Hello, how does the Sweepy compare to the Sweepy Pro? I just ordered a Shapeoko 5 Pro yesterday and was wondering if the Sweepy Pro is worth the investment or not, it definitely looks better, and I like the fact the vacuum hose connects on the back side. But does it perform any better?
Are there other brands of dust boots that work better or have better features? I’ve seen some that have magnetic attachments and the like.
Suggestions, thoughts? Thanks!
I just so happen to have a SO5 Pro and an HDM…and Sweepy Pros and standards for both. Either works great, but both have things they’re better at.
I love the Sweepy Pro on my SO5 Pro, but haven’t used it much on my HDM. But they are different use cases.
My SO5 Pro mostly does sheet work. Like MDF, plys, and sheet plastic. It does really well on those.
My HDM does a lot of aluminum and plastic work for parts that are in vises and more complex. I usually don’t use either of the Sweepys as I am usually running a misting system.
So if you are mostly going to be flatter goods in plastic and wood, I think the Sweepy Pro is better. It does catch more. On the SO5 Pro, you do have to remember to raise it all the way up on a tool change and set it to pause before it starts running so you can lower it to working height.
Oh, good info, especially from someone who owns both. I will mostly be working with woods and plastics.
So I’m curious, which machine is more capable in your opinion? I have an 80mm spindle on order from PwnCNC because I had ordered a Onefinity Elite Foreman 4x4 and have since canceled because the shipping time kept increasing, most recently 4+ months until my order would be shipped. I was going to cancel the spindle from PwnCNC, but spoke to him and he said he was going to try developing a 80mm bracket for the Shapeoko 5 Pro this weekend since Shapeoko strangely doesn’t have one and told me one is in the works. I was going to go with their VFD spindle, then I noticed it’s only 65mm. If I can get an 80mm that mounts solidly and works well with everything then I will probably go with that, which will give me more versatility.
Do you have any thoughts about that, even if it’s to tell me I’m stupid. 
More capable is dependent on what your particular needs are. There is of course carry-over in capabilities, but they both have strengths the other doesn’t.
The HDM (mine is the 110V 1.5kw spindle version) will go thru harder materials better due to extra rigidity. If you get the 2.2kw version, it would be even more so. So I tend to run more precision parts in aluminum across it mostly. Mine has literally made research nuclear reactor, microscope components, and scientific experiments. I also have the Saunder’s tooling plates and mod vises on it along with a Fogbuster.
The SO5 Pro is more capable in that I can do larger products on it. Mine has the C3D VFD spindle. 65mm is not a disadvantage, but the SO5 Pro can pretty easily stall that spindle. So a 2.2 kw spindle would be awesome on it. So if you got an 80mm, “1.5kw” spindle (the advertised 1.5kw spindles are actually 1.2 kw) you’re not getting any advantage over the C3D one in practical terms.
Ah, I wondered.
The Saunders tooling plates are nice, I was planning on getting their stuff if I ever get a metal CNC machine (when I’m rich).
Yeah, the PwnCNC I ordered is the 1.5kw air cooled one. Interesting, so do you think it’s worth it, or do you think the C3D is enough? I wonder if the SO5 would handle the torque of a 2.2kw spindle too.
If it’s air cooled, I don’t see the advantage of 80mm over 65mm.
I haven’t installed a 2.2 on the SO5 Pro, but with the sturdiness of the machine, I bet it works just fine.
I decided to cancel with PwnCNC, I felt bad. But I went with the 65mm Carbide VFD spindle since it’s setup for it and all my support for my first machine will come from one source.
When I upgrade to a 2.2kw I hope PwnCNC will be setup for it offering an 80mm mount for the SO5, or Carbide will offer the mount. PwnCNC has great customer service, I do wonder how well their newest dust boot would work on the SO5. I’m going to try the regular Sweepy that comes with the SO5, then upgrade in a few months.
I’m trying to get Carbide 3D to offer a closed loop stepper upgrade with Masso, I would drop $1500 right now. 
$1,500 is about $1,000 shy of what a Masso with closed loop steppers cost… with nothing else. I’d wager that a Masso driven SO5Pro would cost at least $2k more. If that was even sommelier they were interested in doing.
In my guesstimation Onefinity puts next to nothing in the frame/ motion system so they can spend a ton on the controller and steppers. C3D spends a ton on the frame/motion system… so I figure they couldn’t absorb the cost of a $2,500 third party controller.
But that’s just my guess based upon my limited experience in medium volume production.
Yeah, Onefinity doesn’t have supported rails. Both have tradeoffs I guess. But what do I know, I’m buying my first machine here, so I have a lot to learn before my opinion is worth giving. 
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