Penn State DC's any good?

[Dick Holt]

Rumor has it Santa may be bringing me a dust collector for Christmas. The smaller (1-1/2 HP)Penn State dust collectors always seem to do well in the reviews (Wood, etc.). I was wondering about the quality of their units. I just want to buy this once. Does anyone have any experience with one? Thanks for any info.

Dick

[Vernon Taylor]

Can't address this model specificallybut, I have their 2hp 14" cyclone. Seems to perform as expected. They were good to work with and shipping was prompt.
Componets were well packaged and arrived undamaged. Have not had any service issues to date.

[Alex Shanku]

Dick,

I have a Penn 1.5 thats mounted in a cage with wheels on it...a portable unit. I move it from machine to machine (getting old, thinking cyclone soon) and it performs great.

That quality of the DC is quite good, but my only objection with these units, like I stated above, is that using a portable machine every time I am in my shop is a pain....

[Dave Falkenstein]

I had a 1-1/2 HP Penn State DC, similar to a DC2V2, and it worked reasonably well. I had an opportunity to replace it with a Jet 1100C/RC DC, which is also 1-1/2 HP. The Jet DC works better, even though the Penn State was supposedly 1250 CFM compared to the Jet's 1100 CFM. I sold the Penn State DC to a friend at a bargain price and he is happy with it.

[John Thompson]

I have a PS Tempest Cyclone and a 1 HP DC. I used the DC for years with a direct connect to the big machines, but it was time for a cyclone with the addition of an 8" jointer and 20" planer.

But... I kept the PS DC and have it dedicately attached the my SCMS and router table. I also have a 12' hose coming off the Y port on it that just hangs on the wall as it has a blast gate. When I get ready to empty my large chip can on my cyclone, I have cut a hole in the bottom and added a blast gate there. I just hook up the 4" line to that chip barrel and suck it in the DC. Disposable plastic bag on bottom.. so just take off... tie and to the street.

I love the cyclone and DC as both have performed well....

Good luck...

Sarge..

[glenn bradley]

I just want to buy this once.

Not trying to spend your money but, if you "want to buy this once" go for a cyclone. ;)

[Matt Meiser]

I had one of their 1-1/2HP units before I upgraded to a cyclone (reread Glenn's comment above ;)) I used with a preseparator and it worked well when used with a hose connected to one machine at a time. I didn't run ductwork since everything I read said the 1-1/2HP units are too small for that.

[Bob Aquino]

I'm on my second PS collector. The first was the dc1bxl and I am currently using a dc250. I had 5 micron bags on the 250 and the plastic window on the bottom burst after about 2 years of hobby usage. I called up Penn State and they didnt want to know anything about it, saying the bags were only good for a year. Needless to say, I was less than impressed or satisfied with that answer, but what can you do. I have since put the Wynn filter on the machine and now use plastic bags.

Overall I would say the construction on their machines is average. A step up from the harbor freight cheapy unit that was all the rage a few years ago, but not top of the line either. Their customer service IMHO is lacking. If I was to buy a similar unit today, it would probably be a griz. I would echo Matt and Glenn and say go with the cyclone if you can afford it, not having to empty the bags or patching holes that pop up in the plastic bags every now and then is very nice. But its always a question of cost vs. benefit and only you can answer that.

[John Hedges]

I have been using their DC2000 for a few years now and am quite happy. If you have 220 this is and excellent value for a 2hp unit. I have a 6" duct network setup and it easily powers that. I immediately upgraded the bag system with one I had custom made from AFF so I could replace the bottom with a trash can. The motor looks to be on the same I grade as the grizzly motors. All in all an excellent value for a hobby shop.

Oh and it is very quiet compared to others I have heard. I have it centrally located in my shop and I can easily carry on a conversation when it is running.