I have the 16 gallon version. I get maximum suction with the filter off.
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How do you use it without the filter?
Made by Emerson Electric, who made a ton of them for Sears. I have the removable blower one. When I needed a spare part for my Craftsman I discovered that the look alike Ridgid used the same part numbers with better prices. They offer a bunch of specialized filters for ever higher prices. WL Gore, the inventers of goretex, the waterproof, breathable membrane used in clothing, makes filters for Craftsman, Ridgid, Shopvac, etc. They filter anything that you are likely to vaccum up and are washable. Highly recommended.I’ve got the plastic version big ridgid. Used lots at work as well. Stainless and plastic. Ridgid seemed to be pretty decent vacuums.
I really think it is just lousy QC. I have an assortment of different brand stuff that for the most part, fit. A lot of those fittings are unbranded generic.All shop vacs seem noisy, but all seem to work as well as any others. Mr Nozzle car kit is a great addition, but I've always had a bit of loose fit using it with my Craftsman branded vac, not a big deal, but it does slip out too easy. My impression is that there is some small variation in size between brands so the other guys accessories don't fit well.
The smaller metal vacs often go for cheap used, which tempts me to pick one up just for smaller jobs or where I need to haul the vac around.
The plastic ones take up too much space, but IMHO better a plastic tub for wet stuff.
There is a muffler for it that helps quite a bit. Buy it as Craftsman or Ridgid; it all comes from Emerson. Just stick it in the blower port. That's it. I would say it is more than a bit loud but it does work.16 gallon Sears Craftsman from about 25 yrs ago,still works great,just a little loud.