I did purchase a dust deputy. My only question was trying to figure out if the 0.3 microns was good enough or if I still needed the HEPA filter. I may just return it and get the clean stream.
Member
I did purchase a dust deputy. My only question was trying to figure out if the 0.3 microns was good enough or if I still needed the HEPA filter. I may just return it and get the clean stream.
Member
The filter you are asking about is rated at the same .3 microns as a HEPA filter the HEPA filter just has a much higher percentage of capture at that size range. So it is not a matter of size. Just get the am Cleanstream, it is a better filter for woodworking.Originally Posted by Matt Uchida
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Contributor
I think Van answered your question. HEPA collects 99.97% of particles down to .3 microns while the other filter only collects 95% of particles down to .3 microns.
Member
I put a HEPA filter in my Ridgid shop vac and it seems much better than the standard, although once it gets clogged with fine dust performance of the vac starts to suffer. I have found a routine that keeps my vac working well - once a week, on trash day, I empty my big dust collector, put it back together, take the shop vac apart, dump the contents into the bag of dust I got out of the collector, and clean the filter by vacuuming it in place with my dust collection hose. Total time is about 5 minutes, and I'm good for the next week. The back suction on the filter really gets it clean - much better than tapping it or brushing it or whatever, and also the fine dust doesn't escape. Best thing is that I never forget to put the shop vac filter back on because I never take it off...
Contributor
Hepa filter is very easy to clean if you do it right. simply buy an extra one. Remove dirty filter, install clean one, vacuum dust off dirty filter, repeat as needed.
It sounds dumb but it works great and no more clouds of dust from shaking filters. It helps if you own two vacs that use the same filter
Bill D.
Member
I have two Rigid shop vacuums, the older one has a clearstream quasi heap filter. I used to use it with a dust deputy in my shop but bought a more powerful rigid for the shop and currently use the older one away from the shop. Currently it is capturing drywall dust as I sand after removing popcorn on the ceiling of the kitchen. With the dust deputy, I did not need to clean the clearstream. Without it I do. Either way, there is nearly nothing coming out of it. The dust deputy will get the majority of drywall dust, I've used it, but the stand that the DD is on is just too much trouble to pull around the house. Instead I use the shop vac with clearstream and knock the dust out of the filter when I am done. I just do it outside and let the rain take it away.
Member
So I just joined the forum recently and I'm very new to woodworking, but filtration is one area I feel qualified providing feedback...
A lot depends on what you're trying to filter out of the air. Since this is a woodworking forum, I imagine it's dust from woodworking. 'Sawdust' is typically 30-600 microns. When you start talking about 0.3 microns, you're really talking about stuff like bacteria, smoke and radioactive fallout (which interestingly enough is why HEPA filters were originally invented/developed during the Manhattan project). Potentially you are cleaning up an old particle accelerator, but probably not. If a filter is good for 95% of 0.3 micron particles, it's probably doing better than 99.97% for 30 micron particles. So, if you're worried about 'sawdust' then you probably won't see much of a difference between the two filters.
With that said there is other stuff that's not particularly good for you, which would be nice to filter out as well. Especially if you're vacuuming up some old sawdust that's been piling up in a corner (saw dust is a good food/carbon source for growing bacteria); it would be nice to have the extra peace of mind that any bacteria is being captured as well, instead of being picked up and tossed around your shop.
Last edited by Jonathan Kolhoff; 03-31-2017 at 5:05 PM.
Member
While most of the wood dust produced by our machines is greater than 9 microns there is actually an appreciable level of finer dust produced even down under .4 microns. This is from the Journal of Aerosol Science, I can get you the citation if you are interested.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Member
I think wood is not even my worst worry. I also make knives so I am sanding metal and various composite materials including glass fiber materials. I do wear a respirator when working on those though. I will be buying the clean stream. Thanks for the input!
Member
I thought the clean stream would be very expensive given all the praise and quality but online it is only $27. With free UPS shipping?! To Hawaii!!! (UPS is never cheap to Hawaii)
http://www.cleanstream.com/products/...vac_genie.html
I think that is cheaper than the lower quality shop-vac brand one I grabbed at lower?! And on Amazon it is $38?!
https://www.amazon.com/Shop-vac-903-.../dp/B006W4WJFC
Am I missing something?
Last edited by Matt Uchida; 04-01-2017 at 4:38 AM.
Member
Can anyone answer this one? Want to make sure I am getting a legitimate cleanstream filter.
This is an actual CleanStream filter. The part number on the Amazon link is a Shop Vac filter part number so it is confusing as to exactly what they are selling. The pic does not look like a Clean Stream product but, website pics are wrong frequently enough to be inconclusive.
I have run them in my vacs for over a decade. The price is quite reasonable considering you can toss them out on the lawn and hit them with the hose to clean them. I have two vacs and three filters. When one requires cleaning I swap it with my clean standby and wash the fouled filter out in the sink and set it aside to dry. One of the three was bought back in 2004 or thereabouts and is still in service. I do run a per-seperator (Dust Deputy) so I am not sand-blasting the filter with wood chips and nails or anything. YMMV.
Last edited by glenn bradley; 04-05-2017 at 10:33 AM.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
Member
The first link says free shipping to CONUS but I didn't try to check out to Hawaii.
The Cleanstream filters were ~$40 when they first came out a few years ago and only sold direct, as they have expanded to numerous dealers the prices have come down, but they are indeed an inexpensive filter.
Of all the laws Brandolini's may be the most universally true.
Deep thought for the day:
Your bandsaw weighs more when you leave the spring compressed instead of relieving the tension.
Member
Update:
So I called the company and they said that the Shop-Vac clean stream filters is made by shop-vac however they purchase the material from Gore. So same actual filter material but different manufacturer.
Member
Matt-I'm in Hawaii too and got a great deal on Cleanstream filters at Walmart on closeout for something like $10.00.
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