Fein 9.55.13 Vac - Is it worth keeping?

[rusty_ratchet]

I bought a Fein 9.55.13 vac at a yardsale. I've been using it and like it a lot, but have also been looking at bags and accessories they they are expensive. It makes me wonder if it is worth keeping or selling and getting a less expensive setup.

Note: Whatever vac I go with will probably be used for all kinds of projects, but so far I've just used the Fein vac for cleaning up after doing some carpentry work.

 

[rlitman]

Vacuum accessories are expensive, and Fein all the more so, but you can use cheaper brand accessories with your Fein vac. I've modified a 1 7/8" industrial shop vac hose to work with my Fein Turbo II.

To me, this is the greatest vacuum ever. Two HUGE plusses.
1) it is super quiet. I can have a muted conversation while using a shop vac.
2) it is one of the only vacuums I know of that has a separate fan to cool the motor. Exhaust gets directly vented by the blower, and if it is left running and the hose is clogged, the motor will not burn up. And if anything gets past the filter, it doesn't trash the motor.

That being said, yeah, filters and accessories are killer expensive. What I did with mine, was to buy a Gore Cleanstream washable wet/dry filter, and fit that to it, and use it bagless. I put a foam wrap on the filter to keep the big stuff from clogging the Gore.
It is amazing and not letting dust past.

Besides, if you ever saw the awful Disney movie "The Black Hole", you'd have another reason to love it.

 

[rusty_ratchet]

Thank you, your comments are very helpful and I'm feeling a lot better about keeping the vac. What did you do to modify the 1 7/8" hose?

 

[rlitman]

Right now, I have a hose coupler that fits into the Fein pretty well. It doesn't lock in like the factory end, but doesn't fall out either.

 

[diebog]

I use this same vacuum almost every single day. I used to use the big loud craftsman ones that last maybe a year in my trade. So far in 5 years this has been the best vacuum bar none! Its well worth the cost. The craftsman ones were made with cheap casters that always broke or fell out and got lost. The plastic its made of would crack really easily if it fell on its side. Plus the way the filter is setup is awesome. Just remove the motor and bang the bag around while its still inside the canister. Not like others were you have to remove a plastic nut that holds a round filter on and when you try to bang it in a trash can it usually gets beat up after 10 or 20 uses.

I paid over 300 for mine and its worth every penny. The craftsman's cost 100 and would last maybe a year to year and a half.

The other thing that makes this the best vacuum over all is how quiet it is as someone said earlier. When you use vacuums as much as I do for work, this is a big deal. You can actually have a conversation while its on. The craftsman's ones scream so loud that you need ear plugs just to use the darn things.

That's just my 2cents.

 

[rusty_ratchet]

@diebog, great! Thank you for sharing your experience.

@rlitman Where do you get the hose couplers?

 

[jim2664258]

Would be hard for me to give up a Fein vac if I had one. If you got a good deal on it at a yard sale, that was a good stroke of luck. I'd love to have one but new they are too damn expensive for a hobbyist wood worker. So I make do with my relatively loud Ridgid shop-vac, which does a decent job.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I can stick a standard hose into the opening for the Fein vac and it's a good friction fit. It has to be a normal fitting - not like the Ridgid clip on end.

I found mine at the curb with a brand new felt bag liner - woo hoo! Cleaned the fan impeller of about a pound of sheetrock dust and it's perfect.

I bought a Clearvue mini Cyclone to go in front of it but need to do the final setup.

I love the power tool actuated on/off - great for doing Kreg joints and sanding.

Cheers

Jim

 

[jim2664258]

The poor man's power tool on/off actuator: http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2080165/28298/iVAC-Automated-Shop-Vacuum-Switch.aspx

I have one of these, it works great. Turns power on to the vac when the power tool is started.

 

[diebog]

I can stick a standard hose into the opening for the Fein vac and it's a good friction fit. It has to be a normal fitting - not like the Ridgid clip on end.

I found mine at the curb with a brand new felt bag liner - woo hoo! Cleaned the fan impeller of about a pound of sheetrock dust and it's perfect.

I bought a Clearvue mini Cyclone to go in front of it but need to do the final setup.

I love the power tool actuated on/off - great for doing Kreg joints and sanding.

Cheers

Jim

What???? You found it on a curb? Thats freaking awesome! What a find! These are usually a 400$ or so vacuum. I guess someone didn't know what they had. Or they thought it was shot because it was full of sheet rock dust.

That power actuated on/off is so nice for using on chop saws where you don't want to make a huge mess. Just pull the chops saw trigger and bam vacuum turns on. It gets old having to turn on a vacuum every time you want to make a cut. Ive also got a fein multitool kit that has a vacuum attachment. All you gota do is turn on one switch and the vacuum turn on with the multitool. When your cutting allot or doing a bunch of sanding etc. it comes in so handy. I thought I would never use the feature, but now I cant imagine not having it.

 

[paulsomlo]

I have one and give it a thumbs up. The hose is a bit small for sucking up large debris, but as a dust collector for woodworking with handheld power tools, it really does a nice job. Lots of suction and quiet, well made.

 

[rlitman]

They make two different diameter hoses for it. The tank opening is plenty large to use with a bigger hose.

 

[willhollin]

Hitachi QB35E is the same vac as the Fein I believe so parts may be cheaper for them...

I think they are made in Italy so wonder who are the OEM?

 

[jim2664258]

I think the Hitachi is only available in the UK. Which would also make the parts more expensive to get here (the Colonies).

 

[Chris Cice]

If anyone has this vacuum I just located a motor which took weeks of research. The motor was around $103.00 no tax and free shipping. It took about 30 min to repair and fit the unit like a glove. it’s 100 cfm where the Fein was 116 cfm. I searched all over and this is the only one that will fit, and trust me on that. Don’t throw your vacuum away, spend the $100 bucks and if it. Email me at [email protected] and I will send you the link to eBay and pics.

 

[tarbellb]

Nice contribution Chris, thanks.

 

[M6erfan]

If anyone has this vacuum I just located a motor which took weeks of research. The motor was around $103.00 no tax and free shipping. It took about 30 min to repair and fit the unit like a glove. it’s 100 cfm where the Fein was 116 cfm. I searched all over and this is the only one that will fit, and trust me on that. Don’t throw your vacuum away, spend the $100 bucks and if it. Email me at [email protected] and I will send you the link to eBay and pics.

Thanks, but why not just post the info here?