Help deciding on a Laguna dust collector. 1.5hp or 2hp?

[Justin Pfenning]

I'm looking very seriously at the Laguna mobile cyclone dust collectors, and trying to decide between the 1.5HP and the 2HP. I like the compact mobile design, and the reviews seem good. I currently have a PM66, a Shop Fox 8" joiner, and a 16" drum sander for power tools. My short term plan is to use the dust collector by rolling it up to the machine I'm using, and hooking it up with a flexible hose (one machine at a time). My long term plan is to have a dedicated space with trunk lines and gates to all machines, leaving the DC in a fixed location. I plan to add a band saw and planer when the right deals come along. How do I know if the 1.5HP is big enough? Should I just bite the bullet and get the 2HP for future proof? I don't want to short myself in the future, but saving $400 would sure be nice. What do you think?

2HP model




Motor: 2 HP TEFC
220 Volt
Filter: Spun-bond polyester - Filters 99.9% of particles to 1 micron
Suction: 1450 CFM-14.8" Static Pressure
Inlet: 8" inlet - 2 x 4" splitter included
Capacity: 29 Gallon
Sound rating: 74dB
Weight: 205 lb. / 255 lb. shipping
Size: 36" X 26" X 70"
Footprint: 26"W x 36"L x 74"H
20 Amp breaker recommended



Brand: Laguna
Manufacturer Part Number: MDC0560
Weight (lbs): 285.0000
Sound Rating: 70 - 80 dB
Height: 74"
Length: 36"
Width: 26"
Filter Type: Canister
HP: 2 HP


1.5HP model



Motor: 1.5 HP TEFC 110V 60Hz 1 Phase
30 Amp breaker
Filter: Spun-bond polyester - Filters 99.9% of particles to 1 micron
Cleaning System - Hand crank
Suction: 1200 CFM - 8.5" Static pressure
Inlet: 6" inlet - 2 x 4" splitter included
Drum Capacity: 18 Gallon on wheels with quick release
Mobility - Entire unit on swiveling wheels
Sound rating: 75dB
Footprint: 24" x 32" x 66"
Weight: 121 lb.


Thanks, Justin

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd get the Oneida 2 hp Dust Gorilla Portable. The longer cyclone cone gives higher dust extraction efficiency.
It is essentially the same price as the Laguna 2 Hp, and is wheel-around, like the Laguna.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

2hp
minimum

[Justin Pfenning]

Forgot to add. Is there any other brands/models I should be considering? My other thought was purchasing a Grizzly 2HP canister DC, and adding the Oneida super dust deputy in front of it. This option saves me about $200 over the Laguna, but isn't nearly as clean and compact, and it's one more thing I have to do instead of wood working. I appreciate your thoughts and opinions.

Justin

[Mike Henderson]

I have the 2HP.

Couple of issues with my unit. Too much dust gets into the filter (and winds up in the bag below the filter). Also, there's a hose from the main part of the low pressure side of the fan to the drum were you collect the swarf. I think the purpose of that connection is to put a bit of low pressure below the plastic bag so that it is pulled against the sides of the drum. But it doesn't work. If I'm not careful to push the bag fully against the sides of the drum, the bag stays bunched up and leaves a lot less space for the swarf. So you think you have a full drum but then you open it and push the bag down and it's only 1/4 full.

Finally, a short time after I bought the unit, maybe a year, the starting capacitor on the motor went bad. Here's a picture of the motor on the top of the Laguna 2Hp unit.
311624

The starting capacitor is normally in the box facing forward in the picture. However, when I went to purchase a new capacitor, it was impossible for me to find a capacitor of the right value that was small enough to fit into the box. I finally had to put the replacement capacitor external to the box and wire it into the circuit (see blue wires). I use tie straps to hold the capacitor in place. I don't like this because the ends of the capacitor have line voltage on them and someone could get shocked poking around there, but I'm the only person who uses it so I live with it. [Added note: The failed capacitor was a "Made in China" cap and I wasn't going to buy a direct replacement from Laguna and put that back in. I wanted a good quality capacitor so I wouldn't have to fix it again in a year.]

I don't have any experience with any other dust collector but there must be some that are better.

Mike

[Justin Pfenning]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I've read some reviews complaining about leaks allowing dust to escape. Have you noticed ant of that? Good looking dog in your profile picture.

[Mike Henderson]

Thanks for the feedback Mike. I've read some reviews complaining about leaks allowing dust to escape. Have you noticed any of that? Good looking dog in your profile picture.
Skipper (the dog) says "Thanks". He's really a chick magnet. If I'm out with him, women come up and gush, "Oh, he's so cute, etc." I always reply the same, "Yeah, and the dog isn't bad either."

I haven't noticed any problem with dust leaking. I have my dust collector in a "closet" I built for it to reduce the noise. I keep the air compressor and the dust collector in there. It's not perfect because I have to have vents to let the air out (from the dust collector) but it helps a lot.

But I haven't noticed any serious dust leakage.

Mike

[Justin Pfenning]

Ok, thanks. Tell Skipper to keep up the good work. There's always time for attention.

[Bill McNiel]

I've had the Laguna 2HP for about three years and have had no problems at all. Fit, finish and functionality all great.

[Izzy Camire]

I was recently considering the Laguna 2HP as it was on sale at Woodcraft but went with the Oneida.

[Susumu Mori]

Mine is Oneida 2HP Gorilla Portable too. I'm not moving it around. So could have been a non-portable version, although until it settled to a corner of the room, it changed the location several times. So, I guess it doesn't hurt to be portable.

It doesn't look as sexy as Laguna. Much taller. Doesn't have fancy flexible hose to connect the bin. The way the bin is attached is a bit awkward; actually it gets lifted as you secure the buckles and the buckles were so tight and fussy especially when the sealing foam was new. I believe Oneida tried to remove all obstacles of the air flow, ended up in this awkward design.

The performance is much more than I expected. I already emptied the main bin five times. I see only speckles of dusts in the filter bin (the bottom of the filter compartment). It is recommended to blast the filter with pressured air, but I don't see anything by doing that. Interestingly, few large shavings from hand planes made all the way to the filter bin. Other than that,,, like I said, few speckles...

I connect one machine at a time with a 10-foot hose and the suction is almost scary. This ugly tall guy is wonderful.

[Mike Chalmers]

After just living through a terrible experience with the King Canada equivalent of the Laguna 3hp mobile manual cleaning unit, I am a fervent supporter of the longer cyclone. My Super Dust Deputy, which I am going back to, is far superior.

[Justin Pfenning]

After just living through a terrible experience with the King Canada equivalent of the Laguna 3hp mobile manual cleaning unit, I am a fervent supporter of the longer cyclone. My Super Dust Deputy, which I am going back to, is far superior.

What are you using on your Super Dust Deputy to generate vacuum? The Super DD is a stand alone cyclone, right?

Justin

[Mike Chalmers]

What are you using on your Super Dust Deputy to generate vacuum? The Super DD is a stand alone cyclone, right?

Justin

Right. I am using a 2hp with cartridge from Busy Bee (Canada), the CX400 (http://www.busybeetools.com/products/dust-collector-2hp-w-canister-csa.html). I have the SDD mounted on a 55 gal drum.

[glenn bradley]

I'd double check your review sources. The JDS and Laguna twins did not really fare very well in reviews I read IIRC. If you need the compact size, you will give up on performance and sometimes that's just a reality. I wanted a 3HP but it was "too much work" to make it fit where I wanted it so I went with a 2HP and have had buyers remorse to some degree ever since. On the upside, I will never make a decision in error like that again ;-)

[Justin Pfenning]

I'd double check your review sources. The JDS and Laguna twins did not really fare very well in reviews I read IIRC. If you need the compact size, you will give up on performance and sometimes that's just a reality. I wanted a 3HP but it was "too much work" to make it fit where I wanted it so I went with a 2HP and have had buyers remorse to some degree ever since. On the upside, I will never make a decision in error like that again ;-)

Thanks for the advice. Looks like I need to save a bit longer and go for a 3hp Oneida.

[Jim Andrew]

There was someone a while back mailing their testing equipment to other members. Would be nice if a few guys with different systems would check their systems after installing. I suspect the v3000 will compare to a smaller unit with larger impeller, but we could pick up some valuable data here.

[James Baker SD]

Just my gut feeling opinion, but if you eventually plan to go to the time, effort and expense of stationary DC with fixed ducting installed to each machine, then I would not bother with anything less than 3HP. Some 3HP DCs must be portable enough to serve your needs today, but also be a good foundation for the future.

[Justin Pfenning]

Yes, I agree. I can make a rolling base to give me the portability I need now, and set myself up for the future. A big thanks to all of you that responded.

Justin