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Even the least experienced practitioners of Woodturning are well aware of the risks of dust inhalation in the woodworking workshop, and the health issues that can arise as a result. Of course, we all want to be able to eliminate ambient dust to protect ourselves, which is why a great many woodturners have long invested in efficient and cost-effective ambient air filters like those of the Microclene brand. Alas, there have been a few issues with Microclene in recent times. While we were delighted for many years to be able to supply Microclene units, they are no longer available. Thankfully, we can now provide replacement filters and media with similar sizes and specifications, which has been sadly necessary in the wake of a saga of failure by the UK company that previously supplied Microclene products. A catalogue of problems – now hopefully behind us For many years, Microclene was the dominant brand in the UK market for ambient air filters for smaller workshops. The offerings of this brand were produced by a small company called Acrol, which we’re sad to say had become rather unreliable as a supplier, although only in the past few months have we come to understand why. Unfortunately, serious health and other issues have taken their toll on the principal of Acrol and this has affected his ability to run the operation effectively. In a small company an event such as this quickly turns a bad situation into a dire one, and it has been impossible to obtain the company’s products for over 18 months. Given that the air filters require the filter medium to be replaced every few months, this has spelled disaster for users of Microclene filters. We have certainly heard many stories of users scouring the country to find replacement media. The historically poor service from Acrol means that many UK dealers have long since given up on the company and stopped stocking the products. We held on to the ‘bitter end’! The fruits of a great collaboration We were recently in contact with a company with the knowledge, skills and resources to manufacture machines similar to the Microclene range. This business suggested re-starting manufacture of some of the range under its own auspices, as well as making filter media available to suit most of the range of Microclene filters. Sure enough, we agreed to work with the company to use our experience in the market and our knowledge of the product range to assist it to begin producing the filters under the name Thor Filtration. That cooperation has now borne first fruit and we have recently taken delivery of both the filter units themselves and the media, which is backwards compatible with the pre-existing Microclene range. Exciting news for Microclene users It all means that we are, uniquely in the UK, able to again supply these products to the market, from stock, both as new machines and with media for the existing Microclene units in the field. It is important to note, however, that these are not Microclene products, but instead Thor Filtration ones – meaning they come from a distinct and separate brand, albeit they are technically compatible with those formerly produced by Microclene. All of these factors indicate that owners and enthusiasts of Microclene-style ambient air filters can stop worrying about the availability of media and replacement machines. We are now working to let the market know that the drought is over! So why not investigate our range of Thor Filtration filter units and accessories and place an order today so that you can start to appreciate the benefits of a cleaner, healthier workplace? By way of a footnote, may we offer our wishes that the owner of Acrol is soon returned to good health and is again able to enjoy a full and rewarding life.
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