Hi All. Long time lurker but 1st time poster. I've spent hours reading about dust collection on this forum and others (other woodworking forums, Bill Pentz site, etc) and find myself almost as confused as ever. Up to this point, I've done most of my stuff outside (weather permitting of course) so atmosphere and cleanup was never a huge issue. I've recently cleaned up our garage with an eye on being able to do primarily work in there regardless of the weather. Outside is obviously still an option when the weather is fine.
Currently, I have a Table Saw, Miter Saw, 2 Routers (Finishing and Fixed Corded), and 2 sanders (Random Orbital and Palm). I am looking to pick up a benchtop planer sometime in the near future if I can find a good deal. I feel like I'm at the point where a dust collector is necessary if I play to work in the garage (whether the door is open or closed). We don't have cars in there but I'm primarily focused on limiting what I'm breathing in. In all my forum reading, it seems like most folks say a shop vac/dust deputy combo does as well or better than a dust collector for the fine dust from an orbital sander (which I used a lot) vs. a dust collector working better for the saws and such. Am I reading that right or is there a dust collector that could do a decent job for my current setup? I've seen folks recommend ClearVue/Onieda/etc which I'm sure are amazing but those are really not in the budget right now. If I had say $500-$700 to spend right now, is there a setup someone can recommend that will put me in a better position than I am now with nothing?
Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide. I've learned so many things over the years reading this forum.