wet/dry vacuum for shop cleanup

[essaunders]

I need to get a vacuum to clean up the shop (garage) prior to varnishing. Rather than just run out to the local HD or Lowes and get something randomly, I thought I'd check to see if there were recommendations here. But, the search tool turned up nothing.

So, What is the best wet/dry vacuum for shop use? I want a small unit (small garage) with emphasis on dust cleanup (I tend to sweep up chips/shavings). I would like something quiet (or at least not noisy). I suppose I might hook up a R.O. sander, but I also suppose I can turn the vacuum on and off (or leave it on if it is quiet enough).

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I have a Ridgid from Home Despot that cost about 150 Cdn. I have to say it's been a great vac, altho I don't use it wet more than about 15% of the time. It's a big mother, but it's been a handy tool.

[George Ray]

I have a big craftsman shopvac but don't depend on it to capture dust, only chips (2 1/2" hose). For dust I have a Fein (1 1/2" hose). Pricey but top drawer. One of the many things that sets it apart is that the motor does NOT depend on vacuuming air flow to cool the motor, so I can use it for vacuum hold down and the vacuum dust control sanding table and not worry about burning up the motor. They make HEPA filters for it to get down to sub-micron filtering. It also has auto-on tool plug so when a tool is energized the vacuum starts and when it shuts off the vacuum continues long enough to clear the hose.

It was purchased originally to gather dust for a 6" Fein DA sander but has evolved into a necessary part of the shop.

I hear the Festool is an exception quality item but I have no experience with them.

[W Grabow]

Used to have a ShopVac; now I have a Ridgid which is clearly better.

[Paul Girouard]

I have a Sears 5 gal best cheap $100.00 range vac out there IMO.

Fein vac is very nice , quiet , rolls well etc , $200.00 + depending on model. Cabinet shop I worked at had one , comes on with tool random orb sander in that case , shuts down a few seconds after the tool is shut off so the dust is picked up .

Black and Decker has one that is like the Fein for a drywall sander unit vac alone is $329.00 nice vac we have one setup for dry wall it not as quiet as the Fein but is quieter than the sears .

I tend to take the company Sears , just like the one I own , on remodeling jobs because the B& D hose is set up for tool use , hose is smaller diameter.

Both Fein and B&D avaiable from tool crib .

BTW the cab shop had one vac that was suppost to be for drywall it was a POC. It sucked but not in a good shop vac way


Good luck

[Lew Barrett]

I've had so many shop vacs I think I should write a review. In fact, here goes! For me, it breaks down like this:
The Fein is the best small vac I've owned; still have the same one after ten years. Filtration is excellent, the best I've come across. They give you a choice of filters actually; a reusable bag that is supplied with the vac, or toss-away paper bags; I like the tossables, mainly because you don't have to clean them out. One feature of the Fein filtration is that it doesn't allow you to use the vac as blower. But do you care? Blowing with a vac just moves dust around from the innards anyway. The Fein is also very very quiet; probably 200% quieter than a standard vac. You won't need earplugs, and your ears don't ring when you use it, a major plus. There are two sizes; get what suits you but I got the larger one and don't regret it. The Fein is no more powerful than any other good quality shop vacuum, but then it isn't any weaker either. Feins also have the "turn the tool on and off feature" that Paul mentioned. It's a handy and pleasant feature that I use when machine sanding; it works with all tools, not just Feins's. I don't use the Fein for wet work, but obviously you could. For wet work these days I have a Ridgid.
Ridgids are available in a multitude of sizes. Mine is a smaller one, probably about 12 gallon. They make bigger and smaller versions. The Ridgid is every bit the vac the Fein is in terms of power, but much, much noisier. Also, not as well built; but adequate (note: I've not experienced any trouble with it 5 years on) with plastic clips on the side that will eventually allow the seal between the canister and the motor body to become loose. However, after about five years, mine still retains the bulk (but not all) of it's integrity. Filtration is via a replaceable paper cartridge. It is not as good as the Fein, but very good if the filter is kept clean; I tune it up periodically by shaking it out and vacuuming it back into the unfiltered vac. Spare parts, if needed are stocked at the Home Desperate, and are reasonable. Small differences distinguish the two vacs, as obviously they will given the differences in price. I think mine was maybe $80; I do feel it was good value. It has a blower feature I never use. The hoses of these machines are entirely different. The Ridgid uses a 3 inch hose with a plastic clip, the fein a 1.5" hose that press fits into a seperate interface that snaps securely into the motor head and is the more secure attachment system. The Fein system makes it superior when used as a sanding dust collector, which is clumsier to do with the larger (Ridgid) hose. Conversely, as a dust collector attached to a stationary machine, the Ridgid is easier to use for precisely for the same reason; the hose is more amenable to that application.
Avoid the Milwaukee which has nothing going for it but added expense. I had one; looked nice, metal body seemed well made, but it didn't perform up to my expectations, meaning it worked no better than the Ridgid but cost more, and was heavy and awkward to tote around. It eventually walked off by itself while I was hauled out a few years ago and I replaced it with the Ridgid. No great loss, but another diappointing experience with humankind.
Some other higher end units are the Porter Cable (which I have no experience with) and of course the Festool, which was just too rich for my blood, and I think doesn't offer more than the Fein does but does cost extra.
If you are going to spend $100 or less, I think the Ridgid line will do you fine (I don't have experience with the Sears but would trust Paul's assessment) but if you have the cash and the Fein features appeal to you, go for it. Everyone who uses mine especially appreciates the quiet performance, a major benefit you won't find in a lesser machine.
Lew

[michigangeorge]

I'm very happy with my FEIN. Great when hooked up with tools and the smaller diameter flexible hose is much easier to work with. I justified the expense by purchasing the carpet cleaning/beater bar attachment (way overpriced!) so I could do carpets in the house. Kept my wife happy but got to be a pain lugging the vac, hose and floor attachment down from the shop so I finally purchased another expensive Electrolux for my wife. My other vac is a small handheld Sears Vac-Blower with the full size 2 1/2" hose. This unit has performed flawlessly for over 15 years and the portability has made it the unit of choice when working on larger boats (up&down ladders). This Sears vac has given the biggest bang for the buck of all my shop tools! Check it out if $ is a factor.

[Mrleft8]

Fine Wood Working did an article on shop vacs in the last year od so...

[Bob Perkins]

Hey Eric,

The Fein and the Festool vacs will be the easiesy on your ears (It makes a difference) - and the hardest on your wallet. Fein makes a mini-vac which is perfect for sanding and small cleanup jobs. The Turbo II is the most common Fein.

If you walk around a boatyard - (nearly) all of the pro-bottom paint guys use the Fein.

Most of the others I'm sure work well - I had a Craftsman a few years back - worked well. If you like the scream of a jet engine...

Good luck,
BOb

[Ken Hutchins]

I have a Ridgid which is 7 or 8 years old, still good except of course for the noise. I use about 40 feet of hose to get away from the noise, they dol have some new mufflers to reduce the noise. I've been thinking I could make a much better muffler, something on the todo list, meanwhile ear plugs.
The leaf blower setup works good.

[Tom M.]

I think the consesus is that you can't do any better than the Fein. I've had a Turbo II for 10 years now. I did have to replace the entire motor unit after using it to suck up a lot of sheetrock dust. I was using the stock 5 micron filter that allowed fine dust to work its way into the motor and bearings. On the recommendation of Fein, I installed a 1 micron cartridge filter, and used the disposable bags. The bags act as a prefilter, and the 1 micron filter gets the finest dust. I have not had a problem since. A Hepa filter is also available for about 95 bucks!

A shop vac is nice, but nothing beats a dust collector, with proper filters, for maintaining a dust free shop. Look into it. The Fein Turbo II is going for $300 now. Dust collectors are not much more. The only thing dust collectors are not good at is pulling dust from a portable tool. You'll still need a shop vac for that. For collecting hand sanding dust, or pneumatic drum sanding dust, table saw and bandsaw dust at the source, a shop vac won't cut it.

[essaunders]

Well, My choice will be the fein with the ridgid a much noiser - but cheaper - second. I think I can find a Fein dealer in Manchester so a short road trip is in order.

Thanks for all the replys and insights.

[Hughman]

Your question about using a vacuum to prepare your space for varnishing needs a little backtracking....

Avoid using a vacuum in your shop for this purpose as it spews more dust into the air which will end up in the varnish. That said:

Put the vacuum outside the space, to exhaust elsewhere; sand and vacuum elsewhere, and move the project to a clean room; wet the floor several hours before varnishing; put a tack cloth over the exhaust to (try to) catch the dust (this doesn't really work, but it makes you feel better)...

I bought Ridgid during a day after Thanksgiving sale, $80.00 units for $24.00. I got two of em. noisy buggers. Rigged em up on a shelf seven feet up, and led hose extensions so I wouldn't have to move/trip/look at em. remote switches, turbo chip collectors from Lee Valley so I don't have to empty the unit so often. I should vent the exhaust outside. someday project, etc.

[Tom M.]

Good idea to place the vac outside the finishing area. If you can't do that, its all about the filter. The stock filter will probably spew dust like Hughman said. But a 1 micron or a HEPA filter won't.

[Paul Girouard]

Those Fein type sanders control thier dust pretty well.

What would be nice , I'd love to have is a air cleaner deal, like this :




JDS 14022 750-ER Air Cleaner with Remote includes Electrostatic Pre-filter

Now that would be a nice setup

At the shop I worked at we had a small room 10'x10' IIRC that had a filter wall that the air from the shop passed thru, pulled by a fan that was in the room.

So the air that was sucked in was clean , warm (helped speed drying on the type finish we used) , and pulled any smell right outside.

Worked pretty well

A seperate room would be a real luxury

[Lew Barrett]

Paul is right. The filtration of the Fein is superior to others, if that is an issue, especially if you use fresh bags or get the Hepa option. It's a good idea to clean the whole area the day before (including the project), come back the next day and then tack the project. There's a thread in the archives that details various tricks people have developed for controlling dust.
Some places are just better than others for finishing. If your finishing room is heated, you might think about turning off the source of heat an hour or two prior to finishing if that is an option.
Lew

[Tom M.]

There's nothing superior about the Fein's filtration. The same filters are available for any shop vac. (and for less money!) The Fein is great because its built well, thoughtfully engineered, and its quiet.

[Paul Girouard]

There's nothing superior about the Fein's filtration. The same filters are available for any shop vac. (and for less money!) The Fein is great because its built well, thoughtfully engineered, and its quiet.

Tom my Sears vac will not except the bag inner filter that the Fein and B&D vacs I've used has inside.

The Sears has a simple cannister type filter it could be up grade to another cannister "hepa" type but without "Moding " the Sears vac it will not take the inner Bag filters.

I have ran the B&D sander with the 8"(IIRC it's a 8" dics could be 10" I don't order the disc so I'm not sure of the size "exactly) randon obit D/W sanding head on it , S/R dust is pretty dusty eh, the B&D picks up most of that dust , just like the Fein would if it where the vac in line . The Sears would just recycle the dust as the 1 cannister filter would clog almost instantly and there is no dbl or triple filter feature/ system.

Just MO gained thru use of all 3 vacs , call it field testing

Edited: cus I cant speelll or punk-u-ate or do proper caps today:-((((

[Tom M.]

Perhaps I should amend my statement to exclude Crapsman. But for Shop Vac brand, all the good filters are available. I was under the impression that, (apart from Ridgid), Shop Vac, Crapsman, B&D et al were all made by Shop Vac, and therefore would accept Shop Vac's filters. Milwaukee, Porter Cable, WAP (are they still available?) can also equal Fein's filtration.

Also, when a canister filter clogs up, my experience has been a reduction in airflow, but an improvement in filtration. The dust cake on the filter acts as a filter. But when your CFM drops too much, its all over anyway.

I have experience with the Fein, Shop Vac, Porter Cable and WAP.

Anyone know if Ridgid offers a disposable bag filter?

[essaunders]

Good idea about putting the exhaust outside. I ended up buying a meile for house vacuuming so I have done this kind of trade off before.
It is for the quietness that I feel it is worth paying extra.. but I suppose that i really could go Ken's route: get a big Ridgid and a long hose and put it problem outside. I'll let you all know whether I even find a Fein.

Thanks again for all the insight.

Erik

[Paul Girouard]

I'll let you all know whether I even find a Fein.

Thanks again for all the insight.

Erik

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html...9?node=3118071

Your welcome The brown UPS truck's will find ya!

[Nicholas Carey]

Festool vacs are great (happy customer here!)

The [bigger] Feins have one thing going for it that the Festools don't: you can get a reusable fabric bag for the Fein. The Festool requires disposable bags.

The disposable bags for the Fein vacuums run about USD $13-15 per three bags (and USD $35 per bag for HEPA bags ). The reusable fabric bag costs USD $64 -- it doesn't take long to pay for itself. OTOH, the Festool bags are cheaper, at 5 bags per USD $26 (and if you need to go HEPA, the same bags are used).

I just checked the Festool web site and it looks like Festool now has a reusable bag (USD $177 ) but it's only for "coarse dirt and big chips". Festool sez it's good for 500 uses and pays for itself after 32 uses.

Festool vacs also have three things going for them that the Fein vacs don't:

1. Filter shaker, to clean the filter. Means you'll be replacing the filter far less often.

2. Filter doesn't intrude into the dust chamber. Consequently, (A) the vac holds more than it would otherwise seem, and (B) more importantly, the stuff in the dust chamber won't clog the filter, meaning (again) longer filter life.

3. Systainers. These storage boxes



are all built on a common modulus. They latch onto the top of the vac and can be stacked/locked together. This allows you to put all the tools needed for the task at hand on top of the vac and wheel the whole enchilada to the job site.

So...

Fein bags are more expensive than Festool, but they have a reasonably priced fabric bag. Festool bags are cheaper and the reusable option more expensive. OTOH, the filters are likely to last longer. Festool also offers the systainers to lock on top of the vac.

Festool also offers a hose that incorporates an compressed air supply line for use with air tools and their larger vac. When properly connected, firing up the air tool will fire up the vac on demand. It also means dragging just one hose around rather than two. Fein doesn't, I don't believe offer this feature.