SMKS
Well-known member
I bought this Stihl SE 61 wet/dry vac recently. I’ve had it about two months and used it a good amount, so I decided I’d post my impressions.
I had been wanting a new garage vac for a while. I was on the fence whether I should go with a wall-mounted unit or a small shop vac. I decided to go with a small shop vac because it would be more portable so I could use it in the house or other places.
Here’s what I wanted:
-Compact, so it would be easy to store, move and use
-Not made in China
-Quiet, at least for a wet/dry vac
-Relatively affordable, in the under $200 range
I considered some of the other popular brands, including:
-Craftsman and Ridgid. Both of these are made by Emerson, from what I’ve read. They’re mostly made in Mexico, with some of the smaller models made in China. These vacuums are pretty well regarded here and on other forums.
-Shop Vac brand. These are mostly “assembled in the USA with imported components.”
-Vacmaster. These are all made in China, or at least all the ones I’ve seen in person are.
-Fein, Festool, Porter-Cable, DeWalt. These are all vacs made by European companies. I liked the specs of these models, but they cost more than I wanted to spend. The Porter-Cable and DeWalt vacs are rebranded models made by European vac makers.
I eventually settled on the Stihl SE-61, which is basically a rebranded Nilfisk-Alto Aero 20. Nilfisk sells many vacs in the US, but the smaller Aero 20 and 25 wet/dry vacs aren’t sold in the US, as far as I can tell. The Stihl is made in Hungary and it was in my price range with an MSRP of $169.99. As far as I can tell, this is about the most affordable way to buy a Euro vac in the US, but it’s considerably more expensive than a wet/dry vac from the more mainstream brands you find in the US. Since Stihl mostly focuses on chainsaws and yard equipment, some dealers don’t carry the vacuums in store. The dealer I bought from had to order it.
Here’s what you’ll find when you open the box.
After you put it together, this is how it will look. One negative is that the manual didn’t do a great job of explaining how to arrange the tools on the vac. I eventually figured it out, but I ended up organizing them differently than the manual recommends.
Also, the black button is a filter cleaning mechanism. You block the hose and press the button, which reverses the airflow to blow debris off the filter. I’ve played around with it, but since I haven’t had a problem with the filter plugging, I haven’t really had to use the function too much.
Here’s the back side, which shows the tool storage a little better. I did a little trial-and-error, and this is the organization I think works best.
This vac is pretty small, with a 5 gallon capacity, so it doesn’t have a drain. If you fill it up with liquid, it still should be easy enough to lift and dump out.
The wheels are mostly plastic. The front wheels do incorporate some metal parts. But, all the wheels seem sturdy and have been working well.
Here’s the motor housing removed from the body. The filter is washable since it’s made of plastic (PET specifically, I believe). I can’t find a micron rating for the stock filter, but the stock replacement filters sold claim to be good down to 1 micron. There are also HEPA filters available for this vac, but they’re over $100.
One thing I like about this vac is that the attachments seem higher quality than the other vacs in this size range. The attachments seem sturdy and less flimsy than the mainstream brands. It comes with a combo wet/dry hard floor tool, an upholstery tool and a crevice tool. The tools use a 35mm tube, which is a standard size for European vacuums. The extension tubes are painted aluminum not plastic like many brands. The hose has a swivel connector on the end, so it’s less likely to twist. The hose has a sliding switch that can be used to adjust the level of suction.
Some people see the small hose as a negative because it can’t pick up large debris. But, I also have a big hepa vac with a 2+” hose and the smaller hose on the Stihl is much easier to handle and maneuver, in my opinion.
Here is a close-up pic of the upholstery tool and the combo floor tool.
Here’s a pic comparing the Stihl to my Dustless Technologies HEPA vac. The HEPA vac is a good vac. It’s pretty quiet. But, the Stihl is quieter and the smaller hose makes it easier to use. I know some people like the larger diameter hoses since they’re less likely to get plugged, but I haven’t run into that issue. I suppose it depends on what you’re sucking up. For my purposes, the smaller hose on the Stihl hasn’t caused any problems. The smaller hose has also been easier to maneuver and use.
Overall, my impressions of this vac are positive. I’ve used it a lot in the garage for general vacuuming and cleaning out our cars. I’ve actually used it a lot in the house, too, because it’s good for cleaning hard floors. It’s quite easy to use, cleans well and is quiet. It is pricey, though, but I’m hoping it will last longer than the average wet/dry vac you can buy at the big box stores. I guess only time will tell if that’s true.
Positives
-Quiet (rated at 70 db)
-Good suction for a vac of this size (rated at 71 in of water)
-Easy to use. The swiveling hose connector and adjustable suction control are useful
-Good quality attachments
Negatives
-Can’t easily run over its own cord because the front wheels are so small. It sometimes tips over if you run over the cord. The other vacs I looked at also had tiny wheels, so I assume they would have had this issue, too
-Pricey for a vac of this size
-Less availability of accessories and replacement parts than the mainstream brands
I had been wanting a new garage vac for a while. I was on the fence whether I should go with a wall-mounted unit or a small shop vac. I decided to go with a small shop vac because it would be more portable so I could use it in the house or other places.
Here’s what I wanted:
-Compact, so it would be easy to store, move and use
-Not made in China
-Quiet, at least for a wet/dry vac
-Relatively affordable, in the under $200 range
I considered some of the other popular brands, including:
-Craftsman and Ridgid. Both of these are made by Emerson, from what I’ve read. They’re mostly made in Mexico, with some of the smaller models made in China. These vacuums are pretty well regarded here and on other forums.
-Shop Vac brand. These are mostly “assembled in the USA with imported components.”
-Vacmaster. These are all made in China, or at least all the ones I’ve seen in person are.
-Fein, Festool, Porter-Cable, DeWalt. These are all vacs made by European companies. I liked the specs of these models, but they cost more than I wanted to spend. The Porter-Cable and DeWalt vacs are rebranded models made by European vac makers.
I eventually settled on the Stihl SE-61, which is basically a rebranded Nilfisk-Alto Aero 20. Nilfisk sells many vacs in the US, but the smaller Aero 20 and 25 wet/dry vacs aren’t sold in the US, as far as I can tell. The Stihl is made in Hungary and it was in my price range with an MSRP of $169.99. As far as I can tell, this is about the most affordable way to buy a Euro vac in the US, but it’s considerably more expensive than a wet/dry vac from the more mainstream brands you find in the US. Since Stihl mostly focuses on chainsaws and yard equipment, some dealers don’t carry the vacuums in store. The dealer I bought from had to order it.
Here’s what you’ll find when you open the box.
After you put it together, this is how it will look. One negative is that the manual didn’t do a great job of explaining how to arrange the tools on the vac. I eventually figured it out, but I ended up organizing them differently than the manual recommends.
Also, the black button is a filter cleaning mechanism. You block the hose and press the button, which reverses the airflow to blow debris off the filter. I’ve played around with it, but since I haven’t had a problem with the filter plugging, I haven’t really had to use the function too much.
Here’s the back side, which shows the tool storage a little better. I did a little trial-and-error, and this is the organization I think works best.
This vac is pretty small, with a 5 gallon capacity, so it doesn’t have a drain. If you fill it up with liquid, it still should be easy enough to lift and dump out.
The wheels are mostly plastic. The front wheels do incorporate some metal parts. But, all the wheels seem sturdy and have been working well.
Here’s the motor housing removed from the body. The filter is washable since it’s made of plastic (PET specifically, I believe). I can’t find a micron rating for the stock filter, but the stock replacement filters sold claim to be good down to 1 micron. There are also HEPA filters available for this vac, but they’re over $100.
One thing I like about this vac is that the attachments seem higher quality than the other vacs in this size range. The attachments seem sturdy and less flimsy than the mainstream brands. It comes with a combo wet/dry hard floor tool, an upholstery tool and a crevice tool. The tools use a 35mm tube, which is a standard size for European vacuums. The extension tubes are painted aluminum not plastic like many brands. The hose has a swivel connector on the end, so it’s less likely to twist. The hose has a sliding switch that can be used to adjust the level of suction.
Some people see the small hose as a negative because it can’t pick up large debris. But, I also have a big hepa vac with a 2+” hose and the smaller hose on the Stihl is much easier to handle and maneuver, in my opinion.
Here is a close-up pic of the upholstery tool and the combo floor tool.
Here’s a pic comparing the Stihl to my Dustless Technologies HEPA vac. The HEPA vac is a good vac. It’s pretty quiet. But, the Stihl is quieter and the smaller hose makes it easier to use. I know some people like the larger diameter hoses since they’re less likely to get plugged, but I haven’t run into that issue. I suppose it depends on what you’re sucking up. For my purposes, the smaller hose on the Stihl hasn’t caused any problems. The smaller hose has also been easier to maneuver and use.
Overall, my impressions of this vac are positive. I’ve used it a lot in the garage for general vacuuming and cleaning out our cars. I’ve actually used it a lot in the house, too, because it’s good for cleaning hard floors. It’s quite easy to use, cleans well and is quiet. It is pricey, though, but I’m hoping it will last longer than the average wet/dry vac you can buy at the big box stores. I guess only time will tell if that’s true.
Positives
-Quiet (rated at 70 db)
-Good suction for a vac of this size (rated at 71 in of water)
-Easy to use. The swiveling hose connector and adjustable suction control are useful
-Good quality attachments
Negatives
-Can’t easily run over its own cord because the front wheels are so small. It sometimes tips over if you run over the cord. The other vacs I looked at also had tiny wheels, so I assume they would have had this issue, too
-Pricey for a vac of this size
-Less availability of accessories and replacement parts than the mainstream brands
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