My Shop Vac Blew Up!

[Neil Bosdet]

Happy Easter all,

Yesterday my dependable old Shop Vac started making funny noises. Then the smoke billowed out and that was it. Rats. It only lasted 17 years!!! :rolleyes:

I'm going to need to replace this soon and with the plethora of options out there I thought I'd ask this group for recommendations. I'm a contractor and have a wood shop too. I use it for attaching to hand held sanders and my miter saw, general site cleanup including drywall dust and wet clean up from the floor work I do.

The features I'd like to find are:

Wet/dry
Optional pump for removing water
Good fine dust collection
Quiet operation
Powerful suction
Good capacity
Auto on/off tool option (I have a separate unit for this so not necessary but would be nice to have built in)

I've been looking at Ridgid, Shop Vac and Dustless Technologies products online. The Dustless Technologies products sound pretty good but a higher price. I'd love to here from any of you with either the HEPA or DUSTLESS version and see what you think of them.

Thanks for any and all thoughts on this matter.

Neil

[Bruce Page]

You're right, there's a ton of options available today. I have a Fein TIII and don't regret for a second spending the money on it.
You'll find a plethora of threads on the subject using the search function.

[Neil Bosdet]

You'll find a plethora of threads on the subject using the search function.

Zero hits on a search of SMC for Dustless Technologies. Hoping someone here has used one and can provide some feedback.

[Paul McGaha]

I've got a 16 gallon Rigid thats probably about 15 years old. It's used mainly for my shop and also to detail our cars.

Still starts and runs like it was brand new. It was less than $100 as I recall.

When it goes I'm sure I'll go with a Fein or one of the other more quiet vacumes though. I think I'd really like a much more quiet vac both for our benefit and our neighbors, as we use a shop vac a lot.

PHM

[Bruce Page]

Zero hits on a search of SMC for Dustless Technologies. Hoping someone here has used one and can provide some feedback.
Yeah, I don't recall that brand ever being discussed here.
FWIW, there are several reviews on it over on Amazon that range from excellent to so-so.

[david brum]

I recently bought one of these Rigid vacs http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=ridgid+shop+vac&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=7887281302986206755&sa=X&ei=BMK0TcydE4m0sAPHm7j0Cw&ved=0CHcQ8wIwBA#

My reasons:

1) relatively quiet
2)ability to use both a paper bag and HEPA filter at the same time
3)reasonable price
4)easy availability of parts and accessories
5)lifetime warranty
6)excellent suction

I've been using it for about a year. I'm very happy with it. The bag/filter combo means that the pleated filter is never clogged and doesn't seem to impede performance.

[johnny means]

It only lasted 17 years!!! :rolleyes:


Did you call the manufacturer and complain. I for one would demand a replacement:D:D

[David Thompson 27577]

......................... I'm a contractor and have a wood shop too. I use it for attaching to hand held sanders and my miter saw, general site cleanup including drywall dust and wet clean up from the floor work I do..............................

FWIW, I have a Ridgid. I added the HEPA filter, and I really like it.

But since you're a contractor, you might consider getting a vac that is HEPA 'certified', as is required for those crazy lead-abatement rules. Those rules make it clear that you can't just have a HEPA filter -- the entire machine needs to meet the certification. Unfortunately, the lowest price I've seen on any that meet the requirements is over $400.

[Bill White]

I use a Ridgid (2 actually) with the good filters and sound suppressors. Not ultra quiet, but I wear ear protection most of the time anyway.
Bill

[Lee Schierer]

I have a Fein T-II and I love it. It is quiet enough to have a conversation with someone while you are standing right next to it. It is variable speed, hence variable suction. Comes with a plug for auto on/off for use with a sander or other dust producing tool. It wheels around the shop easily and has a long hose. There is no pump for removing water, but there is a ball vavle to drain the tank. It has HEPA type filtering.

[Neil Bosdet]

I have a Fein T-II and I love it. It is quiet enough to have a conversation with someone while you are standing right next to it. It is variable speed, hence variable suction. Comes with a plug for auto on/off for use with a sander or other dust producing tool. It wheels around the shop easily and has a long hose. There is no pump for removing water, but there is a ball vavle to drain the tank. It has HEPA type filtering.

Lee, I've been looking at this one on Amazon. It's over $400 with the HEPA filter installed. Is this a similar price to what you paid? How good is the hose it comes with? Do you actually use the variable speed? If so, how? I can't imagine using that feature (having never had it before). Where do you buy filter bags etc?

[Lee Schierer]

Lee, I've been looking at this one on Amazon. It's over $400 with the HEPA filter installed. Is this a similar price to what you paid? How good is the hose it comes with? Do you actually use the variable speed? If so, how? I can't imagine using that feature (having never had it before). Where do you buy filter bags etc?

I bought mine at a home show in Pittsburgh 2 years ago for $350. I've used the variable speed a few times for various reasons. You wouldn't need 90+ inches of suction for a sander but it is handy for sucking up water. I dropped some brass screws on the floor that had shavings and sawdust on it at the time. I lowerd the suction to pickup the sawdust leaving the screws behind. I have the hepa system and bag filters. I shop the internet looking for the best prices for replacemetns. The hose is 10-12 feet long and seems sturdy enough.

[Neil Bosdet]

Anybody else using a Fein, Festool for contractor work?

[scott vroom]

I use a Craftsman 6.5amp for on site construction cleanup and drywall dust extraction...cost just under $100. This is my second Craftsman; the first one lasted 10+ years. The Fein may be quieter but to me that's not worth the extra cost. Just personal preference I guess.

Something else to consider: it looks like the Fein Turbo 3 is the only model that comes with a 2.25" diameter hose vs 1.25" dia on the other models. Your going to want the big diameter hose for construction cleanup. The Turbo 3 retails somewhere north of $500.

[Jason Roehl]

But since you're a contractor, you might consider getting a vac that is HEPA 'certified', as is required for those crazy lead-abatement rules. Those rules make it clear that you can't just have a HEPA filter -- the entire machine needs to meet the certification. Unfortunately, the lowest price I've seen on any that meet the requirements is over $400.

+1 on this sentiment. Unfortunately, from what I have seen of the "certified" shop vacs, they aren't anything special--they mainly have just a slightly better clamp system on the exterior (3 clamps instead of the usual 2 on a shop vac), but there is an extra section that comes off (also with 3 clamps) to allow servicing an additional paper filter that fits over the usual plaited filter. Also, for contractors who use "Lead-Safe Work Practices", you have to use a disposable bag inside that costs $15-20 each--its "feature" is that it comes with an adhesive flap that you use to cover the opening for disposal when the bag is full--a $10 piece of tape in my opinion.

[Greg R Bradley]

All Fein units will accept the 2.25" or 1.25" hose. Nice to have both as each works better for different functions. The Turbo I and II come with the 16' 1.25" and the Turbo III comes with the 10' 2.25". I just bought an extra 1.25" hose as that seems to be the most used. Nice to have the bigger hose for either vac when it works better.

Turbo III is the one most similar to the big shop vacs from Craftsman, Ridgid, Shop Vac. You can ignore the specs as the cheaper units all lie outrageaously. The 12 Amp 6.5Hp units actually draw about 8.8 Amps and are about 1.25-1.5 Horsepower. These guys make the absurd "universal motor peak horspower claims" seem mild since they drawjust over half the peak current of the 3.25HP big routers, which actually have almost 2HP. Fein Turbo II specs say 10A on one list and 9.7A on another. Mine draws 9.7A. Turbo II is slightly less powerful, rated 1050watt vs 1200watt.

During a flood, I had a worker buy the big Rigid for wet cleanup. They claimed an absurd amount of water pickup, actually MORE than my Jamco wet pickup unit that has two cords to plug into two separate 120V circuits. The Jamco picked up water at about 20x the Ridgid.

The Turbo III seems to have just slightly more lift and slightly less volume than the cheap shop vacs. The difference is SMALL. The actual difference is that increasing filtration gets you less flow, as you would expect.

Different units for different jobs, I'm not sure anything is ideal for everything.

Fein can be found on sale. I paid about $350 for each of my Turbo III and Turbo II HEPA. Great vac for the money, especially when you consider that I paid almost $200 for my first Fein vac almost 20 years ago. It is still in regular use in a shop environment.