Looking for a shop vac....

[gb387]

Any suggestions on a shop vac??? I have been looking online, Lowes, Home Depot and Menards any suggestions on what size. I know I want on with 2 1/2" hose, the smaller hoses I feel plug up all the time. $40-$80 would be fair for me... There are TONS of them out there. It seems Lowes has some very nice ones. any thoughts?

[Chris Nemlich]

For Christmas I asked for and recieved a 12 Gallon Wet/Dry Ridgid Shop-Vac. I also bought an 11 foot extension hose (1 1/4" I think?) which hooks up to the existing 7 foot 2 1/2" hose. This allows me to set the vacuum in one place and be able to reach every area of the car. The smaller hose does not clog up nearly as much as you would think. This vacuum has 5 HP and is quite powerful. It also has a blower port so you can use it to blow water out of cracks when drying.

The Wet/Dry feature is also very nice. I generally blast really dirty floormats with a pressure washer. Since it soaks the mats completely, they won't dry in time. So, to fix the problem, I **** the water out of the mats using my vacuum.

This is by far the best purchase (Well, maybe tied with a PC) I have made so far. The vacuum saves me so much time and energy. I'll repeat again, make sure to get an extension hose. You will absolutely love this vacuum.

[gb387]

Thanks... I never thought of the extension hose but now that you mentioned it you should really have a longer hose than the 7ft it comes with, 7ft isn't all that long.

I did look at several at Home Depot and they looked like a good unit.

[gb387]

After looking at a dozen or so vacs I ended up getting a "Shop Vac" brand from lowes seemed like the most for the money. I was surprised how quite it is as a vac, if you detach the blower the noise increases greatly. Works great!

Tank Capacity: 12 Gallons
Horsepower: 5.5 HP
Cord Length: 18 ft.
Detachable Blower

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=133439-20097-93113-11&lpage=none

[RLdetail]

I just bought the same one yesterday and spent an hour this afternoon "playing" with it!!

Suprising blowing speed from this thing too!

Now if I could only find a 1-1/4" hose that hooks to the 2-1/2" hose so I can use my smaller tools I would be truly happy. Only thing I found was an attachment to use the smaller tools and not the hose. I'll try it and see what happens.

[rusty bumper]

Wet/Dry vacs are indispensable tools, but it would be nice if they had an option for a powered nozzle/ rotating beater brush type of attachment.

I use our Filter Queen with the power head for vacuuming large, flat carpeted areas. The rotating brush really digs the dirt out!

[gb387]

Originally posted by Rusty Bumper
Wet/Dry vacs are indispensable tools, but it would be nice if they had an option for a powered nozzle/ rotating beater brush type of attachment.

I did see one... where in the world was that!?!? I didn't look at it real close but I think it was powered by the vacs suction...

Something like this one at shop vac:


Turbo Nozzle
The Turbo Nozzle utilizes an air-powered turbine to turn the rotary brush inside. Use the Turbo Nozzle's extra power to pick-up tough-to-clean dry messes on carpets, stairs, upholstery and vehicles. The Turbo Nozzle connects directly to any 1-1/4" hose.

https://www.shopvac.com

You would be surprised how well the air turbine works, I have one for my "super shark"

[rusty bumper]

Thanks for posting that GB........Looks like a must have tool.

Pardon my question, but how often do you have to change the filter? Can you blow it out, or does it have to be replaced?

[Chris Nemlich]

I've had mine about 6 months now and have yet to change the filter. About once every few weeks I take it out and brush off as much junk as I can. I have also cleaned it with a hose which worked well. Many people I have talked to say they almost never change filters.

[rusty bumper]

We used to have a shop vac at work, and that thing would belch out dust pretty bad at times. All they ever did was blow out the filter with an air hose.

Maybe they have better filters for them now. Something like a HEPA filter would be nice.

[rdarwa]

Lowes sells a really good shop vac.

[gb387]

Originally posted by Rusty Bumper
Thanks for posting that GB........Looks like a must have tool.

Pardon my question, but how often do you have to change the filter? Can you blow it out, or does it have to be replaced?

You can now purchase bags for them, one bag came with my new vac and I wouldn't be with out the bag! I have used many shop vacs none with a bag I can see how useful this option is going to be. There is a quality pleated filter as well and I could upgrade (HEPA)/downgrade if I want. I would think if you use the bags it will prolong the life of the filter, the bags are priced well and they are B-I-G lots of room!

Here are all the filters you can buy for shop vacs: Shop Vac Filters

Anything from Hepa, ones for dry wall dust, and so on. Seems the shop vacs have came a long ways.


I would never purchase one with the "disc" filter (one pictured below). They always fall off and don't seem to filter anything smaller than a marble!

[rusty bumper]

Thanks!