Soldering Fume Extractor

[wanderingmoose]

Hi
I have been looking at a fume extractors for soldering and bench work.

A recirculating fume extractor cost a lot of money. Around 170-500 dollars for bench models.
They use a Hepa filter for the job. Good down to 3 microns.

So why not use a table top air clean with a Hepa filter that is also good down to 3 microns from a store like Walmart?
Costs around 40 dollars and replacement filters three for 15 dollars.

Thoughts?

[FriskyFerret]

This will work but use a cheap fiberglass pre-filter to catch all the crude and large particles. That's what the high-end units do to preserve the life of the HEPA unit.

[johhhhyn]

Agreed... as cheap as possible for the first filter - they clog up REALLY quickly.