I purchased a 2HP Oneida Portable Dust Gorilla several months ago and want to share my experience here.
Before this, I had a 1HP Penn State with 1-micron bags. My shop is in the basement and I'm a weekend hobbyist. All my large machines (bandsaw, planer, jointer) are mobile. So, there is no plan for a duct work and the DC needs to be movable, although the machines are mostly within a reach of a 10-foot hose. There was nothing wrong with the 1HP DC, but there were two reasons why I decided the upgrade. First, the single-stage DC with a bag is a messy thing. Leakage of fine dust is inevitable. Emptying and cleaning is messy too. Being in the basement, the air quality is important. I was always turning on my air filtration because I can feel the deterioration of the air whenever I use the DC. I thought a canister was definitely an option to improve these and there are "nearly" HEPPA canister filters in the market. It was a difficult choice between a single-stage with canister and a more expensive cyclone. Second, I had a plan to upgrade my lunch-box planer to a stationary 15-inch one, although it hasn't happened yet. Then I feared my 1HP DC can't keep up with it.
After I went over all options, I decided to go with the 2HP cyclone with a HEPPA filter. For now, this is probably overkill but currently, my buying philosophy is "buy good ones now and never considering about upgrade for the lifetime". Well, that's why I'm buying Festool too. So, as an weekend hobbyist, I suspect I'll never overgrow beyond this Oneda system.
For the purchase of a new DC, my requirements were; 1) as quiet as possible (the 1HP Penn was very quiet), 2) HEPPA or something close for filtration, 3) portable, 4) 1.5-2HP, 5) a cyclone or a single-stage + canister + separate cyclone can. Among the available options, the Dust Gorilla Portable ($1,545+shipping) was decidedly more expensive (especially with mandatory shipping costs) by as much as $1,000. Another important factor, although not requirement, was, "I fed up with hit-or-miss Chiwan options." So, my decision was biased toward made-in-USA, which compensated the higher prices to some degree.
Of course, I can't comment on any other DC options because I don't have them (I have seen Laguna 2HP in a nearly dealer). My evaluation of the Dust Gorilla Portable is, thus, in an absolute, not relative, term.
1) suction: With the 10-foot hose (5-inch diameter), it's almost dangerous. Huge power.
2) sound level: Louder than the 1HP DC but no need for ear plugs. I'm happy with it. At least no complaints from my wife and daughters living upstairs.
3) filtration: Amazing. The air remains clean. No need for turning on the air filtration system. Feels like the emission is clearer than the air it sucks. With all the festool DCs, I really don't need the air filtration system anymore. I love it. I recently opened up the dust pan at the bottom of the HEPPA filter column. I found few hand plane shavings, which were extremely light and managed all the way to this final destination of the dust, but other than that, only few speckles of dust in the pan. More than 99% of chips and shaves were trapped in the can and no hint of fine dust. Amazing.
4) Fit and finish: Each part is heavy with thick metal sheets. I think it's heavier compare to other options in this class. In reality, the weight is a problem only during the assembly. There are no parts that remind me cheap Chiwan stuff.
5) Portability: with the two large wheels, it rolls easily. Compared to other cyclone options in this class, it is definitely taller and has more presence but the footprint is similar. The size of the cyclone is noticeably larger.
6) Assembly: There were few sections in the manual that challenged my intellect but I managed to build everything by myself. The gasket of the dust bin was too thick in the beginning and it was difficult to attach the can to the body. As I mentioned, each part, especially the propeller unit was so heavy but yes, I managed to assemble all by myself. I put the half-assembled DC right next to the workbench, lift the propeller unit from the floor to the workbench, climbed on the workbench, and then lift it all the way to the top of the DC!
7) Dust can: I think the Laguna-type flexible attachment would be much easier than the Oneda's way. Especially in the beginning with the thick gasket, I had a hard time to secure the can with the four flippers, but I assume the direct attachment of the can to the cyclone is important for the maximum efficiency, but this is just my guess.
8) Delivery: Came with several packages. Each was manageable size and weight, but some of them could be a back breaker. I managed to drag them from the driveway to the backside of the house and to the walk-out basement.
Overall, as you can see, I think the money well spent. I would definitely recommend it to anybody.
Hope this review is useful for you.
Before this, I had a 1HP Penn State with 1-micron bags. My shop is in the basement and I'm a weekend hobbyist. All my large machines (bandsaw, planer, jointer) are mobile. So, there is no plan for a duct work and the DC needs to be movable, although the machines are mostly within a reach of a 10-foot hose. There was nothing wrong with the 1HP DC, but there were two reasons why I decided the upgrade. First, the single-stage DC with a bag is a messy thing. Leakage of fine dust is inevitable. Emptying and cleaning is messy too. Being in the basement, the air quality is important. I was always turning on my air filtration because I can feel the deterioration of the air whenever I use the DC. I thought a canister was definitely an option to improve these and there are "nearly" HEPPA canister filters in the market. It was a difficult choice between a single-stage with canister and a more expensive cyclone. Second, I had a plan to upgrade my lunch-box planer to a stationary 15-inch one, although it hasn't happened yet. Then I feared my 1HP DC can't keep up with it.
After I went over all options, I decided to go with the 2HP cyclone with a HEPPA filter. For now, this is probably overkill but currently, my buying philosophy is "buy good ones now and never considering about upgrade for the lifetime". Well, that's why I'm buying Festool too. So, as an weekend hobbyist, I suspect I'll never overgrow beyond this Oneda system.
For the purchase of a new DC, my requirements were; 1) as quiet as possible (the 1HP Penn was very quiet), 2) HEPPA or something close for filtration, 3) portable, 4) 1.5-2HP, 5) a cyclone or a single-stage + canister + separate cyclone can. Among the available options, the Dust Gorilla Portable ($1,545+shipping) was decidedly more expensive (especially with mandatory shipping costs) by as much as $1,000. Another important factor, although not requirement, was, "I fed up with hit-or-miss Chiwan options." So, my decision was biased toward made-in-USA, which compensated the higher prices to some degree.
Of course, I can't comment on any other DC options because I don't have them (I have seen Laguna 2HP in a nearly dealer). My evaluation of the Dust Gorilla Portable is, thus, in an absolute, not relative, term.
1) suction: With the 10-foot hose (5-inch diameter), it's almost dangerous. Huge power.
2) sound level: Louder than the 1HP DC but no need for ear plugs. I'm happy with it. At least no complaints from my wife and daughters living upstairs.
3) filtration: Amazing. The air remains clean. No need for turning on the air filtration system. Feels like the emission is clearer than the air it sucks. With all the festool DCs, I really don't need the air filtration system anymore. I love it. I recently opened up the dust pan at the bottom of the HEPPA filter column. I found few hand plane shavings, which were extremely light and managed all the way to this final destination of the dust, but other than that, only few speckles of dust in the pan. More than 99% of chips and shaves were trapped in the can and no hint of fine dust. Amazing.
4) Fit and finish: Each part is heavy with thick metal sheets. I think it's heavier compare to other options in this class. In reality, the weight is a problem only during the assembly. There are no parts that remind me cheap Chiwan stuff.
5) Portability: with the two large wheels, it rolls easily. Compared to other cyclone options in this class, it is definitely taller and has more presence but the footprint is similar. The size of the cyclone is noticeably larger.
6) Assembly: There were few sections in the manual that challenged my intellect but I managed to build everything by myself. The gasket of the dust bin was too thick in the beginning and it was difficult to attach the can to the body. As I mentioned, each part, especially the propeller unit was so heavy but yes, I managed to assemble all by myself. I put the half-assembled DC right next to the workbench, lift the propeller unit from the floor to the workbench, climbed on the workbench, and then lift it all the way to the top of the DC!
7) Dust can: I think the Laguna-type flexible attachment would be much easier than the Oneda's way. Especially in the beginning with the thick gasket, I had a hard time to secure the can with the four flippers, but I assume the direct attachment of the can to the cyclone is important for the maximum efficiency, but this is just my guess.
8) Delivery: Came with several packages. Each was manageable size and weight, but some of them could be a back breaker. I managed to drag them from the driveway to the backside of the house and to the walk-out basement.
Overall, as you can see, I think the money well spent. I would definitely recommend it to anybody.
Hope this review is useful for you.
