Choosing a New Dust Extractor

[Mayo Dave]

Hello Forum
I posted under another thread, but can't see to post to it anymore
just looking for some quick feedback
I'm thinking of buying Axminster 2hp 170e or 3hp 340e
on their own website their reviews mention noise levels, amongst comments one mentions a banshee. being in the west of Ireland this has me worried (lol)
also I have heard the frame is flimsy. I'm more concerned about noise though
other options are itech, or charnwood

any feedback is appreciated as I can't actually go anywhere to see these before buying

 

[Sideways]

Axminster dust units of this format do tend to be flimsy. Generic Chinese machines at the same price point have been for years. I wouldn't expect a Charnwood to be any better or worse.
iTech I can't remember - I've only see them at a show a couple of years ago. but may be better.
For a better built unit than Axminster's, look at the Laguna models.
Axminster stuff is more substantial when you get to the bigger ones that incorporate cyclones.
Noise wise, none of these are silent, they can make quite a roar but they're lower pitched and much less offensive than a cheap shop vac (which are REAL banshees).

 

[Mayo Dave]

thank for the swift reply!
I have a record dx5000 which is not exactly quiet. I always wear good earmuffs when machines are on but the dx5000 is the loudest in the workshop
as you know its High pressure low volume which is working OK on some tools and machines

but I'm looking for low pressure high volume to use on a small ducted system. so I'm looking for as much volume /buck. and 1 micron I think is OK for me. I appreciate that all volume metrics are when extractors are bagless

I can get a demo laguna c flux 1, but its 31/2 hrs away, and being pre-assembled by dealer l'm not too sure about it. transport is a problem unless I go get it myself. but covid gets in the way

I'm not too sure about buying an itech cyclone from Scott and sargeant due to lack of knowledge on itech. also transport from UK and potential warranty return problems outside of uk. the volume stats from itech also seem ridiculous

hence the Axminster 170e (or 340 double model if I push the boat out)
strangely its 7" inlet or two 4". I'm wondering if ducting from 7" down to 6" would have much affect on throughput
I'm not even sure that I can get 7" spiral duct
according to everything I've read, reducing ducting size is problematic anyway for volume
I would be reducing to 4"anyway at planer or saw, but obviously much closer to machine
the inlet is facing down, so ducting would be slightly tricky

the Charnwood w791cf seems very similar in metrics to the Axminster 170e
the inlet faces up
the inlet though, is 5", compared to 7" on axminster
its difficult to get Charnwood from the stockist that I'm using

of course I wonder if I should just aim for a laguna pflux 1 and pay the premium
the comparative flowrate is about 80% of Axminster 170e
the inlet is 6" and its positioned ideally for ducting
its .4 micron so very clean and the nose level is 70db which is very low
but it will be 2.5times the price

decisions decisions
so again any comments appreciated
excuse the typing. the caps key on this has a mind of its own

 

[LBCarpentry]

I would avoid Charnwood and I tech at all costs. They must be the “erbauer” or “triton” of dust extractors

 

[Bristol_Rob]

Rag 'n' Bone Brown did a full review of available extractors in the UK recently:

 

[Mayo Dave]

thanks for the tip on charnwood and itech

 

[gregmcateer]

I've just bought a secondhand laguna bflux. Im really impressed - it does make the low 'roar' referred to above, but if you're moving a lot of air, that will make a noise. It sucks all the sanding dust from the lathe and when on bandsaw, it pretty much empties all the crud, even unseasoned damp wood.

 

[mccpe]

I have one of these Axminster Craft AC118CE Cyclone Dust Extractor.

It is no noisier than I would expect, but it’s the noisiest machine I have and I wear ear defenders when using it. It is pretty robust, and I don’t have any concerns about it being flimsy.

I think it’s probably a false economy to buy a chip extractor that doesn’t have a cyclone these days, and I tend to agree with earlier comments that pretty much all of the generic Chinese/Taiwanese kit (iTech, Charnwood, axi, Rutland, etc) is very similar.

 

[Mayo Dave]

Thanks. I looked at this before. Can’t get stock in Ireland though. It has good reviews on Axminster. May I ask have you ducted it?

 

[Sideways]

I liked that review by rag n bone brown. Decent reasoning and a systematic approach.
The difficulty he faced is the same that we all do. You can't really trust published numbers to be error free and realistic.
Vendors tend to make measurements that absolutely maximise their specs. They make the machine look as quiet as possible and as much airflow as possible, even if this means taken with no bag, no hose, brand new filter, etc etc.
Posters here have suggested in other threads that real world performance is often only half of what the typical manufacturer claims.
I give credit to Laguna as they quote a much more realistic number and they are very clear about how they measure airflow.
Cyclones are great at separating out all but the fine dust but be aware, they do reduce suction a lot (more than 30%).
On this HVLP extractors, fan diameter is the key to both airflow and suction. Bigger is pretty much always better.

 

[mccpe]

Thanks. I looked at this before. Can’t get stock in Ireland though. It has good reviews on Axminster. May I ask have you ducted it?

Sorry about the delay in replying.

I have ducted the extractor with 125 mm steel ducting from www.dustspares.co.uk, and flexi from the fixed steel ducts to the machines. I have 125 mm flexi to the table saw with an adapter to the saw's 150 mm outlet. I have a 10" planer thickness with a home made chip collector using 100mm flexi and my bandsaw has two 100mm flexi into 125mm flexi using the plastic Y piece that comes connected to the extractor.

It all works very well.