Recommend a good shop vac

[alex71]

Hi guys,
i need a small yet powerful portable (on wheels) shop vac. I have a three car garage, with my shop in the 1-car bay. I have a wall mounted shop vac with a 25ft hose in the 2 car bay, but it doesn't reach, and pulling it off the wall is a pain. I also have a small M18 cannister vac for spot cleanups, but i want something bigger to vacuum grinding dust/swarf from the shop floor. Space is at a premium, and the stuff I want to clean up doesn't necessitate a large cannister, but does need good suction.

Any recommendations appreciated. Will be buying new.

Thanks.

 

[RTM]

These might get you started

Shop vac

I need a good shop vac for cleaning out cars and general shop stuff. Tired of the cheap rigid ones from homedepot.

www.garagejournal.com

Best Shop Vac?

Fathers Day was good to me this year and I picked up a new battery powered M18 Milwaukee 2 gallon shop vac. I'm thinking about doing a comparison test between this one and my current Dewalt corded vacuum. What are you guys using for small vacuums in your shops?

www.garagejournal.com

I just bought a used shop vac with a tiny 2.5g canister, and its way too small for most of my needs (I have a 16g too). Only 4' hose, so always tipping over or lifting it up to reach. Think bigger.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

I think mine is the 14 or 16 gallon Ridgid from Home Depot, and it's been in use for probably close to ten years at this point. Never given me any trouble and didn't break the bank.

 

[alex71]

These might get you started

Shop vac

I need a good shop vac for cleaning out cars and general shop stuff. Tired of the cheap rigid ones from homedepot.

www.garagejournal.com

Best Shop Vac?

Fathers Day was good to me this year and I picked up a new battery powered M18 Milwaukee 2 gallon shop vac. I'm thinking about doing a comparison test between this one and my current Dewalt corded vacuum. What are you guys using for small vacuums in your shops?

www.garagejournal.com

I just bought a used shop vac with a tiny 2.5g canister, and its way too small for most of my needs (I have a 16g too). Only 4' hose, so always tipping over or lifting it up to reach. Think bigger.

thanks.. I looked at those threads. nothing really definitive there, other than a recommendation for FEIN. I'm not spending $700 on this.

 

[dnschmidt]

Shop Vac's are bipolar. You buy cheap, and Ridgid is as good as any other cheap one, or you buy Nilfisk, Metabo, Makita, Fein for big bucks. There is no middle ground.

 

[billconner]

I bought a big Milwaukee shop vac in 1983 and it's still going strong. Several house renovations, lots of shop work, water in a flood, and even loose dirt in fence post holes. Probably not the quality today as then and I agree over $500 would be a show stopper to it me.

 

[engineer2]

I have the Ridgid 14 gal. with the car kit from HD. I like it.

 

[IndyGarage]

Shop Vac's are bipolar. You buy cheap, and Ridgid is as good as any other cheap one, or you buy Nilfisk, Metabo, Makita, Fein for big bucks. There is no middle ground.

I bought a Nilfisk a couple years ago - Never heard of the brand before, but it's rated up with the other Euro type brands. It works fine, but it's set up for hooking up to a power tool rather than just sucking up dirt.

My favorite shop vac type with the larger hose is a shop vac stainless one I bought about 10 years ago. It has a quiet motor and ***** pretty well. A year or so I bought a cheaper shop vac with a stainless tank and it's pretty terrible.

In my home garage I have one mounted on the wall. I forget the brand but I think they might have changed it to vacuumaid. It's noisy but very convenient.

 

[alex71]

looks like reasonable choices are ridgid from HD or porter cable from menards. Anyone have experience with the porter cable that is currently sold? as much as i like to hear stories how your 15 year old whatever still runs great, that's sadly not relevant, since anything in stores today with the same name is no longer the same. My 20 year old craftsman runs great, but i wouldn't expect one that I could buy today to be the same.

sounds like shop vac brand is no good these days.

 

[brtsvg]

look into using a whole house vac instead of a big-box branded shop vac. They are relatively inexpensive, mount on the wall, are very powerful, and you don’t have to mess with plugging and unplugging a cord. The one I had used a reusable filter and had about a 5-6 gal capacity, and did a great job as a shop vac.

 

[alex71]

i would definitely do a wall mount if it was an option, but it is not. i'm completely out of wall. that's why im looking for a smaller vac on casters that i can roll in the corner behind my mill when not in use.

 

[csp]

I bought a Rigid WD14500 at an auction two weeks ago for $15 to use on my blast cabinet. A pair of filters was another $30 as it didn't have a filter on it. If I cover the intake air supply on the cabinet it will **** the metal sides inward.

Bought a Porter Cable vac that goes with their drywall sander for $25 just previous to the Rigid. The sander was the reason that I went to the sale to begin with.

 

[putergod]

If you're a "made in usa" guy (like me), Shop Vac brand (though they were bought out by a Chinese company) and/or new SBD Craftsman models - being made here now.

 

[alex71]

i always prefer usa, but the selection at lowes is pathetic, and the ones they do have in stock are lower end models with 1.5" hose, and tons of bad reviews

 

[FMB4]

Have you looked into an 'extension' hose for your wall mount vac?

 

[alex71]

interesting thought. i have not. it has a 25 foot hose on it now, i wonder how adding another 25 feet would affect it? i will have to think about it. i would have to snake that hose around two cars and other obstacles. might be more of a pain than its worth.

i may try it anyway. if it works that will certainly be much cheaper than buying a second one.

 

[RTM]

interesting thought. i have not. it has a 25 foot hose on it now, i wonder how adding another 25 feet would affect it? i will have to think about it. i would have to snake that hose around two cars and other obstacles. might be more of a pain than its worth.

i may try it anyway. if it works that will certainly be much cheaper than buying a second one.

Hard pipe some stuff to the ceiling? Put a drop near the other side of the garage? Only connect the hard pipe when you need to work over there? Pay attention to static of hard piped systems, WW dust collectors for example.

 

[alex71]

sounds good, when are you coming to do all this work? i'll supply beer

 

[johnu]

Have you looked into an 'extension' hose for your wall mount vac?

I tape my connections to cut down suction loss.

 

[That1Guy]

I apologize if this seems "off-topic" but I want to suggest that you at least consider using a dust deputy or similar cyclone device added to your shop vac. I initially got mine for my woodworking messes but I have since added 2 more to my other vacs in the shop and 1 in the basement because they are such a game changer. I cannot remember the last time I had to buy a new filter for my vacs - seriously. And as we all know, even a crappy vac does a good job when the filter is new. With a cyclone, the filter is ALWAYS new. Of the vacs I have, only one of them is a decent quality unit and that's because it's old as dirt - like me. The other two are newer (weaker) units, 5 years old or so, but they do everything I need them to do because of the cyclone.

I know it doesn't exactly answer the OPs question but in a way it should help. By using a cyclone, I've been very happy with the suction I've been getting from a couple run-of-the-mill modern junk vacs. I'm anxious to hear if any other members have used any of these cyclone add-ons for their vacs and, if so, have you had similar results? An extra bucket/cyclone combo added to an already awkward shop vac was a PITA at first but I saw a few guys on YT consolidate the vac and the cyclone/bucket by making a rolling stand and stacking one on top of the other. I made my own and now using it is glorious! Worth every penny and all the effort to build the stand for it. I can never go back to just a poor performing vac once the filter gets a little dust in it and then always changing filters again. I'm ruined and I like it - lol. I've even seen a Home Depot bucket topper that basically does the same thing for like $20 IIRC. I haven't used one but I'm considering trying one out, just to see. OK, I'll stop with my cyclone gushing - lol. It's just hard to not want to share an idea that has worked so well for me - IfyaknowwhatImean.

Best of luck on your decision and future purchase. I know how important it is to be satisfied with how your equipment performs, regardless of what the equipment is. Make sure you post back here after you decide and let us know what ya got and what ya think!

 

[tarbellb]

Pool vacuum hose is a excellent cheap substitute for shop vac hose and comes super long.


But if you decide to go shop vac, go Ridgid WD 4070, small but same size motor as the big boys.

 

[mv213]

+1 on the Ridgid WD 4070. Nice little vac, very compact, stores everything onboard. I got mine to replace a larger Ridgid that was taking up too much space.

 

[bobg03]

I have the Ridgid 14 gal. with the car kit from HD. I like it.

I have the same one in a 6 gallon with the car wash kit also...the orange hose is priceless and I like the smaller size much better. Very pleased with it for my 2.5 car garage and two vehicles.

 

[Nutria]

Shop Vac's are bipolar. You buy cheap, and Ridgid is as good as any other cheap one, or you buy Nilfisk, Metabo, Makita, Fein for big bucks. There is no middle ground.

All true, but I think that there is a middle ground-- buy one of the upscale vacs used. A popular approach here of course for all sorts of stuff.

 

[16again]

I have the same one in a 6 gallon with the car wash kit also...the orange hose is priceless and I like the smaller size much better. Very pleased with it for my 2.5 car garage and two vehicles.

Yup, same exact one here. Love it!

 

[tarbellb]

Its either tool activated plugs + lower decibels + better attachments + auto clean filters.....

or
**** loud and hard for a few bucks

 

[alex71]

Hey fellas, thanks for all of the responses to this thread. I did stop in at home depot to check out the ridgids. all of the smaller ones were squat but still pretty wide. I wound up passing on those.

I wandered over to Menards and wound up leaving with this one:



It is still sitting in a box in my garage, but the reason I picked it is its "6.5 HP" motor in a relatively small footprint. The height is not an issue for me, and eyeballing the dims, the smallest ridgid has a bigger footprint.

I hope to have time to unpack it and try it over the weekend. Once I do I will report back, and post a pic of where it will live, so my rantings from above will make a bit of sense.

 

[exmaxima1]

interesting thought. i have not. it has a 25 foot hose on it now, i wonder how adding another 25 feet would affect it? i will have to think about it. i would have to snake that hose around two cars and other obstacles. might be more of a pain than its worth.

i may try it anyway. if it works that will certainly be much cheaper than buying a second one.

If your current wall-mount is the Shop Vac Hang Up Pro, it has almost no power wit the standard hose and will be totally choked if you add more hose.

 

[alex71]

Old one is a Craftsman. It will stay where it is.

 

[alex71]

Here is the one I bought yesterday. Seems to work ok, only used it a bit. Fits where I want although it's a bit tight.

Not married to it yet but I don't know what better options there are...

 

[JRC3]

Another for for a Rigid. And run a bag in it plus the filter.

A few of my past replies on the matter...

I hate shop-vacs

I've owned several different style of shop-vacs over the years. Each purchase begins with the promise of fulfilled dreams and ends with my throwing the damn thing in the trash. Apparently the most important qualification of a shop-vac designer is that he's never seen one in person and certainly...

www.garagejournal.com

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/dead-shop-vac.460234/#post-8642552

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/small-shop-vacs.345561/#post-6123629

 

[Roverguyjoe]

I have a ridgid wheeled one like mentioned above but I recently got the ridgid battery one that project farm reviewed. I already am deep in the ridgid battery platform so it was an easy choice for me but it’s a great little vac I find my self grabbing it more often than the wheeled one. The plastic body is a bit flimsy but over all works great.

Your friend has shared a link to a Home Depot product they think you would be interested in seeing.

RIDGID 3 Gal. 18-Volt Cordless Handheld Shop Vacuum Wet Dry Vac (Tool Only) with Filter, Expandable Hose, Accessories WD0319 WD0319 - The Home Depot

Make manual cleaning easier in your home with the choice of this RIDGID Cordless Handheld Wet and Dry Shop Vacuum with Filter, Expandable Hose and Accessories.

www.homedepot.com

 

[Doylee4693]

Ridgid has been good to me! 15 years and still going strong!

 

[MJK]

Shop Vac's are bipolar. You buy cheap, and Ridgid is as good as any other cheap one, or you buy Nilfisk, Metabo, Makita, Fein for big bucks. There is no middle ground.

Agreed, mostly. There are deals to be had though. I purchased a Flex VCE 33 a few years ago from Tyler tool for $250. Same vac as several mentioned above in a different color. Love it, and would do the same again when a deal presented itself on Acme, CPO, etc.

 

[rancherbill]

Ridgid. They have a lifetime warranty. They are great machines

 

[The Frisco Kid]

My random musings on ShopVac applications:

1. Use a bag and filter combo. The bag will keep you from plugging up the filter with most of the **** you are vacuuming up.
2. If you are doing woodworking, add a cyclone/dust deputy in front of the vacuum. Easy to change out and you can size the container for however large you want it. 5 gallon bucket for smaller use, up to a huge trashcan for catching all of your planer/turning debris.
3. If you can afford high end, go for it.

 

[JRC3]

My random musings on ShopVac applications:

1. Use a bag and filter combo. The bag will keep you from plugging up the filter with most of the **** you are vacuuming up.

This.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Another quick kudos to my Ridgid vac here. I spent several hours last night grinding my concrete floor, and the dust from that was unreal. Like talcum powder, and there was a copious amount of it.

The vacuum was hooked to the grinder the whole time and never skipped a beat. I did have to clean out the filter a few times, but it handled the work without complaint.

 

[Bulldog13]

I’m gonna vote Rigid too….I do a lot of sanding in my shop and it handles it no problem…and it won’t break the bank

 

[TJMtl]

I apologize if this seems "off-topic" but I want to suggest that you at least consider using a dust deputy or similar cyclone device added to your shop vac. I initially got mine for my woodworking messes but I have since added 2 more to my other vacs in the shop and 1 in the basement because they are such a game changer. I cannot remember the last time I had to buy a new filter for my vacs - seriously. And as we all know, even a crappy vac does a good job when the filter is new. With a cyclone, the filter is ALWAYS new. Of the vacs I have, only one of them is a decent quality unit and that's because it's old as dirt - like me. The other two are newer (weaker) units, 5 years old or so, but they do everything I need them to do because of the cyclone.

I know it doesn't exactly answer the OPs question but in a way it should help. By using a cyclone, I've been very happy with the suction I've been getting from a couple run-of-the-mill modern junk vacs. I'm anxious to hear if any other members have used any of these cyclone add-ons for their vacs and, if so, have you had similar results? An extra bucket/cyclone combo added to an already awkward shop vac was a PITA at first but I saw a few guys on YT consolidate the vac and the cyclone/bucket by making a rolling stand and stacking one on top of the other. I made my own and now using it is glorious! Worth every penny and all the effort to build the stand for it. I can never go back to just a poor performing vac once the filter gets a little dust in it and then always changing filters again. I'm ruined and I like it - lol. I've even seen a Home Depot bucket topper that basically does the same thing for like $20 IIRC. I haven't used one but I'm considering trying one out, just to see. OK, I'll stop with my cyclone gushing - lol. It's just hard to not want to share an idea that has worked so well for me - IfyaknowwhatImean.

Best of luck on your decision and future purchase. I know how important it is to be satisfied with how your equipment performs, regardless of what the equipment is. Make sure you post back here after you decide and let us know what ya got and what ya think!

I second this. I have a dedicated central vac for my garage with an ultimate dust deputy with systainer container and suction never diminishes.