A while back I pickep up a cheap Sears shop vac (model 17922) as a stop gap when my old vac died. The plan was to relegate it to basement duty once I bought a real vac for the workshop. Thanks to the Festool 20% off sale, that dream is now a reality.

The Sears unit will be used to clean up general basement mess, especially cat litter that escapes from the pans. With 4 cats, this happens alot. I'm sure, from previous experience, that I need to buy some of the high-efficiency bags #17893 for the vac (Sears doesn't list the micron rating). What I need to know is whether I should also put a HEPA filter (e.g. #17886) on the unit. Is this overkill or will I need it to capture the fine dust that the bag lets through? Also, will the high efficiency bag plus the HEPA filter out too much strain on the motor?

Thanks, Mark