The electrostatic and centrifugal models are used primarily for low air volume (<1000 cfm) applications. Their removal efficiency of below 1 micron particle size drops off rapidly. They remove most of the mist but not the finer aerosols without the use of after filters. The advantage is that they are compact, easy to install and have continuous drain of the oil that is being removed.

The multi filter systems use metal mesh coalescing filters and fiber spun bound cartridges that are bag shaped or pleated. These filters are large in size and are used in sequence to efficiently remove oil mist and aerosols. The disadvantage is the need for removing and cleaning the filters. This requires downtime to allow the oil to drain from the filters. The advantage is larger air volumes and higher particle removal efficiency up to 99.97% of particles of 0.5 micron size.