Vacuum--what to do?

[Matt Meiser]

I AM THINKING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO UPGRADE TO A QUIETER VACUUM.

-- SORRY! There, I shut if off --

I currently own three vacuums. The first is a large Ridgid that I bought about 5 years ago. Works great, but it is really loud. The second is a small Shop-Vac that is dedicated to the overarm guard on my table saw and is quieter, probably because it is small, hidden under my outfeed table, and is only running when I'm running the table saw and dust collection. The third is another Ridgid we bought last summer that sits in a wall-mounted carrier in the garage for cleaning the cars and household cleanup. The large Ridgid is used for dust collection on my sanders, my circular saw, and my biscuit joiner. All are Porter-Cable, with the exception of a Ridgid sander. I probably won't be replacing any of these tools in the forseeable future, except maybe my 5" ROS. For all of these tasks, I generally end up wearing hearing protection due to the noise of the tool combined with the vac. I'll occasionally use the big Ridgid for for general shop cleanup but usually for vacuuming the shop floor and tools, I use a 4" hose on my DC system since 99% of the mess is sawdust. I already added one of those mufflers to my current vac which didn't seem to do anything to help. I'm torn between options:


Do nothing--keep wearing hearing protection ($0)
Someday get one of the larger Festools or larger Feins, but probably not for a long time ($350-$450)
Upgrade to a large "Super Quiet" Shop-Vac like this one (http://www.shopvac.com/web/products/detail.asp?ID=155&HdnSource=index&StoreID=) and get rid of my current large Ridgid. ($100)
Add a 4th vac dedicated to tool use. Options include the Fein Mini-Turbo or a Shop Vac like this one (http://www.shopvac.com/web/products/detail.asp?ID=151&HdnSource=index&StoreID=). Keep the Ridgid for big messes, or maybe just get rid of it and use the one from the garage if I need it. ($50 for a Shop-Vac or $140 for a Fein)



I'm wondering if the small vacs have enough suction to do a good job, especially with the circular saw. I like the idea of sticking with Shop-Vac for ease of finding consumables. I also like the added features of the newer style vacs like the Festool and larger style Feins like the onboard auto tool switch, but that isn't a deal breaker since I already have an offboard auto switch. These things are very hard to compare since even manufactuer performance claims aren't readily available for most models and aren't necessarily comparable to other brands even if they are. Help!

[Dan Forman]

Matt--- I have a one year old Rigid 16 gal shop vac, and the Festool 33. I got curious about noise comparison, so went down to compare them. I couldn't tell much difference, they both seem about equally loud, I wouldn't use either without hearing protection. I would be surprised if the "super quiet" vac were all that much quieter, especially with a tool going at the same time. Since they are readily available at retail stores, I'd check it out before plunking down the cash. Keep in mind it won't sound as loud in a big store as it will in your shop. Don't forget to keep us informed if you do try one. Inquiring minds want to know. :D

As one who wears hearing already, I use hearing protection with just about any power tool. It's the high pitched sounds that do the most damage.

Dan

[Michael Ballent]

I have a Fein Turbo II (just decided to bite the bullet from the beginning) and it is pretty quite... The old style Fein Mini's are being closed out.. so there may be some bargains still availble. I know my dad jumped on one. The current mini has the auto start feature I believe. Still use hearing protection though... The Festools are supposed to be really nice, but I have not had a chance to use one yet. Maybe when the Fein goes belly up I will look at the Festool. Let us know what you are ending up with :)

[Matt Warfield]

Matt,

I have two vacs - a monster craftsman(not sure about capacity) and an 8gal Shop-vac QSP model. The QSP is quieter by about 4-5 decibels. But, considering it moves about 1/3 of the air volume, I'd also say less efficient. One thing I have done with one when it was dedicated was to build a baffle box with the vac mounted inside. It was a pain for me as the QSP had a cloth filter that quickly clogged but it did significantly reduce the volume to where you could hear a conversation. Matt

[Mike Cutler]

Matt. I have the Fein Turbo II, which is/was on sale at Woodcraft according to the flyer I got in the mail. And I have a big Rigid Vac.
There is no comparison. The Fein is a better vacuum, and it is much, much quieter. We even use it in the house. It's better than the house Central Vac unit.
It still makes noise, don't be mislead by my statement. It just doesn't have that ear splitting, feel it in your teeth high frequency noise that the Rigid does. Maybe it's a different frequency noise, and it's not as irratating.
I've never seen the Festool, but I hear it's a very nice vac also.

[Paul Canaris]

I own the large shop vac metal canister model. I can use it safely and comfortably without hearing protection; something I could not have done with my old sears.

[Jack Wood]

Noise is definitely a consideration but the major thing I am going to check into next time I buy a vacuum is, CAN IT ROLL OVER IT"S OWN CORD WITHOUT FALLING OVER!?:mad: I have a shop vac that is a big pain in the neck because when you turn around and try to pull it back over the power cord, wham over it goes. So that is something you might also want to consider:rolleyes:

[Luther Oswalt]

Noise is definitely a consideration but the major thing I am going to check into next time I buy a vacuum is, CAN IT ROLL OVER IT"S OWN CORD WITHOUT FALLING OVER!?:mad: I have a shop vac that is a big pain in the neck because when you turn around and try to pull it back over the power cord, wham over it goes. So that is something you might also want to consider:rolleyes:

I sure do agree with you about the wheels under these things.:mad: I ended up mounting my vac to a furniture movers dolley. It's not the answer but it is one heck of an improvement.
Leo

[Tyler Howell]

No matter what you do, keep wearing hearing protection!!! A lot of information out there on hearing lost from continuous elevated levels. Even if only slight.
I have the Fein, Festool and a 30 yr old Cman screamer. They all get the ear muffs. All though the firt two are much more pleasing to use. Got to admit the Cman is the first I go to for chunks of plaster, nuts and bolts etc. I just don't want that stuff rattling around inside the first two;) .
The only Shop-Vac I ever owned was a real disappointment.

[Byron Trantham]

Noise is definitely a consideration but the major thing I am going to check into next time I buy a vacuum is, CAN IT ROLL OVER IT"S OWN CORD WITHOUT FALLING OVER!?:mad: I have a shop vac that is a big pain in the neck because when you turn around and try to pull it back over the power cord, wham over it goes. So that is something you might also want to consider:rolleyes:

I owned a Cman screamer. My biggest complaint was it tipped over -all the time! I bought the Festool; man what a difference. It much quieter than the Cman and I can roll it over a curb and it doesn't fall over. The auto switch is a nice feature that I use all the time. I bought a 15' extension cord for those tools whose power cord is too short. Another issue is cleaning. You needed a HazMat suit to clean the Cman; dust would fly all over. I actually stopped cleaning it in the shop. I would drag it outside for cleaning. The
Festool uses disposable, sealable bags. Remove, plug the hole and toss. Wasn't cheap but it handles many issues I didn't even think of when I bought it.

[Ray Bersch]

I vote for the "wear hearing protection at all times" suggestion. I have the screamer shop vacs for cleaning and a small Jet DC with the canister top (it is indeed quieter). I use that as the primary sucker - I attach to each machine in the garage shop as needed - and it is the only machine in my shop that I start without the ear muffs on (Peltor) - before any other machine is started (except the small sanders) I put on the hearing protection (along with a full face shield.)

I am trying to keep what hearing I have - the hearing loss started many years ago - in boot camp to be exact - but the abuse over the years has taken its toll so at nearly 62 I am having a bunch of trouble hearing the average spoken word ('course, the wife says its from the thickness of the material enclosing the auditory mechanisms - but what does she know.)

Once the process is a habit it will feel strange to start a machine without the pressure around the ears - and that is a good thing.
Ray

[Matt Meiser]

I should add, because I think I caused confusion, that I also have a complete dust collection system. I find that it doesn't work well for my handheld power tools however because of the very small connections on those machines.

It sounds like I should just plan to someday upgrade to a Festool or Fein Turbo II, but stick with what I've got for now.