Shop Vacuum Advise

[Stan Thigpen]

I wish to replace my old shop vacuum because although it has given me many years (25+) of good service, it as loud as a B-52 at takeoff!! My observation is that Fein is one of the quietest machines around and seems to really suck. The down side is that it is fairly pricey. Do any of you folks have any alternate suggestions of a brand which will have good suction, relatively quiet operation and be significantly less expensive that I might wish to consider? Thanks

[Gilbert Vega]

Stan
I just bought the Fein mini turbo vac off ebay for $130. Haven't used it much, but I can comment on how extremely quiet it is plus the specs on it are great. Becasue of an error in their ad, I actually got the 5 micron plus the 1 micron filters for that price.

[Dennis Peacock]

Stan,

The FEIN and the FESTOOL Vac's are TOPS in my book for an excellent shop vac type machine. They are quiet, effecient and do very good at what they are designed for. However, I couldn't see spending $500 on a shop vac when I could get a "Shop-Vac" vac from the local big box store for around $80. I purchased the Shop-Vac "Quiet Vac" and have been very well pleased with it. I also still have my old Shop Vac that you can here from 10 miles away.....but the Quiet Vac is quiet enough to where you can at least talk normally to someone while only being 4 feet from the vac.

The other piece that the FEIN and FESTOOL vac's give you is the ability to run your sander or power tool of choice from a plug on the front of the vac and when the tool is turned on, the vac comes on while the tool is running.

I also have a belief that you get what you pay for.......Buy the very best you can muster up to pay and buy with what you have....or wait until you can afford a really nice vac.

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

I have the shopvac QSP model with automatic on/off control with the outlet for a power tool. It is much quiter then the non qsp models. Just stop in at the big box store and ask them to power up one for you.

No sanding dust can make it thru the machine with drywall filter bags, and a cartidge filter - .5 micron rating. Cleanup is easy, just pull out the old bag and put in a new bag. Not a huge dusty mess I was used to.

The deal I got included filters, and lots of attachments (hard floor/soft floor, crevice, equipment couplings), and ran less then $200.

It's not as quiet as a fein, it is much less expensive (the filters/bags are attachments MUCH cheaper) and does a very good job of sanding dust collection, and cleaning the shop. It's made in the USA. It is not a substitue for a chip collection. The vac runs about 5 seconds to clear th hose after shutting off the sander.

Here's a link the model I've got: Notice the electrical outlet for your tools:

http://www.contractorstools.com/shopvac.html

It's the second item down with the PC sander connected to it.

I've never regretting buying it, and it's just a little quieter as the sander that I run on it.

[Dan Stuewe]

I've seen vacs marketed to drywallers or even industrial grade some of which have the auto-on feature (Porter Cable, Bosch, Hitachi...), but I don't hear about them when shop vac questions come up. Is there a good reason for this (noise, can't handle the big stuff ...)? or are the Euro vacs simply in a class by themselves (either spend the $$ for them or buy 3 F-15 wanabes)?

Thanks,

[Bob Lasley]

Stan,

After having used Shop Vacs, et al, all these years, I bit the bullet last winter and bought the Fein Turbo II. One of the best investments I ever made! I use it alot more than I ever did the others because it is so much quieter. Before that, I found I would rather breathe the dust than work with a jet engine roaring in the shop. To sum it up, pricey, but worth every penny!

Bob

[Jim DeLaney]

I have the Fein Turbo II. It's so quiet that when using it with my P-C 333 sander, all you can hear is the sander. I've actually turned the sander off a couple times to make sure the vac is really running.

btw, the vac runs for maybe five seconds after you turn a tool off, so it can clear the hose. This is also a very good feature.

I think I paid $239.00 for the Fein at last year's Ontario (CA) show.

[John Miliunas]

Kind of hard to replace the suckability of my guzillion HP Craftsman, but oh the noise! Broke down a few months ago and picked up the Fein Mini-Turbo, which I thought I'd use exclusively for sanding. NOT! Great for lots of small shop jobs. This one doesn't have the power or capacity of the larger Feins, but it does a wonderful job with sanding (via the Festool 125 ROS). Bob Marino also clued me in on another neat add-on from Sears. They have an auto-start plugin module, which in effect, does the same thing the fancier vacs do, that being, plug in the vac and the power tool into the module. Power on the tool and the vac kicks in. It also stays running for a few seconds after the tool is powered down. I also found that the rubber reducing adapters that our Woodcraft stocks by the Fein vacs works great with the port attachment on my Festool without having to spend the 40 or so bucks on the special hose. I'm really happy with my little Fein, though I understand the Festool line is, at least, as good! Like others have said, a bit pricey, but worth it! :cool:

[Gene Collison]

I have the Fein Turbo II. It's so quiet that when using it with my P-C 333 sander, all you can hear is the sander. I've actually turned the sander off a couple times to make sure the vac is really running.

btw, the vac runs for maybe five seconds after you turn a tool off, so it can clear the hose. This is also a very good feature.

I think I paid $239.00 for the Fein at last year's Ontario (CA) show.

I've had a Fein Turbo II for a few years now. Excellent product with just one miner gripe. Hold onto your hat when you get consumables!! Totally out of sight. My cloth bag lasted about a day after the warranty was up and it cost $45.00. With a little enginuity, I bought a 2 stage one micron filter for a Ridgid for about $15.00 and converted it to Ridgid washable filters. The Fein equivalent is $32. plus an adapter that is required plus you can't use the filter by itself, it requires that you use bags at $7.00 a copy. IF the quiet shop vac was around at the time I bought, I would sure have done some research on it.

Gene

[Jim DeLaney]

... I bought a 2 stage one micron filter for a Ridgid for about $15.00 and converted it to Ridgid washable filters. The Fein equivalent is $32. plus an adapter that is required plus you can't use the filter by itself, it requires that you use bags at $7.00 a copy. IF the quiet shop vac was around at the time I bought, I would sure have done some research on it.

Gene

I use the Cleanstream® Gore-Tex® filter intended for the Sears vac on mine. The 'red stripe' model fits the Fein exactly. It's a slip on fit over the Fein's center frame. A bit pricier than yours, at $34.95 (Rocklers), but it's a much better filter, too.

[David Rose]

I have a Fein III. The downside for me was realizing that the output is spread around the underside of the top. I was going to build the Bill Hylton Router tracing tool that required air pressure to float the platform. No go! Guess you can't have it all. That is the only complaint I've got with it. If I was shopping again I would take that into account.

I need to find a replacement for those $7 bags. It is great with those and the "few" micron filter for what they take/keep out of the air.

David

[Mark Rakestraw]

I have the Fein mini-turbo and use the generic bags from the borg. (shop vac?) They fit fine and only cost a couple bucks a piece.
Mark


I have a Fein III. The downside for me was realizing that the output is spread around the underside of the top. I was going to build the Bill Hylton Router tracing tool that required air pressure to float the platform. No go! Guess you can't have it all. That is the only complaint I've got with it. If I was shopping again I would take that into account.

I need to find a replacement for those $7 bags. It is great with those and the "few" micron filter for what they take/keep out of the air.

David

[Kevin Beck]

I bought the Fein Turbo II several months ago. The Fein is really nice and extremely quiet. The only problem I've had with mine is keeping it away from my wife who has used it in the house more than I have used it in the shop.

I would buy another without hesitation (and may have to if the wife keeps using mine).

Kevin

[David Rose]

Thanks Mark. I checked with Woodcraft last week. The Turbo III and II use different bags. If you hear about anything fitting the III, please let me know!

David


I have the Fein mini-turbo and use the generic bags from the borg. (shop vac?) They fit fine and only cost a couple bucks a piece.
Mark

[Paul Kunkel]

Do any of you folks have any alternate suggestions of a brand which will have good suction, relatively quiet operation and be significantly less expensive that I might wish to consider? ThanksI've got 2 of these $100 -16 gal, 6.5 hp! vacs and 1 just quit 'cause I had to run it all day with only a stop for lunch. New motor and switch replaced under warrantee. 3 times as quiet as the 12 year old Craftsman(still runs, but!) and I don't hear it because I wear muffs if I'm sanding anyway. With a Cleanstream filter in each, I breathe clean air, too.

[Phil Phelps]

He bought a Wap vac a few months ago. Extremely quiet. I'll rattle his cage and ask him to post the particulars on it.

[Ed Falis]

He bought a Wap vac a few months ago. Extremely quiet. I'll rattle his cage and ask him to post the particulars on it.

We've got a Wap SQ-10 inherited from my wife's contracting days - must be about 5 years old. Very quiet and good suck.

- Ed

[Christian Aufreiter]

I've seen vacs marketed to drywallers or even industrial grade some of which have the auto-on feature (Porter Cable, Bosch, Hitachi...), but I don't hear about them when shop vac questions come up. Is there a good reason for this (noise, can't handle the big stuff ...)? or are the Euro vacs simply in a class by themselves (either spend the $$ for them or buy 3 F-15 wanabes)?

Thanks,

I'm not sure but as far as I know most power tool manufactories buy vacs (or develop them in cooperation with "vac companies"), for example from Wap or Kränzle.
Here a few pics:

Bosch:
http://www.bosch-pt.de/intershoproot/eCS/Store/de/advasta/media/cl1pt2_132658_gas50.jpg

Metabo (looks like the Bosch but has varialbe suction):
http://www.metabo.de/media_metabo/generate/produkte/normal/0203300s_51.jpg

Alto:
http://www.werkzeugmesse.de/images/hersteller/wap/attix3_gr.gif

Protool:
http://www.protool.de/protool/image/vcp260e_l.jpg

Kränzle:
http://www.kraenzle.com/images/ventos35.jpg

Festool:
http://212.172.181.83/festool.de/cat_mediando/images/products/cat_ct33e_p3f_1.jpg

Regards,

Christian

[Stan Thigpen]

Paul, what brand/model vacuum do you have?

[Bill Esposito]

Hi Folks,

I had to use up a gift certificate for Woodworkers Warehouse and the only thing of value that store had left that I could use was a Fein Mini Vac.

So I see lots of talk here about filters but I havent seen a reference to a cheaper replacement for the mini...is there one?

I have a bunch of the Shopvac bags which are fit over the pleated filter...will these provide enough protection for the pleated filter or do I need to find a replacement for the filter bag?

I plan to use the filter bag with my sander etc but was hoping to use something else for general shop cleanup.
Thanks.

[Jamie Buxton]

There is a bit of a decision to make, depending on what kind of work you do. A smaller diameter hose is lighter and more flexible, and works better if you're going to hook it directly to tools like sanders or routers. However, the smaller diameter hose may choke on stuff like construction debris -- insulation, sheetrock, or the like. Vacs like the Fein (which I use in my shop) are a little wimpy if you're doing remodeling. For that, a vac with a larger diameter hose works better.

If you are going to hook the vac to your sanders (which I highly recommend), the auto-on feature is very nice. This is a feature which automatically turns on the vac when you turn on the sander.

[Mike Kelly]

I have an old ShopSmith 30 gallon metal drum shopvac that is still going strong. They do not sell them anymore, but it was more expensive than the Fein if I remember correctly. It is quiet and has the cloth dust filter which nothing gets through. I have used it for sheet rock and it just quits sucking when it gets clogged.

I think the QSP ShopVacs are similar. You might check out the WW Granger site and look for the Dayton brand also. They are pricey for the higher horse power and larger can size. I have been lusting for a Fein for a couple of years now, but just can't justify it yet since what I have works good.

[Tyler Howell]

I had to chime in about my 27 very old Craftsman wet and dry. It was called to active duty yesterday when an unusual winter thaw and rainfall left about 20 gallons of water in my basement. (No wood supplies or tools were affected). First time that’s happened in the 15 years I’ve been in this house. The Wet and Dry was loud but tackled the task far faster than the new, quiet, 3x$$$ Shop-Vac I bought a couple of years ago to replace it.
This sad looking 10 gallon wonder is on its second electrical plug, been glued, duct taped, new casters and is now bungeed together because the locking clamps broke off years ago. Don’t get me wrong I’m not a Craftsman fan, but it is where many of us started and all I knew until I started reading these WW forums.

There are many pearls in the old, cheap, oysters. ;)