Looking at shop vacs

[weerez935]

I need to buy a shop vac and there are so many different models ranging from 30-120$ it's kind of overwhelming. As well it seems everyone from dewalt to rigid has their own branded version.

What I need it for:
Cleaning the car (toddler makes messes)
My shop (dust, lots of saw dust, other common stuff)
Around the house when the eureka won't **** it up

I don't have a basement or flooding issues.
Just curious what you guys like.

I'm thinking a medium size one that's maneuverable may be the best bet for me. My dad has a large rigid that I like but hauling it from the shop to the house to the garage would be a pain.


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[Adam.C]

No question here. Buy a FEIN Turbo3 (the little one), buy once and be done. Don't get suckered into $100 accessory pack. The Fein vacs are powerful, quiet, have a speeed/suction control, excellent included accessories and most important LOW EMISSIONS. All the other shop vacs I've used filter out the large particles and the stuff that every one is allergic to gets blown out everywhere.

They have a receptacle for a power tool. I've hooked mine up to my chop saw. You pull teh trigger on the saw, the vac starts, then the saw, let go, the saw stops, then the vac shuts down a second or two later. awesome feature (tho others may have this)

Only gripe I have is the non std hose sizes. I have a rubber hose I use as an adapter.

Mine was a little over your price range, but worth every penny. Use it for drywall, then you can vacuum your bedroom with it.

 

[Notgrownup]

I had a 20 plus year old steel can face and just bought a new shop vac from Lowes for $105 and it's relatively quiet and ***** good.

 

[Notgrownup]

No question here. Buy a FEIN Turbo3 (the little one), buy once and be done. Don't get suckered into $100 accessory pack. The Fein vacs are powerful, quiet, have a speeed/suction control, excellent included accessories and most important LOW EMISSIONS. All the other shop vacs I've used filter out the large particles and the stuff that every one is allergic to gets blown out everywhere.

They have a receptacle for a power tool. I've hooked mine up to my chop saw. You pull teh trigger on the saw, the vac starts, then the saw, let go, the saw stops, then the vac shuts down a second or two later. awesome feature (tho others may have this)

Only gripe I have is the non std hose sizes. I have a rubber hose I use as an adapter.



Mine was a little over your price range, but worth every penny. Use it for drywall, then you can vacuum your bedroom with it.

Damn those are nice....

 

[Davefr]

When it comes to shop vacs, I buy whatever's on sale. Kobalt, CM, Shop Vac, Ridgid.

I prefer the 2.5" hose and cartridge filters.

I've never had one fail so I'm not going to spend big bucks for the "boutique" brands.

 

[toms73novass]

FEIN Turbo3, Have had one for years, hands down the best vac I have ever used. Make sure to get the HEPA filter. This way you definitely protect the motor from fine abrasive dust. The main filter "sock" does an excellent job and the HEPA "polishes" out any really fine dust. I have had the HEPA on for years and I have yet needed to replace, pulls at full suction all the time. GREAT VAC. I have had Rigid, Kobolt, Shop vac. They can not compare, however, if your looking for a cheapie the Fein would not be it.

 

[bushmechanic]

This is my setup. It won't do water, but it's an incredibly rare occasion that anyone actually needs that functionality unless removing water is part of their job.

It's got a 50 foot hose, which is enough for most household use, and will **** a pile of nuts all the way through it.

It's great for my cars and shop. I was vacuuming dried mud and metal shavings out of the Rover's wool carpet just the other day. When I hit the shop, I was picking up all the little aluminum corner bits I'd cut off the bracket I was making, as well as piles of shavings.

The thing will really do a good job striping an automotive carpet (sort of like striping a lawn, if you are unfamiliar with the practice).

It's certainly more than enough to clean a house. If 50 feet isn't enough, grab another bracket for inside the house. It just pops right off the top, and is very easy to carry and mount; you just drop it right on the other bracket.

The only thing you really shouldn't do is place it on a finished floor. It should be on a bracket or something unfinished, as the bottom gets pretty hot.

You can either get away with something on the wall or you can't. If you don't have some striking need for a vacuum with wheels, this is very, very hard to beat.

Edit: I'll also add that the hose and various attachments are much nicer than you might think.

 

[franzdom]

Tell me more about the Fein. The turbo 3 doesn't look like the small one...?

 

[SASORacing]

One thing i have learned over the years, buy a big shop vac, dont try to save $20 by buying the smallest one. Get a big one that ***** hard.

 

[franzdom]

For me it's not about saving money, my workshop is quite small. I currently use a very old Filter Queen (not wet) but it's very loud, it's probably time for something new. Looking for fairly small, high quality, excellent performance, quiet is a plus.

 

[jmm]

Buy a FEIN Turbo3 (the little one), buy once and be done. Don't get suckered into $100 accessory pack. The Fein vacs are [...] LOW EMISSIONS. All the other shop vacs I've used filter out the large particles and the stuff that every one is allergic to gets blown out everywhere.

That's got nothing to do with the vacuum. You can buy a cheap Home Depot branded vac and throw a hepa filter on it and achieve the same result. Which is what I did (I've got terrible allergies). Works fine. Me personally, I can't imagine spending money on a 'nice' shop vac.

 

[woody 73]

I too am interested in this post topic; I manage to take out wheelbarrows full of sawdust out my small man cave and my lowes shop vac can not handle it any more.

Most of the time the wheels on the bottom fall apart and I have replaced several sets so far. I want a monster shop vac with power so keep posting guys.

 

[48RON54]

Eh, I use whatever is cheap. More important to me than the brand or size is writing on it in big bold letters "REMOVE FILTER BEFORE VACUMMING WATER" to hopefully reduce h ow often i replace a filter for this reason.

 

[SASORacing]

I currently have one of the bigger models of RIDGID from home depot. Works good, blower feature is nice as well. Pretty cheap, and very powerfull.

 

[weerez935]

I currently have one of the bigger models of RIDGID from home depot. Works good, blower feature is nice as well. Pretty cheap, and very powerfull.

This may be a dumb question but what do you use the blower for?


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[SASORacing]

its actually a lot easier to use the blower to clean a toolbox vs suction. So i use it for cleaning, blowing out cracks in my garage where dirt builds up etc. Also can be used for cleaning car interiors. With the right attachment the blower works almost as good as a compressor + air chuck.

 

[48RON54]

its actually a lot easier to use the blower to clean a toolbox vs suction. So i use it for cleaning, blowing out cracks in my garage where dirt builds up etc. Also can be used for cleaning car interiors. With the right attachment the blower works almost as good as a compressor + air chuck.

Which attachment(s)? Not second guessing you, I've just found the blower on mine to be almost completely useless and have been wondering about this myself. Since I have no compressor at home, this would be helpful if I could get it to work worth a darn.

 

[SASORacing]

I just use a nozzle that's smaller, creating back pressure. I have one of the biggest Ridgid vacuums though. So it works well.

 

[Outlawmws]

16 gallon Rigid here, I'm done with crappy weak 5 gallon jobs, This has power too.

Size diff from 5 to 16 ain't worth the power penalty.

 

[toms73novass]

For me it's not about saving money, my workshop is quite small. I currently use a very old Filter Queen (not wet) but it's very loud, it's probably time for something new. Looking for fairly small, high quality, excellent performance, quiet is a plus.

Small is a relative term.... It is larger than a 5 gallon bucket, probably about 18" in diameter and about 2 feet tall. Call it medium small...

That's got nothing to do with the vacuum. You can buy a cheap Home Depot branded vac and throw a hepa filter on it and achieve the same result. Which is what I did (I've got terrible allergies). Works fine. Me personally, I can't imagine spending money on a 'nice' shop vac.

What I was trying to get across the main filter bag in the fein does such a great job the hepa barely gets dirty. I have done the cheap with hepa as I have mentioned and there is a definite difference. I personally love the quiet high suction and am willing to spend the money.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have a CMan shop vac. If it died tomorrow, I'd go out and buy something of comparable size and I'm not spending big money either.

I consider a shop vac a disposable tool as much as I hate to admit it. When you take into account the multitude of things you're picking up, some not bad but other stuff that is nasty. It's the tool that basically gets the **** end of the stick.

 

[MackMan]

I got the all black 16 gallon Lowes had on Black Friday special for $50 last year and I've been very happy with it. I have a 5 gallon that's several years old that I kept at home and the 16 at the shop.

Honestly the 16gal capacity is way overkill for me, the 5 gal is fine... BUT the 2.5" hose makes all the difference in the world. With the smaller one about 50% of my time using the vac involves cleaning out the hose... that corrugated plastic likes to get clogged up. Prime example, cleaning up the pine-needles from the Christmas tree. The 5gal had me trying to find broom handles to shove through the hose to unblock it... the 16gal took it all up. Of course the higher HP helps with that too I'm sure, but the larger diameter hose really made it nice.

The downside is it's less maneuverable for car interiors etc.

 

[Davefr]

Damn those are nice....

They better be for around $1000!!! No thanks!!!

http://www.zoro.com/g/00152392/k-G5...hopping_Feed&gclid=CLe67bGogcACFQwEaQod_J0AyQ

 

[Adam.C]

I have this one, but I got it cheaper than this:
http://www.toolbarn.com/fein-9-20-24.html?gclid=CLH5mc68gcACFRIcaQodihwAFw

 

[woody 73]

I am starting to look deeper into bigger units like the following:

http://columbus.craigslist.org/tls/4591552185.html

Not really overkill if I can reduce the saw dust in my man cave.

 

[skruft]

Well, the trend seems to be either old-fashioned big powerful units, old-fashioned little ones, the huge professional models like Pullman, and the Fein or models like it. I know there was a comparison report not too long ago in either Fine Homebuilding or one of the woodworking magazines.

For myself, I have a few shop vacs as well as dust collection system and air filters. The only issue I have with any of the vacs is that they are no good for sawdust because the internal pleated filters clog too easily. The paper bag filters would be better with sawdust. The dust collector gets almost all of that, though.

For my cars I have the big noisy Craftsman on the special cart with large wheels and an extra long hose, kept near the garage doors. Nothing is better for that purpose, at least in hobbyist use. The regular hoses are too short. For other purposes I have whatever I have found used at garage sales, etc. One is kept near some tools that do not have dust collection.

I would never pay hundreds of dollars for a vac like Fein, unless I used it daily. I have a Porter-Cable that is something like it, but I think the narrow hose is a disadvantage.

 

[SMKS]

I've owned a couple fancy Euro vacs, a Nilfisk-made Stihl (which I still own) and another one that was also made by Nilfisk. Some of the claims made in this thread about emissions don't apply to all vacs. Old, junky vacs kick out dust when you start them. Newer vacs with a good quality filter don't do that. And some of the new synthetic media filters that come on vacs filter quite fine particles.

The Euro vacs are nice and many are made in Europe. My Stihl was made in Hungary. But if I had to do it over again I wouldn't buy them. I've been very impressed with my Ridgid vac, and parts and accessories are easier to get.

To step up into a Euro vac, especially in the HEPA range, is stupid expensive for someone like the OP who just wants to do general vacuuming and some dust collection. Add to that the lack of accessories available and it's just not worth it to me.

And, I'm no HEPA vac hater. I have a Dustless Technologies HEPA vac because our old house surely has lead paint.

Fine Woodworking did a test and they said the best value was using a vac you already had and spending about $100 or so on a pre-vac dust collector and a HEPA filter for the vac. You could get a nice Ridgid vac for $100 or more, the dust collector and HEPA filter and still have lots of money left over for accessories when compared to some of the Euro vacs mentioned here.

Here's a pretty recent review about some of the more popular wet/dry vac brands:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226762

 

[Adam.C]

I bought a craftsman vac several years back. All plastic, high horsepower, (grunt grunt), could vacuum water out of a basement. It was SO loud, you really couldn't use it on a Saturday morning to vacumm out the cars. It had the big manly hose, which was very bulky and quite short. I think the picture showed a guy vacuuming up 12 penny nails (like anyone would do that).

My little Fein has a hose just maybe 1-1/2 times bigger than an indoor carpet vac. It came with 16' of hose. And it is quieter or as as quiet as an upright.

If people here think the new vacs from Sear or Home Depot are good, maybe I'm working with old information (wouldn't be the first time). That being the case, i would look for one with variable speed (to make it quieter), one that is rated as quiet in the first place, and possibly takes bags??? and has a long, high quality, flexible hose. I would opt for smaller diameter hose if available (or switch for aftermarket). The auto start stop feature is nice, but more convenience than necessity*. I personally, would not recommend choosing the highest horsepower max suction models. I find when cleaning out car interiors, they can be more hinderance than help. Dirt isn't heavy.

*I used the auto start thing when i was remodeling our home. I had my chop saw set up in the living room connected to the vac. Having the vac switch on with the saw really kept the dust in the house to a manageable level. There was a high difference at the end of the day. If you don't do this sort of work, then this feature may be less of an issue.

 

[kngelv]

At some point I have owned pretty much all of the non-European brands. Of these I think the Ridgid are the best. I currently have the largest one they sell at Depot. Love it. Quiet with great suction.

James

 

[exmaxima1]

Looking for fairly small, high quality, excellent performance, quiet is a plus.

I own several vacs, but the best is my Shop Vac with 2-stage motor. A 2 stage motor is substantially more expensive to make, so it tends to be an indicator of a quality vac. It is more efficient and runs quieter for a given amount of suction.

Also, look for quality latches. I hate picking up a vac and having the drum fall off.

This is the one I have, shown only to illustrate the features of a good vac:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002FS0NM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[SASORacing]

Yikes $550.... I wouldnt ever spend that much unless I was a millionaire maybe.

 

[woody 73]

Yikes $550.... I wouldnt ever spend that much unless I was a millionaire maybe.

Trust me if you were drowning in a sea of wood chips and dust 1/2 inch thick like I am that shop vac just will not work for very long.

 

[exmaxima1]

Yikes $550.... I wouldnt ever spend that much unless I was a millionaire maybe.

Like I said, the link was just for reference. I paid $40 for mine at an estate sale.

 

[exmaxima1]

Trust me if you were drowning in a sea of wood chips and dust 1/2 inch thick like I am that shop vac just will not work for very long.

Not sure why you say that. The vac I linked has a membrane filter that fits over the drum before you install the motor head assy. It doesn't clog like a
canister filter since it doesn't sit in the chips/dust. It works great for cleaning out my Unisaw, and that gets filled with chips and sawdust.

In any case, a good quiet vac will run over $200. Here's a very nice USA-made model that costs only $229 delivered:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003WSGV0U/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[MackMan]

I've never worried that much about the noise... I don't think any of the commercially available ones are loud enough to generate hearing damage and for my (and I think the OP) use it's never on for long enough to be a real bother. I can see if you use one professionally to clean up large job sites, or if you're using one as dust collection for woodworking the noise might be more of a bother, but for cleaning cars and general shop cleanup I don't see why it's that big a deal.

 

[SMKS]

I've never worried that much about the noise... I don't think any of the commercially available ones are loud enough to generate hearing damage and for my (and I think the OP) use it's never on for long enough to be a real bother. I can see if you use one professionally to clean up large job sites, or if you're using one as dust collection for woodworking the noise might be more of a bother, but for cleaning cars and general shop cleanup I don't see why it's that big a deal.

Boy oh boy do I disagree.

Noise is one of my biggest issues with most vacs. Not only is the Ridgid WD1450 a good vac, it's also pretty quiet. I still choose to use hearing protection when I'm using it for long periods.

In the link I posted above, there are decibel measurements. A couple are in the 90+ decibel range, which can cause hearing damage after long-term use.

The shop vac listed in this test made a really horrible noise. Loud and very grating. The Ridgid is significantly quieter and the quality of the noise is much less grating.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226762

A note on decibel measurements - 10 decibels is generally considered about a doubling of sound. So, going from something like 87 to 92 might not seem like a lot on paper, but it really is.

 

[beamrider]

Grab whatever size "5hp" wet vac you want. Stick a cleanable HEPA filter on it, and you're good to go. If you use it a lot, consider a Thien baffle for a 5 gallon paint bucket.

If you're using a wet vac for woodworking use, and if you have the room, consider a dedicated dust collector. HF 2hp dust collector and a 0.5 micron Wynn filter for it shouldn't be more than $500ish.

 

[kgorman]

Very happy with mine:

http://t.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-4-Gal-Wet-Dry-Vaccum-WD4070/202077241/

Get the upgraded hose it makes a huge difference:

http://t.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-Universal-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-Hose-VT2570/100375877