shop vac??

[toolgirl1230]

Hey guys - I need suggestions for a good wet/dry shop vac. Is noise really an issue? What the heck is a "blower feature"? and should I go ahead and get the big one, or can I start small and move my way up??

Help!!

 

[abrahamfh]

I purchased a 6 gallon Rigid wet/dry vac from HD and it is extremely loud. I hook it up to my media blast cabinet and it is more annoying than my compressor. Works great though, won't complain about that.

Think I paid about 40 something dollars for it. I would purchase the auto cleaning kit, the hose is way easier to work with than the hose it comes with(super stiff, unless you like it like that).

 

[35mastr]

I been using the 16 gallon craftsman ones for years now. No issues with them.
I got three of them. All over 10 yers old now.

 

[Neura]

I have a Rigid 1450 14 Gallon Shop vac with the extra filter bag, I use it on the blast cabinet and the noise is no more then a built in vac, you can also get the extra muffler for it for another they say 25% reduction in noise... but that dosnt bother me since when I am using the cabinet the compressor is usually going anyways. Lots of good suction (***** the media out not just the dust, need to add an extra screen to filter that).

Link to to the home depot website for the one I have..

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[W650Mike]

Several Craftsmans here. The latest (6hp?) has an exhaust filter/muffler of sorts and is much quieter than the others.

The blower is handy for sweeping the shop when its just dirt, leaves, etc. With the small nozzel it moves a lot of air.

 

[ishiboo]

Don't know about the blower, but if you do any demolition cleanup (like plaster, drywall, etc) I'd get a 6-6.5HP. The smaller Shop Vacs are misleading with their huge drums but they are 3-4hp "peak" and have far less suction.

 

[gabeancounter]

I agree with Neura. That is the unit to buy! If you need a little electric blower, purchase that seperate.

 

[thammel]

Ditto on the Ridgid 1450. I just bought one and am very happy with it. Compared to the 20 year old Craftsman I have it's much better. The Ridgid is quieter, designed better and the approach of using the extra bag along with the filter .

 

[thammel]

...sorry had to rush the end of that post....the approach of using the bag with the filter is definitely the way to go.

Tom

 

[1Garageman]

Hey I asked the same question about a month ago. I picked a up WD1450 with the advice I got from everyone on this great website. And that shopvac kicks ***!

Here is the link to the question I asked and people's info.
I didn't buy it until the second page.

 

[Kevin54]

There is another link on here about ShopVacs. But from experience DO NOT get the Lowes, blue and gray 16 gallon shop vac. Comared to a Craftsman of the same size, the Craftsman has way more **** to it than the Lowes ShopVac.

 

[DCarr]

I have the big Craftsmen ( 15 gal. 2 hp ????? ). Have had it for over 10 yrs. amd it works great. Its done everything I have asked of it.

 

[Cobra6]

I have a Rigid 1450 14 Gallon Shop vac with the extra filter bag, I use it on the blast cabinet and the noise is no more then a built in vac, you can also get the extra muffler for it for another they say 25% reduction in noise... but that dosnt bother me since when I am using the cabinet the compressor is usually going anyways. Lots of good suction (***** the media out not just the dust, need to add an extra screen to filter that).

Link to to the home depot website for the one I have..

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

I think that is the one I got on Black Friday for $39 - they always have them on sale then and sometimes on Memorial Day or Independence Day.

 

[toolgirl1230]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
It seems like most of you guys have larger capacity vacs. Is that what I should go for since this is my first one or is it easier to have the smaller size?

Also, can I put a trash bag in the bucket to make clean-up easier? I don't know if I'll be able to lift the whole thing to empty it!!

 

[mooseracing]

Also, can I put a trash bag in the bucket to make clean-up easier? I don't know if I'll be able to lift the whole thing to empty it!!

The trash bag would more than likely get sucked up to the filter.


I would vote for get as big as you can afford, reasonably. I bought one of the big roll arounds and it is nice to **** up 6-8 gallons of stuff before emptying it. I don't liek the small ones I have to empty every 5 minutes.

 

[Mikea57]

I got a Shop Vac brand vacuum several years ago that's been a PITA ever since I bought it. It's finally got to the point where it won't pick up anything and it's got a brand new filter in it. I'm gonna go get a new one here very soon. I'll check out the Rigid. Thanks for this timely thread!

Mike

 

[matty d]

Ridgid has the best reviews. I have a rigid. love it, but cant compare it to other brands because i never owned a craftsman/shopvac etc.

 

[ajchien]

I'm so glad Im reading this thread. Im also looking for a shop vac - and I love all the experience here.

However, Im looking for a smaller one due to space contraints. It's for home garage/hobbyist use. Are all the ridgid and craftsman ones good? Needs to be more compact in size than anything else.

 

[johnzcarz]

I have 2 Shop-Vac brand units - one is the 'old school' orange shop-vac that you should probably wear jet aircraft hearing protection for. The newer one is one of their quiet models (QSP model?) and is just a bit louder than our home vac. It's actually a pleasure to use compared to the other one. Funny thing is the old one has worked all along, the new one went kaput after maybe 3 or 4 years. I called them, explained what was going on, completely expecting the old " I'm really sorry to hear about that, but your unit is out of warranty " pitch - instead they asked for my address and Fed-Exd a new motor unit to my door the next day. Sure, it should not have broken, but they stood by it and made it right. I give them very high marks for customer service, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

As for a blower feature, the 1st unit has that - and compared to a dedicated leaf blower it's performance is pathetic. If you need a blower just buy a separate unit.

 

[brownbagg]

I got the blue and gray shop vac from lowes, biggest piece of **** that I ever own, oh it pick up but it sound like it coming apart. It not that old. I use a yellow one at work, forget what brand, but I had to fight the hose it had so much suckion

 

[GirlnAgarage]

We grabbed a Shop Vac 10gal 4.0HP Quiet Deluxe last year. I think it was a tax free weekend at Sears purchase. It has been a good vac and I've put it to use in the garage and inside, upstairs, in the hallway. It's got a decently long hose and good attachments. It's not too loud. It was definitely a good purchase

 

[ratdoggy]

What do you need it for? General use or are you rebuilding your house? Cleaning out the car? Getting a big one means you have to find a spot for it that you aren't tripping over it. I have a small 2.5 gallon for the garage and a larger one for in the house.

 

[StriderTB]

I just picked up a Rigid WD1280 12 gallon 5hp vac on sale for $49 at Home Depot.

 

[Berserker]

I got a big Craftsman I keep outside and small one I keep in the house.

I built my bench to fit it underneath. I tied the legs together 1/2 up, but left a 4 opening on one side, for a chair and the vac.

These things do take up alot of room.

 

[Alex03]

I have a small shop vac about four years ago when I got my house. I've been wanting something bigger so I picked up a ridgid 16 gallon for 30 last christmas.

 

[dbleskey]

Wap Alto. I have had one for about 6 years now. Pricey. I bought mine for significantly less than the current cost, but man they are simply the best. Strong and quiet.

 

[bimmerZ5]

I just picked up a Rigid WD1280 12 gallon 5hp vac on sale for $49 at Home Depot.

Hey, I just saw that vac/blower unit too, but wasn't sure if it was any good. Have you used it much? How do you like it?

 

[nehog]

I bought a Rigid and it failed about 2 minutes after I started using it! Ouch, quality doesn't exist on that product any more.

Being an electrical engineer, I fixed it myself as sending in for warranty would have cost more than I paid for the unit.

However after fixing it, it has worked very well for me. Bit noisy, but no louder than I'd have expected. It ***** well, and blows.

 

[Stephenw]

This is an old thread, but I have had good luck with Shop-Vac brand vacuums.

 

[bimmerZ5]

I bought a Rigid and it failed about 2 minutes after I started using it! Ouch, quality doesn't exist on that product any more.

Being an electrical engineer, I fixed it myself as sending in for warranty would have cost more than I paid for the unit.

However after fixing it, it has worked very well for me. Bit noisy, but no louder than I'd have expected. It ***** well, and blows.

would you mind sharing what had to be fixed? and perhaps also what model you got that failed?

 

[Carl B]

I bought the Ridgid 4 Gal. #WD4070. IMHO it is the ideal Garage Vac if you use it mostly for small shop cleanup and automotive use. It had the "tug along" connected hose with large rear wheels - sits low and is very hard to tip over when you pull it around. Long electrical cord. I also added the Auto Detailing Kit which has a better more flexible hose and better attachments for car cleaning.

It's small and easy to store - just what I wanted for several years - a vacuum that doesn't tip over, has large wheels and plenty of power to clean out the car.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...558240-2&srccode=cii_10043468&locStoreNum=256

Lots of accessories to support it and a Lifetime warranty.
FWIW,
Carl B.

 

[Outlawmws]

I've had several different brands over the years, and my current Rigid is easily 2x any of them. Mine is an older 12 gal and parks nicely under my floor model DP which is also within arms reach of my bench vise, which is where most of my messes are made.

 

[nehog]

would you mind sharing what had to be fixed? and perhaps also what model you got that failed?

There was a one-time thermal cut out! (WTF, it should have been one that automatically resets itself!) The motor was not over heated, not even warm when it died, so the cut out must have been defective.

Sadly, the motor was wound with aluminum (not copper) wire! That made reinstalling more tricky as I had to use special crimp on connectors to replace it. Had it been copper wires, I could have used solder, but no, they cheaped out on me.

Since fixing it I've had no problems at all, I do check temp from time to time on the motor (hand above the motor's blower) and it never gets much more than warm.

I bought it at HD, and they were about $19 each. Shipping back for warranty was about $20 so that was not feasible. I could not return it because they were sold out, and were not carrying it any more (they'd have refunded my money, no help for me, however.)

 

[1931S/X]

i have had a few rigids through the years, im happy with them. the one i have now is one they usuually throw on sale. it works good. one thing to keep in mind, the bigger the capacity, the mroe it will wiegh. the actual sucking power is way more important to me. i used the lowes ones and they are garbage. it seems like when you compare them to the rigids, the shopvac from lowes has the small hose. maybe when you get into the bigger units they have the larger hose im not sure. at work they give use the daytons and they come with the small hose, and really dont have a lot of suction, again im not sure about other models mayeb those are just cheap ****. oh and the bag inside, doesnt work, i thought i was slick one day and tried it.