If you have a state-of-the-art shop vac with a HEPA filter, you should be using a prefilter collection bag inside it to grab most of the dust before it has a chance to clog the fine filter and choke off airflow. But those disposable collection bags fill up fast, and the cost mounts accordingly. Enter the bucket-mounted separator lid, which collects 99 percent of the dust before it has a chance to reach your vac at all, keeping your disposable bag nearly empty for months at a time.

There are a variety of these lids on the market, most of which fit onto a standard 5-gal. bucket. I’ve tried a bunch, and most do their jobs well. But I like the new Dustopper Pro best. For one, it’s a low-profile lid, which requires less headroom than a cyclone-style lid. This lets you fit the bucket and lid under a machine top or tabletop, or inside the cabinet that holds your miter saw, for example.

The Dustopper also has an internal baffle that encourages dust to settle in the bucket. It collects a remarkable amount of dust, from chips to fine powder. I vacuumed pounds of the stuff into the separator, and only the tiniest bit made it into the bottom of my vac bag.

 

Editor Recommended Dust Separator

Dustopper Pro

The Dustopper attaches to a five gallon bucket, and collects 99.9% of dust before it reaches the vacuum. This saves the life span of your disposable vacuum bags and filters.

Price: $59.98 at the time of writing

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