Years ago... maybe 12-14..I don't remember... I did a lot of research on this. I ended up with a Clearvue Cyclone. What I found was that 'hobby' woodworkers are exposed to more particulate dust than professional woodworkers. I am somewhere between those two categories... but I wanted dust particulate and most of my sawdust picked up. The CV cyclone has done that easily. I do not have fine particulate in my shop. I have no idea where they are now or if their stuff is competitive as I know they sold the company... but I can tell you it has been an absolute fantastic purchase for me.
I would say simply...you need an actual separator like the CV or any other real dust collection system...not a vacuum system. Plastic or steel doesn't matter. With the plastic you can see what's going on. With any hand sanding or something similar I would recommend an APR of sorts to aid you in those situations.
Good luck, interested to hear where you land.
Nick