2 HP King Dust Collector

[John in Wellington]

A store near me has a 2 HP King Dust Collector on sale for $379. Could someone let me know if this is a good deal. From what I've researched the price seems right. However, King doesn't seem to have the greatest reputation. No ifs, ands or buts, my next purchase has to be a good dust collector. Thanks in advance.

JS

[Steve in Kemptville, On.]

I paid 399 for the King unit with the 1.5hp motor at Marks Machinery. The 2hp was the same $$ only it is a 220v motor so I chose the 115v, 1hp unit.

The king has a cast impeller rather than aluminum which stands up to abuse better. Claimed CFM and static pressure are almost as good as Delta's claims and WAY better than the Busy Bee or HOT units.

Overall I'm very happy with it and would buy again.

King has a less than shiny rep for some machines (like TS's I've heard) but don't be afraid of all thiere stuff, especially this DC.

[Dennis in Orillia]

Hi, I have the 1½hp unit rated in the specs at 1200cfm can be wired 110 or 220. I run it on 110, works great, would purchase again, also have King 6" jointer and am very happy with it.

The DC makes a huge difference over the little shopvac that I had.

Dennis

[Gary in Vancouver]

Do check out the "bag" and make sure it is 2 micro and less. The DC bag is the heart of a DC. A cheapie will only make the dust blows right out into your shop.

[Tim-S in Milton]

I have the 2HP wired 220V. Payed $399 for it. Works great and I like the heavy fan I don't think you could damage it. As for the bags, it is rare to find a machine that has good bags as standard. You can replace the top bag with a much finer cloth and it will work real well. Ask Chester where you can get his bags near you.
chester.van@sympatico.ca
Cheers
Tim

[Mike in Grand Valley, ON]

John, for round about the same price you can acquire a 2 HP Trademaster which comes standard with a 1-micron bag.

Mike

[Real Lalonde]

Mike,

Did you buy the Trademaster DC? That's the one I'm looking at presently. I'm interested in the 2HP model.
The "paper specs" are:

12" impeller, 9.5" Static Pressure, 1200CFM, 1 micron bag.

Sells for $400 at www.thesawshop.com (http://www.thesawshop.com)

Looks impressive for the price, but I would like to read some feedback from owners of this unit.

Real

[Alberto]

I have the Treadmaster and I'm happy with it.
If you have specific questions I'll be happy to try to answer them.

Alberto//

[Real Lalonde]

Thanks Alberto for your offer of feedback!
What I would like to know is how good the filter bag is. They claim filtering down to 1 micron. Is it a felt bag? Also how noisy is the unit? Does it do a good job of picking up chips? Overall, would you recommend this unit ( the 2HP model ).

Thanks

Real

[Mike in Ajax]

It works well as long as you don't keep plugging up the grate on the inlet. I finally took the grate off as I was sucking up bits of saw paper and stuff that ended up plugging it up.

The bag works well. Someone said to go into your shop at night with a flashlite and turn on your DC and look at all the dust passing from the filter bags. Well mine has almost no visiable dust.

It does require a 20 amp dedicated circuit to run on 110v. Tradesmaster told me 15 amps but it wouldn't run on this at all.

I find it noisy and built a cupboard to surround mine and it is still loud!

[Alberto]

Real,

I agree with Mike. I also experience the problem of clogging the gate with shavings. I will remove it because it really doesn't serve any purpose. As noise goes, I find it very quiet. Before this I used a Shop-vac and THAT was noisy. I guess it depends to what you compare it. The bags are really good I think (not sure which material they are made of though). For the lower bag I use clear garbage bags of the rigth size that I replace when full. Going back to the noise, if it's a big factor in your decision, I can fire it up and mesure the decibels (I have the gadget to do it). I run my DC in a 220V circuit.
And yes, I recomend this unit. The top bag is 1 micron from the start (i.e. no need to upgrade), metal impeller, 220 or 110, window in lower bag, etc. All the features I was looking for. I got it for $399. Same price than the King but I'm not to fond of King tools....

Alberto//

[John in Wellington]

Went out and purchased it today. Hooked it up and so far so good. Also picked up a right angle drive doohickey for my drill for $15 (regular $40) and a dust collector hood for my 12" Delta planer for $26. Got this stuff at Brettwood Machinery in Madoc if anyone's interested. There was an open house there last weekend and he's extended the sale into this week.

JS

[Wally]

If you would like to make your DC a lot easier to clean and a lot more efficient, then get a 45 gal plastic or paper drum and put a Lee Valley cyclone hood inbetween your DC and your intake. IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE A LOT EASIER

Wally/Calgary

[Mike in Grand Valley, ON]

Yes Real, thats the one I bought. Purchased it at the Kitchener Wood Show in the spring from Dave Wooland (www.thesawshop.com). Met up with another fellow at the show who was interested in buying a DC. Convinced him that Trademaster was worth looking at. We joined forces and got Dave to shave $20 off the $399 price if we both bought one.
Just this morning finished hooking in my TS, jointer and planer into the system. Works like a dream. Now to feed in my drill press, band saw and router table!!!
Did the flashlight test in a darkened workshop. Saw no dust coming through the 1 micron upper bag.

Good hunting,

Mike

[Jeff Seaman]

Hey Real, I have the Trademaster 2hp. Very pleased, I have yet to duct my shop and occasionally suck up chunks of scrap wood and after wincing at the clanging when inspected the blades are all fine and so obviously sturdy. Great service from Dave, reccomend highly.
Regards,
Jeff Seaman