Dust Deputy and other dust pre processors

[Z48LT1]

I'm new to the fold, and naturally skeptical.  I got a knockout deal on a CT 26 extractor and am contemplating a Dust Deputy or something because, frankly, of the herd effect.  With the self clean filter bags @ 38USD for 5, and 38USD for the regular filter, and 91USD for the HEPA filter, when does the cost and nuisance for the dust deputy make sense?  Is there a feature/convenience I'm missing?

Respectfully - Gary

 

[Michael Kellough]

Hello Gary! I grew up on Merritt Island. My dad helped design the launch pads for Saturn Vs.

A big nuisance that prompts people to buy a Dust Deputy is when they brick the bag. That is, the vac bag gets so stuffed with debris that you can't get it out of the machine and you have to auger crud out of the bag from the front of the vac just to remove it.

Another big nuisance that prompts people to buy a Dust Deputy is when they discover that they're out of bags and there isn't any place in town to buy more.

If the vac will primarily stay in your shop get a DD. If you mostly move it to job sites stick with the bags and have the job buy a new box every other job or so.

Also, it's nice to be able to stack Systainers on top of the vac.

 

[Bohdan]

I fitted a clear DD several years ago and I am still on my first bag in the CT but I have emptied the DD many many times.

It is easy to see when the bin is full as you can see the dust in the bottom of the DD funnel.

 

[rljatl]

Do not get a Dust Deputy for your CT26.  Get an Ultimate Dust Deputy instead.

 

[Abram]

I agree with Michael. A DD for the shop and bags for the job site.

 

[Svar]

One advantage of DD is a steady suction. Cyclone does reduce the suction a bit as it creates extra drag on the system, but it does not decrease as the bucket fills with debris. With bags, suction is in reverse relationship to fill-up.

 

[Dan-]

You lose some significant static pressure and CFM from the DD. For some tools it won't matter, but I notice a big difference with the TS55, for example. On the other hand it's nice when working with drywall, the router/CMS, and general cleaning.

 

[rst]

I've used two of the steel DDs, one for a tablesaw, one for a chopsaw,  for years now perched on top of 25 gallon steel drum that I empty about twice a year.  I also have an Ultimate DD that sits on a Midi.  I use my vacs in my shop but also am using them daily but not constantly.  I have never cleaned my filters more than once a year and they have never affected my suction.  I admit that I do not use mine on site but do use a Ctl Sys that stays in my van.

 

[Canoescapes]

I use an Ultimate Dust Deputy on my CT 36 vac.  I have to say that I have not observed much loss of pressure due to the UDD.  Peter Parfitt did one of his always excellent video reviews of a UDD and tested the pressure loss on a CT 26.  As I recall, it was relatively negligible.  You would not want to cart it on board to a job site, but the unit is transportable in fairly short order if you take it off the CT vac and carry it separately.  More stuff to haul, however . . . . .

 

[ben_r_]

FYI the Ultimate Dust Deputy is on sale at FestoolProducts.com for $40 off at $209 free shipping and no tax for most until the end of April. Thinking about picking one up for my CT 36.

 

[magellan]

I placed an order today with Toolnut and did not know about the sale.  After I hung up the phone from talking to Doug he called back to say that the Ultimate Dust Deputy that I ordered just went on sale and he was going to refund $40.00 to my card. 

Now how is that for customer service.  These guys are good.  To call me back and tell me he's going to refund money because they are now going to have a sale.  Integrity

 

[Dan-]

I use an Ultimate Dust Deputy on my CT 36 vac.  I have to say that I have not observed much loss of pressure due to the UDD.  Peter Parfitt did one of his always excellent video reviews of a UDD and tested the pressure loss on a CT 26.  As I recall, it was relatively negligible.  You would not want to cart it on board to a job site, but the unit is transportable in fairly short order if you take it off the CT vac and carry it separately.  More stuff to haul, however . . . . .

Try it with the filter bag about 3/4 full, some of which is drywall dust, so it's even more clogged. There is a noticeable decrease in suction. Granted that's a good time to change the bag, but there is still an effect.

 

[Shane Holland]

I placed an order today with Toolnut and did not know about the sale.  After I hung up the phone from talking to Doug he called back to say that the Ultimate Dust Deputy that I ordered just went on sale and he was going to refund $40.00 to my card. 

Now how is that for customer service.  These guys are good.  To call me back and tell me he's going to refund money because they are now going to have a sale.  Integrity

[thumbs up] [thumbs up] [thumbs up]

Doug rocks. We have a great group of guys that care about doing the right thing.

Shane

 

[Paul G]

just spent the last few days sanding walls/drywall mud once again with my Shop Vac/Dust Deputy beast at a church remodel project. I can't imagine doing it any other way. Any inconvenience of the size or minor loss of suction is far superceded by how extremely effective it is. Some friends were helping with the project and were truly amazed at how well it works. Slop on the hot mud, come back the next morning and attack it with the 6" RO sander with 80 grit connected to the DD and keep going. If you get enough hot mud on the first time it is one and done. With the HEPA in the SV the air stays clean, barely anything gets to the SV and the DD fills up fast. The SV HEPA needs cleaning about every 3rd or 4th emptying of the DD, depending on how fussy I need to be about suction levels.

When not doing drywall my beast alternates between my table saw and miter saw working well there too.

For the CT get the DD made for it that has resolved the static issues.

 

[Svar]

I use an Ultimate Dust Deputy on my CT 36 vac.  I have to say that I have not observed much loss of pressure due to the UDD.  Peter Parfitt did one of his always excellent video reviews of a UDD and tested the pressure loss on a CT 26.  As I recall, it was relatively negligible.  You would not want to cart it on board to a job site, but the unit is transportable in fairly short order if you take it off the CT vac and carry it separately.  More stuff to haul, however . . . . .

Try it with the filter bag about 3/4 full, some of which is drywall dust, so it's even more clogged. There is a noticeable decrease in suction. Granted that's a good time to change the bag, but there is still an effect.

So drop in suction is due to clogged bag, not DD. These things are additive, DD contribution to overall performance decrease is relatively small.

 

[tino_ale]

I've always wondered why so many people insist on buying the full dust deputy package for a premium when standalone cyclones are available at a fraction of the cost and you can make your own receptacle in probably less time than it takes to read the feedback on this kit online and place an order.

 

[c_dwyer]

Hi [member=28616]tino_ale[/member] - I fall into that camp, having made my own out of an Oneida cyclone that I also picked up from ToolNut.  There was an error in the listing price that they honored after I called to ask about it and to place the order.  I think the mistake saved me about $10, and like you said, I used up extra materials in the shop and simply attached it to a 10 gal bucket.  I use it for my planer, other heavy-creating dust machines and basic shop floor cleanup, but do not use it with the Midi due to the static issue and shop layout.  I'm still contemplating getting the UDD though, as I'm on my third box of Midi filter bags in the past 2 years, which is a little more than a $100 right there.

The only problem is that I'll have to find a different spot to park the Midi, which now conveniently sits under one of the very messy benches.

 

[rljatl]

$209 for an Ultimate Dust Deputy at Toolnut with free shipping is an absolute steal. 

 

[ben_r_]

$209 for an Ultimate Dust Deputy at Toolnut with free shipping is an absolute steal. 

Thats what Im thinkin! Got my order in!

 

[jamanjeval]

Another vote for the Ultimate Dust Deputy. I got mine when I needed to do some surface grading on concrete using a large angle grinder and 7-inch diamond cup wheel. The dust shroud was connected to the large, 50mm hose. The Festool dust collector had enough capacity, but the bag would easily get clogged. Turning it off/on to let the bag collapse and clean didn't help. I'd have to take to top off and tap the bag. The cyclone didn't totally eliminate having to do that, but it was significantly less often. This kind of grinding produces a tremendous amount of dust and I didn't notice any negative effect from reduced airflow when using the cyclone. So whatever the rate was, it was still sufficient for the job. And, it remains sufficient for woodworking tools including all my festool sanders and saw.

For general cleanup jobs, I used to hesitate using the Festool because of the cost of the bags and would revert back to an old shopvac. I hated the noise and the dust when emptying it and cleaning the filter. Now, I use the festool and DD. As an added bonus, the DD allows you to easily retrieve something you may have accidentally vacuumed up when using the Festool dust collector.

For on-site use, the Systainer like dust collector is big enough (IMHO), super strong and it is static dissipative. If you go the DIY route, be sure to test the container you are going to use to see if it will hold up to atmospheric pressure trying to crush it. Seal it up and use the vacuum to suck all the air out. You may find it will collapse in on itself.