I’m trying to decide on a new woodworking dust collector by the end of the year, and it’s been kicking my butt.
So far Rikon is the front-runner, with their 1.75 HP 2-stage model 60-1750.
It’s not HEPA, but looks more portable than my Jet. Pluses include the 2-stage design, cyclone, and upper collection ports.
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There’s also the Grizzly Growl Tech, which I didn’t know existed before today. But, their smallest 1.5 HP model requires a 20A outlet. I have 20A circuits but 15A outlets. Sometimes I have different things on the circuits. I’d prefer 220V over 110V at 20A, but I only have a single 20A breaker.
I’m not sure how much woodworking I’ll really be doing, but I’ll be keeping some of my tools and capabilities and as such will need a dust collector.
I could put in another 220V outlet, but who knows when I’d be ready to do that. At that point I might want to equip my garage workspace with rigid dust collection ducting.
The sensors and features of the Grizzly are appealing, and especially the lower noise level, but I think the Rikon is more practical for right now.
I also found this horizontal Grizzly unit. I’ve searched everywhere and can’t find clear indication of how the “cyclone” separator section works.
Here’s a snippet of the Grizzly’s parts diagram. The separation stage doesn’t seem particularly efficient.
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You can mount a wood top and actually use it as a workbench (although there’s no mention of the casters’ weight capacity), and it’s pretty quiet.
A HEPA filter is available separately. Given its form factor, its filter size is much smaller than for the other models.
While I think the design is pretty amazing, it doesn’t seem ideally matched to my needs.
Compared to the Rikon, I do like that you can add HEPA filter.
And I really like that it can potentially be used as a workbench even when not used as a dust collector.
Rikon Dimensions: 44″ x 28″ x 68″
Grizzly Dimensions: 53″ x 27.5″ x 40.5″
The Grizzly requires a 20A circuit but is rated at 15A at full load and has a standard plug type.
The Rikon has a 12A load rating.
Rikon: 900 CFM, Grizzly (horizontal type): 735 CFM
That’s with the included filter, the Grizzly might have more restricted flow with the optional HEPA filter.
I considered Harvey and their new G-700 Pro, but quickly decided against it.
It’s been extremely difficult searching for added info or any reviews for the Rikon and Grizzly.
I found just one influencer review for a larger 220V version of the Rikon, and nothing for the Grizzly.
Let’s say my needs change. I can potentially turn the Grizzly into a downdraft table base. Or maybe use it next to a CNC router.
Realistically, am I really going to use it as a workbench?
The Grizzly takes up more space, and I’m not thrilled about its full 15A load rating. Or some of the compromises in its design.
Grizzly has a 1 year warranty, Rikon has 5.
As an aside, I also came across a Grizzly HEPA fume extractor that’s said to be suited for laser cutters. Tractor Supply has a special price at checkout!
After clicking through a few screens, here’s the special price. You save a total of $0.01.
It cannot be used with flammable vapors, but they advertise that it can be used as a shop air purifier or “whether you are using a 3D printer.”
Readers have asked for some laser engraver reviews, and I’m wondering if this would be suitable as a multi-purpose extractor. It has 8 stages of filtration – we can talk about this machine separately, I just found the strike-through price and $0.01 savings amusing.
There’s another Grizzly that might compare well against the Rikon.
But with similar footprints and designs, the Rikon warranty period seems better.
One day I might need a 220V dust collector, at which point I might upgrade.
As for my existing Jet dust collector that’s not very portable, maybe I can move it and a less-frequently-used woodworking tool or two to my basement.
Are there any other 110V dust collectors that I should consider?
Rich
Are you concerned about the Grizzly’s 20A requirement because of other tools on that circuit? If not, you could swap out a 15A outlet for a 20A outlet pretty easily. (Both meet code on a 20A circuit with 12 AWG cable and multiple outlets.) My dust collector is 120v and I’ve never felt like it was underpowered. But between the Rikon and the Grizzly, I actually like the Rikon better (form factor and warranty).
Stuart
Yes. My workshop is still evolving, and so the dust collector needs to be mobile and able to plug into any outlet.
My Jet is still functional, but a gigantic pain to move, pain to connect to, and it’s only single stage.
Tool Junkie
Stuart, I have the Jet and mounted it to my ceiling. I have a dust deputy below it and a 50 gallon drum below that. I use the Rockler quick connect hose on them. I have a 16” jointer, 21” bandsaw & a Sawstop that I switch between. Off you want to send me a link, I can email you a photo.
Neil
Oneida. Awesome products. https://www.oneida-air.com/dust-collectors/dust-cobra-high-pressure-hepa-cyclone-dust-collector
Neil
I’ve got the Mini-Gorilla, but it’s not available right now. 120v or 240v, I love it. https://www.oneida-air.com/dust-collectors/1-5hp-mini-gorilla-portable-22-gal-hepa-gfm-cyclone-dust-collector
Stuart
That’s a low-volume 2.5″ dust collector, I need a higher volume 4″ dust collector.
Oneida is on my “eventually” shortlist, but their 4″ 110V/120V dust collectors have higher power consumption needs than I’m willing to accommodate.
@Neil, I’ve looked at that over the years, but the 16A rating and Nema 5-20 plug are a no-go for me. If I’m running new dedicated outlets, they might as well be 220V.
KG
For the flexibility, portability options, and potentially useful add ons with the multi-use aspects you’ve mentioned, I think Oneida’s Supercell could be a strong consideration.
Yeah, it’s not 220v but unless you truly cannot reasonably get another circuit added, that’s usually more an inconvenient pre-req than a disqualifier. Not that I’m suggesting this includes you, but I’ll bet many of your readers have this same dilemma and don’t even consider having an electrician in to determine and quote running 220v, potentially limiting their choices unnecessarily. It’s a bifurcation of the decision tree comparison shopping you’re doing on the 110v options.
I’ve held off graduating from a shop vac + cyclone for this same reason – I know I want a serious and flexible collector eventually and can’t afford to do a half measure and rebuy the same function when I do get 220v run.
I hope you post updates on this . I’d be interested to read about the final decisions and reasoning. Thanks for sharing
Stuart
The Supercell is 220V. Looking again now, I cannot find any that are 110V.
KG
Typo on my part. My post should have acknowledged, “Yeah, it’s 220v not 110v,…”
Neil
Wait for the Mini-Gorilla, or find one used. 4″, and it runs as either 120v or 240v! HEPA filter, and the whole cyclone/filter/bag system is the EASIEST for changing.
John
To help you, I need more information.
– What devices will you be hooking up to it?
– What are their CFM requirements?
– Will you be using only 1 device at a time?
– How long will the pipes/hoses be? (Remember, you can loose up to 50% of your CFM with long runs and many elbows.
– What was it about your current Jet unit that made you replace it?
Stuart
Band saw, router table, jointer, table saw, ONE at a time. Sometimes misc attachments.
>600 CFM
Extendable hose, not ducting, which quick-attach fitting.
The JET is an ergonomic pain. Hard to move, hard to access the port at the bottom. It doesn’t need to be replaced, but I can use it elsewhere, leaving a hole in dust collection.
I bought the Jet because it was cheap. I potentially could build a better mobile base for it, but I am unlikely to.
There are wall-mounted options, but I like the ability to move things around.
It’s pretty much down to least-worst solutions.
The Grizzly are appealing, with auto-filter cleaning and noise reduction.
So it’s either the Rikon, something that’s 99% similar, or push hard to waiting until I can add more 220V outlet(s).
John
YMMV but my DC is “rated” at 1250 CFM. At the seperator input it is measured at ~1100 CFM. After 20′ of hose the CFM measures at 600+ at the tool. I could remove the seperator, but that would make more work for me on the backend.
Be very careful venting outdoors. That produces a vacuum in your space and furnaces/water heaters will not vent properly.
Good luck in your journey. Keep us in the loop.
Stuart
Yup – that’s the problem with venting outdoors – you need to replace the air. In winter, the cross flow can bring the temperature down quickly, and in summer the humidity and temp can rise quickly.
Robert
Stuart, have you considered posting your questions about the Rikon and the Grizzlies (A misnamed camera and two Kodiak bears walk into a bar in the Aleutians…) on Lumberjocks.com forums? The Workshop and the Tools & Jigs forums.
Stuart
I’ve shopped this category a lot over the years, and the Grizzly horizontal dust collector and quiet vertical are rare additions.
This post was mostly about sorting things out semi-rationally.
The question was more in case I missed another new model or development, or in case a reader did something really cool with one of the newer wall-mount solutions.
When shopping for a 110V dust collector, it’s not about picking the best one, but picking which compromises you can work with.
Bonnie
Especially if you’re not planning to run it day-in-day-out, I will always recommend a separator and exhausting outside rather than fussing with an interior canister filter. Yes, you lose some conditioned air, but the improvement in air quality is almost impossible to match without getting an industrial extractor. Especially for limited project use it’s so much nicer.
I used a 1.5hp HF blower this way when I was in a small single-car garage shop. Once I moved to a large shop I upgraded to a 220v Jet blower (I can’t remember if it’s 3 or 5hp, and I threw away the bags and other miscellany). If I were buying new I’d probably skip most of the woodworking brands and go for the largest Dayton (or other commercial grade) blower I could afford instead, the pressure ratings on those seem to be better than the woodworking blowers to boot.
Stuart
I tried a 4″ separator once, it was terrible.
Connecting a hose and flipping a switch is easy enough for quick work. Opening a window or the garage door when it’s freezing, raining, snowing, etc is doable, but know for me. I know myself to prefer low-friction methods.
Bonnie
I may be confused. Why would you be opening a door/window? I just plumb the exhaust to a dryer vent or the like, and use a wireless switch from the tool.
Joe
Depending on how your house/building was built (air tightness and such) that could be an absolutely terrible idea.
My house barely does 6 air changes / hour (so eventually we need an ERV/HRV). Shooting out a 400cfm dust collector out the dryer vent for an hour will result in back drafts and low pressure in the house. Hell, I’ve heard using a range hood higher than like 300cfm-400cfm requires a method for bringing in makeup air (other than ERV/HRV).
ERV/HRV only do a low volume per hour because they’re meant to go all of the time. I suppose if you have a house with low air tightness and no gas flue appliances (especially none of those mid/low efficiency ones that go up a chimney) you could get away with it.
Jim
I recently purchased Rockler’s “Dust Right” 1.5 hp dust collector with hepa filter. It is a huge upgrade from my 20 year old Delta 1 hp that just couldn’t do the job.
Josh
I’d look at the Hooked on Wood videos on the Record dust collectors. They seem like a pretty ideal solution for a hobbyist woodshop with a mix of smaller and larger diameter ports.
Stuart
Those are all 230V.
Nick
I’m in the same situation and have settled on the Oneida supercell. Seems to be about the only unit capable of dealing with high volume and high velocity requirements. I’d rather duct the one system to everything rather than have to run some tools off a shop vac… Going to have to install 220v to make it work but it exists in my laundry which joins the garage so shouldn’t be too difficult. Definitely worth considering if you haven’t already.
Josh
I have 20A circuits but 15A outlets.
but I’ll me keeping some of my tools and capabilities and as such will need a dust collector.
I could out in another 220V outlet
Beanhole
I had a 2HP Laguna that was very similar to the Rikon. I used 6″ SDR for the duct work. I ran a 3HP Sawstop with the big overarm dust collection. It did pretty well for the most part. It did “okay” with my Jessem router table…Laguna bandsaw not so much. For the price it served me well. I ended up upgrading through when I started to run my CNC router and table saw at the same time. One tool at a time and it should be golden. Go HEPA if you can. My new one is and I wouldn’t go back. It really makes a difference.
Nathan
Rikon appears to have a more efficient fan and motor so I’d lean that way. If the price is reasonable
revitup
You might want to at least check out the CamVac – Highland hardware sells them, as well as Stockroom Supply. Got one about a year ago and am pretty impressed so far. Can “dial it up or down” as needed due to the three separate motors. Might not fit your needs, but worth a look.
Matt F
I know someone with the older base model Harvey G-700 and they love it, it’s substantially quieter than other dust collectors.
David
That’s what I was popping in to suggest – there are quite a few reviews of it and it seems like a better horizontal DC.
I’ve also eyed the Laguna models as I debate my own DC upgrade.
Melvin
I have a similar dust collection need and setup as you, but have not found as much need to upgrade:
-My Jet dust collector (DC-1100VX) has wheels that look similar to the cyclone machines you show. I don’t see how mobility would be different. Is your model significantly different?
-I made a trash can separator. It works well to separate almost all the large particles before getting to the dust collector (enough cutting to fill trash can and I get only a handful of very fine dust in the dust collector bag). Took around 1 hour to cut and screw together after materials sourced at local Home Depot/Lowes.
-I leave hose clamped to dust collector, and use the quick connect on the other end at the machine. Sounds like you do the other way around, and don’t like to kneel down to connect it?
-One thing to consider with the cyclone models you linked is that the dust collection drums are smaller (2/3 volume of typical single stage dust collector), so you would need to keep an eye out to dump the sawdust more frequently.
Stuart
It’s not “OMG so bad I need to get rid of it” bad, but still a pain to use and I would not buy a second one unless cost was a much bigger priority. Moving it around feels like the entire thing is going to fall apart due to flimsy construction.
The hose is attached, draped over the motor, and can be a challenge to route over machinery. I planned to make a periscope-like riser, but haven’t done that yet.
I don’t have space for a separate separator and want everything in a single footprint.
What I might end up doing is deal with it for a bit longer and then just go to 220V when I have time to figure out a permanent layout and new outlet placements.
MKY
Stuart –
“I’m not sure how much woodworking I’ll really be doing, but ***I’ll me*** keeping some…”
“I ***could out in*** another 220V outlet, but who knows…”
“Let’s say my needs change. ***I can myself*** turning…”
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
MKY
One more that I missed the first time:
“ ***An an••• aside, I also came across a Grizzly HEPA …”
Mark M.
If you aren’t sure how much woodworking you’re actually going to be doing, why not build your own with a shop vac and cyclonic separator? A cart is a fun project and a fraction of the cost of what you’re pricing out here. If you were running a cabinet shop that’s one thing but for a “maybe I’ll use it” case, I’d start small and work up.
Matthew P.
As an MD, I really think you should go for HEPA – it really makes a difference and the cost difference in the long run is marginal when considering it an investment in your health over the years of use.
Stuart
I also have an air cleaner mounted to the ceiling. HEPA is rare with dust collectors (at least in the power level I’m shopping in), and even then, they don’t capture everything. Woodworking dust requires a layered approach, including PPE.
KokoTheTalkingApe
I have nothing to add except that I’m looking for a dust collector myself and kudos to you Stuart for looking at this so carefully so we don’t have too!
Sullivan504
The $0.01 hidden discount from Grizzly is a bit of an insult, but it would be helpful to read how pricing compares in your search. (Yes, we readers can do searches to compare the Grizzlies, Rikon, and Harvey, but there was already mention of butts being kicked from all the research…) Anyhow, is price a factor? If so, was that the reason the Harvey G-700 Pro was scratched so quickly?
Stuart
I’d potentially be open to the G-700 Pro, but I’ve seen “I went with the G-700 and now regret it” videos and mentions online that gave me pause. I’m also not particularly interested in a “smart” dust collector. My dust collector doesn’t need an Android tablet.
Pricing isn’t a primary concern. I’m not looking for “buy it for life” here, but also didn’t want too many compromises.
I was eager to explore 2-stage designs, especially those that are different from the squirrel cage blower fans used in entry-priced dust collectors.
JMG
Stuart,
Thanks for sharing your dust collection upgrade journey with us. For many of us with small shops dust collection is an expensive and somewhat unfamiliar appliance.
Based on your recent “…my workbench” article, much like making vs purchasing the drawers, I suggest you pay an electrician to run your 208V circuit(s). Unlike your own labor, you can write the electrician off. Once you have 208V available you have many more options and can potentially save a little money on your new dust collection system.
Between the write off and the machine savings the cost of the electrician may well be worth it.
And it will move your project along, out if the “…..when I have some time” purgatory
Stuart
That’s the goal, it’s just a matter of planning and execution.
It’s not something that can be done in a week or even a month, even if my electrician or backup electrician have free schedules.
I need to get my workshop in order and am not sure how long it would take.
It’s always good to understand the backup options. This is one of few tool categories where it’s not clear what is best.