Mullet Tools ThirdHand Boom Arm Review

Considering adding the Mullet ThirdHand Boom Arm to your dust collection system? Here’s what you need to know and our full review!

Like most homeowner DIYers, our workshop is in our garage.

We try to do our best to keep things mobile and affordable in our workshop because we know that’s what most people need to do.

One thing that we are constantly battling in our shop is dust and debris from our woodworking projects.

Last year, we added a Mullet Dust Collection System to our shop to help with sawdust and debris collection and separation which has really helped and is saving our shop vac filter and keep our wet dry shop vac from burning out.

However, the Mullet isn’t perfect. There’s different ways that it doesn’t work exactly how we need it because it attaches with the flexible hose from our shop vac.

So, we recently added the Mullet ThirdHand Dust Collection Boom Arm to our system to help with tasks that need a stable dust collection arm that can be secured in a single location.

We’ve been using this for a few projects now and wanted to give a full review of the Mullet Third Hand and show how you can use it in your shop.

What is the Mullet ThirdHand Dust Collection Boom Arm?

The Mullet ThirdHand Dust Collection Boom Arm is an extension of your dust collection system that allows you to have rigid, but flexible dust collection where you need it.

Enter code “CHARLESTONCRAFTED” on their site for 10% off!

The Mullet ThirdHand is a series of tubes with adjustable elbows that connects to your existing dust collection system and adjusts to where you need it.

Basically, it’s a series of tubes that bend at the elbows to collect sawdust where you’re working.

The Mullet boom arm doesn’t work independently and needs to be connected to your Mullet Dust Cyclone or other dust collection system to operate.

Read our full review of the Mullet M5 Dust Cyclone here!

The Mullet ThirdHand is very easy to set up. The tubes and elbows all come in one box and you just need to insert the tubes into the elbows and adjust to where you want them to be.

The set also comes with a set of pieces to attach the tubes directly to your workbench or other dust extractor, but we only have the Mullet M5, so we just needed to insert the end of the tubes directly into it.

Here’s how to set up your Mullet M5 if you haven’t done that already!

How does the Mullet ThirdHand work?

The Mullet ThirdHand works by connecting to your current dust collection system or your Mullet high speed cyclone dust collector.

The Mullet boom arm is a rigid set of tubes with locking elbows that can be adjusted in sequence to reach exactly where you need.

After setting it up, you just insert one of the ends of the tube system into the Mullet M5 or your dust collection system.

Then, you adjust the various elbows by loosening and tightening them to navigate the hose end where you need it.

This is great if you need to have a vacuum ready to catch debris coming off of a router table or underneath a circular saw as you move it. It’s also good for sucking up the little dust created from a scroll saw.

The vacuum suction from you shop vac will pull all the way through the Mullet M5 and all the way through the ThirdHand tubes, so anything you put in front of the suction head at the end of the ThirdHand will be sucked all the way through the tubes and into the Mullet.

Mullet ThirdHand Pros

The Mullet ThirdHand is a really helpful tool for helping with collecting dust and debris while doing woodworking in the garage workshop. There’s definitely a lot of pros.

The best thing about the Mullet ThirdHand is its ability to bend at multiple pivot points to create a rigid pathway for dust collection. This means you can change the direction, angle and height of how the ThirdHand is collecting dust depending on what job you’re doing.

I also really like how it doesn’t have to directly connect to a tool while you’re working. It can be there ready to catch the dust coming off the workpiece, but is freestanding.

Another good thing is that it is lightweight and versatile, so it can quickly slip into my Mullet M5 without issue, or you can connect it to a workbench if you’re going to be working on the same thing for a long time.

Mullet ThirdHand Cons

While I do like the Mullet ThirdHand, there are a few things I wish were better.

The first is that the vacuum suction does have to travel a long way- all the way from the shop vac, through the M5 dust cyclone, then through the tubes of the ThirdHand. There is definitely some stuff that gets missed.

I don’t know if it’s the suction not being strong enough over that distance or if it’s the rapid nature of something like a router spitting out wood shavings, but not 100% of everything is caught. However, it does catch a lot more than before, so I’ll take it.

The other con is the cost. It’s not a super cheap tool addition at $150, especially because it doesn’t work on its on. It needs a shop vac at a minimum, and either a Mullet M5 or another dust collection system to work truly well. But, you can save 10% by using code “CHARLESTONCRAFTED” on their website!

How well does the Mullet ThirdHand work?

The Mullet ThirdHand works pretty well for dust collection. It definitely makes it easier to collect dust and wood shavings in situations where you can’t attach a hose directly to a tool.

The flexible elbows are really nice and allow you to adjust them at several points to make sure you have the vacuum head in exactly the spot you need it to be.

There seems like there could be some drag over the entire length of the tube and through the Mullet M5, but overall it works well.

Is the Mullet ThirdHand worth it?

I’d say that the Mullet ThirdHand Boom Arm is worth it if you are already using the Mullet M5 and have a lot of situations where you can’t connect the shop vac hose directly to your tool.

If you are using a router table or scroll saw a lot, this would be a great tool to have to help catch all the shavings that are being sent off.

As I always struggle with when determining if something is “worth it,” remember that it’s not something that I would tell you you have to get. But if you have the means and you are looking for a tool to make your life easier, this is a good option.

Mullet ThirdHand Boom Arm promo code

If this review convinced you to buy a Mullet ThirdHand Boom Arm, I can make you even happier by offering a discount code.

Simply add the Mullet ThirdHand (and any other Mullet tools and accessories) to your cart on their website and enter code “CHARLESTONCRAFTED” and you’ll get 10% off your order!

Buying directly through the Mullet website will save you about $10 versus buying it on Amazon, plus you can get 10% off with our coupon code, so it’ll come out to be about $25 cheaper. Sweet!