She won’t suck forAndyC anymore..wahhh
Get yer mind outta the gutter. I meant my Shop vac dope. Was a Sears and I think the only good thing Sears ever sold was its wrenches and shop vac. Had this thing for mega moons and she gave out today. Too fine a spackle dust I think. She’s old though.
I need a new one like NOW! I know there was just a thread about this but I’m starting another one anyway, so tough.
I know Fein is the Rolls Royce of Shop Vacs, right? I really don’t wanna have to sell my house to buy one but….I hate shiddy tools and use the vac a lot. Anyone know where besides Ebay I could score one for a good number? Anyone have suggestions for a tried and true for you? I like that I can hook tools up to the dust sucker in the Fein and that its quite. The Ridgid at HD looks like a toy. I know Sears has em’ and they aint cheap for good ones there either.
Any suggestions for a shop vac?
Be well su…. : )
andy
The secret of Zen in two words is, “Not always so”!
When we meet, we say, Namaste’..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Replies
Andy,
Look here. http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=54699.1
Thanks...its so funny looking in the shop vac threads. Each one has a link like the one you posted to me to another thread with yet more links to the same subject. Seems Fein gets all the credits.
Looks like Ebay is cheapest by about $30 so far for the 12 gallon from what I found so far.The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I had a Sears I bought in the early 70s. The warpspeed 2 motor model. Big SOB that would tip itself over when I plugged the hose.
I gave it away about 12 years ago just cuz I couldn't stand the noise. 2 speeds, 727 noisy with 1 motor or space shuttle with both going.
Sure sucked though. Shudda kept it.
Nothing since sux as good, need another one real soon as the current piece of shid has the drywall dust moan in the bearings.
Joe H
Which Ridgids did you look at? There are at least 5 available. I would buy them before any Craftsman because of the warranty even though they were made on the same assembly line. I have thought the two Shop-vac brand versions I used belonging to friends sucked but not in a good way.
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Wet-Dry-Vacs/index.htm
View Image
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Professional Wet/Dry Vacs
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4.5 Gallon Pro Pack - WD4450
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16 Gallon Steel Tank Vac - WD1950
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5 Gallon Wall Vac - WD5500
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And Durable, Designed Specifically For Tough Jobs
Like Scott said and most most other posts. Fein seems to be the best. And the reviews at Amazon most people love theirs. My Craftsman burnt up cause of spackle dust. I don't think thats possible with the Fein.
The lifetime warrenty of the Ridgid seems really louring.
Fein is expensive, I know. Still not sure what I'm going to do,,,,ughThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Edited 1/7/2006 2:21 am ET by andybuildz
Andy,
I've got the Fein and love it-especially the tool hook up feature.
Maybe you should get a HEPA filter for it too when you're into the really fine dust-I had to use one for the dreaded A word asbestos fibers.
I understand tool lust and envy but you would have to buy a bigger truck to haul all the Ridgid's you could buy with the cost of the Fein or Festool. They will do the job and have Shop Vac and Craftsman beat soundly (pun intended).
In my experience most are crap; the art is to pick the lesser of the crap.
I have a Ridgid and a Shopvac, both with many hours of use. I like the warranty on the Ridgid, and the motor still sounds healthy after lots of dry and wet use (remarkable), but there's not much else that I like. It's noisy, I hate dumping and cleaning the thing, and changing filters.
The Shopvac is quieter, has a longer cord, better attachments, and I love the different bags that they sell; it makes cleanup a snap. However, the motor has that dry bearing 'kiss of death' howl in less than a year's work. And of course the warranty is only a year. I plan to make a warranty claim.
I hear that the Fein machines are the best, but I've never owned one.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.â€
I have a Fein -- which really is a good vac, and worth the money. I also like the Shop Vac QSP series (i.e. quiet). the one I got was about $120.http://www.shopvac.com/web/products/qsp.shtmlMy all-time favorite is the Milwaukee 8955 -- from the cheap end of their vacuum cleaner line. I have had this thing for 20 years, and it just keeps going, and going, etc.............http://tinyurl.com/dvvmz********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
you do realize that you're not supposed to use the shopvac on cold lonely nights, right? Then, you could buy one that didn't come with the custom sized small hose opening, affectionately known as the "lonely hindjew carp model."
I got the ridgid (don't be jealous of the name) when HD was having one of their sales and it was too cheap to pass up. Body is crap plastic and the wheels fall off all the time, but it sucks pretty good. I've named mine "AndyC" in honor of a dear friend it reminds me of.
Kinda odd that there would be a shopvac with a name like Fein that is the most expensive but works the best. It comes in different colors, but the favorite is Lubvitcher black. lol. Who'da thunk.
One possible nay say on the Fein, and I've previously been a good salesman for the company. Drywall dust is doing unnatural acts with it. Bearing noise, not as quiet as it used to be. If you get it, you best think addional filtration with one of their bag$. A real shame as it doesn't tip over, great hose, tool actuated start..........man, had it all. Continues to run. Looks like repair would be easy 150.00, new motor. Maybe more.
Supposedly the Festool is a quality suck. All the other similar features of the Fein. Probably even more $. Worth a look.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Cal
I think you needed the HEPA filter for the DW dust. Not sure....and THATSSS real expensive. The Festool is $410 + Shipping for the 5.8 Gallon from Jamestown (maybe Mike has some pull no pun intended). Seems a bit small. Whattya think? The next size up 9 gal is close to $500...ouch.
Thing is,,,Festool comes w/ a three year warr and I love how they are so low to the ground. Shid....I hate this! I do hear people talk about how their Fein's have had problems. MAybe just a handful but enough fo rme to be concerned at those prices which leads me to Festool because they seem to have enough confidence to cover themselves with a 3 year war.
The Fein is $335 for the 12 gal at Jamestown. That company seems to be the best pricing. thats where Mike took you guys the first day before we got there, right? Fein does offer an extended warr for 2 years (who doesn't nowadaze) but I havent checked to see how much it is. I know Taunton rated them the best for whatever thats worth.
I hate this...this sucks.
Be in a sucky state of mind
####The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I have a ShopVac that sucks, but also sucks in the sense that the wheels fall off,it tips over, you get static shocks if you touch it and it's noisier than a 727 as another poster said. I've had good luck with Sears though have always coveted the Fein.
I wonder if Miele makes a ShopVac, there residential vac's are great.
There once was a 'Great Moments' backpage article in FHB about a guy finally departing with his ShopVAc.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002FS0OQ/104-9886379-5077552?n=284507
The silver shopvac with the metal wand, 2 big wheels and 1 caster. Rolls, sucks, is durable and has all the filtration features if your interested. The hose locks in place, and you can pull it without tipping across cords etc.
Or 3 Sears models.
My sears lasted over 10 years, but the wheels lasted 2 weeks.
I bought an El Cheapo Ridgid for a table saw 3 years ago to use in cutting down Hadrieplank. I figured the dust would do anything in so wasn't going to wasted good money on something I figured doomed from the start line. Three years and 2 Shopvacs later the little Ridgid still runs almost daily and it's probably only on it's 3dr or 4th filter
I have a Genie (pretty good sized one) that sounds like a jet but it has lasted quite a while. Use the pleated paper filter on whatever you buy- it'll keep drywall dust from killing the motor. I got a Rigid muffler for it because it was killing my ears. Still too loud. You want it? I just bought a Rigid vac after Christmas and it comes with a wire mounting rack for putting it on a wall and accessory storage. Mine will be more for my router than anything else, but also comes with a 20' hose that retracts into itself. They occasionally discontinue their vacs, and this is one of those.
Thanks...I hear everyone on the lower end models that suck good. My Sears lasted forever but I hated that it was deafening and a real clunker to roll around, take up and down stairs. It had the pleated filter that I cleaned the entire time I owned it, Never needed a second filter.
I think the filter clogged too fast and I burned out the motor this time. I'm leaning towards the Fein with the additional 3 year warrentee if the warr isn't too expensive. I love the shape of the Festool but doubt its worth the money even withthe 3 yr warr.
Still kinda undecierded. Gonna call Fein Monday and see how much the
x warr is.The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
The Shop Vac "QSP" I mentioned a couple of posts back is their "quiet" series of vacs -- 3-4 different sizes. they're not as quiet as the Fein, but they are a whole lot better than a regular Shop Vac .I was put off by the Festool vacs because you need to buy their disposable bags. The Fein I have came with a felt bag (and no other filter), which seems to keep dust out of the motor. I haven't used it for drywall dust, but I understand you can buy disposable bags for that purpose, and they are supposed to work well. If I remember correctly, Festool does sell a cloth bag/filter so you don't have to use the disposable paper bags, but they cost $169.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I've got a few but my PC has lasted for years including a lot of walls sanded with their DW sander (sorry Eric). Plenty of suckage, tool triggered, well built... not cheap but a lot cheaper than the Fein.
PaulB
I've had the Fein 9.55.13 turbo model for 4 years now and would not be without it.This is the mid-sized model with a tool activation outlet.A couple of notes about it:- super quiet: quiet enough to use it to vacuum out the hallway in a clients house while their watching tv 10' away.
- The outlet is rated for up to 12-13 amps meaning you can run it for routers and such - tool activated. Plus it stays on for 10-15 seconds after tool stops to clear out the dust.
The Porter Cable and Bosch Vacs are only rated for 6-7amps.
-Nice casters, rolls great.
-Nice size, not too big, not too small - easy to carry.
-great quality hose.
-You have 3 options for filtration: a canvas-like bag filter that fits over the tank and is rated to 5 microns/ a pleated paper filter that is rated to 1 micron/and a pleated Hepa filter.With or without these options, you can you a bag inside the vac as well. When I'm doing drywall, I'll use one of the bags plus the pleated filter - the bag catches all of the dust and the pleated filter does not clog at all. If I'm using it for basic wood shavings, sawdust, I'll maybe use it just with the canvas filter bag deal and let all the junk collect into the tank. The bags can be had for about $3 apiece online.I bought the accessory kit which seemed pretty steep at the time for $55, but comes with two steel extensions and crevice and bare and carpet nozzles - they do a great job ( as well as a regular vacuum) on carpet when cleaning up at the end of a job.The big deal for me is how quiet it is. How many of the above mentioned Vacs would you be able to use when the client is in the house? With the Fein you can.Also, it has the same sense of invulnerability that my Fein Multimaster does - you somehow feel like you can't kill it. Having said that, if it died, I'd fix it get another one is a second. Highly recommended.JT
Julian. thanks,,,that the info I'm looking to hear.The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Replaced my Ridgid with a Fein Turbo II this summer and couldn't be happier. I couldn't handle the roar any more (too much time at the Filmore in the 60's LOL) and needed something that would serve three purposes:
The Turbo II was the only thing that would fit into the cabinet, so made the decision on which model to get a no-brainer. Best deal I found for the HEPA version was (and looks like it still is) at Coastal Tool:
http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/fein/9-55-13hepa.htm?L+coastest+bqvp1810ff935093+1136685830
Great info. thank you.
So whats the deal with the Hepa Fein? Way smaller than the turbo3 and less powerful and a lot more money. The Hepa filter itself for the turbo3 as an extra is about $80 more. Whats up with that? Wouldnt that make it the same dust filtration as yours for still less money all things considered? What am I missing here???
Thanks
a,,,The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Just to clarify... The Motor unit on the fein vacs is the same motor, just diff. tanks. You can buy the basic 9.55.13 turbo now for about $240 or so and get a Hepa filter at another date and have the same functionality.JT
Or get the Turbo 3 with more power and its a bigger unit...right? Just add the Hepa later? MAkes it the same then. Correct?
edit: At Coastal it's $299
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Edited 1/7/2006 3:36 pm ET by andybuildz
Looks like you are getting things narrowed down a bit too much.
Time to throw in another curve.
Don't beleive anyone has mentioned the WAP vacs.
Supposed to be great Greman made vacs - though I have never used one.
http://www.northernhydraulics.net/ws/aboutus3.php?page_id=5615
I personally have a couple Ridgids and a PC. Use the Ridgids for general clean up and the PC with a bag for drywall sanding.
I think if I bought another all purpose vac, it would be a Fien - main reason is the higher amperage of tools you can plug into them.
Often think it would be nice to be able to attach my table saw.
Good luck
Be sure to post back and tell us all what you finally decieded on.
for those of you w/ those fine Craftsman units ( I've had one of those light avocado green ones over 25 yrs ) I use as kind of a prophylactic filter something called multi fit replacement filters VF2003 that I buy at Home Depot (says on package "most Genie and Shop-Vac wet/dry vacs)
works great on Craftsman - cleans much easier than the filter you arer protecting or you can just toss it
think there are five in bag and do not think it costs more than $4
The Turbo 3 has the same motor, the only reason the specs are diff slightly is that the hose diameter is larger.But the Turbo 2 can accept a 2 1/2" hose as well.JT
So how does the smaller one work for you. Doing mostly reno work vs shop work I'm wondering if its worth getting the smaller one (turbo 2). I do hate shlepping a big vac around but compaired to my giant Craftsman the turbo 3 is still a major improvement in size but will the turbo 2 work fo me...hmmmmm, decissions decissions.
Also, theyre now offering an extended warentee which seems like a new thing for them the way theyre advertising it. Spose I'll check into that on Monday and see what it costs.The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
I see no reason to get the larger model, the Turbo II (9.55.13) works great for me. It'll hold quite a bit of stuff in there. Of course, I should add that I don't beat this vac up - I have a huge Craftsman vac thatI use if sopping up water or really sloppy stuff. The Fein is my daily user for drywall sanding with the PC Drywall sander and everything else I might encounter while doing remodeling and additions.Messy stuff goes to the rocket launcher vac.Get one - you'll not regret it.JT
Kinda funny, my little crapsman started sounding horrible after being hooked up to my festool jig saw... I was running the 11/4 hose into the 2 1/2 inch opening I think I was working the motor way too hard. I disected it and found the the main blower shaft was loose and the squirrel cage was bent... tried to rebuild it but no luck... it did pay for itself though in 3 years of hard use (39$)
I switched over to my big craftsman shop vac, but, now when I use the festool or my PC circ saw, I am going to splice in a piece of PVC with holes in it so the vacuum doesnt over load....
Would like to get another small vac, but not sure what... like the idea of tool activated, but also like the idea of another 40 $ vac too....
Andy I had a Crapsman shop vac, kept tipping over. I got up set at it and put the boots to it. I trash it.
Slim Shadey, bought me a ridgid for Xmas , its been pretty good, I havent had to put the boots to it yet :>)Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Yeh, well I;m hoping this to be my last vac so I'm going for a good one. What the hell...
Be well
Buck Construction Artistry In Carpentry Pittsburgh PaThe secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Just as an interesting side note - when you go to a smaller hose or plug the hose, the motor works LESS hard than when you have a large (or no) hose.
Seems counterintuitive, but when I heard someone mention this before, I had to prove them wrong. Hooked up an ammeter to my Fein Turbo II -- with no hose attached (completely free-flowing), I think I drew about 10amps. Plugged it up completely, and the current draw dropped down to about 6amps, if I remember correctly.
It's more work to actually move the air than to just spin the fan in a relative vacuum. The vac gets louder when plugged because it spins faster with reduced load.
That said, if your vac uses the air moving through the cannister to cool the motor, then you could overheat it. My Fein has a separate airflow cooling the motor, so it can happily sit there all day with a plugged hose.
I believe the situation would be different in a positive-displacement type of pump, such as a piston air compressor.
Don
Andy - I've got the big sears and the small Fein that came with all the attachments and the 1 micron filter standard. Like'em both. Like others have said, use the sears for anything ugly, use the Fein with tools (miter saw, sanders, router etc.) and for general clean up.
One thing I've done for years when sucking up drywall dust is ball up enough sheets of newspaper to fill the bottom of the tank with one layer, usually 8-10 sheets. Then wet them a bit, put the top on, and go after the dust. It'll go into the tank and stick to the paper for the most part. Makes it easier on the filter and easier to dump out as you're not getting all the dust kicked up into your face. Give it a whirl...Buic
Just had a thought, the small Fein Turbo (not tools activated) was being cleared out a while back because they've redesigned it. I was seeing it for as low as $140 for a while with the attach package. Might be worth seeing if you can still find a deal floating around.JT
Add to that one more step.Every once in a while, turn the machine off. Bounce it a time or three to knock the dust loose from the filter. Then remove the top, and use a spray bottle inside the cannister. Then put the top back on. Don't spray the filter.
Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~~ Eric Hoffer
BUIC-
That's good. Send that in to FHB tips and I'll bet you'll get the $100 or free subscription or whatever.
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
Thanks, it works pretty well ( not perfect ). The only thing I should have added is that when you're done for the day, take it all out and wipe out the can. If you don't the next day you'll be looking at a whole 'nuther type of mess to deal with! Buic
Edited 1/9/2006 9:05 pm ET by BUIC
So, now are we're talking about putting a plastic trashbag liner in there?
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
Andy, got one of these not to long ago. For $60. it kicks a$$. Not a substitute for a big one, but great to have around...all the power of a full sive, but quite compact.
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Craftsman Clean N Carry¯ 4 gal. Wet-Dry Vac, 5.0 Peak hp
Sears item #00917776000 Mfr. model #17776
A powerful yet lightweight, portable vac. Designed with a carrying handle, this vac cleans any mess, anywhere you care to take it. Removable storage caddy keeps all included accessories in one convenient location. The 7 ft. x 1-1/4 in. hose provides excellent cleaning capabilities and can be stored on the vac when not in use.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0120987699.1136728373@@@@&BV_EngineID=cclfaddgjjeeijfcegecegjdghldghh.0&vertical=TOOL&pid=00917776000&cat=Wet-Dry+Vacs
Jon
Edited 1/8/2006 9:05 am ET by WorkshopJon
Andy,
I have tried quite a few vacs and we are currently using 2. The Rigid WD1950 for general clean-up, demo, drywall, and keeping the truck pretty. The FESTOOL CT-22 HEPA for tool extraction, cabinet work, and finish work. It is as amazing as all the FESTOOL items. It is an amazing vac with features no others have. It is incredibly stable due to its low profile and you can get a decent deal by buying it with a tool in a pkg. but this is the only discounting they allow. I bought the whole FESTOOL system and I am amazed at waht it can do together. The circular saw cuts better than a friends $17,000 Holzher Panel Saw!!!!! You have to see it to believe what it can do.
Good Luck
I agree, the FESTOOL circ saw gude and system is great. I imagine their vac would be as well.
I would also consider the Bosch vacs....
But i own a nice quiet Fein that turns on when my bosch table saw triggers it, and rolls where I want when i need it to.
It sounds nice, as welll as quiet, and there IS a difference.
Another Fein vote.Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT