I've been shopping for a single-tool, short-hose, small footprint, ultra-portable, dust-collection solution. I was thinking of putting together a small tower configuration on a shop-built rolling stand using a 1.5HP 850CFM blower mounted atop either an Oneida Super Dust Deputy (the new plastic one with 6" inlet and sloped ramp) or a no-name sheet metal cyclone available online. I don't have any metal cutting tools to try to make my own.
The tech guy in the dust collection department of a local woodworking supply store told me that I don't want a cyclone at all, that what I want is a standard dust collector with a large canister filter with a flapper to keep it clean and the air flowing. He said the flapper is designed to wear out, to prevent it from ruining the inside of the filter. The canister would give me the maximum CFM, whereas a cyclone separator would reduce the blower performance by ~35%.
So my questions are: 1) Does a cyclone really have that much negative impact on blower performance and 2) does a cyclone separator offer other benefits in addition to keeping the filter from getting clogged up?