Fein Turbo vs. Ridgid w/ SNR

[Phil Thien]

I've been thinking about a quieter shop vac. I use the vac a lot because I have a lot of tools w/ 2.25" and smaller ports, and not a lot of room for a dust collector. My current 12-gallon Shop-Vac (real Shop-Vac) is "okay." But I was at the Woodworking show a couple of weeks ago and the Fein booth had a Turbo III running and it seemed extremely quiet.

Now, I know the show is a noisy place to compare vac noise. But if my Shop-Vac was running with me standing next to it, I would have had no problem hearing it. But I didn't even realize the Fein was running until I put my hand over the hose. That's pretty quiet.

I was doing a little research and Home Depot sells Ridgid units with SNR (Scroll Noise Reduction). They don't go into great length about it, but the web site has five reviews of the WD1450 and all of them mention how quiet it is. Several said you can carry on a normal conversation with it running, or listen to the radio. I can't do this w/ my Shop-Vac running.

So I do a little googling and found someone that was complaining that the replacement filter for his Fein was going to cost $50, so he bought a Ridgid and found it to be quieter than the Fein. WOW! He didn't say which Fein he had, so maybe it was the Turbo I, which is a little noisier than the II, III, and IV (I was thinking along the lines of a III).

He also mentioned that is sucks a little more. Which is a good thing in this case.

So has anyone here made direct comparisons between a Fein and one of the newer Ridgids?

[Mark Rakestraw]

I have a mini-Fein and the Rigid SNR "Professional" model (I think it's the 12 gallon). The Rigid is every bit as quiet as the Fein and much more powerful. I doubt the same is true for the generic Rigids. Great bang for the buck.
Mark

[Chris Barton]

I have the top of the line Ridgid SNR and the bucket will hold 16 gal and it is very quiet. If you choose this vac also go with the disposible bags. They provide much better performance than no bags and just the filter in place.

[Jeff Caskie]

I was going thru the same decision last week during the woodcraft sale. I was almost ready to spring for the Fein... but had a nagging thought to save some money and get a ridgid. A few things kept me from pulling the trigger on the Fein: The 15% would not apply to it.. so I would have to go the Amazon route for any real savings (Amazon sale had ended for the time being). The sale was like black friday.. and I had other things to worry about at the time. I did not know which of the 6-7 ridgid models were people recommending. Then there is always the Festool.. which has some features that the fein does not. I would hate to buy the expensive Fein only to upgrade to the Festool at a later date. Lastly, I was also considering the cheap HF knockoff here (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93375).

Well, I sprung for the cheapo HF knockoff. I figured if I didn't like it.. I could return it the next day and continue my search. After plugging it in last night.. I kinda like it.. and I don't plan on returning it. Here is my mini review I just posted on BT3:

"Well... I ended up picking up the HF model. I figured for $49 (after coupon), it was cheap enough that I could use it around the basement even if I later spring for the Fein... or maybe someday the Festool. I have to say, I am actually impressed so far. I have never heard the big boys run.. but when I turned this on, it was noticeably quieter than my crapsman and even my hoover vacuum. It also comes with a generous 10' hose among other attachments and it seems to have pretty good suction. The only downside I see so far.. is that the 1000watt auxiliary port is 1/2 that of the Fein and only useable for smaller hand tools. I will pick up an external adapter to allow me to use this with my 15A circ saw. I will also compare the filter againt the competitors to see if I can replace it with a .1 micron or HEPA.

I have never read on these boards anybody recommending this model. I believe it is a pretty new offering from HF and I may be the first one here to try it. I picked up a 1yr warranty ($11) just in case the motor gives up the ghost."

Now I can use this for the time being and be content. If I decide to upgrade later.. I will have a better idea of what I am looking for. I know this doesn't answer your original question.. but I thought I would let you know there is a third option out there.

Jeff

[Jack Ganssle]

I bought the Rigid recently (12 gallong with SNR) and the first thing my wife said was "it's so quiet!" It was around $100.

Jack

[Phil Thien]

I guess I'll try one, I can always take it back. Noise level comparisons are tough w/o a SPL meter, I guess. And the environment (carpeted floor vs. tiled floor, panelled wall vs. drywall wall, etc), will make a difference, too.

A consumer reports dot come article I found said that the Ridgids had the best suction of all tested. They didn't measure noise levels and complained about all of them in this regard. But the suction of the Ridgid was better (significantly) than the Shop-Vac. If the noise is close to the Fein, I'll be in heaven.

[Mike Holbrook]

Here is what I bought:
http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/product_detail.html?sid=eccc3525445d8c10c37f4e5bd0 2532e2&pid=583366

Yea, it is expensive but I think; it is a couple notches above anything else out there, will save me money long term and significantly reduces risk to my health. First of all it is part of a system, that is it plugs into Festool or other power tools, turning itself on and off. There is an assortment of great attachments like an over head boom to hold the power and suction out of the way.... I would have to write a novel to explain all the features I have come to love about this dust collection system. Just ask anyone that has one, there are many SMC members who do. It is very hard to figure out how you ever lived without it once you try one out.

The major problem with this dust collection system is many "users" end up Festool junkies. There is a SMC support group for those afflicted, however.

[John Hain]

I recently talked to Bill Pentz about my new PC vacuum. He recommended any vacs that will be used for sanding/etc to be of the following specs: Air Volume Cu. Ft./Min > 100 and Vacuum Water Lift/In > 90 if I'm not mistaken.

Hopefully, Bill will see this thread and chime in. Just something to think about for the good of your lungs..........

[Paul Johnstone]

I have one of the Rigid Shop vacs with noise reduction, and I must say it is very impressive. I didn't use my old shop vac because it was so loud.

I did buy one of the clearstream (?) Hepa filters for it. That was about $30. I also did the trick someone suggested about putting a leg of pantyhose around it (get the biggest Queen 2 size).. It ripped a little while sliding it on the filter, but it will probably help prolong the filter life and it was only about $1.

Now, I haven't used it for tool dust collection yet, so I can't comment on that. But it's great for cleanup.

[Chuck Hayes]

I have looked on the HD web site and couldn't find a vac with SNR nor the disposable bags that Chris speaks of. Are these available from Home Depot? I am looking to replace my ear percing craftsman and this sounds like the ticket.

Thanks
Chuck

[Bruce Page]

Ain’t competition great! A noobie woodworker friend was recently asking me about quiet shop vacuums and I strongly endorsed the Fein based on my turbo III (love it). I’m going to have to tell him to check out the Ridgid SNR.
I think if Fein hadn’t come out with their quiet line of vacs, the SNR wouldn’t exsit.

[Paul Johnstone]

Chuck, I just went to Home Depot, and the box said "Noise reducing technology" on the side. My old one died, so the Noise reducing wasn't my primary motive to purchase.. In fact, when I saw that, I just laughed and said "Yeah, right".. But it's quiet impressive. I don't know if it's as quiet as a high end vac like Fein, but it's definitely more quiet than your normal shop vac. I wouldn't operate my old one without hearing protection. In fact, it was so loud, that I usually just used a broom.

[Randal Stevenson]

I was going thru the same decision last week during the woodcraft sale. I was almost ready to spring for the Fein... but had a nagging thought to save some money and get a ridgid. A few things kept me from pulling the trigger on the Fein: The 15% would not apply to it.. so I would have to go the Amazon route for any real savings (Amazon sale had ended for the time being). The sale was like black friday.. and I had other things to worry about at the time. I did not know which of the 6-7 ridgid models were people recommending. Then there is always the Festool.. which has some features that the fein does not. I would hate to buy the expensive Fein only to upgrade to the Festool at a later date. Lastly, I was also considering the cheap HF knockoff here (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93375).


Jeff

I bought the Fein at my local Woodcraft, (last one of the Turbo II) and DID get the discount. Now I am looking at the Dust Deputy verses the Clearvue, verses the time to build my own. (probable upcoming drywall projects).
Thanks to this forum I found out about Lowe's having the cheaper price on the Hepa filter for it, and the other brand bags that fit. Now my dad is envious (old Craftsman Screamer), so I would be interested in both the Ridgid (models please) and the HF (he doesn't trust the switches to run long enough).

Thanks

[Jeff Caskie]

I bought the Fein at my local Woodcraft, (last one of the Turbo II) and DID get the discount.

For me, they would give 10%, but not the 15% ealybird. Powertools were excluded.. which meant anything with a cord.

[Phil Thien]

Well, I picked one up today. The WD1450, which is the 14-gallon w/ SNR (the "Scroll Noise Reeduction"). Initial impression was that it was a little quieter than my "real" Shop-Vac (which is supposed to be a quiet model). I was expecting it to be quieter. But an important consideration, I think, is that the pitch is lower. My real Shop-Vac had a pretty high-pitch whine to it. The Ridgid is a substantially lower frequency.

I was thinking it wasn't enough to warrant spending $100, but then I thought I better check to see which sucks more. Remember my Cheerio test? That's right, I got out some Cheerios.

It is evident that the Ridgid is sucking more air and harder, too. The Shop-Vac was good for about 2" of pull, the Ridgid is pulling 3"+.

Also, in holding my hand over the inlets of both units, and using a block of wood to try to ascertain sucking and amount of air that was moving, it was clear the Ridgid was pulling substantially harder.

Which brings up another interesting observation. When I was at the WW show observing the Fein Turbo III, I did feel like it wasn't sucking as much as my Shop-Vac. This was just an observation (I didn't have any Cheerios with me :). But I would have put its suction at a little less than the Shop-Vac.

I know I won't be happy until I visit my local Woodcraft store and put a Turbo III to the test. I'm going to have them put it on the floor, against a wall (close to a wall amplifies sound and that is the way I have my current vac situated). I will try to gauge its sound level and maybe even bring a few Cheerios along to gauge its pull, too.

In the mean time, I noticed that running the Ridgid a minute for testing completely emptied my router table down-draft box of all chips. There were always some in the corners that my Shop-Vac missed. The Ridgid got those.

All in all, pretty nice unit.

Oh, and I did put a bag in the unit. I will get the HEPA filter when I have a chance, too. It ads up fast. $100 for vac. They wanted $20 for two bags (the Shop-Vac bags fit fine and they are cheaper). $30 for HEPA filter. Pretty soon you're half the price of a Turbo III.

[Paul Johnstone]

One thing to keep in mind.. The Fein and Festool are primarily designed to be dust collectors for tools. I saw a Festool demo, where the guy cranked the festool vac up to full power and connected it to a sander. It was too much suction. The sanding pad was sticking to the wood and moving the block of wood isntead of sanding.

I've got a Rigid for shop cleanup. Eventually I'll get one of those high end Fein or Festool for tool dust collection.

The point is, maybe for tool dust collection you don't necessarily want the max suction possible. It seems like that is true at least in some cases (random orbital sander).

[Phil Thien]

The point is, maybe for tool dust collection you don't necessarily want the max suction possible. It seems like that is true at least in some cases (random orbital sander).

Good point.

I have actually made a small duct system using 3" flex hose, wye's, and blast gates. I can adjust the amount of suction to any tool by opening another tool's blast gate. However, I've never had a need to "dial it down." The 1" hose for my PC ROS seems to restrict air flow enough that it just hasn't been a problem.

[Tri Hoang]

I've been saving for the Fein but after reading this thread I went down to HD and picked up the WD1450 to replace my aging 6G scream vac. It's certainly a bit more quiet than my old one, probably due to lower sound freq. Suction is very good.

[brian j waloweek]

just bought a rigid wd 1450,love it, slightly better than our shop vac.

[Ellen Benkin]

I bought the Fein solely based on how quiet it was. My neighbors actually thanked me. I use bags and the filter. The bags can get expensive but they protect the filter. I wish Ridgid had a competing model at the time I bought mine, but I don't think it will ever die so I guess I've got it for life. One thing to compare on the two is how well the attachments work. My biggest complaint with the Fein is that the attachments tend to fall off while I'm cleaning up, and they are awkward to store.

[Dave Lewis]

I bought a Turbo III about 3 yrs. ago when our house was built. During the last stages of construction (no auto-start though), I left the vacuum on-site; the builders loved it.

We now use it as our primary vacuum (no carpets - all hardwood floors). Just install generic bags (i.e. 5-8 gal. bags). The long hose (3 M) and kit were convenient; although it's not offered anymore.

I'd get a Fein product or a Bosch vacuum. (I also have a Fein 3HP router - very pleased).