Kenny McCarty Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 About to upgrade my dust collection and was looking at ClearVue. I had seen that the company has changed owners and was wondering if the product is still as good as it was under the original owners. Anyone buy one recently and have an opinion? Thanks. Quote
ChetlovesMer Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 Kenny, I just got mine in Mid-December. I couldn't be happier with it. It really sucks! (too easy) They ran a lot of great deals in December. I got mine with the remote control and junction box for free. I'm really happy I did that. The remote control works flawlessly. Plus, the junction box made it super easy to wire. I've piped mine with PVC, but if I had to do it again, I would probably order metal pipe (possibly from Penn State.) There's not really any problems with using the PVC. But the stuff I used is heavy, and I hung it myself. BTW - I ended up using 90 feet of pipe. (8) wyes, (12) 45 degree fittings, (1) 90 degree, some 6" dia tubing, some 4" dia tubing, (7) 6" blast gates, (3) 4" blast gates, about 500 feet of aluminum tape, and some other random stuff. I ran aluminum tape all through the inside and the outside of each pipe and taped each seam with the aluminum tape. Then I grounded the aluminum tape with a screw and a wire to the motor's ground. That worked really well, but you have to do it as you go along. I'm happy I grounded it because before I did I tested the system and shocked myself everytime I touched my tablesaw. After I hooked up the ground, no problems. Don't be afraid of the assembly portion of the Clear Vue. The instructions say 4 hours for 2 guys. I put mine together alone in about 2-1/2 hours. So, I'm either a super-genius (not likely) or Clear Vue is very conservative on their estimate (very likely). Quote
Kenny McCarty Posted January 4, 2013 Author Report Posted January 4, 2013 I was looking at them in December and never saw that deal :-( My shop already has wall switches all over it for my current dust collection so not sure i would need the remote anyway but it might have been a nice bonus....oh well... Quote
thewoodwhisperer Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 Concerning ownership, I have to say that the new owners have done quite a bit to improve the product line. I used to own one of the early models and I now own one of the current models. While the heart of it is the same, there are just more options and a nicer overall presentation in the current setup, as well as add-ons and features that just weren't available before. You might want to also pay attention to their Facebook page as they seem to have deals there as well. And I should also mention that Guild members get additional discounts/promotions with Clear Vue. Quote
Kenny McCarty Posted January 4, 2013 Author Report Posted January 4, 2013 Besides the weight issue and grounding are there any other benefits for going with metal ducting instead of pvc? I have read that pvc works the best. Quote
Trip Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 => I have read that pvc works the best. ??? Don't take the brown acid... Quote
dwacker Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 Besides the weight issue and grounding are there any other benefits for going with metal ducting instead of pvc? I have read that pvc works the best. I dont know about best, its cheaper by a long shot. If I dont have coffee for some reason I can always count on the fact that firing up my drum sander is going to wake my old a%& right up with a nice shock no matter how much grounding is done. Don Quote
Steve Lyde Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 I don't know when this change of ownership took place, but I got my unit in Sept I believe and I wouldn't consider anything else. I also used 6" PVC with no problems thus far and no grounding and no static charge problems, just lucky I guess. Quote
dwacker Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 I also used 6" PVC with no problems thus far and no grounding and no static charge problems, just lucky I guess. Sort of a double edge sword. No static good for not getting zapped but no static means low velociy. Don Quote
ChetlovesMer Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 Besides the weight issue and grounding are there any other benefits for going with metal ducting instead of pvc? I have read that pvc works the best. Here's one you may want to consider. When fitting pipe into a corner you measure twice and cut once right? ... Ah but what I didn't realize is that you need about 3 extra inches of space to slide a PVC fitting over a 6" diameter piece of PVC. I ran my PVC into a corner of my shope fitted up a couple of really tightly fitted 45 degree fittings and small piece of PVC between them then I wrestled with it for about an hour trying to get that darn thing into the corner and make the turn exactly the way I wanted it. Oh, I got it in. But working over my head jamming the complex corner into ... well, the corner... it was quite a workout. With metal pipe you fit the two pieces together, wrap the quick coupling in between and you are done. If you go with PVC get plenty of plumbers tape. You know, that metal or plastic strapping with the holes in it? A bunch of 2-1/2" screws as well. I went through 3 rolls, but I bought 4. So, instead of returning the extra, I just went around adding strapping here and there, where ever it looked like I might want more support. Quote
ChetlovesMer Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 Sort of a double edge sword. No static good for not getting zapped but no static means low velociy. Don Is it possible he just has a really moist enviorment, or something like that? Quote
ChetlovesMer Posted January 4, 2013 Report Posted January 4, 2013 I dont know about best, its cheaper by a long shot. If I dont have coffee for some reason I can always count on the fact that firing up my drum sander is going to wake my old a%& right up with a nice shock no matter how much grounding is done. Don Don, I very carefully priced everything out and looking at PVC vs what I could find on-line. The best price I could find on pipe that was acceptable, I found PVC to be about 1/2 the total cost after all was said and done. You can get really cheap pipe if you want, but you end up with ... really cheap pipe. Quote
smbobby Posted February 3, 2013 Report Posted February 3, 2013 My shop has a Onieda Air 5 hp system. For several years I used 6" & 4" PVC with a ground wire. Over time I realized that I was not getting the suction that I should have. About 4 months ago I contacted Onieda and we completed a new layout with 7" that reduces to 6" and the a final to 5". I installed new aluminum blast gates. The system has never worked better. My advise, PVC is ok to get started, but the extra money spent on the metal is well worth the price. After all, the goal is to get all the duct possible. Well worth the money. Quote
Boatworks Today Posted February 3, 2013 Report Posted February 3, 2013 My shop has a Onieda Air 5 hp system. For several years I used 6" & 4" PVC with a ground wire. Over time I realized that I was not getting the suction that I should have. About 4 months ago I contacted Onieda and we completed a new layout with 7" that reduces to 6" and the a final to 5". I installed new aluminum blast gates. The system has never worked better. My advise, PVC is ok to get started, but the extra money spent on the metal is well worth the price. After all, the goal is to get all the duct possible. Well worth the money. Which pipe did you end up going with? Spiral, snaplock or nordfab? Quote
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