I need shop vac recommendations

danger boy

I finally have a quasi shop in my garage.. now I need a decent shop vac that won't break the bank..

I know a lot of people in here are shop vac types..

the better it is at sucking, the happier i'll be :eek:

Face

danger boy

to small. next

janmike

I bought a Shop-Vac Model 3150 (wet/dry) probably 10 years ago. It's still going strong. I use it to clean the vehicles, the garage floor, pellet stove, workshop, water problems...anything the wife does not want me to use the vacuum cleaner for. I think I paid around $40 back then. Easy to clean and the filter and bags are not expensive. It is light, 4 gallon and perfect for my needs. Good luck.

F1nut

Shop-Vac. 'Nuff said.

dave shepard

Sears has the best I've had.

danger boy

Sears... i hadn't really thought of checking there.

Jesse, i have been looking online at the Shop Vac's. nice units.

mule

I personally like the rigid series at home depot.

Think of hose size, if you are just sucking up saw dust get a smaller diameter hose because the air speed tends to be greater and it will really work well, but if you are sucking up larger debris they clog so if you plan on using it for debris get the larger size hose.

this right hear is the cats pj's..



but a little spendy.

amulford

They're all basically the same, look for developed HP and noise. I have shop vacs, rigid, craftsmans. I recently got a rigid on sale from HD for less than 50. Not because any of them broke, they all still work. I needed extras, one for the house, etc.

Just do yourself a favor and get some accesories and extra hose & couplings. Get one with the larger dia 2 1/2" hose, and you can reduce it to 1 1/4". They come with the most basic of tool sets, it's worth it to get the extras to increase the versatility.

nikolas812

Sears...

We had a 5.0 HP 16 gal craftsman shop vac in our shop for 14 years that just quit the other day. But the 14 years of services was phenomenal. We have sucked up just about everything and anything you could possibly think of over the years and it never missed a beat. It was used almost everyday for those 14 years also. We'll never by anything different for the shop.

Nick

MikeC78

Yeah, they don't make them like they use to 14 years ago.

tryrrthg

Hopefully this works... LINK

Otherwise look for Rigid model WD0635 at home depot. on sale right now for $29.97

MillerLiteScott

I have 2 12 gallon Rigid shop vacs that get used a lot. The only problem I have had is the plugs burned up on both of them. A simple repair by adding a replacement plug. I think the problem was more with the house electric and the shop vac running for a long time creating heat in the plug. Since replacing the plugs I have not had any issues.

I also have the DeWalt small vac that can also run on a battery. It is a nice vac but just not powerful enough for what I need. It does come in handy for the small jobs where a big shop vac is to much.

Scott

billbillw

Get whatever wet/dry is on sale in the size you need. They are all good. ShopVac, Craftsman, or Rigid. There really isn't any new technologies in these things. Just a big motor, an impeller, a filter, a canister and some hoses. I prefer the ones on rollers. I also like the ones that can be converted into a blower too. Some of them have a garden hose attachment for draining. I suppose that is a nice feature if you are going to be sucking up a lot of water. I think Sears has all their Vacs on sale right now.

exalted512

I love my Craftsman, but I agree with Bill, they're all pretty much the same unless you go with some cheap brand...buy whatever you find is on sale first.
-Cody

tcrossma

I have a Craftsman I bought about 7-8 years ago. Not sure the model or HP off the top of my head, but it's big, heavy, and clunky. It doesn't roll around very well because the casters just suck. It has been reliable but it's too bulky for my likings. My advice is to get the smallest one that'll do the job you need and make sure it is convenient to carry around. This thread has made me want to go out and get a new one myself.

tryrrthg

I forgot to mention that I had two Shop-Vac's that I bought from Lowes both go bad on me within 2 weeks. Both of them had switches that stopped working and wouldn't turn on anymore. They were both in the $75-$100 range. Luckily Lowes replaced/refunded both of them... My Rigid has performed flawlessly.

Ron-P

Rigid owner here as well, for many years now, thing runs great and no problems.

sucks2beme

Ron-P wrote: »

Rigid owner here as well, for many years now, thing runs great and no problems.

I also run Ridgid. Closest thing to to a classic cartoon vac you're ever find.
If it fits in the hose-color it gone! Nails, screws, sawdust, liquids, pieces
of drywall, acorns, etc. Just remember to clean off the filter or change it once in a while.

petrym

I got this 18 gallon industrial Shop-Vac from Amazon.com. It totally sucks.

I used it during our kitchen renovation where I did everything except the cabinets and the countertop; it handled the floor tear-up (chips and staples) and the dry wall removal, clean-up, installation, and sanding the dried mudding. I used the big bag filter for the drywall and washed the main cylindrical filter when it needed it, a good over-all choice for my uses. The main kit does not include some accessories, such as a brush attachment, but they are available. It does use a 2.5 inch hose, so your local hardware store may not have what attachments, but we're internet geeks and order stuff anyway. It can be a bit big to carry up and down the stairs, but I'm in my late 40's and still strong enough to move it with no problems.

scottnbnj

i just burned up a big craftsman that i had for something in the area of 15-20 years (my fault). i bought another craftsman to replace it. i've also had a small tan craftsman for a long time that's more portable, i like that one too.

one thing that's changed in shop-vacs is filter quality. i wouldn't buy one that hepa or gore-tex filters aren't available for. i like how the gore-tex filters hold up compared to craftsman's new hepa. last i checked gore-tex was still available for craftsmans. rinsing them with a hose doesn't seem to bother them at all where the craftsman's regular and hepa's seem to lose some of their rigidity.

)

Rivrrat

I've hd a few, and I prefer the Shop Vacs or whatever brand Lowes sells that has a removable motor/vac unit, that'll turn into a leaf blower.

Two tools in one.

BaggedLancer

My suggestion to you:


Kidding, you should take rivvrat's suggestion....it sucks and blows.

Kidding again, I use shop-vacs....big ones and small ones. Never an issue.

mikes334

I would go with a shop-vac myself. That is your best bet.

engtaz

Lowes has a 14 gal one on sale for $29 today.

bassaholic

A vote for Rigid here. The WD1450 was top rated and has a lifetime warranty

Libertyc

I wold go for the Lowes $29 deal. Was $79 and looks like a good deal.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=314974-20097-5851511&cm_sp=home-_-blackfriday-_-shopvac

I-SIG

Rivrrat wrote: »

I've hd a few, and I prefer the Shop Vacs or whatever brand Lowes sells that has a removable motor/vac unit, that'll turn into a leaf blower.

Two tools in one.

I use the Rigid version of this. Perfect for vacuuming tile before I mop, plus blowing off the driveway and entry. My tile is way cleaner using the shop-vac than trying to sweep it. Doesn't turn your socks or feet brown.

Wes

treitz3

I have this exact model right here.....


http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/12-Gallon-Vac/EN/index.htm

......two of them, in fact. They are the best vacuum I have ever used. I have used the first one on a daily basis for the toughest of jobs both wet and dry for 9 years. I'll never forget the day an employee of mine spilled an entire 5 gallon bucket of semi-gloss paint on a brand spankin' new [installed earlier that day] carpet. This vacuum not only got it up but we could not tell that we had spilled anything on it to begin with. That was the day that convinced me that this vacuum was the shiznit.

The suction is so good that when I hook up the orbital sander to the vac and sand drywall, I do not have to wear a respirator because there is NO dust. I will say this, get additional accessories like the hose and straight extensions. It helps dramatically when you need mobility and extension. They will come in handy more often than you think.

The only thing I would want to warn you about is that you don't want to slam the vac on the floor to clear up the filter as the wheel brackets will bend. Take it apart and clean the filter properly and this vac will do the job and do it right.

It also has the removable motor to blow as well.

Ron-P

No, but how about a mail order bride?

Rivrrat

I don't know if the still make them, but Shop-Vac used to make acouple of models that had removable heads that would turn into a leaf blower. That was the handiest shop vac I've had.

Other than that, they're all about the same to me

edit....Link to the Shop-Vac's removable blower vac (they have several).

http://www.shopvac.com/vacs/detail.asp?ID=125&HdnSource=index&StoreID=