Suitable dust extractor

[Fishmat]

Hi Forum,

I am after an all singing all dancing powertool dust extractor which doubles up as a vacuum cleaner and is portable enough to take on site (peoples houses).

Looking to spend approx. £200

Any suggestions / opinions based on using such a device will be very welcome.

Many thanks,

John

 

[greggy]

hi fishmat, i have a camvac, realy strong and reliable, well reccommended

 

[Escudo]

I got my wall mounted camvac machine for £199.

I Would also recommend Camvac products, made in nearby Fakenham, Norfolk.

Esc.

 

[LyNx]

I have the festool Midi for my powertools. Great little machine. Slightly over your budget but the MINI is around £233 - MIDI £260

 

[Fishmat]

Thanks everyone. I've heard of Festool but not Camvac. I'll google that.

It is far better getting this info than reading the catalogues telling how wonderful their products are.

Thanks again,

John

 

[ProShop]

Have a look HERE

The Trend T30AF is a good choice(comes with fine filter down to 0.3 microns according to Trend) excellent for mdf, good price and if your taking it into customers homes it's quieter than most.

 

[Fishmat]

Thanks John.

Choices choices.

Just one more question. Does the Camvac have an auto start feature (it starts when the power tool is switched on)? I have looked online but it does not mention this anywhere and from the pictures it does not make it clear.

Thanks again,

John

 

[cumbrian]

I'm very impressed with the Festool Mini I recently bought. I didn't want to spend that much (£234) until I tried it out.........
I understand that the only difference between the mini and the midi is the capacity. The capacity doesn't sound like much, but the design is such that the capacity quoted is misleading - the dust bag is compressed so the quoted capacity represents a bagful of tight packed dust.

It's quiet (I have hearing difficulties and often have to check that it's working by feel!), very portable because of the neat arrangement for containing the (very flexible) hose and power lead, and has the power tool take-off for auto switching. Also has variable suction power, which I thought was pretty pointless until it was demonstrated attached to a ROS with perforated sanding discs; at full power the Festool developed enough suction to pull the ROS onto the work surface and impede its movement.

I think it's a very well designed and built piece of kit - my 2p worth!

 

[Jake]

I have a Camvac 486, and I wouldn't even consider it for site work. They are too big, clumsy and awkward to lug around, and you'd need the (expensive extra) wheel set. No power take-off, either. Much better suited to a semi-static workshop set-up.

The Festools are great from personal experience - but pricey. The Fein has a great reputation and is a lot cheaper.

 

[Mark Hancock]

There are various sizes in the camvac range - there is a small one which is pretty portable. With my large one I put my own set of wheels on it - not costly at all, bolted into the base, just make you use seals to prevent air leakage.

You can also now get remote operated plug boards from electrical suppliers (City Eletrical?) - just have the remote handy and switch on the plugged in machinery from anywhere in the workshop - aren't we getting lazy

 

[Waka]

I have the festool Mini and I agree with everything thats been said about it. Sorry can't comment on the camvac.

 

[Jake]

With my large one I put my own set of wheels on it - not costly at all, bolted into the base, just make you use seals to prevent air leakage.

I've got my own wheels as well, but didn't think of just whacking them through the bin. Mine are on a disk which sits inside the rim, but I like your idea. And hang on, I have a welder...

 

[Roy Clarke]

I built one of these which I added to the front end of my vac. It makes a big difference to how long you work between filter cleaning, and like Dysons, you only lose a sausage or so of suction, insteat of a whole pan load. I had it running when I used a wall chaser, and very little got through to the vac.

Be aware, not all cyclones are the same, so any old thing with a cone has to have the right cone to work properly.

 

[Noel]

Welcome to the site Roy. Here's your link:
http://clearvuecyclones.com/ShopVacVideoSmall.wmv

Your post was caught by an anti-spam tools. Once you've made a few posys it will be ok to post further URLs.

 

[Roy Clarke]

Right, I must make a few posys then

 

[RogerS]

I built one of these which I added to the front end of my vac. It makes a big difference to how long you work between filter cleaning, and like Dysons, you only lose a sausage or so of suction, insteat of a whole pan load. I had it running when I used a wall chaser, and very little got through to the vac.

Be aware, not all cyclones are the same, so any old thing with a cone has to have the right cone to work properly.

Yup...I use one as well. Cracking bit of kit. But a bit big and bulky to take onsite

 

[paulm]

Looks great.

Any contact details for a UK supplier or do you have to import ?

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Roy Clarke]

You will have to import unless you want to make one yourself. There are no uk suppliers, and the cost of importing is high. As I am very slow, it took me 2 days to get this put together, but there was quite a bit to learn on the way.

The first thing I did was to convert a Dyson DC04 cyclone so I could plug pipes on to it. That works reasonably well but it has quite a restriction in the outlet.

I treat it as a good visual gimmick when I take it to jobs, as well as saving me having to replace bags and filters so often.

Have a look at clearvuecyclones site for the big models.

 

[Fishmat]

Sorry, been away for a few days.

Thanks for all the info. Toooooo much choice now.

I'll make my mind up and get one soon.

Thanks again,

John

 

[andycktm]

Although this does not help your case fishmat,i've got an earlex with the original hose to a five gallon container with the extended hose (from machinemart) as the pick up hose,they just both go into the top of the container through holes.The pick up end has a 90 degree bend on it(in the container) and it does the same as the cyclone for nothing!
The cyclone idea may be better ,but i end up with a 5 gallon container full and half an inch in the earlex.Amazing ,but dead simple!