I can't offer comparison on those two units, but I would go for a two prong approach. A cyclone dust collection system at the source of each machine creating the dust. There are many choices for cyclone dust collection. Then you will want a hanging dust collector to filter the sop air of any particles missed.

Over at Lumberjocks or Sawmillcreek people could probably give better comparison on specific machines.

Thanks Mathew.

Just a note that hanging air filters are actually a quite bad idea in a shop. They do more to move dusty air around and keep particulates floating than to actually make ambient air better for you to breath.

For ambient air filtration you need a system that flows air through the room in a laminar flow rather than moves it around semi randomly. You need inlets (returns) on one side/end with clean air supplies on the opposite (or in one shop I worked in that had a big inlet in the floor in the center of the shop with supplies around all of the walls). E.G., you want very controlled air flow so that all particulates take the most direct and predictable route to the filter and that you are supplied with fairly clean air to breath.

The information you want best come's from independent lab tests. Do you actually value seat of the pants by people on the net over that of testing labs? Now if you would care to embark on building a diy system on a budget,we can talk.

Dust is death to photo work, so I would separate them as much as possible.

Do you actually value seat of the pants by people on the net over that of testing labs?

More? No. As much? Yes. In a lab environment a bicycle helmet works exceptionally well, in real world use they show no reduction in TBI's and an apparent increase in spinal injuries. In a lab environment a long list of artificial nutrients and vitamins provide significant health benefits, in real world use they don't. In a lab environment early stents worked perfectly every time, in real world use they caused more problems than they solved.

From a lab standpoint we can compare the MERV ratings and fan curves and sound measurements. But that's only part of the story. A DC with a higher MERV rating may only function well for a brief bit before filters need to be changed while the one with a slightly lower MERV rating may go 10x as long between filter changing/cleaning. One may have a vibration problem that is annoying or worse. The filters on one may include a chemical that gets in the return air stream and is problematic for some people. That's all quite valuable seat of the pants info.

Dust is death to photo work, so I would separate them as much as possible.

Agree. Unfortunately they both also require a considerable amount of space so in this case I'll largely be practicing separation in time.

When used for woodworking, the photo stuff will be kept in a fairly sealed office/storage room. Ideally I'll be able to keep up with dust collection (machine based and constantly going around with a hose) so that accumulation and spreading stay to a minimum. I may experiment with occasional dust moping but I'm not sure if that would provide any benefit or not.

When converting to photo we'll clean up as best we can with a vacuum hose and brooms. Then open some windows or vents on the west end of the building, turn on a large exhaust fan on the east end, put on dust masks, and go through the shop with an air hose to get as much of the remaining wood dust out as possible. Finally, wipe stuff down and mop floors before pulling the lights and stuff out.

If this works well then I can do it as often as I like. If not then it may be a 2 or 3 times per year switchover.

I could certainly achieve that wind blown look with models though. :-)

Fellow minnesotan here considering the same two DCs. Which did you choose?

I'm still using my old Onieda and will likely replace it with a 5hp Gorilla Pro Smart in the next month or two.

Thats what im leaning towards as well. I was looking at the V3000 but am trying to convince myself the extra HP and metal cyclone are worth the extra $1k

A key concern w/ the Pentz was durability/longevity. Likely fine but I couldn't get comfortable with it.