Customer Reviews

JET 708739K 20-Inch Housing Retro Kit with Canister for DC-1100

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Just recieved it today and it was easy to install. I have a DC-1200 dust collector, so it did not require the retro kit. Right away I noticed an improvement in performance. My floor sweep is the furthest away (50 feet), and it sucked up the chips faster than with the 5 micron bag I was using. I think the canister and the retro kit should be sold seperately, because I now have a housing kit that I have no use for. the canister itself will fit directly on any 20 inch dust collector. It is also easier to clean than the filter bags. You just turn the handle at the top, and a flapper inside knocks loose the dust. If you are considering a dust collector, get one with the canister filter.

Don't let Amazon's title for this item confuse you. They call it "Jet 708739K/DC-1100 20" Housing Retro Kit with Housing". I think that's a typo. On the JET web site this item is called "20 inch Housing Retro Kit with Canister", which makes more sense.

If you purchase the 708739K kit you will receive two boxes. Box number one is a 708739R twenty inch retro housing and box number two is a 708739 two micron canister filter. After installing this kit, you'll have clear plastic disposable bottom bags that have a quick change hoop (no more struggling with the clamp-on bands) and you'll have a 2 micron canister filter.

I uploaded some photos of the installation process. Even though JET includes no instructions with the retro housing, the installation is really straight forward and went well.

Sure, I'd love to have a fancy new cyclone style dust collector but until I can afford one, this is an inexpensive upgrade to my old "bag" style dust collectors that will bring them into the 21st century and make the air in my shop cleaner.

[Note that the tech support people at JET told me that this kit will convert the JET DC-1100 (1-1/2 hp) dust collector as well as the JET DC-1200 (2 hp) dust collector.]

I purchased this product about 8 months ago now. It really makes a big improvement over the bag design that came with the system originally. It draws more air and filters better.

The old bag leaked at the housing because the metal strap that came with it to cinch the filter bag at the metal housing was poorly designed. I had to use a nylon ratcheting tie-down strap to hold the filter bag against the housing to prevent dust from flying all over the shop.

This new retro kit comes with a new housing, filter canister and 5 plastic bags. I had the DC1100 so I needed to use the new housing, unlike some others that have posted. The new housing in part helps to draw more air volume, as does the new filter.

The new retro unit allows for the use of plastic bags for dust collection, which are disposable rather than the cloth bag of the older design, which required dumping into another bag. It used to be a messy process. The plastic bags are more susceptible to tearing however, from sharp objects drawn through the vacuum hose. It hasn't happened frequently however, and a small piece of packing tape over the tear solves the problem quickly.

The inside of the filter is "cleaned" from the outside via a handle bar system that spins rubber paddles against the inside of the fan folded filter of the canister. This knocks the excess dust off the inside of the filter and into the plastic bag. The nuts to hold the handle tight to the spindle are not an optimal design as the nuts have a tendency to come loose and then the handle just spins without turning the paddles, ugh.

The canister is held to the housing using several thumbscrews, driven into a slot, which seems a bit strange and clumsy to remove. It seems like clamps of some kind would work more effectively, maybe like ones used on snow ski boots.

The DC1100 came on 4 casters, which is nice for moving the unit easily. However, the new canister and handle design would be improved if it had a way of securing the vacuum hose(s) while moving the unit. As it is, moving the unit around allows the hose(s) flop all over and mark up doorframes or walls or whatever is near. Typically, this means removal of the hoses prior to moving it, which is less convenient.

Overall, I am happy I purchased the unit, and have found it to work more efficiently and effectively.

I have a 3 HP Powermatic dust collector which has 4 bags. I ordered two retrofit kits when they were on back order. The estimated delivery time was well over a month but I received them in about two weeks. They both arrived undamaged, complete, and on the same day. If you have a dust collector other than a Jet DC1100 you receive an adapter that you can't use but I didn't realize this when I ordered these filters and maybe you can purchase them separately at a reduced price.

The filters fit perfectely on my dust collector and seal very well. A very simple installation! Although I like these filters and they greatly reduce the height of my dust collector (by over 3 ft.) and increase performance. I think the price is a little high. My dust collector complete cost approx. $600, these two kits were [less]. I would recommend buying a Jet dust collector with the cannister filter already installed instead of separately (the cost is comparable to dust collectors with bags). I bought these because my collector is in a shed behind
my workshop with a 7' ceiling. I had no choice except to put it in my already cramped workshop.

I think Jet has a good idea here and if you are in the market for a new dust collector I would certainly check out the new Jet cannister filter models. I have not used this filter long enough to give any advice on how well it holds up but it seems well made. I have to wonder if the filter media would eventually become clogged at least partially with fine sanding dust that the flappers would not loosen. I know that bags lose some of their efficiency after a lot of use because of fine particles lodged in the pores of the material, but new bags don't cost $189.

I have an older DC-1200 Jet dust collector and ordering the complete retrofit kit was necessary to use the plastic bags as intended. The inner cloth ring that holds the plastic bags to the filter housing will not work on the older unit. However, the wood chips and dust which circulate in the plastic bag makes a lot of noise. I bought a Delta 1 micron bag (same 20" housing)and put the old housing back on so I could use the old band clamps to secure the new bag. The bag install resulted in the noise reduction I was looking for with similar filtering capabilities of the pleated paper filter. The bag is secured to the inside of the housing on newer units and the bag secures on the outside on older units. With the addition of the Delta bag I have more filter area as well. The CFM is even greater now due to even less static pressure through the filter media.

I wrote my earlier review when I received a box that contained only the 20" retrofit, which is the middle part of the dust collector. The converter allows you to attach a clear plastic bag at the bottom of the dust collector, replacing the felt bag, This makes emptying the bag a breeze. Just take it off, tie it off with a twistie, and put a new plastic bag in place. The bag is secured with a cloth lined snap ring, and is a huge improvement over the old metal band.

It turns out the cannister arrived the following day in a separate box, although neither the invoice or packing slip indicate there were two boxes. The nice thing about the cannister is that it is about 18" shorter than the bag it replaces, and it is a WHOLE lot less dusty. I've haven't had the chance to run this for any length of time, but just in the ease of changing the lower bag and the 2 micron filter capacity and reduced size of the cannister makes this a winner already.

The filter itself is a big improvement. My complaint is similar to others that have posted and it's that I don't need half of the order. I already have a 20" Jet unit and having the bags turns out to be more trouble that its worth. I am fortunate in that I can just dump my shavings out on my property. No instructions telling me how the new bag system is an improvement over the original and no way to return the half of the order I didn't need. Otherwise it would get 5 stars. As usual, Amazon was fast and efficient.

Replacement of the original 18" housing and filter bags with the 20" housing and canister filter was straight-forward with no unexpected problems. The change-over took less than a half-hour. The kit also comes with five heavy-duty plastic bags to replace the bottom filter bag. As expected, the 2 micron canister filter is a DEFINATE improvement over the stock 30 micron filter bags. This upgrade is a real plus for a basement shop.

I should have done this upgrade a long time ago. It took less than a half hour to install the kit. After several hours of operation I could notice a big diffeance in the dust controle. I no longer get the big puff of dust in the air every time I start the dust collector.

This package is a good upgrade kit for most any kind of dust collector. Mine had to be modified to use the adapter housing that the filter sits on to sit correctly but once all the parts were installed it works much better than the bag filters that I used to use. It is easy to change the bags on the bottom bag when full, and you can see how much is in the bag.