Opinions - Jet 2 hp cyclone dust collector

[Roger Chandler]

My old Delta DC is on its way out. Thinking about the Jet 2 hp Cyclone dust collector with 30 gallon drum. Anyone here have it, and can you share what you like, don’t like, or perhaps might regret about your acquisition? How difficult was the assembly?

Is there a better unit for similar price out there, all things considered, including service/parts/support after the sale?

[glenn bradley]

As always I recommend that you look around for threads on the short cone format cyclones. Separation is not as good as a regular height machine so your filter takes more spoil. A challenge with getting dust collector recommendations is that often, although we have the best of intentions, you are getting a review from someone who went from a shop vac or a bagger to a much better functioning cyclone. This means, like with a new saw blade, the reviews are often "wow, this thing is awesome". I'm not saying that whatever is being reviewed is not awesome. I'm just saying that the person offering the opinion may not have a long running baseline of varied experiences.

Wow, what a wind bag . Sorry about that. I'll try to make my opinion list short .
- I would only look at a short cone machine if I had a headroom restriction.
- Your filter maintenance will be more frequent.
- a 1 micron filter isn't bad but, with more spoil getting past the cyclone the combination could be a concern.

It is difficult to find unbiased and / or accurate test results on cyclones. I would determine your requirements (height restrictions, budget, power, exhaust) and then look at everything I could find. I do not know if there are any recent independent tests of cyclones out there but, even outdated ones can provide good data. You could Google 'cyclone dust collector test results'.

[William Chain]

Could you be more specific when you say the old DC is on its way out? Motor toast? Other bits? Would a new cap or other maintenance rescue the unit? If so, perhaps do that and add a Wynn canister filter and a super dust deputy? I just did this with an older DC and brought it to a really good spec for $325 total spend. I don’t have the equipment to measure CFM but it’s a 1.5HP motor, and I ran it both on its factory cart with hoses connecting the DC to the DD and then to tools, and now mounted to the wall with homemade plywood mounts and direct blower to DD connection and it’s been fantastic both ways. I’m using blast gates to pull on one tool at a time or direct connect to the tool via hose and results are a clean shop.

I’ve read many times on this board that the short cones on the Jet and Laguna units like you’re considering are letting lots blow by. I have two shop spaces. One has the unit I just described and one has an Oneida mini dust gorilla. Markedly different price points. And both do well albeit in different footprints / form factor and portability. In any case, I’d go tallest cone you can, but still argue you needn’t break the bank to do it.

[Roger Chandler]

Could you be more specific when you say the old DC is on its way out? Motor toast? Other bits? Would a new cap or other maintenance rescue the unit? If so, perhaps do that and add a Wynn canister filter and a super dust deputy? I just did this with an older DC and brought it to a really good spec for $325 total spend. I don’t have the equipment to measure CFM but it’s a 1.5HP motor, and I ran it both on its factory cart with hoses connecting the DC to the DD and then to tools, and now mounted to the wall with homemade plywood mounts and direct blower to DD connection and it’s been fantastic both ways. I’m using blast gates to pull on one tool at a time or direct connect to the tool via hose and results are a clean shop.

I’ve read many times on this board that the short cones on the Jet and Laguna units like you’re considering are letting lots blow by. I have two shop spaces. One has the unit I just described and one has an Oneida mini dust gorilla. Markedly different price points. And both do well albeit in different footprints / form factor and portability. In any case, I’d go tallest cone you can, but still argue you needn’t break the bank to do it.

My old Delta 50-850 is a 1200 cfm, 1.5 hp unit, which I have upgraded with 1 micron spun bond filter canister. The unit is now tripping the remote hookup, and I purchased a new remote hookup, and it will barely get it going, then shut off tripping the breaker on the remote main housing.

The thing is probably at least 23 years old, and had heavy usage. I also have a 31 gallon metal trash can with vortex lid on it to separate out the big stuff. I'm just thinking about a new unit, and want to get the best performance and service out of it for a reasonable cost. I can afford most any unit I want, but want to find the best balance of performance/cost for my small shop.

[glenn bradley]

It is so easy for DC threads to go running off on their own. I hope I am not encouraging that . . .

Could be a low cost starter cap that would fix the problem on your Delta based on the symptoms. Forget you read that if you just want a new unit. After all those years of service you certainly aren't out of line just getting a new DC. You have noticed how much air flow hit you take when putting a separator in the path. I did much as you describe prior to upgrading to a cyclone. A system that is designed for the separator load is going to work better than a cobbled job but one recurring recommendation in dust collection threads is to get the best you can without blowing your budget.

A vortex lid is a step in the right direction but, a cone-shaped separator like William is using will do a superior job. I did not put a large cone separator in my rig but, I did move from a vortex lid to a Dust Deputy on my vacs and there is no comparison. If you are looking for a real step up from your current rig I would look at 3HP and up regular length cone models. If that is too big of a step my first inclination would be to check the start cap on the Delta. If you can get it running for a few bucks, add an Oneida Super Dust Deputy of the right size and you will be at a greatly improved position for a few hundred dollars. With the savings you could treat yourself to a new filter if required.

[William Chain]

I agree with Glenn. Before you spend big money, try to replace the starter cap. If that cures the motor’s ills (I bet it will), maybe try the super DD. As Glenn says, the next step up from this is a cyclone unit with something like 3HP. Tall cone is key though.

[james manutes]

I've built 3 "shop built" cyclones in my time , and think you should consider it before dropping $2000 on a short cone DC . You can do well with a impeller upgrade to your current blower , with some research . Do you have the height for a Oneida or Clear Vue DC ?

[Roger Chandler]

I've built 3 "shop built" cyclones in my time , and think you should consider it before dropping $2000 on a short cone DC . You can do well with a impeller upgrade to your current blower , with some research . Do you have the height for a Oneida or Clear Vue DC ?

That is part of my issue...I have low ceiling, as my shop is a utility shed [14'x20'] but sometime in the next year or so, I will be relocating to what is hopefully a property with much larger space for a shop/studio. I am going to check the start capacitor. I had it replaced one time about 15 years ago, so it may be that has caused the problem. Whenever I do get to a larger facility for a shop, I will go with a larger DC for sure.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Use the remote to drive a contactor. Let contactor handle the current. As others have said, check the start cap, and run cap if it has one.

[Roger Chandler]

I had to put a run capacitor in the dust collector. The start capacitor was tested and checked out fine. I talked with an electric motor repair shop guy, and trouble shot the thing. The remote I used for years still will not work, other than start for about a second, and then shut down. The DC will run fine when direct to the outlet, but just not with the remote. I have blown everything out well with compressed air to clean when I had the whole thing apart.

The DC itself runs just as fine as always, but the remote no longer works. I ordered the Jet 2 hp cyclone machine today to do an upgrade, so I’m looking forward to its arrival in a few days.