Penn State Tempest S series 3.5HP Cyclone -- Anybody have one?

[Dan Case LR]

I'm looking at cyclones and trying very hard to be objective--though my heart likes to buy American whenever I can. I'm currently weighing two options, the Oneida V-3000 (Resin version) and the Penn State 3.5HP Tempest S. As you might expect, each has its strengths and weaknesses. I re-read the 2013 dust collector test data from Wood Magazine and the Tempest tested outperformed the V3000 on a few points--then I realized that the unit tested in that article is the 2.5 HP Tempest, NOT the 3.5! If the 2.5 can stand that close to the V3000, the 3.5HP Tempest ought to beat it hands down.

BTW, shipping for the Tempest 3.5S--a much heavier shipment--is only $150 (quote for shipping to my address), compared to Oneida's flat $250. A hundred here, a hundred there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money!

I know everyone has their preferences and favorites, and I don't want to rehash that debate. I'd just like some real-world feedback from owners of the Tempest 3.5S (or others with substantial first-person experience).

Anybody?

Thanks!

D.

[Andrew Hughes]

Hi have a tempest cyclone,Not the same one as your looking at.mine is red has a 3hp motor.It think it has a 14 inch impeller,Anyways I have had it for about 10 years.It sits outside my shop so I don't use the tall filter Only a drum.
i used to have a remote start stop but that stopped working so I just turn it on with the push button switch it came with.
i don't think you can go wrong with either one.Hope this helps Ya.Aj

[Ole Anderson]

When I was shopping for a cyclone, I had narrowed it down to one from Oneida and one from Penn State. When I called Penn State with a couple of questions, the answers and attitude I got, well let's just say I now have an Oneida. I am sure you will be happy with either.

[Jim Andrew]

I just looked at the Penn state web site and read the reviews, the only negative one commented on a poor quality motor. And also one commented on the filters standing on the metal filter stand with a hose connecting the filters to the cyclone. Most reviews were positive. If you buy one, please post on your results and how happy you are with the machine. I have a 2hp cyclone, and while it works well, it would always be nice to have more suction at the machines.

[Dan Case LR]

I haven't spoken to Bill Whitaker yet, but when I emailed for a shipping quote, he called and left me voice mail the next morning with the number. That speaks well of the pre-sale service; post-sale could be a whole 'nother thing. I've seen a comment or two here and there about PSI having bad customer service at one point and cleaning up their act. Maybe valid, maybe not.

I'll say this for Penn State: They back the Tempest S Cyclones with a FIVE YEAR warranty. I've been around long enough to know that companies don't offer that kind of warranty unless they're extremely confident that their product can go the distance. Oneida offers a 1-year warranty on the V series. Just the fact that it has a Baldor motor ought to rate a longer warranty than that, IMO.

D.

[Jim Andrew]

Read somewhere that Baldor is getting their smaller motors from China. The Leeson motor on my old cyclone is 10 years old, and still running fine.

[Curtis Myers]

I have the Penn State 3.5hp for four years now.
A few comments:
1. After running the cyclone for a while (about 20-30 minutes or more) it has a built in no restart for about six minutes. I can run it for hours no problem. But when I shut it down it will not restart for about six minutes or so. I called Penn State about this and was told that it was designed that way. He said the motor is 100% duty cycle and added that all motors do not like to be turned on and off frequently. This seldoms gets in my way.
2. The plastic lid to the dust bin broke. Recommend getting an extra if you get Penn State. They are only $7.

Other then above issues zero problems

It sucks, I can have three gates open and still be effective.

Highly recommend getting the Heavy Duty Switch Starter. With this you can run a wire to your blast gates to start the cyclone. I used very inexpensive light switches. Installed the light switch on the blast gate. One of my drops has three branches one right after another so I used a $2.99 toggle switch from Radio Shack centrally located. Had remote controlled prior and the remote was always somewhere else. Needed a clear path and sometimes not reliable. The Heavy Duty Switch Starter works every time and it's beside every blast gate.

Notice the light switch mounted on the blast gate for the table saw.
304812

The filters are high quality and very effective but I do not like cleaning them. It's not hard to clean, just looking for an easy button. Wish I got one that had an auto cleaning feature. Having said that I do not know if the ones on the market that have the auto cleaning feature are using a high quality hepa rated filters like Penn States are. I need my lungs.

The guys at Penn State are (like myself) blue color type folks. Maybe a little rough around the edges but always shot me straight. I do not know them but do not have any complaints.

Do not waist your time with the muffler. It did not change the desabel level on my meter at all, zero zip, zilch, nota.
I know where you can purchase a PSI muffler cheep :cool:

[Dan Case LR]

I called Penn State about this and was told that it was designed that way. He said the motor is 100% duty cycle and added that all motors do not like to be turned on and off frequently.


That line sent my BS detector into orbit. It doesn't matter if the motor "likes" being turned off and on--if it's a 100% duty cycle motor, you ought to be able to turn it off any time and turn it right back on again without delay. I work with lots of 100% duty cycle motors that run 24/7/365 except for maintenance and power failures. If we had one that wouldn't come right back up immediately after shutdown, we'd fix it or replace it--immediately.

It sounds like the motor may be running a bit too hot, on that hairy edge where it will keep going until it stops (and the cooling air stops), and then the high temp overload kicks in. You might be able to mitigate that by giving it some more cooling air, particularly if it's in a confined space. I've seen guys with cyclones in closets who located the air vent (to return air to the inlets) so that it has to flow past the motor to get out. Just a thought.

Thanks!

D.

[Jim Andrew]

If the 3.5 hp motor is running hot, you can move up to the 5hp. It is not a huge higher price, and from what I read, Bill Pentz said on his site that the reason he is using 5hp is that the smaller motors overheat and overamp when run on the 15 and 16" impellers. He wrote that the motor only uses the amount of power it needs to run the impeller.

[Dan Case LR]

Unfortunately, Penn State doesn't offer a 5HP single-phase option--just 3-phase.

D.

[mike mcilroy]

One more thing to consider. I was looking at PSI and emailed 3 times, their website says they will respond in a day. I got no response for almost two weeks until after I sent a fourth email telling them to disregard the first three emails because I had gone with Grizzly. The response from Bill said he was sorry but due to medical reasons he was out of the office for a while.
Even though I understand this happens why did someone else not respond even if it was to tell me there would be a delay until Bill got back.
What would happen if I already owned the machine and needed service?
I liked the looks of the specs on the machine but there has to be some customer service too.

[Dave Lewis]

Like Andrew posted previously, I have a 3HP Tempest bought in 2005. I works well but I recall that the design support was somewhat lacking. I found that the fittings, dust-gates, and pipe cost as much as the dust collector & filter.