Reputable blast cabinet brands?

[mmcmdl]

There's a new HF blast cabinet waiting to be loaded into the dumpster at work . I keep telling them I'll haul it out . Is it worth it ? I really don't have the space but I hate seeing something useful go to the scarp heap .

 

[alloy]

I'd call the HF blast cabinet anything but useful.

I had one and put it together and filled it with glass beads. Just sitting there it leaked so bad 1/2 of my beads were one the floor before I could try and empty it out. I took it apart and calked every seam in it. Still leaked. The light in it is a joke, the gun is even worse.

I bought a skat blast cabinet and converted it to pressure blast. For me it still wasn't fast enough and got tired of refilling the pressure tank. I found a Trinco pressure blast cabinet and it rocks. I went from 25 minutes in the hf cabinet, to 15 minutes in the skat blast, to less than 5 with the trinco bead blasting a transmission tail housing.

I gave the HF cabinet to a guy at work, about 2 weeks later I saw it in the scrap pile at work. Exactly where it belongs.

 

[mmcmdl]

Thanks alloy . I'll pitch the thing .

 

[woodchucker]

There's a new HF blast cabinet waiting to be loaded into the dumpster at work . I keep telling them I'll haul it out . Is it worth it ? I really don't have the space but I hate seeing something useful go to the scarp heap .

its useful to someone. I think it's a great starting place to add upgrades too. yea you have to work to seal it... but for the price you can't ask for more. But if you pay more, you expect more.

 

[mmcmdl]

its useful to someone. I think it's a great starting place to add upgrades too. yea you have to work to seal it... but for the price you can't ask for more. But if you pay more, you expect more.

You ARE NOT helping me with cleaning stuff out woodchucker . So now I guess I'll grab it .

 

[woodchucker]

I've used a few cabinets... I have a "large" HF cabinet that does all I ask of it. I had to re-do the light, re-do the gun, and re-do the pickup to keep it working, but it continues to serve well and I have no plans to replace. My Dad has a Skat Blast cabinet with its own evac system (no need for shop vac). The visibility is far better in the Skat. I've gone through several Skat cabinets at work, they're good. Today, I looked at a Cyclone and decided it is the nicest cabinet of its size that I've seen. They open fully, so if it fits on the work bench it fits in the cabinet. Good for bulky items. The Cyclone is clearly the more expensive. If you like commercial equipment, Cyclone cabinets are the next level.

All of the modifications above are out of necessity for the HF blast cabinet. It's a good product for the money, but I must say that I am sick of that POS after owning it for the last 22 years. Constantly servicing and repairing it is a headache, and the dust... oh, the dust. I've set aside a fresh piggy bank for a wet (slurry) blast system after checking out several of them at work. There are a couple of good ones appropriate for the home shop that are turn-key for under $3k, which at this point is totally justifiable for me (and I'm a bit of a tightwad). I get so much use out of blasting and parts washing. I'm also conscious of the lead, chromium, and nickel in the coatings and substrates that I don't want to inhale any more of that dust every time I walk past the cabinet. Just thought I'd add the wet method to the conversation, it's very attainable and also a good candidate for a DIY project or modification to an existing cabinet.

I get confused about statements like this. 2 years ago it was a good cabinet that does all you ask of it... after 20 years you would think you knew.
but 2 years later it's the biggest POS, after 22 years.

It couldn't have been that bad if you stuck with it for 20 years. I know we all reach a point...

Like I was ****** off about things not being available, but after complaining, I remembered that last year sometime probably June-July 2020, I could not get a circuit breaker for my SquareD cabinet. I needed a 30amp 220v breaker... I scoured high an low, no one had one... all the electrical suppliers were having problems with Square D supply.. My short memory... the problem was not new... we were dealing with shortages since March 2020... Just off and on.

 

[woodchucker]

You ARE NOT helping me with cleaning stuff out woodchucker . So now I guess I'll grab it .

Just think off all the things you can stick in the cabinet , btw still waiting on info on the pillow block collars.

 

[vtcnc]

I'd call the HF blast cabinet anything but useful.

I had one and put it together and filled it with glass beads. Just sitting there it leaked so bad 1/2 of my beads were one the floor before I could try and empty it out. I took it apart and calked every seam in it. Still leaked. The light in it is a joke, the gun is even worse.

I bought a skat blast cabinet and converted it to pressure blast. For me it still wasn't fast enough and got tired of refilling the pressure tank. I found a Trinco pressure blast cabinet and it rocks. I went from 25 minutes in the hf cabinet, to 15 minutes in the skat blast, to less than 5 with the trinco bead blasting a transmission tail housing.

I gave the HF cabinet to a guy at work, about 2 weeks later I saw it in the scrap pile at work. Exactly where it belongs.

I have one. You have to caulk the hell out of this thing and blast media still finds a way to get out. The gun is OK, but I think that has more to do with whether or not I'm pushing wet air through the lines and nozzle or not. Agreed on the light. It isn't great, but it is OK.

Every single feature about this cabinet can be nit picked, and they should as far as features go. I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was a fraction of what you will pay for a comparable size and you don't need to pay freight(edit: if a store is near you).

I've used it to sandblast a bunch of parts, probably got about 10-15 hrs on it. But I've easily got 4-6 hrs in between building and screwing around with making it work right.

If you don't mind making a silk purse out of a sow's ear then it is probably worth your interest and effort.

 

[akjeff]

"If you don't mind making a silk purse out of a sow's ear then it is probably worth your interest and effort."

That about sums it up for the HF blast cabinet( I, regrettably have one ), and a number of Chinese tools/machines. Though a silk purse is a bit optimistic. I think vinyl or naugahyde would be a lofty goal.

 

[woodchucker]

I get confused about statements like this. 2 years ago it was a good cabinet that does all you ask of it... after 20 years you would think you knew.
but 2 years later it's the biggest POS, after 22 years.

It couldn't have been that bad if you stuck with it for 20 years. I know we all reach a point...

Like I was ****** off about things not being available, but after complaining, I remembered that last year sometime probably June-July 2020, I could not get a circuit breaker for my SquareD cabinet. I needed a 30amp 220v breaker... I scoured high an low, no one had one... all the electrical suppliers were having problems with Square D supply.. My short memory... the problem was not new... we were dealing with shortages since March 2020... Just off and on.

I didn't realize the word p i s s e d off was offensive? Have you seen the ads for S E X Y photos (click bait) and other stuff on our site? And my word was a no go?