Well I went ahead and bought a collector. I propably got one much bigger than I needed . I was on the fence between
this Deltaand
this one from Pen State. The Penn State was 1 hp / 850 CFM where the Delta is 1.5 hp / 1200 cfm. After the mail in rebate the Delta ended up 25 dollars more than the Penn State after shipping was added. Both come with a 1 micron bag.
The delta 50-760 is what I ended up getting. For those intersted there is a nice review of it here,
http://www.newwoodworker.com/reviews/d50-760rvu.html
I liked how the dust ports could be mounted either up or down (I mounted them up) and the clear bottom chip bag. I also liked how it has a rather small footprint yet there is room inside the base for a trash can type cyclone jobber to fit underneath. All of the other collectors did not have that and thus the addition of a cyclone would have to take up more floor space. I also liked how the two 4" dust port could be removed and you can use a single 5".
It assembled literally in about 20 minutes with one wrench and a screwdriver and seems very sturdy. The suction is incredible compared to my 4.5 HP shop vac. I bet if I peaked into the 4 inch tube it would suck the glasses off of my face. I might have to tie a saftey line to my waist just in case
For 329.00 before the 30 dollar rebate I feel like I got a pretty good deal and don't anticipate having to ever move up. I bought mine at Lowes in town. It is about as loud as one would expect however it is still quieter than my shop vac. Or at least it is not as high pitched and screaming. I tested it last night and was working right next to it without much trouble. Soon I will work on a short duct system to move the collector a little farther away. It is not a pretty machine (though it seems most DC's are not) but it sure will do the job for my little shop.
I appreciate everyones advise on this.
John
www.crosbypipes.com