Oneida 2hp Commercial Cyclone opinions please

[Cliff Newton]

I was looking very seriously at the Woodsucker II system, but then I pulled out my Dec 2003 issue of Wood Magazine and the Oneida 2hp commercial system blew the Woodsucker away in every catagory and was chosen as the Top Tool. Also, the Oneida's noise is rated at 81db whereas the Woodsucker was 91db. Now, I know that Wood mag is a commercial magazine and Oneida pays them alot of money every issue for ads. So, are these test results biased towards Oneida or is Oneida really that much better? Anyone here know?

[Mark Singer]

I have the Oneida and really like it. I really can't compare it since I never had a central Cyclone before. It is pretty quiet. Really seems to get almost all the dust from most of the machines. I guess you could say it sucks....but in a good way.

(that didn't come out right)

[John Scane]

I also have the Onieda 2hp commercial. It works great and I'm glad I spent the extra $ for it. I've seen several tests and read others posts about it and they all say the Onieda is tops.

don't know if that really helps you.....

[Steve Cox]

I can't comment on the Oneida but I have the Woodsucker and am very pleased with it. I put mine in a closet along with my compressor, insulated and lined with soundboard and the noise is not too bad. I have to wear hearing protection with it but I need to anyway for the machinery that is running so not a big issue. For the cost the Woodsucker beats Oneida hands down I think and the question then becomes how good do you need. An Altendorf sliding tablesaw beats my Jet cabinet saw in every category but do I really need it to accomplish my goals in the shop?

[Frank Pellow]

I also have the Onieda 2hp commercial. So far it has limited use, but I am glad that I bought it. However, I disagree with Mark's statement that "It's pretty quiet". I say IT'S PRETTY LOUD. I am in the process of building a closet around the unit in an attempt to reduce the noise.

[Bill Lewis]

I just installed the Oneida 2hp commercial unit, and it is definately alot quieter than the JET DC1200 2hp bag unit I had before. I also made my own wall mount bracket, and put rubber bushings between the unit and the bracket just as an extra measure. I'm still installing my ductwork, so I won't know more til that is done.

I looked at all of the other units out there, and given the reputation, and all of the recomendations and specifications I read, I didn't think the cost difference was all that much. Remember too, you'll probably spend almost (at least 75%) as much on ductwork as you do on the cyclone.

[Cliff Newton]

One thing I noticed while comparing the two units is shipping costs. It will cost $230.00 to ship the Oneida to my house. Is the package that big? It only cost $75.00 to ship my 480 lb jointer from Grizzly.

[Frank Pellow]

One thing I noticed while comparing the two units is shipping costs. It will cost $230.00 to ship the Oneida to my house. Is the package that big? It only cost $75.00 to ship my 480 lb jointer from Grizzly.
There are a lot of parts. Mine came in 5 BIG cartons that filled up my 4' x 8' trailer.

[Jim Becker]

I am an owner of the Oneida 2hp Commercial Cyclone and am very pleased. It's my second Onieda--I had the 1.5hp in my shop for several years and upgraded when I both expanded the shop and bought a larger Euro jointer/planer combo machine that required more air flow. My original system is now installed in a friend's shop and still putting sawdust away.

The system performance is just how it's represented by the manufacturer and by the independent test by WOOD Magazine. It rocks. While it truly is quieter than the Woodsucker (which is a good machine, by the way), it's still a loud machine. Also, like any dust collection system, the air moving through the hood on the tool will greatly increase the noise level. I solved the former by putting my cyclone (and compressor) in a closet built for the purpose that features sound dampening and a folded air return system. The machine, itself, is marginally noticable when running, and the actual sound level depends on the machine I'm servicing with it. My J/P is the loudest due to the hood design...but I wear hearing protection when using that tool anyway.

The 2hp Commericial System ships by truck because it has at least one component that is too heavy for UPS and the combination of all the cartons ship for less money via truck than they would via UPS, too. Grizzly, due to their volume, is able to negotiate rates with truckers that small companies can't do.

[Bartee Lamar]

Have you looked at the new Grizzly's.

No one has one, but they are very interesting and I think it will be competitive. They just published new comparisons and have a picture that shows the difference in th shipping.

There are been plently of discussion on this and other forum's about these new machines.

I know I need a DC and for me the Grizzly looks like the best for the money.

[JayStPeter]

I have the 2HP Oneida commercial. I like it. It is a super heavy duty machine that I expect to last a good long time. The fit and finish are flawless (it even comes with touch up paint). The only thing I feel is lacking on mine is the wall brackets. But, from Frank P's install, I have learned that those have been redesigned. Like others, I built a closet for it to keep noise down to a dull roar.
Oneida is a good company to deal with. I originally wanted to overkill and get the 3HP. They talked me down by giving me real world numbers of what I could expect with my ductwork. They know their stuff. The 2HP performs fantastic in my 600ft^2 shop. But, I can't help feeling like someday I might score a bigger shop and want a little more power. :cool:
That said, it is the single most expensive piece of equipment I currently own. It definitely hurt to buy it. But, at the time, I felt the only less expensive option that would perform as well would have been to build my own. Since I was deep in the process of building the shop itself, I didn't want to spend the time on that. The new Grizzly 3HP looks like something that I would've been seriously interested in if it had been around. But, no regrets, I have not doubt I got the best.


Jay

[Frank Pellow]

... (it even comes with touch up paint) ...
Jay
Hey, I didn't get any touch up paint. :(

[Allan Johanson]

I'm not sure how much the noise level will change when a cyclone is mounted in one shop vs another, but I didn't want to mount mine to the wall because of a fear that the resonance would turn that wall (shared with the house) into a large sounding board. So I made a freestanding stand from 2x4s and plywood. Lag bolts in the bottom of the 2x4s can adjust for height to make it level on uneven floors.

A little ugly....but it works well. :p

Cheers,

Allan

[Steven Wilson]

The Oneida 2HP commercial is a very good unit. I was debating between it and the 3HP system and for my ductwork/machine requirements the 2HP fit just fine, even accounting for growth. In the small cyclone dust collector space the Oneida meets a number of requirements;

1) Honest flow measurements. Real world fan curves are given that are born out by independent (Wood Magazine) and competitor tests (Grizzly).

2) Their fittings and impellor's meet fire protection codes (you need a non-sparking impellor like aluminum) - others (Woodsucker, Grizzly) use riveted steel (can spark).

3) Filter media that is appropriately sized for the job and meets industry certifications. Anybody can say that their filters will filter particles of a given size (Grizzly, Woodsucker) but few (Oneida and Felder) tell you what standards their filters meet and then have them independently tested against that standard. This information is usefull because then you can decide if that standard meets your requirements. If you look at the health and safety literature reguarding wood dust you'll find mention of various stanards that need to be met reguarding particle filtration.

As for the Woodsucker 2hp unit, it's really positioned between the Oneida 1.5hp unit and the Oneida 2HP commercial unit. It has a lot less filter material than the 2HP Oneida commercial unit and the filter media is rather expensive (good reason for cost differences). I'm also not a big fan of having plastic bags over the outlet. If they rip or come off then you've put all of the fine dust into the air. Oneida's filtration design is much better.

[JayStPeter]

Hey, I didn't get any touch up paint. :(

Maybe it didn't make it through customs :D



3) Filter media that is appropriately sized for the job and meets industry certifications....

I didn't mention it earlier, but the Oneida filter is an awesome piece on its own, as it $hould be. I don't think there are any other mfrs. out there that have equivalents from the standpoint of quality and durability. Mine stands nearly 6 ft. tall, and with filters, size matters. I can even fill mine half way with chips and it still flows well :cool: .

Jay

[Robert Mayer]

I think you guys spend too much time on a piece of machinery that doesnt actually build anything.

[Greg Narozniak]

I was on the fence last year as well and I went with the 2hp Commecial Oneida and I have never looked back. Great company and it does everything well above my expectations.

[Steven Wilson]

I think you guys spend too much time on a piece of machinery that doesnt actually build anything.

It actually does build something. It allows me to build things. Before I upgraded my stationary powertools to ones that had decent dust collection provisions and purchased an appropriately sized DC unit with well documented and decent filtration, I spent a fair amount of time out of the shop and in the doctors office being treated for sinus infections caused by poor dust collection. The air comming out of my Oneida is cleaner than the air in my house and my lungs and nose thank it for doing its job well.

[JayStPeter]

I think you guys spend too much time on a piece of machinery that doesnt actually build anything.

Ahhh, but it's the time we don't spend pushing a broom ;)

[Erik Rudd]

The 2hp Commericial System ships by truck because it has at least one component that is too heavy for UPS and the combination of all the cartons ship for less money via truck than they would via UPS, too. Grizzly, due to their volume, is able to negotiate rates with truckers that small companies can't do.
Mine shipped via FedEx back in Dec. '03. I wonder if they've changed....

[greg kurtock]

Hey, I didn't get any touch up paint. :(
No problem, OAS will send you some...for free!

http://store.oneida-air.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=OAS&Product_Code=APA000000&Category_Code=ACC

OAS's customer service really appealed to me.

Love my 2hp commercial, would buy another in a heartbeat.

Greg

[Frank Pellow]

I think you guys spend too much time on a piece of machinery that doesnt actually build anything.
Its a piece of machinery that helps me keep healthy so that I am able to spend time building things.

[John Scarpa]

Its a piece of machinery that helps me keep healthy so that I am able to spend time building things.
Frank,
You are so right on the health issue. I have the Oneida and it hasn't seen any use yet. The Wood mag tests and feedback from users at SMC were enough for me to purchase this unit.
John

[Bill Lewis]

I've been hooking up my ductwork to the Oneida 2HP Com unit. As of last night I had three open ports (2) 5" and one 6". I ran a quick non-scientific test to see how much suction it was pulling. All I can say is Wow! That thing really sucks. Even with the three ports open.
Later I did the same, to check the suction at the table saw port that goes under the floor. I closed off the remaining ports to check it and again. I used 4" PVC electrical conduit to run under the floor to the saw because it has large radius elbows, I wish I had put in 5" or 6". It was still impressive, but there were definately some loss in efficiency due to the size of the pipe.