Product reviews for STANDARD Split-Shoe

Bought my Dust shoe about 6 months ago and couldn't be happier. Like many people I tried to make my own when I saw Kent's, with the removable brush and see through top, I knew it would solve all the short comings of my one. The ease of removing and replacing the brush allows easy changing of the cutter makes this shoe worth it weight in Gold. The Brush is very flexible and does not distort with constant use. My shoe looks as good as the day I bought it. The brush was sent to me here in New Zealand and arrived well packaged and is very well made. I use it almost every day and couldn't be happier. Thanks Kent

Just Received my shoe for a Porter Cable 7518.  I had only seen the shoe on Youtube but took a gamble and purchased.  When it arrived and I actually held it in my hand I was very impressed with it's quality engineering.  It installed in about 2 minutes and I was giving it try.  Machining an MDF raised panel door.  Works great.

got my dust shoe 2 weeks ago, and love it "bye bye saw dust." I had a couple of questions, before buying, which Kent answered promptly. Thanks

Perfect solution to collecting dust on your CNC.
I've had 3 different routers/spindles on my CNC and ordered a new dust shoe for each one, that's how much I like them.
Been using them since he started making them (5 or 6 years ago). No complaints. Great long term durability.
Kent is a great guy to deal with too!

Oh , if you think these shoes are expensive, they really aren't considering you will use them on every cut and also they help protect your lungs and save you many hours of fabricating your own solution, which probably won't be as good as Kent's.. So just buy it.

I purchased this product and was completely satisified with its performance.  I was probably getting 99 + recovery of dust from the shoe performing a turning with an open bottom.  Super product and does what it is supposed to do.

I purchased the KentCNC Standard Split-Shoe for my Techno-Isel LC4896 with Porter-Cable 7518 router.  This is a quality product, fits and works as described.  The KentCNC Standard Split-Shoe allows for mounting directly on the router rather than attaching to the bracket.  There is no comparison in changing or zeroing the router bit to the previous method.  The rare earth magnet attachment method is a game changer.

This is the best add on Ive bought for my machine.  Not only does it perform like a champ, it looks damn good doing it. Fit and finish is perfect. Kent is a great guy and fixed my order when I ordered the wrong size.  No problems and super fast turnaround.  

Don't screw around trying to make your own.... You'll just end up frustrated and looking for a solution.  The solution is just buy one from KentCNC.  You won't regret it.

I saw this online and read the reviews.  I was kind of angry to see the price tag for plastic and some brushes.  I already have the machine so I thought I would just make my own.  Not wanting to waste the time figuring one out, I finally just bought this.   First I contacted Kent to make sure I was ordering the right one for my spindle.  I received the product today and have to say that I am very impressed.  Don't waste your time trying to make one of these.  You won't make one this good.

I had tried pricing everything to make a shoe of my own. After seeing the pricing on some of the stuff through McMaster, this thing was a no brainer. Quick delivery, nice quality.

Love this thing! Might be a bit pricy but it is very well designed.
It eliminates probably 99% of clean up

This bust boot is amazing and with my 3 hp DC it picks up all the chips and dust.  Easy to take off and put back.  I highly recommend.

I purchased the Mini-Shoe for my X-Carve in November 2015.  Since then there has only been a light coating of dust on the belts and rails during carving.  Before, the sawdust would build up on to the belts and rails causing tracking problems..  Because of how well the Mini-Shoe has worked, it was an easy decision to purchase the Stand Split-Shoe for my new machine.

I have next to no knowledge in the CNC world.  I was amazed at how easy this was to install on my Bosch 1617 and it works perfectly!  I'm glad I saved my time buying this one because it's one of those rare times when you go, "hmmm... the time I saved was worth the money spent".  It arrived two days after ordering it.

I was on the fence about ordering the dust boot. Like many other reviews sticker shock was crazy. But the idea of almost no dust left after the project was complete was worth looking into. I email the company to ask about the size I needed and within a couple minutes I got the response. That's OUTSTANDING customer service. I bought it that second. It just showed up today installed it in seconds and run a test piece. No dust left on the table. Very happy with my purchase.

First off, Kent is an amazingly helpful guy before, during and after the sale! And the dust boot I got is perfect. This easiest I’ve ever installed anything onto ANYTHING. And it looks and is, very well made!

Can’t recomend Kent and his shoes any more!

I tried vacuuming as I carve.
I tried Brand X dust shoes

The Split Show is the answer.
The design is clean and simple.
I can SEE what is going on in there.
I can easily install and/or adjust bits.
My CNC machine is the cleanest part of my shop!

I know, I understand, it's expensive.
So are Cadillac's and BMW's,
You get what you pay for!

Kent - you had a great idea and shared it with the world.
I hope you become independently wealthy!

I bought the Standard Split Shoe after trading a few questions and answer emails with you - and I simply could not be more pleased with my purchase.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but there's an extra brush inside where the vacuum attaches which keeps the main brush from being sucked in.  Also the magnets have been recessed so that when the lower part snaps into place it cannot shift around.  It's even a better design than I thought it was.  I used a lot of other solutions before finally buying this.  It's worth it.  Great job Kent!

I learnt about KentCNC dust shoes from a YouTube video. I have been using the Standard Split-Shoe for about two weeks non-stop. It is installed in a new NextwaveCNC SharkHD HD510 with water 80mm spindle. I first bough the Nextwave's version, but that was inferior in many respects compared with the Kent's.

First, the hose port was 2.5" forcing me to use a 4" to 2.5" adapter. However, I use a Jet Cyclone 110V, which gives me about 600 cfm at the end of the 4" flexible hose where it would connect to the dust shoe. When using the 2.5" adapter, suction is reduced to a meager 150 cfm. With the 4" port in the Kent's dust shoe, I still retain over 550 cfm. This translates to no chips or dust whatsoever, be that from wood, foam, or plastic.

Second, the dust-shoe support is made of acrylic, which lets you see the bit and the cutting, when it is clean (even when it is only useful for a rough inspection). It is thick and doesn't flex.

Third, the Kent's dust shoe has the optional 1/2" extender plates that allows you to lower the brush another 1/2". This is great for me as it covers the two heights that I use for all my bits. The shorter bits, e.g., face mill, V carve, straight plunge, are used without the extender, whereas my long upcut and downcut end mills are used with the extender. Otherwise, I would need to lift the spindle or suffer some chip/dust spill from the gap created between the work piece and the brush, when I use the long bits.

Fourth, the quality of the brush is far superior to anything else I've seen in dust shoes. It is packed with hairs leaving no gaps. It also has a double hair line at the hose-port side that prevents the hairs from being sucked into the port. Smart design.

Fifth, the Kent's dust shoe comes with the plastic quick connect port, which works fantastic. I put a quick connect piece at the end of the flexible 4" hose and disconnect the hose every time I finish a piece to clean the piece and occasionally the CNC bed if there was some chip/dust spill.

The split design, which is engineered to hold the base to the spindle, works flawlessly. You have to adjust one screw at the split, just tight enough until the acrylic base does not wiggle when you exert moderate pressure on it, and that's it. The base will hold the brush, extender, flexible hose without becoming loose, even after continuously connecting and disconnecting the flexible hose after every work piece is finished.

Finally, the magnetic design makes placing the brush on and off a breeze. Just make sure you remove the brush by pressing on the right side of the shoe first, where there is only one magnet. Otherwise, the magnets are so strong that it is hard to remove the shoe if pressing from the left side.

The only con that I can think of is the price but that depends on the longevity of the product, a feature that I cannot comment on. It looks and feels a high quality product. Besides, the manufacturers' dust shoes usually cost in this range and are much inferior in my view.

Overall, I highly recommend this product and without reservations.

Video reviews do not do the shoe proper justice. The fit and finish of the part is extremely high quality and support from Kent is outstanding. While the initial cost seemed on the higher end, once I broke down what it would cost me to purchase the materials needed to make my own, I wasn't saving much. Further, once I factored in time to design, machine, and work out any kinks - it was a no brainer. Do yourself a favor and make the investment in this shoe. Thank you again Kent.

I am so glad I ordered this dust boot. Completely satisfied. Great construction. This was for an Avid 4hp spindle.

This dust shoe came with my machine. I managed to crack the top plate that attaches to the spindle. Found the website, but the part I needed wasn’t listed. Kent and Billy went out of their way to make sure I got the part.! These guys know their product, and communicate clearly and quickly! They give a level of service that is hard to find these days.

I have been using the standard dust boot provided by NextWaveCNC for my HD520. Since raising the gantry to accommodate the rotary setup, the dust boot would not pick up anything.
I have installed the KentCNC standard Dust Boot with one spacer. Also, now I can attach a 4-inch pickup directly to my Dust Collection system. The main advantage is that the KentCNC dust Boot attaches to the spindle instead of the carrier bracket. This means I can adjust the boot to the desired height.  
Wow!!!! This boot picks up all dust and debris. I am very pleased with this upgrade and would buy again in a heartbeat.  Thanks to KentCNC

I've been using Kent's Standard Dust Shoe for over 8 years, and it's still going strong! The quality is top-notch, and I really like the clear acrylic design - it lets me see what I'm doing. The brushes are durable too; they bounce back even when I've accidentally laid the shoe on its side. Kent's customer service is great, very responsive and helpful. Definitely a professional-grade product. I'll for sure be a repeat customer.