Nordfab vs Oneida Gorilla Duct


-MattK-

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@Tom Cancelleri mentioned spending some time at the Nordfab booth at the woodworking show today...  that's been my plan for my shop since I started the design.

But then I was poking around on the Oneida site yesterday and I saw they have a nordfab-type product - does anyone have experience with Gorilla Duct?  http://www.oneida-air.com/category.asp?Id={3345C4DA-0E18-4EF2-B7F7-374003290CAF}  They say it "can be combined and used interchangeably with Nordfab and other nationally recognized clamp-together ductwork products."

I priced it against a few nordfab price lists that came up via google (grizzly, ductingsystems.com) and they're cheaper - most parts >10% cheaper.  If I go premium ducting, I think this is the direction I'm headed unless there's a horror story out there...  anyone played with this stuff?  (or are there other "nationally recognized clamp together ductwork products" we should be considering?)

 

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I have used Gorilia duct and Nordfab on the same system.  I have bought from Onidea, Ductinsystems, and Grizzly for my shop's duct work.  They are exactly the same.  Couple things:

1) Make sure when looking at the grizzly catalog, you click on the product to bring up the page for that specific size, because I have seen that sometimes the catalog price is wrong.  The price on the individual product page is sometimes lower.  Update: of course I say this now, but I can't find an example.  Maybe they fixed it.  I am wondering if they raised some of their prices because I thought some things were cheaper a couple months ago, like the branches and elbows.

2) I would include ductingsystems.com in your comparison.  They sometimes beat Grizzly prices on some parts (but I think the elbows and braches are more).  The great thing about ductingsystems is you can get custom parts, like branches with different sizes and fittings with hose ends instead of quick-fit ends.  They have far more options than anyone else.  They also have very reasonable shipping costs.

3) Oneida does seem cheaper, but wait until you get the shipping quote -the online order quote will probably be incorrect.  I had an order with them for about $800 in ducting parts, and the shipping was going to be over $300!  Their shipping prices are insane!  I won't do any business with them any more for this reason.

If you place a large enough order from Grizzly, it may need to be shipped freight, but their fright costs are way better than anyone else I have seen.  The freight method IMO is less likely to be damaged.  My last freight cost from them was just under $90.

I have almost completed my Nordfab installation.  I still have to finish the ducting for  my radial arm saw and swap out a long length of hose for rigid pipe for my jointer.  It is a very costly way to go, but it's also a much easier and less frustrating way to do the duct work.  The way the "adjustable nipples" (hehe) work makes installation very easy, as you have +-5" of adjustment of the straight pipes when using one of these.  This is very handy when running hard pipe all the way to the machine, as you can make minor adjustments with all of the pipe in place.

I have a 22 x 22 garage and 5 tools which use the ducting.  I have spent probably over 3k in duct work.  It's an insane price when you think about it.  However I have tried to run as little flex hose as possible (like less than a couple inches) to every machine, which makes the cost go way up.  I expect that adding a new machine will cost about $300-400 now that I have most of the main pipes run.

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thanks Andrew - really appreciate the insights.  I didn't realize that Oneida would get you on the shipping costs but it makes sense based on other interactions I've had with them.

 

Love the idea of the custom parts with hose ends - that can save quite a bit of money when I was thinking "clamp + hose end" any the end of every wye,

 

 

 

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I went to Grizzly today and picked up the majority of what I need for my DC, and I am pleased with the quality.  So if you do decide to order from them I think you would be happy.  Last week I ordered the Oneida  super dust deputy, with free shipping.  When I checked on their expedited shipping they wanted almost $200, and 2nd day was close to $300.  So I guess it is on a slow boat from somewhere, and it put me off of ordering anything else from them.

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Yeah, I put together an order that qualified for free shipping.  They sent everything but two o-rings then phoned to tell me "some part of your order was in a different location. It'll be $9 to send it to you."  I'll be careful ordering from them in the future. 

 

I shoulda known that deal on ducting was too good to be true!

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Ductwork costs what it costs... It's not like one vendor is going to offer it at a substantial savings... And if they do, something's definitely wrong... Most likely an apples-oranges situation...

Shipping on ductwork is expensive -- it's never going to be 'free'... It's either explicitly charged or burred in the cost of the item... Again, shipping is never 'free'.

 

However, in the last few weeks, I've received several announcements from my regular ductwork vendors (Air System, Air Handling Systems and Air Energy Systems) that Nordfab-like ductwork is now available... I don't know if the patent is expiring, expired or Nordfab is entering licensing agreements to gain/maintain market share, or whatever.  But I suspect the price is or will be falling on Nodrfab-like ducting... On substantial orders, you maybe able to get a deal...

I plan to re-do some of my ductwork for some new machines... I'll be calling some of my suppliers to find the dirt on Nordfab. If I find a source for a good deal, I'll let you know...

 

<edit>

==>expedited shipping they wanted almost $200, and 2nd day was close to $300

Oneida has a process -- it can be annoying, but it is what it is... They batch ductwork shipments (I think it's Tuesdays or Wednesdays, but I forget). They stage orders and ship only once a week... The up-charge is more about detailing an FTE to pick/pack/ship the order combined with the incremental carrier fees... For years, I've recommended that they publish their shipping process to improve customer expectation, and for years they've not done it... At a worst case, it can take seven days before an order leaves the Oneida warehouse... It is what it is...

 

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  • 3 years later...

Sorry for reviving an old topic - but thought it best to keep it all together.

I picked up some Nordfab fittings (relatively) cheaply from a local woodworker, so I guess it's time to finally stop dragging a hose from machine to machine and install some actual duct. Is there any update on what the best place to buy Nordfab is these days? (ductingsystems.com, Oneida, and Grizzly are recommended above, but from nearly 4 years ago).

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13 hours ago, drzaius said:

Unless it come used at a screaming good deal, I'd just go with spiral duct & fittings. I'd rather spend all that cash on tools & wood. I've watched videos of Nordfab being installed & can't see any overwhelming saving in labor over spiral.

I tend to agree with one exception if you have a move in your future and plan to take the Dust Collection system with you. Over the 14 ish years I have had my system, smooth dust collection pipe from Oneida, I have changed a couple things and while a bit of a pain to remove the foil tape and screws it wasn't that big of deal and certainly worth the cost savings to me. Having said that if I ever planned on moving and taking it with me I would definitely go the Nordfab route. My pipes run in the attic so they are there to stay :o

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22 minutes ago, pkinneb said:

I tend to agree with one exception if you have a move in your future and plan to take the Dust Collection system with you. Over the 14 ish years I have had my system, smooth dust collection pipe from Oneida, I have changed a couple things and while a bit of a pain to remove the foil tape and screws it wasn't that big of deal and certainly worth the cost savings to me. Having said that if I ever planned on moving and taking it with me I would definitely go the Nordfab route. My pipes run in the attic so they are there to stay :o

Agreed..  That's been a huge plus for me as I've had to move my system twice.  I chose Nordfab because I knew a move was in my future. I didn't know it would be 2 though..

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4 minutes ago, bglenden said:

I got a lot of used fittings at a good deal, maybe not a screaming good deal, so I'm committed. I agree at list price it's a lot of money, but everyone values things differently (c.f. Festool (which I have), Bridge City (which I do not), ...).

For the record, it's the Ys, Ts,  and special fittings that are outrageously expensive.  The straight runs of pipe aren't too bad.

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3 hours ago, bglenden said:

... I agree at list price it's a lot of money, but everyone values things differently (c.f. Festool (which I have), Bridge City (which I do not), ...).

Exactly I passed on Nordfab and spent the money on Festool :P

...no Bridge City but I did see some in person a couple years back and it is beautiful

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