Shop vac recommendations
- Thread starter dlundblad
- Start date
- Status
I ve got a couple of the Ridgid vacs available at Home Depot which Ive always liked. Think about how and where you will be using it as the smaller ones are easier to move around the House or out to the car.
Yes, my smaller one gets used way more than the larger one.
I've got two shop vacs. A large rigid which is a pain to lug around however I've used it for the past 15 years to do a lot. Even used it to suck the dirt out of a trench I dug to run power to my shed.
I picked up a smart DeWalt 20v vac to do the cars and garage. I like that one much better.there is an issue with bad solder joints that needs to be fixed so I can't use it with a battery right now.
I would go for a smaller one. Only get a big one if you are doing something like dust collection in a garage or sucking dirt out of a narrow trench.
I picked up a smart DeWalt 20v vac to do the cars and garage. I like that one much better.there is an issue with bad solder joints that needs to be fixed so I can't use it with a battery right now.
I would go for a smaller one. Only get a big one if you are doing something like dust collection in a garage or sucking dirt out of a narrow trench.
Last edited:
Well, the Shop-Vac & Ridgid brands are all I've ever used. Can probably buy online. It all depends on how large a tank, how strong a motor you need and what you're going to use it for. Most are Wet/Dry type but I'm sure you can buy non-wet if you really want to.
There are other brands too from:
STANLEY, DE WALT, CRAFTSMAN, QUANTUM & more.
You can buy them in all stainless steel tank/housing(mostly for water/wet fluids) used in medical/clean room type facilities and with HEPA filtration.
For the homeowner, I prefer all plastic tank w/~5hp motor & ~15 or so gallon tank and for wet/dry. What ever you buy, buy it once as they'll just about last forever. And you really don't need to spend GOBS of money either.
There are other brands too from:
STANLEY, DE WALT, CRAFTSMAN, QUANTUM & more.
You can buy them in all stainless steel tank/housing(mostly for water/wet fluids) used in medical/clean room type facilities and with HEPA filtration.
For the homeowner, I prefer all plastic tank w/~5hp motor & ~15 or so gallon tank and for wet/dry. What ever you buy, buy it once as they'll just about last forever. And you really don't need to spend GOBS of money either.
Last edited:
The main issue for me is the noise. I have a large shop vac and a small Stanley. Both have adequate suction. I do use the Stanley more, but the hose is too short on it in my opinion
Alot of factors to consider. Power, tank size, hose size, plastic or stainless steel, and budget. I have a 4.5hp stainless steel one i just bought this year. I wish I got a bigger capacity unit that had a tank drain handy when using it to suck up water..also prefer the 2.5 inch hoses over 1& 1/4. Depends what you will be using it for. I use mine to blow out my pool lines before winter so needed at least 4.5hp. I have another shop vac thats a 2hp unit that has also worked great, biggest negative to me are the small hoses which limit what you can pick up and how fast.
I bought my Shop-Vac 20 years ago / home use in my Garage
* 12 gallon capacity
* Stainless Tank
What ever you buy, give some thought to FILTRATION.
Mine came with a 'round pleated' Cartridge Filter, but in addition I added a Catch Bag.
Every few years I remove the Catch Bag and throw away.
This keeps the Pleated Filter very clean.
Edit: One thing I wish my Shop-Vac had was an Attachment Holder
I have to store all the attachments on a shelf (waste of shelf space).
* 12 gallon capacity
* Stainless Tank
What ever you buy, give some thought to FILTRATION.
Mine came with a 'round pleated' Cartridge Filter, but in addition I added a Catch Bag.
Every few years I remove the Catch Bag and throw away.
This keeps the Pleated Filter very clean.
Edit: One thing I wish my Shop-Vac had was an Attachment Holder
I have to store all the attachments on a shelf (waste of shelf space).
Last edited:
I have three Craftsman vacs. All are 16 gallon, plastic and corded. The reason I have three is because I used to clean and service commercial electrical switchgear. We would have about 12 guys working in teams of two removing dust before cleaning and torquing bus bar and cable connections. At the end of each job, we just gave the vacs to the crew.
I keep one in the basement with a filter bag in it, one in the garage with a bag and another set up wet. Yeah, it's a little excessive but they didn't cost me anything and I'm ready to vacuum in a moments notice.
I hate small shop vacs.
I keep one in the basement with a filter bag in it, one in the garage with a bag and another set up wet. Yeah, it's a little excessive but they didn't cost me anything and I'm ready to vacuum in a moments notice.
I hate small shop vacs.
My shop vac is the smaller one from HF . It rarely gets used , but the vac has worked fine . Then end of the hose came off / un-glued and had to be field repaired with a screw type hose clamp ( as used on smaller radiator hoses ) .
I have 2 rigid vacs. One is 15+years old, a large one. I have a smaller one a year old, very happy with both.
Get one that sucks AND blows for ultimate versatility.
Rigid without question, choice of the professional.
EDIT: Don't bother with bags, just the normal filter.
EDIT: Don't bother with bags, just the normal filter.
Last edited:
4 years ago I bought the "top of the line" stainless ShopVac unit they sell at Lowes. After replacing the motor 3 times, and seeing how they are designed to fail (unsealed bushings exposed to the airflow out of the unit), I will never buy anything from ShopVac again.
I have two, a 16 gallon craftsman with swivel caster wheels and I hate it. Those little caster wheels never follow you straight when you try to pull it along. Then I have a 14? gallon stainless steel shop vac with one swivel wheel and two large wheels and it is awesome. I bought my son in law a stainless steel one and he loves it. They just effortlessly follow you around and to move to a different area tilt it off the swivel and it moves like a dolly.
Dad let me borrow his 16 gallon Ridgid yesterday. Used it all around the house. Definitely too big for my needs so I am glad I used it before getting something identical in size.
Big motor with little tank sounds nice though if there is such a thing. A large hose with a smaller hose attachment would be nice too. Had to get my hand and arm into the top of the wood stove and about got stuck up to my elbow. Lol
Big motor with little tank sounds nice though if there is such a thing. A large hose with a smaller hose attachment would be nice too. Had to get my hand and arm into the top of the wood stove and about got stuck up to my elbow. Lol
Last edited:
$99 16 gallon rigid is the best they make. Easy to get filters and parts..... have had mine for 15 years. It gets used weekly
I've got a 5 gallon 4.5hp ShopVac that Ive had since I bought my house. Never had an issue.
- Status
