Which Shop Vac?

[kristina27]

I love detailing and I am ready to purchase my own Vac so I do not have to use my parents. I was looking at the 5 gallon shop vac brute because of its portability and horse power. I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations or uses this same kind of vac for car detailing and there thoughts to it being a good purchase?

[BMWX6]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I use the 5 gal shop vac and it is good. you will want to buy additional attachments as the ones that come with it are pretty limited.

[Johnson]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I have been wanting to get a shop vac, and today I have a better reason to get a new one. i went to use mine today after being out in the cold garage. it finally hit the fan.

Dont need a big one, but want the HP. what does everyone have for HP that works good. 5, or 6.5?

[mswerb]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I just bought a 6 gallon Craftsman and it is perfect for cars, I got it to replace an 8 gallon Shop-Vac brand that I had been using for years.

[cnfowler]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I have two Craftsman Wet/Dry Vacs. One is the Clean and Carry 5 gallon, 5 HP model. Its really nice because it hangs on the wall. It has a 20+ foot hose. Its like pulling up to the car wash. Pull up, pull the hose off the hose keeper, and turn it on.

The other is a Craftsman 4 gallon, 5 HP on wheels. It has a small diameter hose and has incredible suction. So much so it will actually lift the carpet off the floor when vacuuming. I purchased an extension hose so it is now 18 feet - great for car vacuuming.

For vacuuming cars, you don't need a huge vac. You don't need one with a 3 inch hose, either. You want one that is small, easy to manuever, lightweight and easy to handle for emptying, and has really good suction. The smaller Craftsman model I have fits the bill perfectly.


Colin

[cnfowler]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

Here's the smaller one I have. Its on sale, too.

Craftsman Wet/Dry Vac





Colin

[Johnson]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

Here's the smaller one I have. Its on sale, too.

Craftsman Wet/Dry Vac





Colin

That looks like a really good deal. To bad they are out of stock. I cant find many that have the 1 1/4 Diameter hose

[kristina27]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

Here's the smaller one I have. Its on sale, too.

Craftsman Wet/Dry Vac





Colin

I also looked at this one as well and the wheels could come in handy. Does this vac do the wet portion as well if I want to clean the carpets?

[kristina27]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

To Cnfowler's post

I also looked at this model and the wheels could come in handy. The one I'm looking at doesn't have wheels. Does this vacuum also do the wet portion in case I want to clean the carpets and **** up water or cleaner?

[cnfowler]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

That looks like a really good deal. To bad they are out of stock. I cant find many that have the 1 1/4 Diameter hose

I didn't even check. That's too bad because it has been a great vac so far. With the amount of suction it has, it is a really good extractor for shampooing carpets.


Colin

[cnfowler]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

To Cnfowler's post

I also looked at this model and the wheels could come in handy. The one I'm looking at doesn't have wheels. Does this vacuum also do the wet portion in case I want to clean the carpets and **** up water or cleaner?

Yep. See my post above this one.


Colin

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I highly recommend RIDGID WD4070. They sell these vacs in Home Depots and they have a TON of attachments that can all be individually purchased or bought in a kit such as the detailing kit. They all have lifetime warranties, are built extremely well, and have great motors. I don't know anyone who's had any problems with a RIDGID and mine has done so many things, you wouldn't believe it. This particular model is wonderful because it is low to the ground, cannot fall over, and is designed specifically to be pulled by the hose. This means that you can just tug it along while vacuuming and it's a great compact design while still powerful and spacey.

Check out my video review of it. It's short but you can see it better and get a feel for it.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

I am also a big fan of the Rigid vac. It has good suction and is a solidly built unit.

I also have a wall mounted autobahn unit. Great for regular vacuuming.

[kristina27]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

Thanks everyone for the input. Today I went to sears to look at the clean and car portable model and ran into a fellow detailer. We got to talking about horse power amps and bigger vac vs smaller ones giving the suction power needed. There has to be a happy medium where you dont lose power when using a smaller vac. But know where that happy medium is can be tough small vs big or horse power vs amps as well as the inches of water removal and does the hose size matter.

[roushstage2]

Re: Which Shop Vac?

My Shop Vac Mini hasn't let me down. It has sucked sand and [animal] hair out of carpets just fine, and gets everything else too. I can carry it around with me, which is nice. It has dry and wet filters available, as well as attachments. I've been rocking it for years and I am happy with it. Plus, being a Mini, it doesn't take up a lot of storage space in my apartment.