds a way to afford the high $$$ stuff doesn't translate to skill. I have seen exceptional things done with those supposed "garbage" tools and own a range of things myself from Ryobi, Craftsman, Porter Cable, Skill, Milwaukee and so on. I would not dream of paying Festool prices but if someone thinks they get the value out of that high price then more power to them.
To maybe fix bucket collapse of the ClearVue Mini try putting it into another 5 gallon bucket if it will fit or putting some other type of round stiffener around it. I think it will keep it from collapsing by forcing it to keep a round shape which is stronger. Chris Notap found this to be a solution for his homemade cyclone separator when he used it with his more powerful central vac.
I was about to by the Dust Deputy then I saw the Dust rite on sale and started looking for reviews. Spotted this and after watching decided to stick with my first choice the Dust Deputy, Great review thanks for the info. Also I would take the battery out of your clock every time you do a video just to drive the nitpickers nuts.
Not sure how long ago you ran this test, but it would be interesting to see a repeat of the test, with the Home Depot “dust stopper” and the Harbor Freight “cyclone” units being included.
I have the Dust Deputy and the Dust Stopper. I bought the Dust Deputy cyclone without bucket and supplied my own. Using a Home Depot bucket it would collapse it like in the video. The Dust Stopper never collapses the bucket but i bet i loose over 1/2 suction. Not happy with the Dust Stopper at all.
Great Review and Real World Testing...I was researching for my small hobbyist shop a reliable working dust collection system, and the Oneida Dust Deputy made my "must buy" list, I just need confirmation. Thank You!!!!
I need a wall clock like he has. Never needs batteries, no need to look at it, and it's exactly correct twice a day!
Marc, thank you for this comparison test. I have wondered about the differences of these units' performance.
Hi Marc, I know all these tests are fraught with ifs and buts, but anecdotally I have the Vortex dust right and I have had it connected to my benchtop planer for a while now. In fact, I use it for nothing else. The chips from this planer are large and used to fill my ridgid vac very quickly. Since I have had the vortex, I have not emptied the ridgid once, but I have emptied the vortex three times. So I can say with full confidence that the vortex works amazingly with a benchtop planer.
Nice, clear, concise review. Looks like Oneida has fixed their quality-control problems with the plastic welding.
I used to use the Dust deputy on my festool copy vac for concrete grinding with a 9' hitachi. I would empty 3 buckets of dust before a full bag. Works a treat.
Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was the best. Played them all ;)
Thanks for the video.
Fantastic video. Watching in 2019 and still very relevant. A big thank you.
Great review. I've been looking at the dust deputy. I'm glad I caught this before purchasing.
I enjoyed your review. Prior to watching I had an opinion the Oneida was the winner.
In the "connectivity" section as you were installing the hoses into the various cyclones. I noticed that 2 models used an OD connection and 1 (Oneida) used an ID fitting.
The ID fitting is an issue. It causes 2 problems, restriction of the inlet size and a place for debris to accumulate. That might not be an issue for a woodworker but for any other uses like metal workng, it could be.
Thorough review, thanks
I have an Oneida, and certainly the inlet fitting is some serious brain damage. I have a shop vac hose that goes around it, and I do get debris sticking in the gap. (The hose only makes contact where the inlet flares open.) I also find it doesn't stay on well.
I am thinking of either making an adapter that matches the profile of the inlet (on the inside) and the size of the hose (on the outside) or cutting off the reduced part. Cutting off the reduced part might increase airflow, but I am a bit concerned about Something Bad happening if I do that. Is there anyone reading this who can comment on that?
AWESOME .... I'm going with the Dust Deputy - thanks for taking out the time to share this ....
Went out and bought the dust deputy today. works absolutely amazing
I watched videos and decided on the " dust deputy " for me. For my first major use, i hooked up my ridged vacuum and went to town. I was genuinely surprised that i had about 6 inches of sawdust in the dust deputy and almost nothing in the ridged canister.
Good video!! This is about the 3rd video I’ve seen on a dust collector shootout. The dust deputy won every time.
I figured at the start of the video that you would pick the Rockler unit since they are a sponsor. I was pleasantly surprised. Nice video! Also I will be picking up a Dust Deputy for the shop. Thanks.
Thanks a lot man, what a fantastic and very simple review. I'm in the process of getting one of these and the choice for me is now obviously clear as I want to upgrade from the system I currently have in my garage is quite frankly junk. Best of luck with your projects - Gold from South Africa.
Hi Mark, i have seen all of your videos and this one has let me buy the dust deputy here in germany :). I will use it on my selfmade wood-cnc machine.
Thanks a lot for all your inspiring videos
Great video, Mark. Very helpful and I was glad to see that my Dust Deputy came out on top!
Awesome job on this video! Love the elimination ceremony at the end, and you can't really argue with the results.
Marc, nice review. As others have noted, it would be nice to see a review of the home-brew Thein separator as it seems so many folks hang their hat on one. You said that the most important criteria was the actual dust collection (or separation) efficiency. As you demonstrated, the Oneida was the winner based on what made it through to the green machine. But I was surprised that you didn’t emphasize more how much of a winner the Oneida was in this category, it looked to me that the others left almost ten times the dust of the Oneida, which frankly shocked me as I presumed the ClearView unit would do much better than it did.
Great video...and I am awe struck that among your skills....you are able to make time stand still...which means we can stay forever in the wood shop :)
Thanks for sharing
Because most shop vacs are used to vac shops, not extract dust and chips. Also, there's a more expensive and critical component on top of that white bucket.
Forget the battery in the clock, it was a great review.
My Dust Deputy just arrived today. Looking forward to purchasing filters/bags less often!!
Is it possible to buy a shop vac with this cyclone system built in already, it seems really primitive to sort of drag this bucket on wheels around your workshop? Thanks
Excellent presentation. I loved this video. Many thanks.
Got myself a dust deputy, without the hardware and bucket for just $30, bought a used 13 gallon high density Polyethylene barrel with a sealing hatch at the top for $10, removed the primary filter on the shop-vac, only kept the foam protector on the motor, and that thing sucks everything, all is kept in the 13 gallon barrel, once every blue moon I empty the barrel....my most satisfying buy! No more bags, I used to buy bags every other month....
Buyer beware... the standard Dust Deputy that was tested here is probably perfect for something with the flow rate comparable to a home vacuum cleaner. However, if you have a good shop vac you may want to look for something a little larger than this version. The reduction in flow is very noticeable.
The results below are compared to a seasoned stock cartridge filter on a Rigid brand shop vac (the highest flow vac Lowes sells)
100% flow 183 CFM Seasoned stock filter
93% 170 CFM Dirty bag filter
85% 156 CFM Seasoned HEPA cartridge filter + Dirty bag filter
77% 141 CFM Homemade 7" diameter cyclone (99.5% efficient)
-->>63%
Correction... the Rigid WD1851 shop vac is from Home Depot, not Lowes.
+Tony Shulthise Thank you, I have a Shop Vac that has similar performance to your Rigid WD1851, if you had to do it over again would you have made your cyclone larger diameter than the 7" you have now for lesser pressure drop?
monkeyboy4746 no. Mine has 1/3rd the pressure drop of the Dust Deputy that I tested and only passes about 1/3rd more dust (99.7% efficient vs. 99.8%). However, this Dust Deputy would be ideal for a small shop vac or a home vacuum cleaner pump.
I'm still experimenting with different designs. I'm going to build a two stage cyclone to see if I can get the efficiency over 99.9% without too much pressure drop. I'm also using an air pump that can provide over 3psi vs the 1.5 psi my shop vac delivers so I can afford more pressure drop now.
I couldn't be happier with my dust deputy. Haven't had to change the filter on my shopvac or the bag on my dust collector in over a year and I have used it while cutting and routing through probably 50 sheets of 3/4inch mdf(which is the king of dust) and dozens of sheets of plywood. And pretty much no dust buildup anywhere around the shop, rarely even have to sweep. Sounds like you have an under powered or poorly designed shopvac if you are having that much drop in cfm. I'm getting maybe 15-20% drop in suction which has little to no effect on saw dust, all while using a 30 year old made in USA craftsman shopvac, and similar results on my 3hp dust collector. Rigid tools used to be pretty good, like their old pipe threaders that are still prized by plumbers and electricians for example, but now-a-days they are basically junk. Remember when they rate those Chinese made tools they are always less powerful than stated on the box because they use peak power for their ratings to try and get more people to buy them. When in reality they should be calculating by continuous power consumption. So your 3 to 6hp rigid is probably around 1.5 to 2.5hp which is pretty underpowered. You might want to toss that crap rigid in the garbage and get a better vac or better yet a good quality 3 to 5hp 240volt dust collector.
I bought the dust deputy metal version and a 30 gallon cardboard drum. The biggest problem I found was when I cleaned out the sawdust under my Delta table saw, the dust deputy could not keep up with the dust separation fast enough and it plugged up my vacuum filter rather quickly. I wonder how the same use would affect the the other two units. I am asking you because you have the other two already. Thanks for listening-Tim
Some complaints I have about the Dust Deputy are that it is very top heavy and I noticed a loss of suction when using it. My shop vac could not pick up screws anymore with the dust deputy. THANKS for the video! I was considering buying the Vortex and giving it a try. Now I know better.
Wow. Outstanding video! No ums or aahs, good lighting and sound. Clear, concise, good information with appropriate vocabulary. Woodwhisperer, I don't know who you are and I'll watch more of your videos, but you are clearly not some weekend warrior who is showing off to his buds. I guess you must have some financial backing (Festool) but your sponsors chose well. .....um, how about comparing to a Thein separator?
Oh no doubt. In fact all the units would probably perform very well in most situations. I think the difference here was the focus on fine dust as opposed to large chips. I figured the large stuff is easy to separate. Its the small particles that separate the good from the great.
Thank you for the great shootout... and for saying "fewer", instead of "less particles". ; )
You need a couple of hold-down clamps on the lid of the Onieda model, that would make sure it doesn't pop off. I made a separator some years ago but it has it's disadvantages.
Excellent review, by the way!
Just looking at them should make it obvious to most with minor understanding for physics, that the Oneida would be the one with the best separation. A flat structure does not have the same capability to drop the finer dust in the vessel as the taller ones do, which is also clearly illustrated in the test. One reason the Oneida works so well, is that it is a scaled copy of well known industrial applications, which have been calculated over and over and over again, based on airflow, type of material, filter capabilities, abrasion and everything else known to man, that might be relevant. One of the secrets is that the outlet pipe needs to extend lower into the cone, than the inlet, so only the inner and outer vortexes operate alongside one another, eliminating any direct draft from the inlet tube to the suction tube, thus giving a more effective separation. For industrial scale systems everything is calculated. Dimensions, angles, pipe lengths and so on. Multiple cyclones might even be coupled together to get rid of even more particles. In this case air speed is usually a factor to make greater use of the centrifugal forces, which explains why two cyclones connected are usually neither the same size, nor geometry. Dump the large and heavy stuff first at lower speeds, and then accellerate the rest in the next cyclone, to get rid of the finer particles. This way you can achieve ratings clean enough to release directly into outside air for some applications. Some might need final filtration, especially when dealing with toxic material.
On a side note this could also be an argument NOT to buy a lifetime bag, since it means the risk of getting exposed to particles. With concealed one time use bags, it stays in the bag, and you minimize the risk of getting in contact with hazardous materials. Usually the finer dust is the most dangerous, as a wood chip is pretty easy to spit out, but that is not true for asbestos or fibre glass dust. Some wood dusts are also very unattractive, as they promote cancer, like merbau for instance. Whatever ends up in the extraction bins is not in your lungs - make sure your system runs as efficiently as possible and is well maintained.
Thank you, I was going thru a hissy fit trying to decide. I always watch all your vid's , very interesting and interesting. Keep up the good work
Great job evaluating products.
Great no nonsense and to the point.
Thanks
You need a new battery in your clock
Loren Klein 😂😂😂
It’s not sponsored
Loren Klein 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This doesnt look like he does anything without an sponsor. Like anything at all.
Hey, it’s showing the right time twice a day!
nice shirt and you're from jersey, this may make you my favorite channel
Next time, you should do your best 'Sir James Dyson' impersonation.
He sure knows how to sell things that suck. So does David Oreck.
Love the vids!
OK I started with a dust right vortex. It rolls nicely, connected fine with multiple hoses, but only separated some of the dust. I got a Dust Deputy and it is a huge improvement in terms of separating dust. However, good luck pulling it around the shop on casters. It falls over. Constantly. I built a cart with vacuum on top and Dust Deputy below with a straight hose between the DD and the vacuum intake. If I had to guess I’d say 90% + of dust ends up in the bucket. The tipping over really ticked me off at first; however, I would’ve ended up making a cart anyway because 2 separate things connected by hoses thru the shop is a PITA.
Owned the Dust Deputy for many years in a pro shop, it works like a charm.
Thanks a load for this shootout. I have been looking for some good comparisons between the DD & the clearvue mini, and you addressed all of them. Props for the Zelda shirt.
Wow! I was surprised at the results. Did not expect that at all.
Great Video - I am surprise no one had done something like this before. Now all I have to do is wait till the dust deputy is on sale.
Great comparison. Do you have a newer version? I love your channel but it’s a bit weird to go back and watch some of your old stuff!
I believe these are really intended for smaller systems, as evidences by the port sizes. But I believe Oneida sells a larger unit for larger systems. You can also look into a Thein system.
I still like my ClearVue cyclone. There is a long story (of which I don't know the details) surrounding ClearVue's small cyclone design and Onieda suing them or something. This new design is their answer to that. But what works on the larger unit may not work as well in a small compact size. I don't think these results should have any bearing on an assessment of the large cyclone units.
Wished I had watch this vid prior to purchasing the Vortex. This unit is a piece of do do because it only picked up 50 percent and the rest went into my vac. I did purchase the Dirt Deputy and WOW it picked up all the dust and wood chips in my shop and my vac hardly had any dust or chips. Will buy another one because this little unit is the best.
I have the Oneida as well and love it. Like you I'm not a big fan of the hard type hose that comes with the Rockler, but I might like to try it for this application. When I turn on my vac the suction makes the flexible hose between the Oneida cyclone and the vac shrink right up, yanking the cyclone toward the vac, sometimes easily popping the top right off that can.
I have the Dust Deputy but the cyclone is steel and the top/ drum is also steel with a clamp band lock, purchased for $50. (Where did you get that plastic kit?) It works great for moving about the shop for small tool and mess clean up. Caution with the steel Dust Deputy: don't vacuum green wood lathe turnings as it rusts the interior rather quickly. However, I also have a full Oneida dust collection system steel piped to every tool which eliminates 99% of the dust and wood chips.
I like how you explain that , very helpful
Fantastic review chief. You're a natural reviewer and announcer. I have one quick question. How do these separators fair against drywall dust sanding?
I think I probably use my shop vac for that more than anything. Cheers!
Spiny Norman I've seen video footage of the dust deputy being used with concrete grinding and the shop vac filter stayed clean the whole time.
I think the best way to do a comparison test is to test two at once in a tandem configuration then swap positions and see the difference in the pail.
Thanks you helped me decide which one to get for my small shop
Excellent coverage. I wish I'd seen this before I bought two units!
We had one that worked on the galvanized garbage cans. It was really more like a cap with two holes. Not sure how well that worked but it had openings for the larger dust collection hoses. We used it on the planer the most because they make big mess in a short time. Just ask anyone who does wood work, they might say the planer makes the worst mess.
I am sure at some point it might be inundated, but I do know folks use these separators for larger tools. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test it under those conditions.
What was wrong with the Dust Right? What does "pitchy" mean? In another super complicated dust test, the Dust RIght far outperformed the Oneida one. I'm a bit confused what your conclusion was?
The larger the particle, the more chance there is that the particle will travel right through into the vac. So while I know many folks who use these systems for larger machines, I can't personally comment from experience on it. But at a certain point, you could probably overwhelm the cyclone.