Excellent value and strong performance

Posted by R. Randall on 3rd Mar 2012

I bought the CT030 several weeks ago to upgrade from a 1HP unit that had been doing regular duty for 18 years hooked to my table saw and router table combo. I was looking for at least 1600 CFM (more than double the 1HP unit capacity) and a relatively small footprint. The CT030, at 1600 CFM and 22x46 base fit the bill. I had given a serious look at several units at several retailers with similar specs. This one was the clear winner in terms of price and didn't appear to be giving up anything in terms of quality.

After several weeks in regular daily use, here is my experience:

1. Design: Upon initial setup, the only issue I had was a relatively "wobbly" collector housing. A flexible hose runs from the motor/impeller housing to the collector, offering no structural support. Two support rods running from the base to the collector housing on opposite sides of the long side of the base are adequate but not ideal. I called Busy Bee parts and got another support rod ($19.95 plus tax). Essentially a plug and play installation on the back side of the base and collector - four drilled holes, four 5/16x20 1/2 inch bolts/nuts/washers and 20 minutes of time and it wobbled no more.

2. Noise: Typical for noise specs for dust collectors, the published figure was wishful thinking at 77DB. My SPL meter read 96 DB at the machine and typically 85DB in an 8-15 feet range away from the unit. You'd want to use hearing protection unless you are further away, but I found the noise level typical for this size of collector. And no one who wants hearing capacity in older age would work around the machines this thing collects dust from without hearing protection anyway.

3. Performance: Suction capacity to spare! Running it with two open 4 inch lines doesn't cause an appreciable reduction in CFM / suction versus a single line. Big difference in dust captured from the table saw. And the router table, with collection now from above and below, is amazing.

4. Quality. Other than the minor modification noted above, it is a solid unit and the motor/impellor runs very smoothly in sound and in vibration - suggesting good balancing and bearings.

5. Value. For not much more than what many 1HP units sell for, your get close to 3x the CFM/suction capacity and a footpriint not too much bigger. You do need a 240v outlet. A pleated filter unit is available as an option at around $250. I stayed with the cloth bag and bought a new router instead.