Opinions wanted - 50-850 DC potential purchase

[Dave Boxmeyer]

I was hoping to get some opinions from the experts here in this forum on a purchase I'm considering. I have the chance to purchase a used Delta 50-850 DC for $225. The seller lists the condition as unused - so assuming that it is in like new condition, is this a good purchase?

I'm having some reservations since I was originally planning on getting the Delta 50-760 since it was so highly rated in the recent FWW article. However, the seller states this 50-850 has a 1 micron bag and this model seems to get good reviews from folks here.

I guess what I'm asking is the following: If you were in my shoes, would you purchase the Delta 50-850 for $225 or would you purchase a new 50-760 from somewhere else?

Thanks in advance for any input!

[Chris Barton]

Hi Dave,

I have the Delta 850 unit as my DC with a complete "plumbing system" to each of my big tools including a radio remote control. The unit has worked well but, if I had it to do over again and were putting in a central DC system, I would go with a big cyclone such as the PSI units or the Griz unit. Each of the units have been reviewed very favorably. All that said, I have been happy with my 850...

[Steve Roxberg]

I own that unit, but be carefull not all of them have/had 1 micron bags. Mine came with 30 micron bags. If it has the 1 micron and is new, then $225 is a ok price, not a steal.

Of course the larger units would be nice, but mine work ok on a single machine at a time.

["Gary Brewer"]

I have that DC with the 1 micron bag. I had to pay extra for the bag because is doesn't come with the 1 micron. At the time it was around $270 got for the DC and $87 for the 1 micron bags. If the unit you are looking at is brand new and has the 1 micron bags then it is a good deal. Eventually you may want a cyclone ( I would get Oneida's) but this is a good cheaper alternative. I purchasd the 1 micron bag after using the dust collector for a while with the original 30 micron bag and there is a big difference and a major health improvement in the better bags. I would make sure that is has the 1 micron bag.

[Andy Pedler]

Hi all, I'm also looking into dust collectors, and had a question about the bags. Clearly a 1 micron bag is going to keep the air cleaner for a while. However, I'm thinking of putting the dust collector outside my shop/garage, and building a little closet around it to keep it out of the elements, then running the ductwork through the wall into the garage.

So my question is, if the dust is going into this little dust collection closet, do I still need to worry a lot about having a very fine filtering bag? When opening the closet to empty the bags I'll wear a good mask, and I'm sure the inside of that closet will get dusty and require cleaning every so often.

Are there any other things to worry about when doing this? Thanks in advance!

- ap

[Randy Gillard]

I have the version of 850 that was sold with the 30 micron bag, since upgraded to the Lee Valley bag. The DC works fine in my 20x20 shop. I use it on my 8" jointer, Ridgid Planer, performax drum sander, minimax bandsaw, all with great results.

Cheers
Randy

[Bruce Page]

I own that unit, but be carefull not all of them have/had 1 micron bags. Mine came with 30 micron bags. If it has the 1 micron and is new, then $225 is a ok price, not a steal.

Of course the larger units would be nice, but mine work ok on a single machine at a time.

The 30 micron bags are junk.
I bought mine several years ago when they only came with the 30 micron bags. It didn't take long before I replaced them with Penn State 1 micron! I use the 850 as a single port, moving it to the various machines as I need it. It does a good job with the 1 micron bags.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Mine came with the 30 micron bags. I changed to the 1 micron bags (2 of them) and have been well pleased. If you are getting the 1 micron bags, you are getting a pretty good deal IMHO.

[glenn bradley]

if the dust is going into this little dust collection closet, do I still need to worry a lot about having a very fine filtering bag? - ap

Just remember the motor is going to use that discharged air to ventilate itself at a much higher rate than we breath; FWIW.

[Ken Werner]

I've had a 50-850 for a few years. I run it on 220, but it did fine on 110. I had the Oneida 1 micron bags that made it look like a huge chef's hat - they were of overized diameter. They worked OK, but were a PITA to change.

I recently upgraded to a canister filter, after reading the DC article in FWW. I bought it from the company they suggested. Very happy with it: smaller, and seems to work well.

BUT, I have one of those trash can cyclones to make it a sort of 2 stage collector, and the 850 pulls through it so well that alot of chips end up in the now plastic lower bag. I know, I'm complaining that my DC sucks.

Bottom line: if it is in good shape, and the bags are 1 micron, it's a pretty good deal. Worth about $325 -$350 new I suppose. But it ain't a cyclone, and never will be.

Ken

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

Skip the whole bag chip collector and fine dust redistributor and build a cyclone.

You asked. :D

[Dave Boxmeyer]

Thanks to everyone who posted - I appreciate the input. I'll be going to see the unit this evening. Assuming it is in the "like new" condition claimed on the ad, I'm going to make the purchase. I confirmed that it does indeed have a set of felt 1 micron bags that were purchased for use with the system - so that's a good sign. I'll follow up when I have it set up.

I also appreciate those of you who suggested a cyclone. I'll conceed that they cyclone works better (although I've never seen either in action) but the lowest priced cyclone I've seen is still up around $800. At almost 4x the price of my current plan, I don't think I can justify the purchase. I'd rather put some money towards another machine I'll want since I'm just starting to assemble things. I'm still in need of some major items liike a bandsaw, drill press, jointer and planer - so I need to conserve my funds. This is a hobby and I don't have that much free time for hobbies - I'm happy to get one full weekend a month in the shop so spending that much on a DC system doesn't feel jsutified. Nonetheless, I appreciate your input.

I'll post when I have made some progress. Again, thanks for the responses - this is a great community.

[Bob Dodge]

Hi Dave,

The Delta 850 has had several "make-overs" within the last 5-7 years. I've been told by recent purchasers, that it now comes with an 11 1/2"-12" impeller. The original version, was 11" or slightly less. None-the-less, that Delta 850 was the second strongest performer in the American Woodworker Magazine test in July 2000. Only the Jet DC-1200 managed to surpass it. The primary reason why the Delta scored so well in the test, is the low back-pressure design. The Delta 850 has a 6" blower-outlet and transfer-hose, with a full 6" entry to the bag-tree.

That said, current versions of the 850 now use a "limiter" which comes in the form of a restriction collar with a 4" opening. This restrictor, is tack-welded just inside the 6" blower inlet. It has three tiny spot-welds, and can easily be removed.

Why is that restrictor there???? To Limit "MAX" airflow. Manufacturers have little or no control over how the end-user uses his/her dc. If you were to use that dc venting outdoors, with no filters, and just a short run of large-diameter pipe, you'd flow too much air for the 1 1/2 hp motor. Used with a proper duct-network installed, you should have absolutely no problems with motor overload. With the Delta, you also have the advantage of a motor rated for "Continuous" duty-cycle operation, and, manual thermal overload protection.

Properly set-up, I think you'll find your dc, a very good purchase indeed.

Bob