Thanks, Jules. Do you know how many filters the compact has? I think this might be my best option.
Just one, but it’s in a cartridge type arrangement. You just lift out the whole thing out the top and set a new one in. (Very easy to access.) 
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Thank you. I put in my request to get the compact. 
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Yeah, it seems best for some of us gals. Not as cool looking as the single unit filter though, but more practical.
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it’s also tempting because I can manually keep it on until the smell is gone.
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Yeah, since we control the fan, we can run it for a few extra seconds after the print finishes to clear the decks. (You can also open the lid, shift the print so that the trapped smoke underneath gets sucked out, and then turn it off.)
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We can’t make definitive statements until we finish final testing, but MDF products like Draftboard do reduce the life of all filter products dramatically.
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For you, I’d definitely recommend the Compact Filter. You unclip the lid, lift it off, and lift out the cartridge. You don’t need to lift the Glowforge.
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This new Compact Filter is an interesting option. I do have the GF Air Filter on order. I like the space saving of the original GF Air Filter design, but some of the other features of the Compact Filter are also appealing. Is there a comparison regarding overall performance and air quality between the two? Is one better than the other or are they intended to be the same? Ultimately, that would be a deciding factor. Forgive me if I’ve missed this topic and its been posted before.
No comparisons yet, but I was lucky enough to test one of the Compact Filters. 
There is no smell while the compact filter is running, even during the stinkiest of extruded mirrored chemical laden acrylic, which has always made me a little bit sick to smell. And it was tested in a small 8’ x 10’ office with me sitting right next to it for hours of heavy cutting and engraving.
(I do imagine that the Glowforge filter is going to be the same level of odor control, otherwise there wouldn’t have been so many delays…they are extremely conscientious about their products.)
To me though, the main advantage to the Compact Filter is going to be the ease of changing out the filter. It’s not always going to be convenient for me to have someone help me lift the Glowforge off of the machine to replace a filter.
It’s not going to look as nice, but it’s going to be a lot more workable for my uses.
I should probably also mention, for those of you who have the ability to vent outside some of the time, that this unit is going to be a lot easier to set up with a port and a quick connect that lets you shift from filtering to venting outside. I set it up with the Rockler Dust Right quick connect system and hose, and it literally takes ten seconds to switch from one port to the other. So I can use the filter for the stinky stuff like acrylic and leather, and just switch to venting outside for the draftboard so it doesn’t load the filter up as fast.
Sit tight and I’ll show a couple of pictures…
Connected to the window port:
And connected to the filter under the desk:
You literally just pull on the handle and put it over the flange.
*(If you do buy that particular handle, you have to seal off a small suction release port inside it with a strip of 2" wide aluminum tape to make it odor free…there is a slider to let you control the amount of vacuum through the handle. But it’s simple to close with one strip of tape.)
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if I had to guess… the Compact filter would likely have a better filter lifespan. Not having to lift your unit off and quickly being able to change filters is a nice bonus.
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Thanks for the speedy reply and pics! I do a lot of prototyping in Draftboard, so being able to make that switch from Compact Filter to venting outside is a great idea!!! Also, the ease of changing air filters is also a huge plus.
Can you tell me the difference in noise level when using the Compact Filter vs venting outside? In the Compact Filter description, it mentions decreased noise coming form the Glowforge itself while the Compact Filter is in use. Is the overall noise level better?
Thank you for sharing!
Honestly? They’re both damned loud. 
The noise is a slightly deeper tone with the filter though, which makes it somewhat less annoying.
When you have a new filter in there - it’s significantly quieter than the normal Glowforge operating noise level. As you start to fill up the filter you increase the fan speed, so it starts to get about the same noise level though, so not much gained there.
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Ah, gotcha. I live in a condo and have neighbors on either side to be consider. So as long as its not worse it should be fine. 
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Definitely no worse, and it might be a bit better…I just have a hard time discerning the differences since they don’t run at the same time.
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Hah! I was thinking about this a day or two ago. I think I can do something similar with the hose. I figure I’ll have to rig up a way to insulate the power connectors and run some bypass wires to a switch on the outside so I can turn it off when I swap the hose. Just need to do it in a relatively non-destructive way (although my GF will be out of warranty, the filter won’t be).
I need to get my hands on it before I can settle on a method but it seems pretty doable based on what’s been mentioned about how the two will connect together.
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Well, it will be worth seeing if you can pull it off. 
I rewired my plasma torch so I could run it into the CNC controller Electric I’m good with.
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.And did not make a melted mess ? I would think plasma in the controller would not be a good thing. 
Plasma cutters usually have an option for something called a machine torch that connects via a special port. But they’re also usually almost a grand just for the torch. Or you can open up the cutter, hot wire some connections & run them through the grill to a quick connect - $10 of electrical supplies. 
Left me with money to spend on material. I’m never bitching about $14 for a sheet of PG plywood again…steel is not cheap except when I luck out with the dealer’s mystery box of surplys cuts at $1/lb
I’ve been giving some thought to seeing if our trash transfer station would allow me to strip some of the fridges & stoves they take in.
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