Grizzly G0738 vs POWERTEC AF4001E hanging air filter

• You want a filter grade on the page. The G0738 lists a 5 micron outer filter and a 1 micron inner one, so you know what the dust loading is trying to do.
• You want the most airflow. 409 CFM at the top speed against 400 CFM, and a lower low speed of 260 CFM, so a wider range for a quiet setting.
• You want the longest timer menu. The listing gives 1, 2 or 4 h, so you can set it to run after you leave.
• You value owner feedback. The G0738 is owner-rated 4.8 on grizzly.com from 301 reviews, and our sources have no rating for the POWERTEC.

• The budget is tight. The POWERTEC sits in the under $250 tier on Amazon, with the Amazon return path.
• You want an RF remote. The title says RF remote. Radio remotes do not need a line of sight, where an IR remote does. Whether that matters in your garage is for you to judge.
• You want the speeds closer together. 300, 350 and 400 CFM is a tighter ladder than 260, 362 and 409.
• You want to compare Amazon reviews. Read the lower-rated ones for filter life, noise and remote problems.

The number that counts for an air filter is not its CFM, it is how many times an hour it turns the air in your room. The sum is CFM times 60, divided by the room volume in cubic feet. For a 20 x 20 ft garage with an 8 ft ceiling, 3,200 cubic feet, the G0738 at 409 CFM gives about 7.7 changes an hour, and the POWERTEC at 400 CFM gives about 7.5. At the low speeds, 260 CFM is about 4.9 and 300 CFM is about 5.6. Your ceiling height may differ, so run your own numbers in the air filtration calculator.

In a 12 x 22 ft one-car garage with the same ceiling, 2,112 cubic feet, the numbers are higher: about 11.6 for the G0738 at top speed and 11.4 for the POWERTEC. The difference between the two filters is small enough that room size and where you hang the unit matter more. The rated CFM is a free-air number from the listing, and a loaded filter moves less. We researched both from manufacturer listings and published specifications, and did not test either unit.

An air filter takes no floor space, which is why it suits a garage that parks a car. Our floor-layout engine gives the G0738 a floor share of 1 percent or less and reports no fit as a floor machine in any bay, because it is a hanging unit. The check that counts for a hanging filter is overhead: joists to hang it from, the garage door's track and opener path, and head clearance.

The G0738 is 20 x 17 x 10 in and 34 lb, with chains included. That is light enough for two screw eyes into the joists. The POWERTEC size and weight are on its listing. Hang either one where it will not strike the open door, ideally over the tool that makes the dust, and where the air can circulate around the room. Fine dust will land on a parked car, so the filter belongs in the room that has the car as much as the one that has the saw. The G0738 fit sheet has the numbers, and the guide to dust control with a car in the shop covers the rest.

The G0738 lists 1 A at 120V. At 125 percent that is 1.25 A, so any 15 A garage circuit with 14 AWG copper carries it with room to spare. Our engine's NEC table calculation for a 30 ft run also gives 15 A and 14 AWG. The POWERTEC amps are on its listing. It is the easiest machine in a shop to wire for, but do not put it on the same circuit as a saw you are running if the circuit is already loaded. The workshop amps calculator adds the loads, and a licensed electrician should confirm anything you are unsure of.

Many garages run the filter on a plug-in timer or the filter's own timer so that it keeps cleaning after the saw stops. The G0738 lists a 1, 2 or 4 h timer. Check the POWERTEC listing for its timer.

A hanging air filter catches the fine dust that stays airborne after a dust collector has taken the chips. It does not replace the collector, and it does not replace a respirator. The G0738 lists a 5 micron outer filter and a 1 micron inner filter. The outer one is the pre-filter, which you vacuum or replace, and the inner one is the fine stage. Check the POWERTEC listing for its filter grade, and for what replacements cost and where you buy them.

A clogged filter moves less air and makes the motor work harder. Clean the outer filter often, and replace it when cleaning no longer restores the airflow. Wear a respirator and safety glasses while you cut, and keep wearing the respirator for a while after you stop, because the dust takes time to settle and the filter takes time to clear it. A GVS P100 respirator is the catalog pick. A filter catches dust that is already in the air, so a collector at the tool still comes first; see the POWERTEC portable collector for the Amazon one. Our air filtration roundup compares the whole class.

G0738 if you want the filter grade, the longest timer and the 4.8 owner rating on the page; POWERTEC AF4001E if the budget is tight and an RF remote and 400 CFM at the top speed are enough. The two move nearly the same air: about 7.7 and 7.5 changes an hour in a 20 x 20 ft garage with an 8 ft ceiling. Pick on the details, filter grade, timer, remote and price. Read the POWERTEC listing for size, weight and filter, and hang either one clear of the garage door.