Best replacement for old shop vac

[Steve Catts]

Hi all,

New shop underway and planning on ducted DC system (probably CV1800). I have just given myself the gift of setting my 25-year-old Sears shopvac to the curb. Glory days!

I will still want a smaller unit to connect to my router table and sanding work as well as general clean up. I would like your inputs for what I should consider. I know a little of the Festool dust extractors (pricey but manageable) but also want to consider other solutions. Priority is not to have 100db out of the unit. What criteria should I look for? Is there a specific benefit that comes from the Festool machines that I'm not aware of? Are there machines that are known for low noise?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

Steve

[Mike Kees]

Steve I did the same thing with a 25 year old Craftsman vac about 2 years ago. First thing that I have ever thrown away that still worked. I bought a Rigid to replace it for general cleanup work at the shop. I also installed a "Cleanstream" filter that works very well. I am looking for a dust extractor type vac as well for use with sanders and my tracksaw. Recently I found a comparison on Youtube that showed about 8-10 of the best dust extractors tested against each other. Very good info . I am considering some of the offerings from Makita now because of this review. Noise was one area tested. I will be watching this thread to see what others that have taken this plunge have to say.

[Jim Becker]

I use a small Ridgid shop vac for general cleanup and a Festool extractor for hand-held electrics like sanding.

[Pete Taran]

Steve,

Festool is the coin of the realm and the standard by which all others are judged if you ask me. They have a ton of features. They are quiet. You can plug a tool into it and when you turn on the tool it turns on. You can buy them with a blue tooth module that you attach at the end of the hose that allows you to turn it on where you use it, at the end of the hose not on the machine. They are made to pair with their tools and when used with any of their tools, they capture almost all the dust. Particularly their routers and sanders. You just won't believe how well they work. I'd recommend the CT26.

In the attached picture on the floor is all the shavings that the festool dust extractor didn't collect after making finger joints on a 12" wide pine box. 8 edges of the 4 boards worked (8 linear feet) and that is all it didn't collect using their router and the attachment that come with the router.

Fair warning: If you buy their extractor you will be soon buying all their tools to go with it which is not an inexpensive proposition.

436371

[Stan Calow]

I think you can still buy a muffler for the Ridgid that helps. But I also have a couple of small (1.5 gal) Craftsman's that I bought at garage/estate sales that I setup to use a dedicated dust extraction at certain machines. That way I dont have to roll the big ones around and fight with the dust deputy and hoses.

[Randall J Cox]

I'm on my second Fein Turbo II (German I think) and love it. First lasted 13 years and had a ton of use. Relatively quiet, not as pricey as Festool and you can plug in a tool for auto on when sanding, etc. Randy

[Dan Friedrichs]

I bought a Rigid to replace it for general cleanup work at the shop. I also installed a "Cleanstream" filter that works very well.

+1. I have a Festool for sanders and such, but for "General shop cleanup" there's no better value than a 14gal Rigid with a Cleanstream filter.

[Dave Sabo]

Fein is no longer made in Germany.

Festool is a great vacuum, but the prices start at $550 and go up from there. A bit over priced in my view ( and I own 4) especially if you aren't mobile and can't utilize the systainer system. Which is in a state of flux right now because they've changed generations and sizes.

Nilfisk makes really good tool triggered vacuums under their own name and OEM'd for others.

Makita's vac offered a lot of performance and features for the money, but has been discontinued for an entirely different model that hasn't made the rounds yet so.......... If you can find the older style for a cut rate, I'd jump on it.

Karcher's 6 gallon vac a under $200 is a worthy consideration for a general shop vac replacement.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Karcher-6-6-Gal-WD5-P-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-1-348-197-0/300262391


I also recommended it the previous shop vac thread :

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?283532-Fein-turbo-noise-level

[Marc Fenneuff]

I like my 14 gallon Ridgid so much that I bought a second to keep one in the shop full-time. I’ll never buy another Shop-Vac brand, that’s for sure. 2 motors replaced under warranty and then the third started screaming too. The Ridgid is fairly quiet. I do use a little Dust Deputy with mine.

[Terry Therneau]

I really like my Fein Turbo II. It is quiet by design; mostly for my sander, and I don't need earmuffs when it is on. (I have a used cyclone for the big stuff.)

[Curt Harms]

I really like my Fein Turbo II. It is quiet by design; mostly for my sander, and I don't need earmuffs when it is on. (I have a used cyclone for the big stuff.)

Fein Turbo II here as well, I've had it since the mid-late '90s. The foam in my 'bell' top deteriorated, I was able to get acoustic foam off Ebay and reline it. That foam lined enclosure is responsible for a lot of the noise abatement. I ran the vac for a few minutes with the top back in place but without the foam. It wasn't much if any quieter than a commodity shop vac. There was a thread somewhere about Fein motors, I didn't save it, should have. At least some of them use an Ametek motor which is available though not from Fein. Other than the motor there's not a lot to fail on a shop vac.

[Brian W Evans]

+1 on the Fein Turbo II. I love the auto-on for sanding, Domino, etc. I use mine with a dust deputy.

For general shop cleanup I have an old Ridgid that I also use for dust collection (I use that term loosely) on my SCMS. I recently added a CleanStream filter to this and it seems to be doing a good job.

[Jim Becker]

Fein is no longer made in Germany.

Festool is a great vacuum, but ...and can't utilize the systainer system. Which is in a state of flux right now because they've changed generations and sizes.

The current and past Systainers still stack and lock together. You just need to have the older ones on the bottom of the stack when mixed.

[Andy D Jones]

I see several recommendations for the Fein Turbo II.

Is the Turbo I the same unit, just with less dust bin capacity? The specs seem the same otherwise.

I don't need/want the bin capacity of the Turbo II.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Rod Sheridan]

I only have one shop vac, a Festool CT26, I use it for everything, why would I want 2 vacuums and 2 sets of accessories and hoses?

The dust is packed so tightly in the bags it is like lifting a block of concrete when it's time to change bags......Rod.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

My father gave me his old shop vac, it was worthless in terms of suction so I pitched it. I purchased some huge thing from sears, and that thing sucks like crazy; I love it. Loud, but it just keeps working. Suck up dust, no problem. Suck up water, no problem.

Love my old festool 26 model. Works like a champ, but when I have water backup I use the old Craftsman that I bought on sale years ago. Understand that I have more than one vacuum. If my sears dies, i will replace it with something that has a lot of suction and I can beat up and not worry about it. If my festool breaks, that is a different thing entirely. Might just get another festool or fein II, or similar.

[Jim Becker]

I only have one shop vac, a Festool CT26, I use it for everything, why would I want 2 vacuums and 2 sets of accessories and hoses?

The dust is packed so tightly in the bags it is like lifting a block of concrete when it's time to change bags......Rod.

The last sentence is the reason I don't use my CT22 for general cleanup...I prefer not to fill up the bags with dreck since even the knock-offs are not inexpensive. The little Ridgid vac can be emptied into the trash (no bags) and also used for the vehicles, etc.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I only have one shop vac, a Festool CT26, I use it for everything, why would I want 2 vacuums and 2 sets of accessories and hoses?

In my case, I am remodeling my house and the shop vac is my only dust collection for in the garage (TS, CMS, router). It quickly got old carrying a half- or mostly-full vac up and down the stairs to the garage when I needed to use the saws, so I bought a second one.

[Jack Frederick]

I was running on my Festool only after my old Fein quit, but when I looked at replacement cost on the FT I quickly decided that a Ridgid purchase was in order. I use it for all the rough work and keep the FT for my track saw and sanders. The Ridgid is loud. the only way I can quiet it down is to turn on the air compressor. The FT vac has been great for 10 or 12 years now.

[Rod Sheridan]

The last sentence is the reason I don't use my CT22 for general cleanup...I prefer not to fill up the bags with dreck since even the knock-offs are not inexpensive. The little Ridgid vac can be emptied into the trash (no bags) and also used for the vehicles, etc.

That's why I would never use a vacuum without a bag Jim, no point trying to limit your exposure to the really dangerous fine dust and then expose yourself while emptying it.....Regards, Rod.

[Jim Becker]

the ridgid is loud. The only way i can quiet it down is to turn on the air compressor.

roflol!!!! :d :d

[glenn bradley]

No noise solution here, I wear hearing protection anyway ;-) Two Ridgid (so called) 6.5HP vacs. These are the models where the top comes off as a supposed yard blower. I put the tops on small Clean Stream filter boxes to reduce the footprint. I use Dust Deputy separators. The answer as to why two vacs is that they are stationary on either side of the shop with hose/reels to reach anywhere I need to go.

[Bernie Kopfer]

I have both a Fein I and II The II is in a cabinet and dedicated to the miter saw. The I has a small dust deputy with a 3gal plastic bucket strapped to the top and I never have to change the bag. The I is my shop vac, does everything from floor cleaning and sanding and everything in-between. Plenty quiet and powerful enough and much less expensive than the Festool.

[Randall J Cox]

From someone with very screwed up hearing, please take noise into consideration and either buy a relatively quiet vac or use hearing protection or both. I'm 73 and have had hearing aids for over 34 years, do the math. And every time I visit VA for another hearing test, I'm worse. They are at the limit for what they can do for me with hearing aids. Bottom line, don't lose your hearing!! Randy

[phil harold]

Oh the festool router and vac combination is awesome
I routed out 3/8"x 3"x 36" channel in MDF in a client's kitchen
cleanest routing of MDF in my life pretty much dustless


Steve,
In the attached picture on the floor is all the shavings that the festool dust extractor didn't collect after making finger joints on a 12" wide pine box. 8 edges of the 4 boards worked (8 linear feet) and that is all it didn't collect using their router and the attachment that come with the router.

Fair warning: If you buy their extractor you will be soon buying all their tools to go with it which is not an inexpensive proposition.

436371

[Dave Sabo]

I see several recommendations for the Fein Turbo II.

Is the Turbo I the same unit, just with less dust bin capacity? The specs seem the same otherwise.

I don't need/want the bin capacity of the Turbo II.

-- Andy - Arlington TX


Careful now. Many (most) of these recs are for the older, "made in Germany" models that look like R2D2. Not the current Eastern European made box vacs. And , yes, the turbines are the same, only the capacity changes for the most part. There are some additional accessory changes and perhaps a feature added on the higher models too.

[Dave Sabo]

https://sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/quote_icon.png Originally Posted by Dave Sabo https://sawmillcreek.org/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=3035521#post3035521)
Fein is no longer made in Germany.

Festool is a great vacuum, but ...and can't utilize the systainer system. Which is in a state of flux right now because they've changed generations and sizes.






The current and past Systainers still stack and lock together. You just need to have the older ones on the bottom of the stack when mixed.


In your haste, you HAVE MIS-QUOTED me ! I never said or inferred that they were incompatible !

This is the accurate quote:

A bit over priced in my view ( and I own 4) especially if you aren't mobile and can't utilize the systainer system.


And I stand by the observation. Part of the added expense is wasted if you aren't going to take your CT mobile and use the systainer stacking features of their tops. many vacs suck, are quiet, have tool triggers, and are well built. Very few have the ability to lock systainers onto their tops.

[Derek Cohen]

I have had a few, including the Fein, which was a good vac but a bit noisier than the Festool and, being round, was less convenient to store.

I have had the Festool CT26E for about 5 years now. Nil issues to date (touch wood!). The quietest vac I have tried, and good suction and features. It is used with the equivalent of the Dust Deputy, this being a Dust Commander, which is anti-static ...

https://i.postimg.cc/TP8mgZzX/M1.jpg

Or, without the DC ...

https://i.postimg.cc/J4YgTtJx/Finishing-The-Drawers-html-39efb6ed.jpg
I use a variety of hoses for different routers and sanders. You will want anti-static hoses. Generally the Mirka hoses fit and are much cheaper than Festool.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Becker]

In your haste, you HAVE MIS-QUOTED me ! I never said or inferred that they were incompatible !

This is the accurate quote:



And I stand by the observation. Part of the added expense is wasted if you aren't going to take your CT mobile and use the systainer stacking features of their tops. many vacs suck, are quiet, have tool triggers, and are well built. Very few have the ability to lock systainers onto their tops.

While I was responding to what I exactly quoted from your post with a few words redacted as noted with the ellipses and it wasn't a hasty response, I apologize if I misunderstood your statement. I don't necessarily agree that CT full utilization isn't there if one isn't stacking...I never have something stacked on mine other than some abrasive discs. The compact form factor works really well in the shop even when the unit is stationary. But this is certainly a subjective thing.

[Pete Taran]

Derek,

That is how I roll. I use a similar set up for collecting the chips on my cnc carving machine. The bag in the vacuum has virtually no dust in it. The model I use is attached, made by Oneida Air Systems. It is the same form factor as their standard systainer and even has the facility to equalize the pressure so you can line it with a bag for easy chip disposal, It's a great setup. I use mine with the 36mm hose which is a perfect fit on the cyclone and the dust shoe of my CNC. That 26 is dedicated to the CNC, I have another which rolls around for general shop cleanup. It's a fantastic vacuum.

436496

[Derek Cohen]

Pete, I eyed the Oneida set up and would have loved to get it. However, the cost in Oz was too great to rationalise. It does look nicer than mine! :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Andy D Jones]

Careful now. Many (most) of these recs are for the older, "made in Germany" models that look like R2D2. Not the current Eastern European made box vacs. And , yes, the turbines are the same, only the capacity changes for the most part. There are some additional accessory changes and perhaps a feature added on the higher models too.

Thanks for the info. I was aware that the newer squarish models were different than the older, more cylindrical models, but not about the made in Germany vs Eastern Europe difference. Since the Iron Curtain fell, I'd rather my money go there than to China. I'd rather it stay here in the USA, but that isn't always practical.

I've read elsewhere they are made in either Romania or the Chech Republic. I know at least the latter makes some very fine firearms.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Phil Gaudio]

I am on my 4th Fein, with 3 in use (loaned one out and it got trashed: lesson learned). To me, the noise reduction of the Fein is worth the price of admission.