I'm posting this for posterity so that no one else has to go through the countless hours of research and weeks of guesswork that I had to just to source a reasonably priced HEPA filter.
I'm helping out my recently widowed father. He owns a c.1992 Italian-made Fein Mini Turbo (Model 9.11.20) dust extractor:
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...which was in need of a new (and preferably HEPA) filter. The Fein-branded dry-only, plain-paper-media-type HEPA filter sold for this machine (which retails between US$115-190, an unnecessary joke of a price-range, especially given that the filter is manufactured in China) cannot be used for wet extraction and is not designed to be rinsed with water for easy cleaning. Now, I know what you're thinking: I've done it too in the past with a long since sold-off Rigid vac (IOW I've washed a paper filter). But why go off-script when the latest generation of HEPA filters are actually designed to be rinsed with water?
Anyways, being that I was peripherally aware of the washable Gore Cleanstream line of aftermarket wet/dry HEPA filters, I set out to see if I could find a compatible model. Let me just say at the outset that Gore does not specifically market a filter for this make and model of vac (Gore doesn't even actually manufacturer any of the filters that bear its name, but that's another topic for another day).
Determined to find a solution, and after scouring the web, I came across several cryptic references to the fact that "red-stripe" filters designed for a specific range of Craftsman vacuums apparently fit at least some older-model Fein extractors. I then located a few other mentions in customer reviews of some owners having had luck fitting Gore Cleanstream HEPA filters designed for some Craftsman & Rigid vacs to their Fein machines, including one random comment on a person's blog post which vaguely describes the work-around of using a nylon toilet seat bolt and nut to affix a Cleanstream filter to the Fein filter mount (in place of the round plastic mounting plate with its barbed cam-lock fitting that's otherwise needed to fit the stock, open-ended Fein filters). [More on this tantalizing tidbit later.]
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Referencing the page on the Gore website dedicated to their Cleanstream filters, I compared the stated ID, OD and length of the two washable wet/dry HEPA filters currently listed as being compatible with Craftsman & Rigid vacs to the dimensions of the existing filter on my dad's Fein and found that, while both would work, one was more ideal than the other.
I should note now that, while I did manage to locate a Craftsman-branded HEPA filter (Part# CMXZVBE38753) and a Rigid-branded HEPA filter (VF6000) - both of which are actually identical filters, just w/ different branding, and both of which could be made to work with the Fein vac - neither filter is approved for wet extraction and neither features any sort of coating (for easiest cleaning). Plus, unlike the Cleanstream filters, neither are made in the U.S.A (both are, in fact, produced in Mexico).
As a further aside, for anyone interested, these two identical filters are not open-ended (the closed end is fitted with an integral flexible center-hole-drilled cap that is permanently bonded to the filter) and are slightly larger in circumference and slightly longer too, which means that the aforecited Fein filter mounting disc would need to be set aside in favor of a toilet seat bolt (used in the manner I alluded to earlier - more on this alluring topic in a bit).
Given what I know about the latest generation of Cleanstream filters, I quickly ruled out this dual-Craftsman/Rigid-branded filter given that it relies on older paper filter media which is not nearly as robust or long-lived as the latest coated Gore media and, perhaps most importantly, because neither is approved for wet-pickup or, for that matter, for meeting the EPA RRP lead paint rule. On that last point, neither filter is capable of achieving the "99.97% efficient at 0.3 microns" requirement of the RRP rule, hence the need for a disclaimer. So, since I was going to be spending the money anyway, I decided my father should benefit from the latest-greatest Gore HEPA filter media which is coated with PTFE for all the benefits it affords in use, cleanup and longevity.
The newest version of the Craftsman/Rigid Gore-compatible Cleanstream filter (the one widely available in big box home improvement stores and online), Model 09093, is almost an inch longer in length (compared to the 09085) and, out of the box at least, is not intended to be mechanically fastened to a motor assembly (instead, it relies solely on a friction fit).
In contrast, the older, slightly shorter version, the aforementioned Model 09085, does feature the more traditional center-drilled round plate (though, in this case, the plate is permanently bonded to the filter rather than being loose) for mounting in conjunction with something like a threaded post and, as also already alluded to, is closer in length to the filter that originally came installed in the Fein vac (though it, like the Model 09093 filter, is also slightly larger in circumference).
Wanting to minimize the volume that an overall larger filter body would occupy inside the Fein's modest tank and worried that the longer filter may present a problem for how I was intending to mechanically mount it to the filter mounting assembly, I decided right then that I wanted the 09085 model. Little did I know what a struggle it was going to be to find a source.
After more scouring of the internet, it became clear that this model was either discontinued or perhaps now known by another part number. Ultimately, I contacted Gore and was told that this version is still available but that it is only available from one rather obscure place (National Filter).
In then speaking with an agent at National Filter, I learned that a) they had the filter in stock but that b) they also had a $100 order minimum. However, the agent was kind enough to suggest that I contact another even more obscure company, Fluid Power Shop, since, as she assured me, "they will be able to sell you a single filter."
Yup, it turns out the filter was available from more than one place after all.
However, in then talking with an agent of Fluid Power Shop, I was informed that, unfortunately, they have a $50 order minimum. Not needing anything else that these two companies sell (and thus being unable to meet their respective minimums), I was forced to reach out again to Gore for more help.
As an aside, I did briefly consider ordering two filters (and selling the spare on eBay, etc.) but two reasons cropped up that nixed that idea. The first was that the combined shipping and tax from both companies approached the cost of a single filter and the second was my appreciation that if it was this difficult to find this particular model of filter then no one out there in the consumer world would even know they needed this version, and thus I might encounter difficulty selling the spare. As it is, the readily available version, 09093, sells at every Home Despot in the country for ~$32. So, good luck to me trying to sell basically the same filter for ~$50 (necessary, just to to cover my costs).
This time, however, Gore provided me with the name of a company called Goodway. The Gore rep assured me that this company would be able to help me. However, any notion that this statement was rooted in reality quickly went out the window when I couldn't get anyone at Goodway to confirm that the sole model of Cleanstream HEPA filter they sell is in fact the 09085. Moreover, their asking price plus tax and quoted shipping tipped my total cost to over $70 (for a single ~$32 filter!).
When the person I'd been corresponding with at Gore then failed to respond to my next followup request - which bashfully asked "Can I bother you for just one more recommendation?" - I decided to revisit my original research to see if I had missed anything.
It was after reviewing my original research that I stumbled upon something I recalled having noted but not having followed up on. The good folks at Oneida-Air Systems appear in web search results for "HEPA filters" and, as I would shortly discover, they sell two versions of Gore Cleanstream filters (I would also soon learn that they've designed at least one of their machines around the filter "standard" shared by Craftsman, Rigid and Fein Mini Turbo I (9-11-20) and Fein Turbo II (9-55-13) extractors). However, when I contacted Oneida (first by email and then by telephone) to request confirmation of the corresponding Gore model numbers, I was left wanting.
It was shortly thereafter, while perusing a digital version of the User's Manual for an older version of the Oneida Dust Cobra extractor (purely on a hunch), that I stumbled upon what, for this adventure, certainly qualifies as the Holy Grail. In the manual, adjacent to an image of the Dust Cobra and in a dashed-line inset bubble, the following advice appears:
"If you replace the filter it is imperative that you use a Cleanstream® Pro HEPA filter #09085 (OAS #FCH000002) and not their non-HEPA filter. Otherwise it will not be a certified unit."
[attachimg=5]
[Source:https://manualzz.com/doc/22151162/the-dust-cobra---xck010000-a-owner-s]
A quick search of the Oneida site using their "FC000002" part number produced the product page which details the exact filter that I had been searching so long and so hard for! Phew!
As a side note, I went on to kick myself when I examined the associated product images and noticed that one of them shows the bottom of the filter with its center-drilled hole (the tell-tale feature that is almost never shown in product photos). Had I seen this image early-on, I may have deduced that this was the filter I wanted and thus focused in on it, accordingly. Oh well, what else is there to do in Covid lock-down, right?!
Having since taken delivery of the filter (I was assured by Oneida my order would take at least three weeks to fulfill yet the filter arrived at the Post Office after only five days, with absolutely zero notice...go figure, my PayPal account hasn't even been charged yet!) I can now happily confirm that, yes, everything I'd managed to deduce from the bread crumbs scattered across the internet were in fact accurate.
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So, for anyone still relying on one of these trusty older-model Fein extractors and wanting to make use of a washable HEPA filter for both wet and dry extraction, feel free to benefit from my leg work.
Source and total cost (including tax and shipping) for:
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I'm helping out my recently widowed father. He owns a c.1992 Italian-made Fein Mini Turbo (Model 9.11.20) dust extractor:
[attachimg=1]
...which was in need of a new (and preferably HEPA) filter. The Fein-branded dry-only, plain-paper-media-type HEPA filter sold for this machine (which retails between US$115-190, an unnecessary joke of a price-range, especially given that the filter is manufactured in China) cannot be used for wet extraction and is not designed to be rinsed with water for easy cleaning. Now, I know what you're thinking: I've done it too in the past with a long since sold-off Rigid vac (IOW I've washed a paper filter). But why go off-script when the latest generation of HEPA filters are actually designed to be rinsed with water?
Anyways, being that I was peripherally aware of the washable Gore Cleanstream line of aftermarket wet/dry HEPA filters, I set out to see if I could find a compatible model. Let me just say at the outset that Gore does not specifically market a filter for this make and model of vac (Gore doesn't even actually manufacturer any of the filters that bear its name, but that's another topic for another day).
Determined to find a solution, and after scouring the web, I came across several cryptic references to the fact that "red-stripe" filters designed for a specific range of Craftsman vacuums apparently fit at least some older-model Fein extractors. I then located a few other mentions in customer reviews of some owners having had luck fitting Gore Cleanstream HEPA filters designed for some Craftsman & Rigid vacs to their Fein machines, including one random comment on a person's blog post which vaguely describes the work-around of using a nylon toilet seat bolt and nut to affix a Cleanstream filter to the Fein filter mount (in place of the round plastic mounting plate with its barbed cam-lock fitting that's otherwise needed to fit the stock, open-ended Fein filters). [More on this tantalizing tidbit later.]
[attachimg=2]
[attachimg=3]
[attachimg=4]
Referencing the page on the Gore website dedicated to their Cleanstream filters, I compared the stated ID, OD and length of the two washable wet/dry HEPA filters currently listed as being compatible with Craftsman & Rigid vacs to the dimensions of the existing filter on my dad's Fein and found that, while both would work, one was more ideal than the other.
I should note now that, while I did manage to locate a Craftsman-branded HEPA filter (Part# CMXZVBE38753) and a Rigid-branded HEPA filter (VF6000) - both of which are actually identical filters, just w/ different branding, and both of which could be made to work with the Fein vac - neither filter is approved for wet extraction and neither features any sort of coating (for easiest cleaning). Plus, unlike the Cleanstream filters, neither are made in the U.S.A (both are, in fact, produced in Mexico).
As a further aside, for anyone interested, these two identical filters are not open-ended (the closed end is fitted with an integral flexible center-hole-drilled cap that is permanently bonded to the filter) and are slightly larger in circumference and slightly longer too, which means that the aforecited Fein filter mounting disc would need to be set aside in favor of a toilet seat bolt (used in the manner I alluded to earlier - more on this alluring topic in a bit).
Given what I know about the latest generation of Cleanstream filters, I quickly ruled out this dual-Craftsman/Rigid-branded filter given that it relies on older paper filter media which is not nearly as robust or long-lived as the latest coated Gore media and, perhaps most importantly, because neither is approved for wet-pickup or, for that matter, for meeting the EPA RRP lead paint rule. On that last point, neither filter is capable of achieving the "99.97% efficient at 0.3 microns" requirement of the RRP rule, hence the need for a disclaimer. So, since I was going to be spending the money anyway, I decided my father should benefit from the latest-greatest Gore HEPA filter media which is coated with PTFE for all the benefits it affords in use, cleanup and longevity.
The newest version of the Craftsman/Rigid Gore-compatible Cleanstream filter (the one widely available in big box home improvement stores and online), Model 09093, is almost an inch longer in length (compared to the 09085) and, out of the box at least, is not intended to be mechanically fastened to a motor assembly (instead, it relies solely on a friction fit).
In contrast, the older, slightly shorter version, the aforementioned Model 09085, does feature the more traditional center-drilled round plate (though, in this case, the plate is permanently bonded to the filter rather than being loose) for mounting in conjunction with something like a threaded post and, as also already alluded to, is closer in length to the filter that originally came installed in the Fein vac (though it, like the Model 09093 filter, is also slightly larger in circumference).
Wanting to minimize the volume that an overall larger filter body would occupy inside the Fein's modest tank and worried that the longer filter may present a problem for how I was intending to mechanically mount it to the filter mounting assembly, I decided right then that I wanted the 09085 model. Little did I know what a struggle it was going to be to find a source.
After more scouring of the internet, it became clear that this model was either discontinued or perhaps now known by another part number. Ultimately, I contacted Gore and was told that this version is still available but that it is only available from one rather obscure place (National Filter).
In then speaking with an agent at National Filter, I learned that a) they had the filter in stock but that b) they also had a $100 order minimum. However, the agent was kind enough to suggest that I contact another even more obscure company, Fluid Power Shop, since, as she assured me, "they will be able to sell you a single filter."
Yup, it turns out the filter was available from more than one place after all.
However, in then talking with an agent of Fluid Power Shop, I was informed that, unfortunately, they have a $50 order minimum. Not needing anything else that these two companies sell (and thus being unable to meet their respective minimums), I was forced to reach out again to Gore for more help.
As an aside, I did briefly consider ordering two filters (and selling the spare on eBay, etc.) but two reasons cropped up that nixed that idea. The first was that the combined shipping and tax from both companies approached the cost of a single filter and the second was my appreciation that if it was this difficult to find this particular model of filter then no one out there in the consumer world would even know they needed this version, and thus I might encounter difficulty selling the spare. As it is, the readily available version, 09093, sells at every Home Despot in the country for ~$32. So, good luck to me trying to sell basically the same filter for ~$50 (necessary, just to to cover my costs).
This time, however, Gore provided me with the name of a company called Goodway. The Gore rep assured me that this company would be able to help me. However, any notion that this statement was rooted in reality quickly went out the window when I couldn't get anyone at Goodway to confirm that the sole model of Cleanstream HEPA filter they sell is in fact the 09085. Moreover, their asking price plus tax and quoted shipping tipped my total cost to over $70 (for a single ~$32 filter!).
When the person I'd been corresponding with at Gore then failed to respond to my next followup request - which bashfully asked "Can I bother you for just one more recommendation?" - I decided to revisit my original research to see if I had missed anything.
It was after reviewing my original research that I stumbled upon something I recalled having noted but not having followed up on. The good folks at Oneida-Air Systems appear in web search results for "HEPA filters" and, as I would shortly discover, they sell two versions of Gore Cleanstream filters (I would also soon learn that they've designed at least one of their machines around the filter "standard" shared by Craftsman, Rigid and Fein Mini Turbo I (9-11-20) and Fein Turbo II (9-55-13) extractors). However, when I contacted Oneida (first by email and then by telephone) to request confirmation of the corresponding Gore model numbers, I was left wanting.
It was shortly thereafter, while perusing a digital version of the User's Manual for an older version of the Oneida Dust Cobra extractor (purely on a hunch), that I stumbled upon what, for this adventure, certainly qualifies as the Holy Grail. In the manual, adjacent to an image of the Dust Cobra and in a dashed-line inset bubble, the following advice appears:
"If you replace the filter it is imperative that you use a Cleanstream® Pro HEPA filter #09085 (OAS #FCH000002) and not their non-HEPA filter. Otherwise it will not be a certified unit."
[attachimg=5]
[Source:https://manualzz.com/doc/22151162/the-dust-cobra---xck010000-a-owner-s]
A quick search of the Oneida site using their "FC000002" part number produced the product page which details the exact filter that I had been searching so long and so hard for! Phew!
As a side note, I went on to kick myself when I examined the associated product images and noticed that one of them shows the bottom of the filter with its center-drilled hole (the tell-tale feature that is almost never shown in product photos). Had I seen this image early-on, I may have deduced that this was the filter I wanted and thus focused in on it, accordingly. Oh well, what else is there to do in Covid lock-down, right?!
Having since taken delivery of the filter (I was assured by Oneida my order would take at least three weeks to fulfill yet the filter arrived at the Post Office after only five days, with absolutely zero notice...go figure, my PayPal account hasn't even been charged yet!) I can now happily confirm that, yes, everything I'd managed to deduce from the bread crumbs scattered across the internet were in fact accurate.
[attachimg=6]
[attachimg=7]
So, for anyone still relying on one of these trusty older-model Fein extractors and wanting to make use of a washable HEPA filter for both wet and dry extraction, feel free to benefit from my leg work.
Source and total cost (including tax and shipping) for:
- Gore Cleanstream 09085 "Pro" HEPA Filter - Oneida Air Systems, US$52.36
- Nylon toilet seat bolts/nuts - Zoro, US$0.94 (w/free shipping)
- Galvanized washer and matching-thread nut (my dad's spare nut and bolt collection - unexpectedly, the threading cut into the nylon toilet seat bolts match the coarse threading cut into standard 1/4" carriage bolts. Who knew?!
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Attachments
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Front.JPG -
HEPA Diameter.JPG -
HEPA Length.JPG -
OldNewDiam.JPG -
OldNew.JPG -
HEPA Installed2.JPG -
HEPA Installed.JPG -
Backside of toilet bolt.JPG -
Bolt Installed.JPG -
ToiletBolts.JPG -
HEPA Center Hole.JPG -
Cam Fitting.JPG -
OldFilter.JPG -
OldFilter2.JPG -
Dust Cobra.JPG -
Old and New.JPG -
OneidaPartNo.JPG -
HEPA Filter.JPG
