If you have a Farm & Fleet nearby, I recommend this one:

http://www.farmandfleetmodeling.org/catalog/product.aspx?i=465746&h=050104005&p=1

It's an awful lot of utility vac for the price, and I couldn't find
anything comparable at that price level from anywhere else.

wrote:
Can you recommend a good shop vac for an at-home puttering type not a
pro............price a consideration too!