Shop vacuums: suggestions/reviews/complaints please.

[Rachel]

Now that I'm back home with convenient Internet access and time to ponder/shop, my thoughts are turning to shop vacuums. A couple of days spent sweeping paint chips with a foxtail have reminded me that a power vac can be a good thing! And I know that Porter Cable 7335 I plan to order will be making plenty of dust on some boat or another...

So, time for a shop vacuum. I've done a bit of preliminary research and I see that there are the cheaper ones ($100 =/-): Shop Vacs and the like; and also the more expensive ones ($300 +/-) such as the Porter Cable, Fein, Wap, etc.

While my budget doesn't allow for frivolous purchases, I do believe in buying good tools -- and I'm pretty easy on them, so they tend to last a while (also meaning I have to live with them that long...). Nothing irritates me more buying a cheap tool and suffering with it, then finally buying the good one, so that in the end, I've spent more, yet had to suffer with the cheap one too.

I also *detest* noisy, dusty vacuums. Or tippy ones. Or ones that are murder when it comes time to empty/clean them.

That being said, sometimes the cheaper thing is okay - is this one of those times?

Or, assuming the pricey ones are worth it, does anyone have any comments about the various brands/models? I would like to be able to attach the sander to one. The on/off with the tool looks like a neat function, but I don't have to have it.

How about the clogging factor with fine fiberglass dust?

And finally, I read a few reviews of the Fein 9-11-20, which seems to perhaps be in a middle ground, at about $175

So, what say all?

Thank you --- Rachel

[Figment]

I only know one person who splurged on the Fein vacuum, I think he bought it in a combo-deal with his sander. He's building a stitch&glue skiff, and wisely foresaw a LOT of dusty sanding in his future. It's quiet. It's effective. It's wicked expensive, so he uses it exclusively for dust collection. He has an ordinary shopvac for general shop cleanup.

'til recently, I had a smallish (3 gallon or so?) shopvac of unknown manufacture, which was great for boat work because it was small enough to just carry around in one hand while working the hose with the other. I removed the wheels in favor of felt pads long ago. It was moderately quiet, but also only moderately powerful. Sufficient for dust collection, though. It disappeared from the back of the truck a few months ago when someone left the tailgate down.

Also 'til recently, I had a medium sized (8 gallon or so?) Rigid/Home Depot unit. Again, I removed the wheels in favor of felt pads because it had a tendency to roll to the edge of the deck, then topple over the side and crash to the ground. It was a tad on the loud side, but HD sells a "muffler" for it that actually was worth the $15. I really liked this unit, despite its somewhat cumbersome size. A few weeks ago it took its final trip over the side and broke one of the hold-down clips. Can't blame the unit for that failure.

I'm currently using a borrowed 5 gallon actual-name-brand Shop Vac, and I'm really not a fan. the base is so narrow that removing the wheels just makes it tippy, and it sounds like it's about to send a bearing flying across the room any old day now. It's every bit as noisy as the recently-departed Rigid, and only half as powerful.

I will say that, regardless of the unit in question, it's all about the filter. A good quality, washable/reuseable filter is well worth the money. The cheap paper filters clog in about two minutes when exposed to fine boat dust.

I too am eager to learn which unit to buy next.

[radicalcy]

For an additional 15% of the purchase price, Sears will sell you a no questions asked exchange policy. Burn out as many wet/dry vacuums as you can. Replacements are free for 3 years if I remember correctly. This applies to all Sears power tools. Drop it in the bilge? Get another, free. Back over it with the pickup? Get another, free. Plug a 110 volt drill into a 220 volt box? Yep, free. (I've done all three) Not bragging you understand. I just tend to be rough on tools. They don't even ask anymore if I want the guarantee when I buy a new tool. The clerks all know me, and just add it to the total.

[dasein668]

Plug a 110 volt drill into a 220 volt box?

Oooh, that's never good....

[Tim]

Shop-vacs enjoy a definite love-hate relationship. Mostly I hate them, but they do work when all things are considered.

I had a big brand-name Shop Vac that died about a year ago. It was annoying because it had a narrow base and lousy wheels, and was forever tipping over. The universal motor was so loud that I always wore earmuffs when using it. I don't miss it, though annoyingly I had just bought a pair of aftermarket filters for it that I can no longer use. Oh well.

It was replaced with a big Rigid version, which is better in some respects. It's much quieter (mine came with the "muffler") and has a lower profile and wide bases for the wheels that prevent tipping. This one is best left on the floor, but overall I'm essentially happy with it.

Lately, I have also had access to a small, old 3-gallon Shop Vac, which is good for ease of transport and getting up onto the boat. It's sort of handy to have one of each, I must say. I may have to buy a small one when Nathan takes this one home (it belongs to him).

Things to consider:

• 1. An aftermarket filter is a must--one that can withstand many cleanings before replacement is required. Even then, it will quickly clog with fiberglass dust. Removing and cleaning these filters is always a dusty, miserable proposition, but what can you do?
  
  2. I bought an aftermarket hose for my old shop-vac--one of those orange ones from Grizzly or somewhere. The aftermarket hose beats the pants off the cheap hoses that come with the tool, and is longer to boot. Sadly, it doesn't mate well with the new Rigid, which has different fittings. As a result, it is patched in there with duct tape, which is irritating. This leads to #3:
  
  3. Consider the fitting size and type when buying, and ensure that you can buy a new hose or filter from multiple sources. Rigid is particularly bad this way, I think...you have to use their stuff. The standard Shop-Vac stuff that you can find at all hardware stores is incompatible. This may be a reason to buy Shop-Vac (or maybe Craftsman).
  
  4. Onboard tool storage can be handy, but can also be very bulky. Still, for a few important attachments, it's pretty nice. Most newer ones have this now.
  
  5. Big is nice, sometimes, but smaller might be better considering the need to get into small boat spaces and up and down ladders. Longer hoses are essential, which will require something aftermarket. With a long hose, you can often leave the vac on the ground and bring only the hose up on deck.
  
  6. Look for a long power cord! My Rigid has a nice 20-foot cord, which is very handy. Short cords should go the way of the Dodo.
  
  7. Nice accessory: the remote on/off switch. This way, if you leave the vac on the ground while working on deck, you can turn it on and off as needed during messy projects. You can buy these at most tool suppliers--it's a simple box that plugs into the wall, and then you plug the tool into the box. It comes with a simple remote control. Mine is called the "Long Ranger", and you can just see it in the lefthand corner of this photo. (I use mine with the supplied air system, but have frequently plugged the vac into it as required.)
  
  
  8. Definitely pay attention to the tippiness of any version you consider. NOTHING is more annoying. Even the non-tippy ones will tip over frequently, and regularly, so any way you can stack the deck in your favor is worth it.

For the varied use and care that this tool will see, particularly when working outside, I can't see splurging on the Fein version, unless you were buying their RO sander as well. Even the big Craftsman-Rigid-Shop vacs are inexpensive, and you can replace it several times for the cost of the Fein. I like good tools, but don't feel that a shop vac is worth my premium tool dollar, not when there are so many other tools that are ultimately more important.

I don't use mine for dust collection, so cannot comment on that. In this case, one that is actually designed around a system, like the Porter Cable and Fein, might well be worth looking into. But I know nothing about that, as I just let the dust fly where it may and deal with it afterwards.

[grampianman]

I use a Craftsman 2 gallon wet/dry vacuum. It's small, never had wheels so is not too tippy, and I can get filters at Sears or Home Depot/Lowe's. I agree with Tim about the onboard accessory holder - it would be nice but this is an older unit, about 5 years old. A bit loud, but has withstood a lot of abuse within my boat as well as around the workshop. All with limited space. I can't tell how many times I've stepped on the darn thing and hose as I maneuver around in tight spaces.

Cheers,
Ian

[windrose]

Like Ian, I prefer the smaller vac. I have a little 2.5 gal "Stinger" that was about $25 that gets much more use than my larger one. It is the right size for a boat, however, I did add a longer hose to it. I see folks all over the yard with the same little vac. It is also a good size if you are going to be dragging it back and forth to the boat because it doesn't take up alot of space in the vehicle.

[dasein668]

I had a big brand-name Shop Vac that died about a year ago.

Oh, Tim's such a nice guy. By "died" he means some [bleep] left it out in a torrential rainstorm next to the barn.

[Figment]

good points, all.

Cords... as with ALL power tools, they should have at least a 12' cord or none at all (like a hedge trimmer). You've reminded me that one of the reasons I liked my dearly-departed little vac so much was that I'd spliced a 25' cord onto it.

Hose... same senitments. I don't use the big fat-but-short hoses that come with the vacuums at all anymore. I use the 12' skinny hose that came with the PC sander. Much more supple and user-friendly.

Man I am insanely jealous of that remote on/off device!!!
Much of my boatwork is done on "company time", when I have the office calls auto-forwarded to my cellphone. Whenever it rings, I have to drop what I'm doing, and scramble across the boat or down the ladder to slap the vacuum noisemaker off so I can take the call. Endlessly frustrating.

[Figment]

This thread jinxed me!!! shopvac no. 3 expired this afternoon.
1st stop: Wal-Mart (I hate giving my money to megachains,but they're closest and I was hoping to get back to work this afternoon), which had the 1gallon and 12 gallon sizes, but was sold out of everything in between.
2nd stop: Kickass local hardware place. They had a 3 gallon "Shop Vac Quiet Series" unit, but it just looked like it was ready to tip over the next time someone sneezed.
3rd stop: Lowe's. Shop Vac makes a line of blue-and-grey units just for the Lowe's chain. How cute. 2.5 gallon 2hp, no wheels, no frills. Perfect! $30 on the vacuum and $32 on the filter seemed somewhat perverse, but whatever.
Only upon returning to the boat did I discover that the small vac isn't designed to accept the Cleanstream superfilter. Tomorrow I'll exchange for a smaller version of the filter, or a larger version of the vac. Or maybe I'll return both and just go to sears and splurge on this little sweetie...

(the vacuum, not the blonde)

[Rachel]

Thanks everyone for the input - I'm reading all your comments enthusiastically.

Figment, sorry to hear that the thread jinxed your vac, but thanks for reporting on your replacement(s). The Sears vac you're looking at ... that photo ... was there *ever* so much as a spec of lint on that car seat? There should be a magnifying-glass attachment so she can find it!

I think I could supply them with some more realistic images (granted, potential customers might run screaming from the store, but still ;-) Not one of my projects has seen me looking anything like that; even my car looks orders of magnitude worse :-)

--- R.

[windrose]

Not so sure it was the it was the "dust buster" that got him....arrrrgh!

Step right up and lay your $$$ down.

[Figment]

The craftsman unit didn't represent itself so well in person. It was all about self-storing its hose and attachments, and this pushed the motor up higher than necessary. It was really topheavy and tippy. The true dealbreaker was that the only filters available to fit were the useless paper kind. I'll bet it cleans a car like nobody's business, but it's not up to my kind of abuse.


http://www.ridgid.com/Contentpages/imag ... 0Sheet.pdf
Despite my megachain aversion, Home Depot was on the other side of the megalot, and they had this one, which could be described as Rigid's much more stable answer to that craftsman unit.
$80, 4 gallons, 5hp (arbitrary, in my opinion), 20' cord, 14' normal hose, 7' elastic hose, wall mount, blah blah blah.
Uncluttered by silly wheels, accessory storage, leather seats, etc.
Deal-makers: While Cleanstream doesn't make a filter to fit, it does come equipped with their "3-stage" superfine filter, and it comes equipped with an improved version of the "muffler" that was so effective on the last Rigid vac I owned.

I was so eager to get out of the store and back to the boat that I forgot to get a packet of felt pads for the bottom. Can't win 'em all.

[Rachel]

Figment,

Thanks for posting the results of your shopping -- can't wait to hear how you like it after you've had a chance to try it out. I spent some time today doing more web research, and had nearly talked myself into spending $222 on the Porter Cable 7812, even though I can already see I'd have to buy a replacement hose and the accessory kit is extra...

You can imagine how thrilled I'll be if a sub-$100 model checks out as being decent. Let's see, that'll leave more money for [some other great tool]...

I'm almost glad that other vacuum was no good. Who wants to reward a stupid advertising photo like that... I mean come on people, at least do something clever, if you're going to try. If not, just the vacuum and the stats, please :-)

--- R.

[Figment]

I tried it out for a few hours this afternoon.
It's quieter yet more powerful than either of my most recent two.
It hasn't fallen overboard yet.
We're off to as good a start as one could hope for.

Happy coincidence... that 14' hose is just long enough to vacuum the entire deck without moving the unit. Really, though, 14' is a bit too long. I used it once and went back to the smaller hose that came with the sander. The vac itself slides along on the deck quite happily.

I vacuumed the vacuum clean before leaving for the night. That won't happen often.

[Tim]

One thing I should add is that if one does want their vac to be on the floor and rolling around, one of the locking hoses is a good feature, so the hose doesn't pull out of the vac when you drag the unit around. Most of the Ridgid units have this, and it eliminates one of the many irritations with vacs.

[Figment]

The scene just inside the shed today. Some jokester lined them all up in a row for me.

[George ( C&C 40 )]

These are not the Droids you're looking for...

[bcooke]

These are not the Droids you're looking for...

hehe... six more days...

[dkall]

We first had a small vac from Home Depot. Worked fine but was LOUD. Sounded like a jet on the runway taking off.

Finally I talked the wife into the Fein Vac. (She usually balked at me buying more tools.)

After the Vac purchase she said she'll "Never argue about a tool purchase again". She loved it too. You can step on the hose. Doesn't kink or stay permanently bent. It's 16' long connects easily to an orbital sander which makes sanding much cleaner and easier cause the surface doesn't heat up near as much. It's also much quieter in a small space like a boat and I've not yet messed up any work by shoving the vacuum up against any finished bulkhead. The vac has the outlet that turns on / off with the sander. Wonderful.

I've used it for about 3 years now and if I had to do if all over again I would purchase the same one again.