Tools 101 Calling all Dust Extractors

We take a look at eight dust extractors to see which ones stand out and which ones suck the most

- Collin Knoff

The battle against dust is one that every power-tool woodworker faces when they go into their shop. Dust in the air, in their lungs, embedded in the finish they worked so carefully on. If you have the space and money, an industrial grade dust collection system is great, but not everyone has that luxury. A simple wet/dry vac works, but they simply aren’t designed for the volume and type of dust woodworking generates. So today, we’re looking at the mobile dust-fighting champions of the woodworking world: portable dust extractors.

As with most things these days, we’re spoiled for choice, so we picked a few parameters to narrow things down. We wanted plug-in dust extractors for all-day functionality, and we wanted each of them to have an onboard power outlet that could be used to activate the extractor with an attached tool. If you’ve had a sander battery die mid-project, you understand why plug-in models are the go-to for professionals.

Now before anyone gets too caught up in the numbers and testing terminology, I want to make a few things clear. Every dust extractor here has enough airflow to suck up more dust than you can generate with any tool plugged into it. And every dust extractor here will gradually see a reduction in airflow as it fills up. With that in mind, this article focuses more on what it’s like to use the dust extractors and what features are important, as opposed to a performance-based shootout.

Why an Extractor Over a Wet/Dry Vac?