I bought mine from an no name on line, I works as yours. I couldn't be more satisficed, I like the lid support you made, a word of caution,, as you saw the dust hanging on the side of the bucket, that is static electricity and charge,, it will deliver a shock, , Great review
I've been using a cyclone and Ridgid 6.5 for vacuum sanding drywall for about 5 years. I have 2 machines that get used almost daily and have found that using a bag is best. When the bag is new I tape all the seams with Duck or Gorilla tape and date the bag with a felt marker. I use a mud bucket of the type of mud I use and reinforce the lid with 1/8" rigid material on both sides of the lid. On the inside of the lid hole where the reinforcement material, the lid and the cyclone base come together I coat that area with some sort of caulking so no other gaskets or sealant is needed. I mount the vac and the cyclone bucket on a converted stroller to keep it all together and upright. I chose a stroller with 12" wheels on the back and put 4" casters on the front so it rolls around easily on a construction site. I regularly check inside the machine for signs of dust. If I see any I know there is a hole in the bag. If the bag is less than 6 months old I'll find the hole and fix it. I've gotten over a year out of a bag and I've never changed a filter. The only dust that hits the filter is when there is a hole in the bag which is why I check it before and/or after I use it.
Wait are you saying to use a bag and cyclone together is best, or are you saying you used the cyclone, and bags, and go with just bags? I was thinking with the bags, no cyclone will be needed since everything is in the bag. Just tape the bag somewhere.. cut a seam on the tape and empty out when full, retape seam(with good gorilla tape) and re-use bag.
Also if using a combo of cyclone and bag, does it take some time to fill up the bag since I'm assuming the cyclone should be catching 99.5% of the debris and dust right?
@@ChristopherJones16 I don’t think you’ll have much luck with the zippered bag idea as there is a liner inside that would also need to be secured. My system starts at the sanding head, through the hose, to the cyclone, to the bag, to the filter and back into the room. The cyclone takes the bulk of the dust with the bag collecting the very fine dust and the filter catches whatever is left. Because of the rapid and repeated inflation of the bag when the machine is turned on it only lasts so long. With the seams taped up, holes that appear are usually on a crease or fold but I have gotten up to a year out of a bag before it needed to be removed. The main idea is to keep dust out of the air and maximum air flow through the machine. I have found emptying the bucket under the cyclone when half full gets the most life out of the bag. As the bucket fills past halfway more dust makes its way to the bag. Hope that helps.
Since this video was made, Harbor Freight has made some improvements. First, it now comes with a black foam gasket that seals the joint between the separator and the lid. Second, it now comes with two hose adaptors rather than one. Essentially, they've 'cut' the single adaptor into two -- just as shown in the video. Mine came with the larger of the two adaptors already attached to one end of the hose with a hose clamp. Third, the lid is now made from thicker plastic. I don't know if it is just thicker or if they also changed the type of plastic, but the lid is now much stiffer and should not require reinforcement with plywood. However, mine went back to the store the day I bought it. The one thing HF did not change was the size of the inlet and outlet from the cyclone. I have a bunch of hoses for wet/dry vacuums. None of my hoses can be connected to the cyclone -- even using the adaptors that came with the cyclone. I even have a brand new Bauer 9-gallon vacuum. It's hose won't work, either. I ordered the Cen-Tec Systems 97470 Quick Click Dust Collection Separator from Amazon. It currently costs $40.17, with free shipping. It does not come with a lid, hose, or adapters. But it works with standard hoses, of which I have plenty. And, it is made in the USA!
My problem with the Bauer is that the lid doesn't fit any of the 5 gallon buckets I have. I actually had to cut the lid off of the HF bucket I picked up when I bought the Bauer.
@@billysmether6237 Could I have made the Bauer work? Sure. I could have done that even without access to a 3D printer. I could have made custom adapters with PVC pipe and a heat gun. I choose not to do the work HF should have done to get the Bauer cyclone to work. The fact I could buy the Cen-Tec for basically the same money influenced my decision. Having had both in my hands, I prefer the Cen-Tec. It seems to be better quality.
Excellent review. I had not heard or that separater before. I am in the planning stages of building a small work shop in my garage, and building floor to ceiling cabinets to house everything else. I think this needs to be figured in.
Great video. Solid presentation. Don’t know if anyone mentioned before but you might try moving the plywood disk to the outside of the bucket. So you would have the cyclone on top of the plywood disk on top of the basket lid on top of the bucket. I’d also suggest applying a sealant of some type between the cyclone to the plywood disk and again between the plywood disk and the bucket top. Overkill probably but I also seal the lid to the bucket. I don’t want any air leaking in to rob my system of those precious vacuum inches!
Since you reinforced the bucket lid with plywood, you might consider utilizing Tee-nuts to attach the separator. Also consider using swimming pool filter scum socks over your pleated filter as a pre- filter. Anything you can do to save that will help.
What is the advantage of the dust separator as opposed to just using the shop vac, since you need to have the shop vac running anyway? Just curious, because I always just hooked my shop vac to my router table, table saw, etc. What am I missing here? Great vid by the way, very informative!
The idea is that most of the junk falls out into a separate bucket before making it to your shop vac. This keeps your shop vac's filter clean, and thus the airflow unrestricted.
For the average person, just clean the filter with compressed air outside, and empty the vaccum. This is really for heavy shop dust. I have the one ftom home depot you put on a bucket but haven't needed to use it yet.
@@Nolaman70 depends on your vac too. I got a shop vac from Karcher, but I'm really not happy with it. The vac sucks from the side of the bin, instead of from the center (like you see those round filters on most vacs). So while a regular shop vac already has some cyclone functionality, mine just sucks all dust right in the filter. I'm really doubting if I should try one of these cyclones, or just buy a better so vac.
I have 2 of the Chinese versions which is probably the same thing just with a different name. I think they do a great job when attached to my smaller tools.
Well, I used it with the bucket lid.and wood stiffener. But the lid of the bucket upside down that way I could store the cyclone in the bucket when not being used.
Hey partner, first time seeing your channel. But I wanted to see this video about the dust separator. Anyhow idk where your at. Or if there's a Home Depot around you. But Home Depot has a dust separator. It's called Dustopper. and I've been using that one for about 3 years and haven't had any problems with it. It comes with a 36" long hose. And it just snaps onto a 5 gallon bucket, in place of the lid. Anyhow just wanted to let you know my friend.. take it easy. Also the Dustopper is currently, $39.97 right now. (01/30/2022)
Someone replied with the one word: "Junk". That is less than half right. I have this unit. It does what it is intended to do. It collects dust and keeps the shop vac amazingly free of dust. Yes, it is cheap. Yes, it needs modification. I put a plywood ring inside the lid and on top of it. I screwed the bucket to a plywood base because it is unstable as is. I had to buy another hose adapter. So $40, plus a $5 adapter and a few pieces of leftover plywood ($0) and you have a small shop vac dust collection system that works quite well for $45. This is about the cheapest option that actually works for folks who do not need or cannot afford a dedicated dust collection system. It does a great job. Yes it is cheap, yes it needs mods but the mods are cheap and easy. So "junk"? Not really. Show me a cheaper option that works better.
The concept of how these separators work is the centrifugal force slings the actual dust and debris out of the vacuum flow and falls into the bucket below while the vacuum flow goes to the shop vac. And if the prices are basically the same, I will purchase the American made product every time...
Hey, your video beat mine! Your experience was way different than mine. I wonder if my HP is larger than yours? I like your lid reinforcement and think it's a smart move. Scott
Thanks for commenting Scott. What issues did you have? My vacuum is a 6.5 HP. Do you think you had any leaks at the connection that could have caused performance issues?
@@doubleoakworkshop9636 About half of the dust passed right through to the vacuum. No leaks that I could find at the cyclone, though the connection to the vac itself could have been better. My vac has a 6hp max, so that’s not the issue. Gonna have to do some more tests.
You have to keep the dust extractor vertical while in use. If it falls over or something like that it won’t work right and you’ll get dust coming through to your vacuum.
You lost me when you said you didn't read the instructions. If I'm going to make a video about something, I want to know as much as I can about it. I start by reading the instructions.
what is the size of the outside of the vacuum inlet and the suction port? Are they the same smaller diameters as the Chinese ones? Anyone measure these ports by chance?
Has anyone used this for Water Pickup? I have a Saltwater Aquarium, and from time to time I use my Wet-Dry Vacuum to pickup Saltwater, especially when cleaning the Sump. Saltwater is terrible on the life of a Wet-Dry Vacuum.
Then just drop a 10lb weight in the bottom of the bucket. But I'm not sure this is any better than the dustopper and has a much larger footprint, even if you can fix the tipping issue and adding weight to stuff in the shop is generally avoided by myself.
I bought mine from an no name on line, I works as yours. I couldn't be more satisficed, I like the lid support you made, a word of caution,, as you saw the dust hanging on the side of the bucket, that is static electricity and charge,, it will deliver a shock, , Great review
I've been using a cyclone and Ridgid 6.5 for vacuum sanding drywall for about 5 years. I have 2 machines that get used almost daily and have found that using a bag is best. When the bag is new I tape all the seams with Duck or Gorilla tape and date the bag with a felt marker. I use a mud bucket of the type of mud I use and reinforce the lid with 1/8" rigid material on both sides of the lid. On the inside of the lid hole where the reinforcement material, the lid and the cyclone base come together I coat that area with some sort of caulking so no other gaskets or sealant is needed. I mount the vac and the cyclone bucket on a converted stroller to keep it all together and upright. I chose a stroller with 12" wheels on the back and put 4" casters on the front so it rolls around easily on a construction site. I regularly check inside the machine for signs of dust. If I see any I know there is a hole in the bag. If the bag is less than 6 months old I'll find the hole and fix it. I've gotten over a year out of a bag and I've never changed a filter. The only dust that hits the filter is when there is a hole in the bag which is why I check it before and/or after I use it.
Thanks for the description I am about to set up a drywall sanding station as well could you tell me what brand cyclone system you’re using
@@andreduvall2904 I use the Dust Deputy. I can post a Dropbox link with a couple of pics if you want.
Wait are you saying to use a bag and cyclone together is best, or are you saying you used the cyclone, and bags, and go with just bags? I was thinking with the bags, no cyclone will be needed since everything is in the bag. Just tape the bag somewhere.. cut a seam on the tape and empty out when full, retape seam(with good gorilla tape) and re-use bag.
Also if using a combo of cyclone and bag, does it take some time to fill up the bag since I'm assuming the cyclone should be catching 99.5% of the debris and dust right?
@@ChristopherJones16 I don’t think you’ll have much luck with the zippered bag idea as there is a liner inside that would also need to be secured. My system starts at the sanding head, through the hose, to the cyclone, to the bag, to the filter and back into the room. The cyclone takes the bulk of the dust with the bag collecting the very fine dust and the filter catches whatever is left. Because of the rapid and repeated inflation of the bag when the machine is turned on it only lasts so long. With the seams taped up, holes that appear are usually on a crease or fold but I have gotten up to a year out of a bag before it needed to be removed.
The main idea is to keep dust out of the air and maximum air flow through the machine. I have found emptying the bucket under the cyclone when half full gets the most life out of the bag. As the bucket fills past halfway more dust makes its way to the bag.
Hope that helps.
Since this video was made, Harbor Freight has made some improvements. First, it now comes with a black foam gasket that seals the joint between the separator and the lid. Second, it now comes with two hose adaptors rather than one. Essentially, they've 'cut' the single adaptor into two -- just as shown in the video. Mine came with the larger of the two adaptors already attached to one end of the hose with a hose clamp. Third, the lid is now made from thicker plastic. I don't know if it is just thicker or if they also changed the type of plastic, but the lid is now much stiffer and should not require reinforcement with plywood.
However, mine went back to the store the day I bought it. The one thing HF did not change was the size of the inlet and outlet from the cyclone. I have a bunch of hoses for wet/dry vacuums. None of my hoses can be connected to the cyclone -- even using the adaptors that came with the cyclone. I even have a brand new Bauer 9-gallon vacuum. It's hose won't work, either.
I ordered the Cen-Tec Systems 97470 Quick Click Dust Collection Separator from Amazon. It currently costs $40.17, with free shipping. It does not come with a lid, hose, or adapters. But it works with standard hoses, of which I have plenty. And, it is made in the USA!
My problem with the Bauer is that the lid doesn't fit any of the 5 gallon buckets I have. I actually had to cut the lid off of the HF bucket I picked up when I bought the Bauer.
You know any body with a 3d printer? They can make you any size adapter you want. Cheap. I have made plenty of adapters on mine.
@@billysmether6237 Could I have made the Bauer work? Sure. I could have done that even without access to a 3D printer. I could have made custom adapters with PVC pipe and a heat gun. I choose not to do the work HF should have done to get the Bauer cyclone to work.
The fact I could buy the Cen-Tec for basically the same money influenced my decision. Having had both in my hands, I prefer the Cen-Tec. It seems to be better quality.
Excellent review. I had not heard or that separater before. I am in the planning stages of building a small work shop in my garage, and building floor to ceiling cabinets to house everything else. I think this needs to be figured in.
great demo, great video, no nonsense just straight to the point and seeing is believing
Well presented. You certainly demonstrated that it worked, thanks for helping me make the decision to get one!
I Agree With You! I’ll Be Getting One For Sure! 🤝
Great video. I wasn't aware Harbor Freight was carrying these . Thanks
I did the same mod to the base of the separator. That lid Harbor Freight includes is terrible but the unit itself works great.
Great video. Solid presentation. Don’t know if anyone mentioned before but you might try moving the plywood disk to the outside of the bucket. So you would have the cyclone on top of the plywood disk on top of the basket lid on top of the bucket. I’d also suggest applying a sealant of some type between the cyclone to the plywood disk and again between the plywood disk and the bucket top. Overkill probably but I also seal the lid to the bucket. I don’t want any air leaking in to rob my system of those precious vacuum inches!
Since you reinforced the bucket lid with plywood, you might consider utilizing Tee-nuts to attach the separator. Also consider using swimming pool filter scum socks over your pleated filter as a pre- filter. Anything you can do to save that will help.
I don't think he knows what you're talking about
I have the Dust Deputy which is almost exactly like the Bauer and I can tell you it works great.
I use this same one. Only wish there was a screw on lid. Definitely going to do the reinforcement with the plywood. Great video
Good review and nice fix with the wooden support . I didn't know HF made these , good stuff .👍
What is the advantage of the dust separator as opposed to just using the shop vac, since you need to have the shop vac running anyway? Just curious, because I always just hooked my shop vac to my router table, table saw, etc. What am I missing here? Great vid by the way, very informative!
The idea is that most of the junk falls out into a separate bucket before making it to your shop vac. This keeps your shop vac's filter clean, and thus the airflow unrestricted.
@@nefariousyawn Thank you! That makes more sense now.
@@mikerebman8587 Saves on filter cost, too. Depending on the vac, the bags and/or the filter can be pretty pricey.
For the average person, just clean the filter with compressed air outside, and empty the vaccum. This is really for heavy shop dust. I have the one ftom home depot you put on a bucket but haven't needed to use it yet.
@@Nolaman70 depends on your vac too. I got a shop vac from Karcher, but I'm really not happy with it. The vac sucks from the side of the bin, instead of from the center (like you see those round filters on most vacs). So while a regular shop vac already has some cyclone functionality, mine just sucks all dust right in the filter.
I'm really doubting if I should try one of these cyclones, or just buy a better so vac.
I have 2 of the Chinese versions which is probably the same thing just with a different name. I think they do a great job when attached to my smaller tools.
Well, I used it with the bucket lid.and wood stiffener. But the lid of the bucket upside down that way I could store the cyclone in the bucket when not being used.
If at all possible buy the Oneida Dust Deputy. It's made in the USA.
Thanks for making this. I've been thinking about buying one of these lil' fellas.
Thanks for checking out the video Josh!
Confirmation video, thanks, hard to come by anymore.
Thanks for commenting. As with any new product, I’m sure their supply will take time to catch up with the demand.
thanks for the review. Why didn't you just use a regular lid and cut it out, instead of making a wood add on?
Hey partner, first time seeing your channel. But I wanted to see this video about the dust separator. Anyhow idk where your at. Or if there's a Home Depot around you. But Home Depot has a dust separator. It's called Dustopper. and I've been using that one for about 3 years and haven't had any problems with it. It comes with a 36" long hose. And it just snaps onto a 5 gallon bucket, in place of the lid. Anyhow just wanted to let you know my friend.. take it easy. Also the Dustopper is currently, $39.97 right now. (01/30/2022)
Gracias por los tips esta genial 👍
Great video - thank you !
Someone replied with the one word: "Junk". That is less than half right. I have this unit. It does what it is intended to do. It collects dust and keeps the shop vac amazingly free of dust. Yes, it is cheap. Yes, it needs modification. I put a plywood ring inside the lid and on top of it. I screwed the bucket to a plywood base because it is unstable as is. I had to buy another hose adapter. So $40, plus a $5 adapter and a few pieces of leftover plywood ($0) and you have a small shop vac dust collection system that works quite well for $45.
This is about the cheapest option that actually works for folks who do not need or cannot afford a dedicated dust collection system. It does a great job. Yes it is cheap, yes it needs mods but the mods are cheap and easy. So "junk"? Not really. Show me a cheaper option that works better.
The concept of how these separators work is the centrifugal force slings the actual dust and debris out of the vacuum flow and falls into the bucket below while the vacuum flow goes to the shop vac. And if the prices are basically the same, I will purchase the American made product every time...
I thought it was a Flux Capcitor, until I watched the whole video, disappointing...
You must be a rocket scientist
2/1/2022 It seems HF changed their lid a bit, it's thicker and added a fitting in the box.
Go with "Dust Deputy Anti-Static Cyclone Separator (Dust Deputy DIY)". Same price and made in the USA.
He's to cheap
Maybe he's Chinese
Oneida Dust Deputy direct from their site is same price as the HF and American made.
Dust Deputy is $10 more(from their website), no bucket lid or hose included.
Thanks for the review
Great video. Good information
Great tips and hacks.
Thank you.
great video
Wish I’d seen this before I got the Rikon.
didn't even know HF had those
Do you think it would pick up the wood shaving off of a wood planer
Yes it will.
What is the diameter of the hose thats included with the kit?
will it work for concrete dust?
It is quiet but... In my one man shop I like to know that my compressor is actually pumping air!
My lid keeps getting stuck down on the bucket, its a PITA to empty i have to take a screw driver and break the lid free every inch.
those are real reasonable on aliexpress though it might take afew wait on shipping
The best part is it doesn't require 1.21 gigawatts to operate...
ToBAD
Hey, your video beat mine! Your experience was way different than mine. I wonder if my HP is larger than yours? I like your lid reinforcement and think it's a smart move. Scott
Thanks for commenting Scott. What issues did you have? My vacuum is a 6.5 HP. Do you think you had any leaks at the connection that could have caused performance issues?
@@doubleoakworkshop9636 About half of the dust passed right through to the vacuum. No leaks that I could find at the cyclone, though the connection to the vac itself could have been better. My vac has a 6hp max, so that’s not the issue. Gonna have to do some more tests.
You have to keep the dust extractor vertical while in use. If it falls over or something like that it won’t work right and you’ll get dust coming through to your vacuum.
You are correct,@@miles67733 Scott
If it gets too full, does it also suck into the vac for more capacity. . . Or is the suction reduced when the dust bucket gets too full? Thanks!
did you put plywood support on the underside of the lid???
Yes I did. Just give the lid a little more support.
Who cares
I like it!
Glad you do Sell you mine for 150. OK
Awesome
You lost me when you said you didn't read the instructions. If I'm going to make a video about something, I want to know as much as I can about it. I start by reading the instructions.
My harbour frieght cyclone does not fit any 5 gallon bucket, even the harbour frieght bucket. Hang on, I forced it to fit. Now I can't get it off.
Good for woodworking?
For sure
What size hole is needed in the lid? Need to get a proper size hole saw so keep it accurate
The hole in the lid was already supplied.
What size hat you whare
Where are they made?
It looks like you could make one out of some PVC pipe some cardboard and a roll of duct tape.
The lid that came with mine doesn't fit a standard gal bucket and the build quality is pretty poor.
Mine is rather tight but fits my Lowes bucket fine. Takes a little force to get it on.
what is the size of the outside of the vacuum inlet and the suction port? Are they the same smaller diameters as the Chinese ones? Anyone measure these ports by chance?
Mine doesn’t fit a standard bucket. Only a harbor freight bucket.
What do you expect, harbor freight Hi Quality
Has anyone used this for Water Pickup? I have a Saltwater Aquarium, and from time to time I use my Wet-Dry Vacuum to pickup Saltwater, especially when cleaning the Sump. Saltwater is terrible on the life of a Wet-Dry Vacuum.
Try moving around with that and the bucket will tip over… it’s a PoS. The Dustopper works much better.
Then just drop a 10lb weight in the bottom of the bucket. But I'm not sure this is any better than the dustopper and has a much larger footprint, even if you can fix the tipping issue and adding weight to stuff in the shop is generally avoided by myself.
A weight would help, but I’ve noticed once it gets 1/4 way full it is significantly more stable.
I made a little roller caddy for mine. Widens the base and rolls around now
@@broskivisuals vacuum and cyclone mounted on one base with wheels and it all moves as one unit.
why not just cut a circle in a real bucket lid?
Flip flops…………really!
What concern is it of yours?
Seperator? Is trump your proofreader?
Junk