How About This Rikon Dust Colector?

[fyb]

Hey all...my shop vac really isn't up to the task anymore now that I've acquired some real tools so I was thinking of picking up a dust collector. This Rikon 1HP collector seems like a good deal, and Woodcraft is having 15% off if you get there first thing in the morning March 1 so it'd be about $170.. It's rated for 650 CFM and 78 dB with seems relatively quiet for a dust collector. From what I've seen, it's about as cheap as you can spend for a real dust collector. Comparable units run $200-$350. Do you think I'd be OK with Rikon? I don't have any experience with their tools but they seem to be all over the place at Woodcraft and in magazines. Any other advice you can give me?

I'm really looking forward to 650 CFM though .... that's 4 times my shop vac!

[ryanb]

Rikon definitely makes good equipment. I wouldn't have any problem recommending any Rikon gear.

650 CFM is the low end of the dust-collector market. (I have an 1100, and wish I had the space for another.) If you run it with only one machine at a time, it will do fine. Don't try to hook it up to every machine you have at the same time, because that definitely won't work. These collectors are mostly all pretty generic. Essentially the same model as that one can be found from Delta, Jet, etc. as well. As I recall, Lowes wanted $149 for the Delta version, so you might check around for prices (but 170 isn't bad). Remember to save a chunk of budget for the hoses, fittings, etc that you will need.

If you are willing to spend a bit more, I would suggest looking into the "canister filter" collectors. Instead of cloth bags top and bottom, they have a rigid top canister with a pleated paper filter (like a shop vac), and a heavy plastic chip bag on the bottom. These are MUCH easier and cleaner to empty than the messy cloth bags. They flow a bit more air too.

If you will be using tools that create a lot of large chips (like a planer or jointer), you can improve the performance a lot with a "chip seperator". It is a plastic lid for a steel trash can with fittings for the 4" hose. You put it in the line before the collector and it seperates the heavy chips (like a cyclone collector) before the smaller, lighter stuff goes into the collector. This saves wear on the collector (since the heavy chips don't get pulled through the impeller), greatly extends the bag fill time, and is often easier to empty.

[Rick500]

One of the woodworking magazines has a Tool Guide issue that's out right now, and they compare five or six dust collectors like the one you posted. Might want to take a look. (I don't remember if the Rikon was one of them.)

Edited February 24, 2008 by Rick500