Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 47
 Great dust collector October 13, 2003
Gregory Stephens (Apex, NC United States)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
Just got the AP400 and it had no problems when connected to my Delta 12.5" planer. I was planing 1X8 kiln dried cedar and I had no clogging problems at all. I used it extensively on my table saw and the dust fog I had been living with when ripping was no longer there. I would highly recommend this collector to anyone who has a small shop and wants to connect one machine at a time.
 Clogging issues with planers February 25, 2003
21 out of 28 found this review helpful
Out of the box, the unit would clod very quickly when attached to a planer taking 1/16 of a 4" board (something a 650 CFM dust collector should not have a problem with). The problem is caused by a crossbar in the 4" inlet which appears to have been added to prevent someone from sticking there hand up into the impellers. Longer shavings from the planer get caught on the bar and then in turn help catch later pieces. I could probably be sued for suggesting people fix the problem the way that I did, so instead I would suggest the slightly more pricy JET which does not have a crossbar. Another reviewer went up in size instead and I think that is probably overkill for most small, single operator, shops.
 A good price, but not a great deal February 1, 2006
Michael C Johnson (Ventura, CA USA)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
USE A DUST COLLECTOR.
That said, this dust collector works well if your shop is set up so that you can wheel it around between all of your tools. But because it's not very powerful, you have to do everything you can to minimize the length of your hoses and the number of bends. And an unfortunate design decision pointed the DC's intake toward the ground, so you'll need at least a 90 degree bend right off the bat, and then even more bends because it will be lower than the ports on your tools. Thus it's unlikely you'll get close to the advertised suction at your tool.
Another poor design decision is the intake itself. It's designed for a flexible hose and band clamp, but mine was always slipping off until I jury-rigged a permanent wide 90 degree elbow.
So to get proper suction, you'll need rigid ducts or expensive, high quality hoses with minimal internal turbulence, as well as very wide bends, and better bags. And better bags are necessary. The included 30 micron bags will keep your floors, but not your air, clean. Delta sells 5 micron bags, but Penn State Industries' BC1-1V bags are 1 micron. Not only do 1 micron bags better protect your health, they also *increase* the SCFM. (Every dust collector should ship with at least 5 micron bags.)
So this dust collector will do its job if you get the right accessories. The smaller motor can work wonders, and it's certainly better than nothing. And if you're worried about your shop's circuit breaker being overloaded, a smaller motor can be the right choice. But most users will probably spend more in accessories than on the dust collector itself. Keep that in mind -- this machine may be 20% cheaper than a competing model, but when you consider the add-ons the it's more like 10%. I spent way too much time trying to make this into a decent dust collector, and while I succeeded, I do regret the purchase. You might not.
Funny, isn't it, how the tools you regret buying are the ones where you tried to save a couple bucks? The one that cost a lot, where the price gave you pause, that's the tool where your only regret is that you didn't buy it sooner.
Oh, and hey, it's worth repeating: USE A DUST COLLECTOR. Your lungs will thank you, and you'll have twice the fun in a cleaner shop. I promise.
I'm Lovin It August 5, 2004
L. Charlton (Auburn, CA)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
I bought my AP400 about 6 months ago and I'm lovin it. Like other reviewers, it clogged up when used with my planner, so, like other reviewers I made a modification. It now handles the big stuff from the planner without any problem. So neat. It collects probably 99% of the waste from my planner. I move it from tool to tool, but it is very easy to reconnect to the next tool, just taking a few seconds. I am not encouraging or suggesting others to make any modifications.
Always Performs December 11, 2004
Plant a Tree (Milwaukee, WI USA)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I do the one tool at a time thing.
It has no problems with my planer(usually the toughest job for a dust collector). I even use it to clean the floor in the garage.
I've never had a problem with this unit when using it as it is designed. Its the best deal out there for dust collection.
Hope this helps.
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