Recommendation on shop vac

C Craft

C Craft

Well-Known Member
Well the title pretty much says it, I am looking for a shop vac recommendation.

Over the years I have had a few and most did not like fine dust. Not that they would not pick it up but after a few uses they seem to not pickup as well no matter how you cleaned them. Some are so loud they sound like you are standing next to a jet taking off.

So I am looking for a vac that is:

efficient
easy to clean
won't quit a month after buying it
has a tolerable noise level
won't break the pocketbook

Anyone got suggestions on a brand that fits the criteria???
 
I was having problems with shop vacs dying after a few months of use. I found it was the switches that were going bad. I bought some foot switches from Harbor Freight and just wired the vacuums hot and use the foot switch for turning it on and off. It works pretty good for the vacuums that I have hooked up to saws and grinders etc. It probably wouldn't work well for a vacuum you want to move around. I've had an old Rigid from Home Depot for the last 16 years or so and it still works great (even the switch). The shop vac brand are the ones I was having to redo the switches on.
 
I've been using a Rigid shop vac now for several years without any trouble. I did build a little dust separator from a 5 gallon bucket and some sheet metal that I found some plans to build online. The bucket gets 99.9% of the dust keeping the vac clean. I haven't even changed or cleaned the shop vac filter for years and I still have full suction. Just something to think about.
 
I think the trick to saving any shop vac from the perils of fine dust is using the filter bags that are designed for drywall dust. I have used them for a few years and they work quite well and hardly have to clean the motor filter. Easier to empty, just pull out the bag and replace instead of dumping the whole bucket upside down creating another dust storm. I have a large shop vac, supposed to be a quite one but not really!! I would not recommend, I think my switch is going out too. I think the price goes up with the quality and quiet factor. Hope you find a decent one!
Clint
 
I think the trick to saving any shop vac from the perils of fine dust is using the filter bags that are designed for drywall dust.
Click to expand...

DITTO!

I've only been able to find those type of bags locally once or twice over the years. Since those bags were hard for me to come by, I came up with a "home made" remedy when all the vac has is one of those canister type pleated paper filters..... I scrounge up an old pair of panty hose........and for heaven's sake, make sure the panty hose you use are actually ready to be thrown out! :) Anyway, I cut both the legs off, put one inside the other, then put it over the top of the pleated paper filter. Sercure it at the top with a couple of heavy rubber bands, and I've not had an issue in nearly 10 years with the vac that is used at the grinder....just empty it, and blow out the filter/panty hose once a week.

Personally, I've tried just about every brand of shop vac out there, and the one I've had the best luck with is the Craftsman model that is 12 gallon, 5.0 peak hp. It looks like a squatty R2D2, but it has the 2" hose on it, which I personally prefer. I actually have 3 of them, ranging in age from 10 years down to one I just picked up at Ace Hardware on sale for $59.
 
i have a smaller Shop-Vac that works ok. meets all your requirements except noise. the only vacuum i have used that is not noisy was powered by compressed air(3/4" diameter air inlet at 125psi), more air than a typical shop would have. if just doing dust and dirt, no big chunks or sparks, i would use the Hepa bag you can buy for most shop vacs. if you issue with clogging the filter, you can get a pre-filter that looks like a giant coffee filter and takes care of real fine dust, but you may need to change it often.
 
I got a PM about this,

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=51625686

It is a pre-filter into a bucket before it gets to the vac itself! You connect your hose to the Dirt Deputy and most of the dust falls in here before it gets to the vac! Sweet idea!! The heavier particles never make it to the vac, so it won't tear up the bag around your filter!!

pACE3-19913727enh-z6.jpg


I have also found plans on how to build one on the net!
 
That's the same concept I built the ones in my shop on.....

For about $10 worth of PVC pipe and fittings from my local Ace Hardware, I was able to build 3 units. I use one on the grinders, one on my blast cabinet, and the third is a spare. :)

The longer pipe is the intake (from the grinder), and the short elbow is where the vac hose is attached. I put about 1" of water in the bottom of the one used at the grinder.....catches the majority of the swarf, and the water smothers anything hot that makes it that far.




 
Ed, how much distance do you have between the bottom of the long pipe and the bottom of the bucket?

I'm going to be building one along with a new, lower, grinder bench I can sit at. Stupid bad back!
 
Depending on how much water you add to the bucket, and how much suction the shop vac has you might have to adjust, but mine are about 3" from the bottom of the bucket. I have to be careful about how much water I add....just a tad too much and it gets sucked into the shop vac. :)
 
Ed, I need to ask you about something that we discussed in this thread!! https://knifedogs.com/threads/recommendation-on-shop-vac.43492/


EdCaffreyMS said:
That's the same concept I built the ones in my shop on.....

For about $10 worth of PVC pipe and fittings from my local Ace Hardware, I was able to build 3 units. I use one on the grinders, one on my blast cabinet, and the third is a spare. :)



The longer pipe is the intake (from the grinder), and the short elbow is where the vac hose is attached. I put about 1" of water in the bottom of the one used at the grinder.....catches the majority of the swarf, and the water smothers anything hot that makes it that far.




Click to expand...

Then you posted this. Sooooooooooo, maybe I am missing something. You said the long pipe is the intake from the grinder. So it would be dropping the dust and debri from the grinder into the bucket. And the pick-up for the vacuum would be pulling it's air from the short 90* fitting on the bottom side of the lid, if I am understanding correctly!!

So how does it suck the water into the vac if you fill it too high with water??? I am sorry I may be having a duh moment but how can it suck water through the elbow at the bottom of the lid?? Or is it the other way around, and the long pipe is hooked back to the vac??

EdCaffreyMS said:
Depending on how much water you add to the bucket, and how much suction the shop vac has you might have to adjust, but mine are about 3" from the bottom of the bucket. I have to be careful about how much water I add....just a tad too much and it gets sucked into the shop vac. :)
Click to expand...
 
I might have misspoken, but in reality, you can try it both ways, and see what works best for you. I can tell you that if the suction is on the elbow side, and I have more then about an inch of water in the bucket's bottom...... it WILL suck water to the point of destroying a shop vac bag in just a few moments.....and the bucket will be dry on the bottom. I don't understand the physics of it.....just the icky results! :)
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I might have misspoken, but in reality, you can try it both ways, and see what works best for you. I can tell you that if the suction is on the elbow side, and I have more then about an inch of water in the bucket's bottom...... it WILL suck water to the point of destroying a shop vac bag in just a few moments.....and the bucket will be dry on the bottom. I don't understand the physics of it.....just the icky results! :)
Click to expand...


Yep, I understand what you are saying about it sucking the bucket dry. I was just trying to figure how it did it thru the short elbow. I am going to try it and see if I can't pick up my grinding dust! As you said the water will kill any sparks. My grinding dust has left the garage floor a bit unsightly,..............to say the least!!

Thanks Ed, I appreciate the heads up!!
 
I've never done this, and I'm not a pro... Just learning...

I have read on other Threads that to solve this issue with the water being sucked up though the short 90 fitting; one can make a plastic baffle that floats on the top of the water. The plastic baffle should be around the diameter of the bucket with holes drilled into it. Apparently this stops the water from being sucked out of the bucket.

I'll eventually be making one of these. Thanks for the pictures and advice!

Cheers,
JK
 
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