Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 16, 2002 08:26am | #1

   Can't say much about which brand to buy, as I'm still using my prehistoric Craftsman mega-vac, which refuses (knock on wood) to die.

   However, I will vote for spending the money on the HEPA filter, especially if you don't have a fine-filtered air cleaner mounted on your ceiling.  Anything you can do to capture the super-fine dust is a step in the right direction.  I just bought a new filter for The Hulk, and am very pleased with how well it works. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   JohnCabot | Dec 17, 2002 07:29am | #7

   What is the Hulk?

   John Cabot

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 17, 2002 09:33am | #8

   "The Hulk" is a short names for "prehistoric Craftsman mega-vac" (see 1st paragraph of same post).forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

1. 
   JohnCabot | Dec 18, 2002 06:17am | #9

   Thank you, Forest girl.    Sometime I have difficulty  understanding acronims (NDP- NADS....non dust producing- Non Adjustable Dovetail System) and so on., so I appreciate an explanation.

   Happy Holidays

   John Cabot 

1. 
   forestgirl | Dec 18, 2002 07:23am | #10

   Well, NDP and NADS would certainly stump me!  A little on the obscure side, no?

   You have a Happy one too, John.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   RANGERP75R | Dec 16, 2002 06:59pm | #2

   Geoff

      I have Ridgid, Craftsman and Shop-Vac. All work. Get the best deal local in whatever gallon size your shop space allows you to accomadate. Seal all connections that even looks like a possible leak can occur with duct tape.

      Now, put a HEPA filter on and go about your normal business. BTW, clean the HEPA often or you will lose cfm and put what your trying to capture right back where you just pulled it from..

   Good luck..

   sarge..jt

3. 
   riverr1 | Dec 16, 2002 07:25pm | #3

   Just my opinion, but for the money Craftsman and Ridgid are the best buys. I also have a shop vac(just got it) and it's a bit fickle.

   Don

4. 
   BG | Dec 16, 2002 09:59pm | #4

   Geoff,

   I bought one of those 6.5 horse vacs last year from a big box store.  It works well but the exhaust is so powerful it stirs up a lot of dust everytime I turn it on.  My shop is small...so I sweep a lot ...especially if I'm planing.. 

5. 
   JHARDE02 | Dec 16, 2002 10:42pm | #5

   HEPA is a trademarked name and simply put, only means that it filters down to .3 micron.  The clean stream brand filters that work down to 1 micron are essentially the same for practical purposes.

   My QSP (quiet) shop vac works well with a clean stream filter, but is still too loud for my tastes.  Recently got to use a Fein, Turbo II and loved it.  For $229, it'll filter down to 3 micron (down to 1 with $35 filter), allows you to plug your router or sander into it for automatic start, and at 74 decibels, is about half as noisy as the quietest shop vac/ridgid/craftsman shop vacs.  Good buy in my opinion.

   Regards,

   John

1. 
   cheakamus | Dec 17, 2002 04:27am | #6

   You might consider that Ridgid has a LIFETIME guarantee. Today, I traded in my second vac for a brand-new machine. The on/off switches on both the first and second machines failed after about 2 years. Machines still ran great! HD cheerfully honored the guarantee. (You'd think Ridgid would change the switches instead of giving me a new vacuum each time!) Anyway, they're great machines--lots of suction, and mine has the detachable blower, which I actually use fairly often to "sweep" the front and back porches.

2. 
   user-135888 | Dec 23, 2002 12:38pm | #17

   Hi

   I have a QSP with a clean stream and the clean stream filter clogs up and restricts quickly. how does the fein do as far as tha t goes. I use the clean stream with a bag and it lasts until the bag is completely full at full suction.

   thanks

   john

1. 
   nikkiwood | Dec 24, 2002 04:43am | #18

   I have 4 vacs -- 2 Milwaukees ( 8950 and 8955), one Fein and one Shop Vac.The Shop Vac is by far the worst of the lot. The filter (a Cleanstream) clogs frequently, and constantly requires a brushing off.

   The switch went dead just after the warranty expired, and I was told by one of their authorized repair stations that I would have to replace the entire motor assembly, since the switch was not designed to be replaced. Go figure.

   The Milwaukees are okay. They sell an optional cloth bag that fits over the cannister, and keeps the filter clean. The bag will clog with really fine dust (e.g. plaster dust), but you can remove the lid, and shake the dust free with a little loop they have thoughtfully sewn in the back. Thus it can be cleaned off without any mess.

   The Fein is far and away the best of the lot. The cloth filter bag is made of felt and hardly every clogs up. It has a smaller capacity for debris than the Milwaukee models, buyt it does have tool activated switch, which I use frequently.

   Edited 12/23/2002 8:47:31 PM ET by --

6. 
   RW | Dec 18, 2002 09:35am | #11

   Have two Craftsmans, one I bought, one I inherited, both ten years old, neither wants to quit. They pull a lot of crud off the floor but they're on the loud side. I thought it would be nice to have a smaller vac to take into customers houses and save a little space so got the ShopVac that looks like a torpedo - real long and thin. HATE it. Doesn't pick up squat, has a tiny little hose about three miles long and you get a nail jammed in there sideways and everything quits. My wife now uses it for her car, thats about it. I posted a similar question recently - if you're looking for HEPA, someone posted a link to Festool. Its $$, but they look like they're the ticket for tool actuated vacs.

   " You are young, my son, and as the years go by time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters." - Plato

1. 
   mitch | Dec 18, 2002 05:09pm | #12

   if you want to save the $$ over the cost of a fein, festool, alto, etc. by getting a good ol' shop-vac (and if you don't mind the noise- or are already deaf) a gore-tex "cleanstream" filter will make HUGE difference in performance!  not just way better suction overall, but far longer between cleanings (original filter clogs in about two minutes), and virtually no dust blow thru in the exhaust.

   m

7. 
   plinthe | Dec 19, 2002 09:58am | #13

   I inherited an old crafstman from mt father that had a few pounds of duct tape holding the parts together. It still worked fine (it was around 20 years old) but since I don't live near a Sears store I decided to buy a new one. I finally chose a Ridgid- they are reasonably priced and look solid. When I brought it home, to my surprise, I discovered it was made by the same company as my old Craftsman, and except for a few minor changes, was exactly the same. I am sure it will last me another 25 years if I don't abuse it. As for the HEPA filter, unless you are working with highly toxic materials or fine dust like gypsum, I think they are a waste of money. Dust produced by woodworking tools are much bigger than .3 microns, and a regular filter should last at least a year, if you give it a good beating when you empty your vac. I use my Ridgid to clean my shop and for dust collection, and after a year and a half of heavy use, my original filter does not release any dust when I start up the machine (which is usually when the cloud appears).

8. 
   Seth_Frankel | Dec 19, 2002 05:47pm | #14

   Geoff,

   I bought a fairly large Ridgid a few years ago (that's also a blower by taking the motor part out and jamming a tube on the end). I think someone mentioned this one earlier. I'm regretting my choice for a few reasons:

   1. The unit is too big. I use it in the shop and then occasionally drag it all over the house (three floors) and the barn (two floors). It's weight and bulk ensure that I frequently wash my paint brushes - touching up the stairwells, darnit. I would advise getting the smallest unit you can use. Also, if your not into spinal traction, the bigger ones encourage you to carry/lift more than you should - be careful.

   2. Hard to store. Make sure you've got a good place for it and its serpentine hoses and fittings. I'm always kicking that plastic oil drum!

   3. That thing is so loud I wear my ear protection everytime I turn it on. Whichever you buy, make sure to test them for sound. Somehow in Home Depot it doesn't sound as loud as in my 600 sq. ft. shop...Hmm... Wonder why?

   4. The leaf blower...never again. If I want that much noise I'll just go back in the shop.

   Also, the Ridgid HEPA filter doesn't seem all that great. I'm still shooting a plume of dust everytime I kick it on.

   Regretting the lifetime warranty...

   Seth

   "Nothing is a

   mistake. There is no win

   and there is no fail . . . there is only

   make."

   John Cage

   
   

   ---

   Edited 12/19/2002 9:58:00 AM ET by Seth Frankel