"Unboxing" - Harvey G700 DC

[Jim Becker]

I just hooked mine up to the duct work now that it's in place and it moves a lot of air, especially when cranked up. I suspect that most of the time, I'll be able to run it at about 5500 on the display and only crank it up to 7200 when milling on the J/P. I will not suggest that it's quiet when cranked up, but it's not the "big roar" that my previous 2hp Oneida made. It's a different sound for sure.

[Michael Burnside]

I'm eying this DC or the Oneida Supercell Stationary "High-Pressure" DC to replace an aging 1.5HP Laguna that has served me well. It's footprint vs. noise at this point as I'm sure both will more than satisfy my needs. Next time Harvey has a sale, I'll make the decision I guess!

[Jim Becker]

I'm eying this DC or the Oneida Supercell Stationary "High-Pressure" DC to replace an aging 1.5HP Laguna that has served me well. It's footprint vs. noise at this point as I'm sure both will more than satisfy my needs. Next time Harvey has a sale, I'll make the decision I guess!

Yea, watch it carefully...I missed out on $2500 but at least got $2600 the following week.

[Jack Frederick]

I registered with Harvey and they are bombarding me with daily ads. Five weeks away from the move I passed on the 7% discount offered last week. I didn’t want to have to receive the unit here and then have to move it. Jim, at around 5500 is it fairly quiet? Hard to describe sound, but my 1.5 hp Grizzly cyclone just howls and being in a neighborhood I hope the 700 is an improvement.

[Jim Braun]

I registered with Harvey and they are bombarding me with daily ads. Five weeks away from the move I passed on the 7% discount offered last week. I didn’t want to have to receive the unit here and then have to move it. Jim, at around 5500 is it fairly quiet? Hard to describe sound, but my 1.5 hp Grizzly cyclone just howls and being in a neighborhood I hope the 700 is an improvement.

I ordered a bandsaw from them and asked that they hold off on shipping for 4 weeks, they were very accommodating.

[Jim Becker]

I registered with Harvey and they are bombarding me with daily ads. Five weeks away from the move I passed on the 7% discount offered last week. I didn’t want to have to receive the unit here and then have to move it. Jim, at around 5500 is it fairly quiet? Hard to describe sound, but my 1.5 hp Grizzly cyclone just howls and being in a neighborhood I hope the 700 is an improvement.

So at about 5500 on the speed setting I would not represent that the machine is "quiet", but it's a noticeably different kind of sound than the "roar" of the cyclone I used to use. It's "less unpleasant". I had a 1.5hp Delta similar to your Grizzly in the temporary gara-shop with an SDD and it was much louder than the G700. The G700 doesn't scream/howl for sure. It's a little louder now that it has a full ductwork network as compared to the smaller ductwork system that was in the temporary gara-shop. The latter was pretty much the equivalent of the two drops that go to the J/P and the slider. There's a LOT more duct now and it does increase the noise level a little. But it would with any system, honestly.

[Ezra Wheeler]

My G700 was delivered yesterday about 2 hrs after my 20 year old Jet 1.5HP DC was sold. I have only opened the crate and took off the plastic but my initial impression is that this is an extremely well built machine. I will be replacing the plug with a twist lock type so it matches the rest of the shop 220v outlets. The biggest challenge I see in the machine is orienting it so that the ductwork makes the most sense for the space. I wish they would have at least allowed for the intake port to be on any one of the sides opposite the filters. That would allow for more options in configuring the machine. Other items that I am initially critical of are the location of the on/off switch (it is on the back opposite the rest of the controls) and the remote not having presets for the fan volume control.

I also ordered the Harvey cast iron router table extension wing, compass router fence and the router table dust collection box. All of which are absolutely top notch design, manufacturing and execution. I am definitely impressed with their products so far.

[Jack Frederick]

I wonder, Jim, if wrapping the duct in blanket type duct wrap would quiet things down? Someone here has to have done that.

[Jim Becker]

I wonder, Jim, if wrapping the duct in blanket type duct wrap would quiet things down? Someone here has to have done that.

I don't recall anyone doing that, but I guess it's possible and might slightly reduce noise.
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I will make one very strong recommendation to buyers of the G700 who are installing with duct work. I've previously mentioned the grid in the G700 inlet that is there to protect the blower/impeller from larger debris and how it's possible to clog it, particularly when jointing/planing certain materials. I'm not going to portray this as a design defect because it has a very specific and worthy purpose, but you must plan for it and make your connections in a way that you can easily "get to" the inlet to remove any caught debris. If one is using quick connect metal duct like I am, then it's pretty simple and easy to release a couple of clamps to do the deed and easy to reassemble afterward. If you are using other forms of duct (non-quick connect metal or PVC) be sure to build in a way to have a removable short section of duct to allow for this maintenance. I'm actually thinking this is a great application for something using flanges with strong magnets. You could also put a large wye right at the unit with a removable cap on the branch which is only there so you can reach in and grab whatever was caught by the screen.

[Clifford McGuire]

The biggest challenge I see in the machine is orienting it so that the ductwork makes the most sense for the space. I wish they would have at least allowed for the intake port to be on any one of the sides opposite the filters. That would allow for more options in configuring the machine.

That was my problem. I didn't have a way to orient it in my shop. I was bummed, because I have a two other Harvey tools and am happy with them.

[Jim Becker]

That was my problem. I didn't have a way to orient it in my shop. I was bummed, because I have a two other Harvey tools and am happy with them.

This is a real challenge...the inlet orientation left me with exactly two potential places to put the DC in my new shop building. But thinking about it, about the only way it could be changed to be more flexible in that respect would be having the inlet on top and that is then counter to the idea of a compact unit that can live under other things if needed. I believe that Harvey designed this beast to be more compatible with being mobile than stationary as it helps to mitigate the balance between lower sound levels (a primary goal) and CFM. (impressive, but less than the big cyclones)

[Ezra Wheeler]

That was my problem. I didn't have a way to orient it in my shop. I was bummed, because I have a two other Harvey tools and am happy with them.

We are still working out the configuration and potentially trying to move it into another room in the shop. We wired it up with our twist lock plug of choice and turned it on. I can say that I was not pleasantly surprised by the noise level of the machine. This was without any duct work in place but it still was substantially louder than I was expecting based on the youtube reviews I watched. I will break out a decibel meter and test it again. I expect it to be quieter when ducted and hopefully substantially so. I will say the quality of construction is very high and the unit is very very mobile. It's a near 450lb machine but it moves as if it weighs a third of that. I have the Harvey router fence and table saw extension wing that I am adding to my new Delta Unisaw TS and I am still setting that all up but I am totally blown away by the design and construction of the parts.

[Jim Becker]

Ezra, the G700 is absolutely not silent and does have a noise level that's noticeable, especially when cranked up to top speed. That's to be expected. But the noise has different qualities than the cyclones I've owned...less screaming/piercing. It's more of a rumble which is less discomforting. Adding ductwork does change the sound as it adds "ductwork" sound to the rumble...the rushing air. As you note, the workmanship appears to be pretty darn good! I'm very pleased with mine so far, especially after operating it with the full ductwork installed with the big machines doing real work. I'm running mine at about 6000 on the dial at this point and it is performing well. I'm only "cranking it to 11" when processing wide material on the J/P.

[Ezra Wheeler]

Ezra, the G700 is absolutely not silent and does have a noise level that's noticeable, especially when cranked up to top speed. That's to be expected. But the noise has different qualities than the cyclones I've owned...less screaming/piercing. It's more of a rumble which is less discomforting. Adding ductwork does change the sound as it adds "ductwork" sound to the rumble...the rushing air. As you note, the workmanship appears to be pretty darn good! I'm very pleased with mine so far, especially after operating it with the full ductwork installed with the big machines doing real work. I'm running mine at about 6000 on the dial at this point and it is performing well. I'm only "cranking it to 11" when processing wide material on the J/P.

Yeah, I definitely wasn't expecting silent but I will be testing it with the db meter to see if it drops into the +/- 62dB range as I recall seeing on youtube reviews. If it is there (when using at working levels) then the sound level would be approximately half what is was when I had the Jet 1.5HP 1100 CFM DC. SPL readings are logarithmic so 10dB drop is half the sound level. I am confident this machine is up to the task to keep up with my A3-41.... well except the smallish bins but I knew that about the unit before buying. I still think it is going to be the best solution for my shop rebuild when all is said and done.

[Matthew Hills]

This is a real challenge...the inlet orientation left me with exactly two potential places to put the DC in my new shop building. But thinking about it, about the only way it could be changed to be more flexible in that respect would be having the inlet on top and that is then counter to the idea of a compact unit that can live under other things if needed. I believe that Harvey designed this beast to be more compatible with being mobile than stationary as it helps to mitigate the balance between lower sound levels (a primary goal) and CFM. (impressive, but less than the big cyclones)

I feel that the front-facing port compromises access to the space above it. Some shop layouts work with this in the corner, with the ducting coming up the adjacent wall, which seems like a decent approach.

It would seem easier to fit in a shop if the inlet could be rotated to suit the installation (am thinking of the way Oneida cyclones can be installed with different intake angles). If it could be set up to come out the top or end, this would allow connection to vertical ducting without intruding into the space in front of the collector.

G-1000 has inlet on the end. The shop photo for this shows a flex duct converting to a rising ridgid duct, which is what I'd do with this configuration. It is a bit weird to have the dust bin directly below this port.G-800 also has the front-facing inlet.

G-800 has inlet on the front, like the 700. Shop photo on their website shows this hooked to ridgid ductwork, with an elbow and riser at the tool. The tool is not against a wall, and is installed as an island in a large commercial space.

Matt