New Shopsmith DC-6000 Dust Collector

[dusty]

SS sells the DC6000. WHY wood they make an upgrade to the DC330 to equal the DC6000?

Why might you pay for an upgrade but you are not likely to buy a second machine. I would consider upgrading if I was getting more than just a new motor when mine is working fine.

[dusty]

Let us all be cautious. We are making decisions and hard comments without knowing the facts. What has really changed and what are the new performance numbers.

I want to see the revised BOM and the new performance numbers (for an upgraded DC3000.

[claimdude]

+1 what Dusty said. Everyone take a chill pill until we get the facts.

Jack

[RFGuy]

+1 what Dusty said. Everyone take a chill pill until we get the facts.

Jack

Well, I do see both sides of the discussion here myself and kind of agree with both. I just want to say again that I appreciate that Shopsmith has come out with a new product (DC-6000) though I have concerns about the price. It is NOT often that Shopsmith releases a new or revamped product like this and I do think this should receive praise. I hope it is obvious to everyone though that they are kind of shooting themselves in the foot by not including more information on their products sometimes, such as the DC-3300 upgrade as an example. I honestly believe they would have more sales, not less, by communicating better and giving more information. There wouldn't be so much speculation here if we just got the specs to begin with...

[Ed in Tampa]

I usually can not/will not defend Shopsmith. I bought the DC 3000 years ago on the advice of friends. It is built to be highly portable which told me it was not a stationary whole shop dust collection system. I bought it knowing I was going to have to move it from machine to machine. Used this way it works excellent even rounding up the dust from the SS in saw mode. The new machine the DC 6000 seems built to be portable also so I question the wisdom of trying to turn it into a stationary whole shop duct collection system.
That said none of you know what you are talking about and will not until you buy an upgrade kit and test the results. That is fact!
Many of you mention Harbor Freight Dust Collector, if you want one get one. Me personally I do not want any, let me repeat any, harbor freight junk in my shop. My buddy loved Harbor freight and bought his whole shop there. Well today he has none of it most broke after a few years. His biggest eye opening was a trailer he was driving from Florida to Ohio somewhere around Tennessee one of the trailer tires passed his car. It fell off the lug nuts were still there and tight but the metal around the wheel had flexed until it broke. The other trailer tire was hanging on by a few strips of metal. The guy that replaced his wheels told him he has a new business replacing these wheels when they fly off. Said the metal in the rims was junk. Go buy Harbor Freight but do not bring the junk into my shop.

[DLB]

It would be great to have all of the facts, preferably in the form of documentation. Providing those facts is Shopsmith's responsibility. I obtained some information from SS CS on this upgrade, and decided not to buy at this time based 100% on that information. Which does not make it accurate, but if I bought now I would buy Brand X that supports the 4" hose standard and a pleated filter out of the box. A missed opportunity for SS, based on either inaccurate or inadequate information they've provided. These are just observations relating to this:

1) Last week Shopsmith introduced a new product via their short-term specials, including emails to those that get them. There is almost no factual written information on what that product is or what it does. The sale is over, but you can still find the item via search. The lack of information is on Shopsmith. I quoted verbal information I got directly from SS CS. The quality of that information is on Shopsmith. As is the quality of the information that shopsmithpaul received.

2) We've been speculating, in this thread, on the possibility of a performance upgrade for the DC-3300 since Russ's post from November 27th of last year. We're still speculating.

3) The documented (in the SS online catalog) disconnect between 115 VAC 8 Amps and 1-1/2 HP has been discussed in this thread since at least December 28th of last year. That disconnect is still present. It isn't speculation that the power tool industry engages in some shaky practices for HP rating. Shopsmith does not historically engage in that practice. There has been some speculation that the 8 Amps is a typo, and I hope it is. But it is not a trivial matter form some of us if the new DC or this power upgrade require 20 Amps. There are plenty of circuits that don't support 20 Amps, which appears to me to be about what is needed for an honest 1-1/2HP. Anyone that wants that information (I do) is still waiting for it.

- David

[RFGuy]

I usually can not/will not defend Shopsmith. I bought the DC 3000 years ago on the advice of friends. It is built to be highly portable which told me it was not a stationary whole shop dust collection system. I bought it knowing I was going to have to move it from machine to machine. Used this way it works excellent even rounding up the dust from the SS in saw mode. The new machine the DC 6000 seems built to be portable also so I question the wisdom of trying to turn it into a stationary whole shop duct collection system.
That said none of you know what you are talking about and will not until you buy an upgrade kit and test the results. That is fact!
Many of you mention Harbor Freight Dust Collector, if you want one get one. Me personally I do not want any, let me repeat any, harbor freight junk in my shop. My buddy loved Harbor freight and bought his whole shop there. Well today he has none of it most broke after a few years. His biggest eye opening was a trailer he was driving from Florida to Ohio somewhere around Tennessee one of the trailer tires passed his car. It fell off the lug nuts were still there and tight but the metal around the wheel had flexed until it broke. The other trailer tire was hanging on by a few strips of metal. The guy that replaced his wheels told him he has a new business replacing these wheels when they fly off. Said the metal in the rims was junk. Go buy Harbor Freight but do not bring the junk into my shop.

Ed,

I agree with you on HF (though many love that particular Harbor Freight DC). I also refuse to buy from there as well. I was just trying to make a point on the price points and I can comparison shop other brand DC's that match the DC-6000 price but have better specs. I do believe it is common knowledge that the DC-330L is a rebranded version of a Rikon DC that is made in China. We don't know for certain, but I suspect the DC-6000 is also made in China (though possibly engineered in the US) and shipped to Shopsmith. Of course, forum members will dispute this because it is difficult to confirm my statements because Shopsmith isn't going to come out and tell you who their suppliers are for their products and sub-assemblies.

[algale]

The DC330L is now discontinued per Shopsmith. It didn't last long.

The DC6000 is based on the prior DC3300. Visually it looks exactly the same on the outside except for the graphics. The different inners on the DC6000 are (1) a larger motor, (2) a different motor housing to house the larger motor, (3) a different impeller design, and (4) a different impeller housing, presumably to accommodate the redesigned impeller.

None of this is speculation. It is simply combining information that came from Shopsmith and which can be found elsewhere in this thread, including the DC6000 parts diagram (which can be compared to the DC3300 parts diagram on the Shopsmith website) and the email from Shopsmith engineering sent in response to a question which explained the increased cfm (on the DC6000) is the combined result of the new impeller and impeller housing.

[dusty]

I will not buy a DC6000...because I don't need two machines and for that price I don't need better dust collection. I have lived with what I have (DC-3300) for many years BUT for the right price (<$300) I could get intrigued with an upgrade but only if I know exactly what I am buying.

What does more HP do for me if I am spinning the same fan blade. Would I get more CFM and if so how much? Don't make me speculate! Commit the details!.

[algale]

I will not buy a DC6000...because I don't need two machines and for that price I don't need better dust collection. I have lived with what I have (DC-3300) for many years BUT for the right price (<$300) I could get intrigued with an upgrade but only if I know exactly what I am buying.

What does more HP do for me if I am spinning the same fan blade. Would I get more CFM and if so how much? Don't make me speculate! Commit the details!.

I thought the response from engineering laid it out: it's the combination of the new impeller and impeller housing that give more CFM.

Given that those new parts all fit inside the old DC3300 shell, it seems to me that when the service parts for the DC6000 become available, it should be possible to buy the new impeller and impeller housing and connect them to the old motor/motor housing and get the increased cfm performance.

Now, before anyone says I'm speculating, we know the new motor housing connects to the old impeller housing (because a new impeller housing isn't part of the upgrade). So the new impeller housing will connect to the old motor housing. Similarly, the new motor connects to the old impeller (since a new impeller isn't part of the upgrade) so the new impeller should connect to the old motor.