Wondering how to buy a professional-grade dust collector? My friend, you opened a big can of worms. We'll take you through it with this dust collector buying guide. The first thing you need to decide is what you need your vacuum to cover. You can find large units in stores for which you can create custom pipe layouts, or you can use portable units. Most tradespeople on the job site are keeping a close eye on portable devices, and that's what we're focusing on here.
related information
- CFM and hydraulic lifting
- Choose Dust Bag
- How Hoses Affect Performance
- Best Dust Collectors for OSHA Compliant
Whether you're using concrete is a much more important question than it was a year ago. OSHA silica dust regulations require certain CFM ratings as well as automatic filter cleaning mechanisms and, in some cases, HEPA filters. The Dust Collector Buying Guide that doesn't address OSHA guideline issues will help you on the job site. We cover this below when we discuss suction and the power required to do the job.
The Professional Choice: Even if you're only dealing with concrete on rare occasions, you can use an OSHA-compliant dust collector. If you get caught, it's not worth the headache and it's fine.
How much capacity do you need?
Portable dust collectors typically operate in the 8 – 14 gallon range. If you don't mind emptying the vacuum every day, or you don't have a lot of dust to hold, smaller vacuums are usually better for moving around the site. However, buying a larger dust collector can save you from having to empty it as often. Therefore, you will use fewer collection bags.
Professional Choice: We like the smaller volume for the job site and the larger volume for the workshop.
How Much Suction Should You Get?
CFM (cubic feet per minute) determines volume
When we created this portable dust collector buying guide, we realized you have a variety of CFM grades to choose from. These are a measure of the amount of air drawn through the filter. On the lower side, you'll see some cordless units as low as 50 CFM, while more powerful units run into the 150 CFM range. If you want to spend $1500, Hilti has a 300 CFM model with a twin turbo design! There are comprehensive legal applications at every level. Again, it depends on what you're doing.
PRO OPTIONS: How much power you need will vary. However, a collector that gives you 130 – 150 CFM will be the all-around model for most applications.
Lifting water determines suction
Water lift is a measure of suction and is not the same as CFM. You should know each one when shopping for a dust collector. You can convert these specifications into many different measurements. You may see it expressed in inches water, millimeters of mercury, PSI, or other units. A simple google search will take you to several pages where you can convert it to a static hydro lift. Likewise, cordless units are on the low end and may have 30 inches of lift, while larger portable dusters will give you up to 100 inches of lift. How much you need depends on your application.
Professional Choice: As with CFM, application matters. For a good all-around dust collector, look for at least 90 inches of static water lift.
Automatic filter cleaning function
You won't find an automatic filter cleaning feature on every dust collector, but it's a nice touch. Dust collectors we've tested lose anywhere from 1% to 7.5% of their performance after ingesting some dust—this has to do with filter cleaning. If your device doesn't have this feature, you have more to lose.
Most dust collectors use reverse airflow to clean the filter. This can limit the life of the filter since it's only designed to push air one way. Metabo vibrates to clean filters using an electromechanical system. It adds to the price, but it's an effective way to extend filter life and keep dust from escaping unintentionally.
Some dust collectors allow you to turn this off – take this into account when you notice you lose suction every 15 seconds or so between cleaning cycles. Festool's CT 36 Auto Clean allows you to reduce filter cleaning frequency from 12 seconds to no cleaning at all.
The Pro's Choice: Get automatic filter cleaning.
Do I need a HEPA filter?
The HEPA filter captures 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. It's very efficient and you'll see it being used in medical settings. Does your shop or job site require a HEPA filter with this level of filtration? it depends. In most cases, probably not. But the upside is that you can get a HEPA-rated dust collector and use cheaper filters until you're in an application that requires HEPA-rated filtration. While it's best to be prepared, you can get by without this unless required by OSHA.
PROFESSIONAL OPTION: Buy if OSHA or your contract requires it. Otherwise, you can pass.
Most professional-grade dust collectors today are equipped with automatic tool activation. But how much force you can pull through it varies widely. If you're using a 20 amp or larger breaker, Hilti's VC 150-10 XE allows you to connect tools up to 11 amps. But some only allow you to use 3 – 4 amps, so check the manual online before you decide. You're not going to be powering your 15 amp table saw through a dust collector anyway.
On the other hand, Makita developed AWS (Automatic Startup Wireless System). It's a Bluetooth connection between their vacuum and a couple of cordless tools that turn the vacuum on wirelessly. Best of all, since the tool runs on batteries, there is no need to worry about power outages.
Pro Pick: It's nice to have more potential, but we generally use a separate power supply for anything over 6 or 7 amps. Stick to using a tool like a sander to get through the extractor and you won't have much problem with any Pro model.
Variable Power Dial
Some extractors give you a variable power dial when you activate with an automatic tool. A 15 or 20 amp breaker isn't your only concern in terms of maximum power. Some dust collectors we use can only handle a maximum of 12 amps total. In order to use a 5 amp tool, you must turn the extractor down to 7 amps. Of course, this limits the effectiveness of the collection.
The Professional Choice: While nearly every professional-grade dust collector has this, only a few trades use it. Use a separate power supply for the tool when you need full collection capability.
Wet/dry suction capacity
When you're shopping for a professional-grade dust collector, not all vacuums come with a wet/dry vacuum rating. Those do include some sort of sensor that shuts down the unit before any liquid reaches the motor. For $500+, you don't want a 10 gallon sprinkler dirtying your 9 gallon duster.
Other functions
Metabo uses a clean cycle only mode on its dust collectors. It's great if you need to clean the filter without turning on the vacuum. But they're unique, so don't expect to find that feature in other models.
If you plan to use your dust collector to clean floors in your shop or on-site, check out the onboard accessory storage space. Some are as simple as loose storage on top, while others offer standing points or slots for storing specific accessories.
The extra length of hose is handy, but be aware that the longer the hose, the more performance degradation you'll see at the nozzle.
Hoses and cord wraps are usually an afterthought for most manufacturers. Both Bosch and Milwaukee do a great job of using elastic bands to help with messes, but they're in the minority. Most range hoods have some form of noose, but that assumes you store the hose in the canister when not in use.
So, now that you know more about how to shop for a dust collector, you can start typing in exactly what you need on the job site. Remember, every job is different and your industry may not require the biggest, worst or most expensive unit!