My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

I need a QUIET vac!

I need a vac with a 2-1/2" hose. It should screw, or otherwise lock, into
the vac so I can pull the vac around by the hose and not pull the hose out.

I need a vac that I can install filter bags in (the usual vac canister
filters clog up too quickly with fine dust).

I need a vac with a long cord (12' or longer).

I need a vac that has built-in storage for the cord and attachments.

My current vac is a 12-gallon "quiet series" Shop Vac brand that I've had
maybe 3-4 years. I've been happy with it, but I'm a little disappointed
that it died so soon.

I've read good reviews of the Ridgid WD-1450 that Home Depot sells, but
don't know how it would compare with my current vac.

Is there a shop vacuum that you recommend that is available at Lowes, Home
Depot, or Sears? Like I said, I need it yesterday...

I do not have a dust collector. It's on my Christmas list, but the early
death of my shop vac may delay that.

Thanks,

Anthony

Subject

You start with Fein and go down hill from there.

Bring your piggy bank.

Lew

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the
vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

I need a QUIET vac!

I need a vac with a 2-1/2" hose. It should screw, or otherwise lock, into
the vac so I can pull the vac around by the hose and not pull the hose
out.

I need a vac that I can install filter bags in (the usual vac canister
filters clog up too quickly with fine dust).

I need a vac with a long cord (12' or longer).

I need a vac that has built-in storage for the cord and attachments.

My current vac is a 12-gallon "quiet series" Shop Vac brand that I've had
maybe 3-4 years. I've been happy with it, but I'm a little disappointed
that it died so soon.

I've read good reviews of the Ridgid WD-1450 that Home Depot sells, but
don't know how it would compare with my current vac.

Is there a shop vacuum that you recommend that is available at Lowes, Home
Depot, or Sears? Like I said, I need it yesterday...

I do not have a dust collector. It's on my Christmas list, but the early
death of my shop vac may delay that.

Thanks,

Anthony

I just replaced my old Shop Vac with a Rigid 1850. I hated the SV, tiny
hose, screams line a banshee, tippy. I kept waitng for it to die, which it
never did, just got less sucky. Even the garbage vultures wouldn't take it.
:-)

The Rigid has a tug along hose, tool purse, filter monitor, cart with large
wheels, hideous Orange colour, HEPA filter and is somewhat quieter than the
SV (lower pitch). The Rigid is only moderately more sucky than the SV, but
I've only used it to clean up a water leak so far. I use a DC for all my
shop work.

As Lew said, a good vac will cost some serious $s, my Rigid was $229
Canadian. It will probably be less in the US.

"HerHusband" wrote
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the
vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

Thanks,

Anthony

Be sure to check this one out.
http://tinyurl.com/2scmra

Works for me.

Max

"HerHusband" wrote in message
...
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the
vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

I need a QUIET vac!

I need a vac with a 2-1/2" hose. It should screw, or otherwise lock, into
the vac so I can pull the vac around by the hose and not pull the hose
out.

I need a vac that I can install filter bags in (the usual vac canister
filters clog up too quickly with fine dust).

I need a vac with a long cord (12' or longer).

I need a vac that has built-in storage for the cord and attachments.

My current vac is a 12-gallon "quiet series" Shop Vac brand that I've had
maybe 3-4 years. I've been happy with it, but I'm a little disappointed
that it died so soon.

I've read good reviews of the Ridgid WD-1450 that Home Depot sells, but
don't know how it would compare with my current vac.

Is there a shop vacuum that you recommend that is available at Lowes, Home
Depot, or Sears? Like I said, I need it yesterday...

I do not have a dust collector. It's on my Christmas list, but the early
death of my shop vac may delay that.

Thanks,

Anthony

Fein Turbo III.

You will hate paying for it. That is the *LAST* thing you will ever hate
(or even mildly dislike) about it.

jc

Bob,

A good quiet shop vac will cost you a minimum of around $400

I guess I should have added UNDER $200 to my list of requirements...

A common failure of the Shop-Vac models is the fusible
link in the motor housing blows.

In my case, I think the brushes and/or bearings wore out. It has been
sounding rather unhealthy the last couple of weeks, and black "soot" was
building up outside the motor assembly. I knew it was ready to die, but was
hoping I could limp it along till I had a little more cash. No such luck.

I initially bought a Rigid from Home Depot and it was loud in comparison.

That's the kind of first hand experience I was looking for. Thanks!

While not exactly "quiet", my old 12 gallon shop vac was quieter than most,
and I'd be happy with the same noise volume. I'd just like something that
lasts a little longer.

Anthony

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 19:44:30 -0600, HerHusband
wrote:

My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

I need a QUIET vac!
...

I bought a Ridgid with "Scroll Technology" from HD that *might* meet
most of your needs. As far as the quietness is concerned, I don't have
a lot to compare to, but it's positively silent compared to the old
Sears sucker that it replaced.

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 03:09:35 GMT, Joe wrote:
Fein Turbo III.

You will hate paying for it. That is the *LAST* thing you will ever
hate (or even mildly dislike) about it.

Agree 100%. I _love_ mine. Worth every penny.

--
Art Greenberg
artg at eclipse dot net

Buy the Fein or a Festool shop vac. Five years from now you will still
be satisfied with it.

On Nov 18, 8:44 pm, HerHusband wrote:
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
....
I do not have a dust collector. ..


Buy the Harbor Freight Tools Dust Collector instead, the shop vac you
described will run you nealry the cost of the HFT (possibly more!) put
it on wheels for the time being and put the uctwork for it on your
XMAS LIST.

HerHusband wrote:
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight, and
I need to finish the project by weeks end. I tried sanding without the vac,
but the shop filled with a dust cloud in just a few minutes.

So, I need to run to town tomorrow and get a new vac pronto.

I need a QUIET vac!

My craftsman is the loudest, ear piercing POS I've ever encountered. I
prefer the dust over the noise.

Buy the Harbor Freight Tools Dust Collector instead, the shop vac you
described will run you nealry the cost of the HFT (possibly more!) put
it on wheels for the time being and put the uctwork for it on your
XMAS LIST.

I was considering that option last night too, but came to the conclusion
that I use the shop vac for a lot of tasks outside the shop. Vacuuming the
cars, cleaning the woodstove, drywall work, spring cleaning the house,
remodeling work at my in-laws, etc.

Considering the costs, I'm wondering about buying a better shop vac and
postponing the dust collector a little longer. My main gripe with this is
the better vacs are usually larger, which means less portability. As it is
my wife complained about lugging my 12 gallon vac out to clean the cars.
It would also be harder to transport a larger vac to work at my in-laws.

I'll have to see what I can find locally today, as I don't have the time to
wait for a vac to be shipped.

Anthony

When I sand with my festool ROM I dont know that the vac is on except
not a bit of dust. Its also a variable speed and turns on then the
sander turns on.

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:22:20 -0600, HerHusband wrote:

Bob,

A good quiet shop vac will cost you a minimum of around $400

I guess I should have added UNDER $200 to my list of requirements...

A common failure of the Shop-Vac models is the fusible
link in the motor housing blows.

In my case, I think the brushes and/or bearings wore out. It has been
sounding rather unhealthy the last couple of weeks, and black "soot" was
building up outside the motor assembly. I knew it was ready to die, but was
hoping I could limp it along till I had a little more cash. No such luck.

I initially bought a Rigid from Home Depot and it was loud in comparison.

That's the kind of first hand experience I was looking for. Thanks!

While not exactly "quiet", my old 12 gallon shop vac was quieter than most,
and I'd be happy with the same noise volume. I'd just like something that
lasts a little longer.

Anthony

I tried the craftsman "noise reducer" on my old vac and it made a little
difference... anything that will quiet down a craftsman vac is a good thing..lol

Since it went on the "blower" side, I tried running a hose from the blower side
to a corner of the shop about 12' away and noticed a BIG reduction of
noise..YMWV


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:13:19 -0800 (PST), bookman wrote:

Buy the Fein or a Festool shop vac. Five years from now you will still
be satisfied with it.

Not a knock on any brand, but 5 years is nothing...
I've been waiting for my Craps-man vac to die for over 20 years..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:04:15 -0600, HerHusband wrote:

Buy the Harbor Freight Tools Dust Collector instead, the shop vac you
described will run you nealry the cost of the HFT (possibly more!) put
it on wheels for the time being and put the uctwork for it on your
XMAS LIST.

I was considering that option last night too, but came to the conclusion
that I use the shop vac for a lot of tasks outside the shop. Vacuuming the
cars, cleaning the woodstove, drywall work, spring cleaning the house,
remodeling work at my in-laws, etc.

Considering the costs, I'm wondering about buying a better shop vac and
postponing the dust collector a little longer. My main gripe with this is
the better vacs are usually larger, which means less portability. As it is
my wife complained about lugging my 12 gallon vac out to clean the cars.
It would also be harder to transport a larger vac to work at my in-laws.

I'll have to see what I can find locally today, as I don't have the time to
wait for a vac to be shipped.

Anthony

IMHO, you might consider spending maybe $200 for the harbor "fright" DC and
starter kit and picking up a used vac for the other chores at a garage sale..
If the DC is too loud, I added this to mine and quieted it down a LOT.. YMWV
http://www.pennstateind.com/store/sup1000.html


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:
On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:13:19 -0800 (PST), bookman

wrote:

Buy the Fein or a Festool shop vac. Five years from now you will
still be satisfied with it.

Not a knock on any brand, but 5 years is nothing...
I've been waiting for my Craps-man vac to die for over 20 years..

I had to get a new one a few years back. My JC Penney finally rusted
out. I guess I could have just gotten a barrel and fastened the motor
to it but I figured it was time.

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:22:20 -0600, HerHusband
wrote:

A good quiet shop vac will cost you a minimum of around $400

I guess I should have added UNDER $200 to my list of requirements...

Then chances are you're not going to get a vaccuum that meets all your
requirements. You get what you pay for, if you want all those
requirements, but are unwilling to pay for them, then don't exect to
get them.

What you may end up doing is buying a vac that you can afford and then
putting it into some sort of enclosure. I think they had one in this
month's Fine Woodworking.

On Nov 18, 9:31 pm, JeffB wrote:
There's an article in the latest FWW with plans for an enclosure for any
shop vac that quiets it to the same noise level as the Fein... probably
for less $$$. The current Ridgid shop vacs are well reviewed in lots of
places.
--
JeffB
remove no.spam. to email

I built the one I found in the first issue of "Home Handyman" that
someone gave me for Christmas. :-)

A plywood box about two feet square and a little higher than two feet,
all carpeted. One side is a hinged door. At the back is a whole bunch
of one inch holes and furring strips around the top and sides of the
back, and over that is some leftover paneling so the exhaust is
shunted towards the floor.

Quieted down that cheap screaming Menards shopvac. Without the box, in
the basement, the wife had to turn up the TV upstairs. With the box,
she barely noticed it was on. Two years later that screaming shop vac
died and I replaced it with one of those Shop Vac "Quiet" models,
which we all know ain't that quiet. But in that box, it is.

There are those who will tell you if you put your shop vac in a box,
it'll overheat and die. And mine did. Two years later after many
hundreds of hours of use. Couldn't tell you if it was due to
overheating or not but I think I got my 40 bucks worth. :-)

This one has been in there for six months. Doesn't get used quite as
hard now that I've got the DC, but it turns out the shop vac is better
for the ROS and the band saw, so it's getting used.

You make your shop vac foot print a little bigger, but you also gain
the space over the vac as a tool station. I use it for my planer. I
store the implements in the box and made cleats to wrap the extension
cord and the extra long hose I bought, and put two power strips on it.
One strip I use to turn the vac on and off and the other is always
hot. Very handy little station.

My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight

Based on the many positive reviews I've read, I bought a Ridgid WD1450
shop vac this afternoon for $99 (+tax). I haven't had the opportunity to
really work it yet, but I did get everything assembled and fired it up
for a few tests.

Noise Level - Not bad. It's quieter than my "quiet" Shop Vac, though in
all fairness that has been sounding a lot louder and unhealthy the past
few weeks. I remember being impressed when I bought my old Shop Vac too.
I'm sure the WD1450 isn't as quiet as the Fein or Festool machines, but
it's only one third the price and it was in stock just a few miles from
home. It's certainly quiet enough to use by itself, and I wear ear muffs
when using it with other tools like a sander anyway.

Suction - Seemed strong, and the 2-1/2" hose was easy to clip on and pull
the vac around with. I can't judge it more until I've had a chance to
work with it, but it should be more than adequate for my needs.

Accessories - I liked the "bucket" on the back of the Shop Vac brand
better than the "bag" on the Ridgid WD1450, but I suppose I'll adjust. I
generally don't use any of the accessories anyway, other than a brush
(not included) and a small nozzle for tight spots. I'll probably keep and
use the attachments from my old vac.

The WD1450 has a nice 20' cord, though again, I liked the cord hooks on
my old Shop Vac better. The cord wraps around the handle on the WD1450,
and there doesn't seem to be much to keep it there. Time will tell
whether it actually stays in place.

The WD1450 has four small casters that make it easier to move in any
direction than my old Shop Vac. However, the Shop Vac had big wheels in
back that allowed me to pull it up over extension cords. I probably won't
be able to do that with the WD1450.

I forgot to pick up a fine filter bag when I was at Home Depot today, but
I did see them in stock there. I'll pick one up tomorrow. Naturally, the
extra bag I had for my Shop Vac doesn't fit the WD1450 properly, which
will probably translate into more expensive bags that are harder to find.
We'll see...

I am a little disappointed that I had to go to a 14 gallon vac, to get
the same features I had on my old 12 gallon vac. I would have preferred
something smaller and more portable than my old vac. I'm not sure the
WD1450 will even fit in my trunk anymore, and my wife isn't going to be
happy about dragging it out to vacuum the cars. But, if I can get a
dust collector in the near future, my shop vac needs may be less
important and I may be able to downsize. We'll see... I was ready to
spring for the dust collector and make an hour drive one way to go get
it, but they didn't have any in stock. Guess it's best I didn't make an
impulse buy anyway.

So, I lost a day I could have been working on the cabinets, but I should
be back up and running tomorrow.

Thanks for everyones input!

Anthony

wrote:


I built the one I found in the first issue of "Home Handyman" that
someone gave me for Christmas. :-)

A plywood box about two feet square and a little higher than two feet,
all carpeted. One side is a hinged door. At the back is a whole bunch
of one inch holes and furring strips around the top and sides of the
back, and over that is some leftover paneling so the exhaust is
shunted towards the floor.

Quieted down that cheap screaming Menards shopvac. Without the box, in
the basement, the wife had to turn up the TV upstairs. With the box,
she barely noticed it was on. Two years later that screaming shop vac
died and I replaced it with one of those Shop Vac "Quiet" models,
which we all know ain't that quiet. But in that box, it is.

There are those who will tell you if you put your shop vac in a box,
it'll overheat and die. And mine did. Two years later after many
hundreds of hours of use. Couldn't tell you if it was due to
overheating or not but I think I got my 40 bucks worth. :-)

This one has been in there for six months. Doesn't get used quite as
hard now that I've got the DC, but it turns out the shop vac is better
for the ROS and the band saw, so it's getting used.

You make your shop vac foot print a little bigger, but you also gain
the space over the vac as a tool station. I use it for my planer. I
store the implements in the box and made cleats to wrap the extension
cord and the extra long hose I bought, and put two power strips on it.
One strip I use to turn the vac on and off and the other is always
hot. Very handy little station.

I like that idea for a basement shop,
but I'm in a small outdoor shop. My idea
is to mount the vac outside and run the
power cord and hose through holes in the
wall. The vac will be protected from the
elements with a small roof and partial
walls. My idea isn't so much to reduce
noise as to give me extra space. In a
small shop, a 12 gallon vac takes up a
lot of room.

Come summer, when the neighbours are
back, I may have to build a box as well.
--
Tanus

This is not really a sig.

http://users.compzone.ca/george/shop/

"mac davis" wrote in message

Since it went on the "blower" side, I tried running a hose from the blower
side
to a corner of the shop about 12' away and noticed a BIG reduction of
noise..YMWV

*Is* it actually quieter or is there just less noise getting to where you
happening to be listening?

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:00:32 -0500, "Upscale" wrote:


"mac davis" wrote in message

Since it went on the "blower" side, I tried running a hose from the blower
side
to a corner of the shop about 12' away and noticed a BIG reduction of
noise..YMWV

*Is* it actually quieter or is there just less noise getting to where you
happening to be listening?

Nobody gets a free lunch, it just moves the noise, I think..
Works for me, though, especially since I do most of my "vacuuming" with the DC,
so I'd rather the vac exhausts out a window or at least away from me..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 13:58:45 -0500, "J. Clarke" wrote:

mac davis wrote:
On Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:13:19 -0800 (PST), bookman

wrote:

Buy the Fein or a Festool shop vac. Five years from now you will
still be satisfied with it.

Not a knock on any brand, but 5 years is nothing...
I've been waiting for my Craps-man vac to die for over 20 years..

I had to get a new one a few years back. My JC Penney finally rusted
out. I guess I could have just gotten a barrel and fastened the motor
to it but I figured it was time.

Lucky you... My vac is just new enough to have the plastic case.. *sigh*


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Nov 19, 7:49 pm, Tanus wrote:

I like that idea for a basement shop,
but I'm in a small outdoor shop. My idea
is to mount the vac outside and run the
power cord and hose through holes in the
wall.

I forgot to mention that the box is on casters, I moved the shop out
to the garage a few years ago, and I get a lot of use out of that
station. But after checking out your shop link, I agree with your
choice to keep it outside. I would worry about blowing rain on the
motor but I think judicious use of an old tarp or plastic sheet to
protect it on all sides while still giving it lots of ventilation
would be easy enough to do. Probably would muffle it a bit besides.

I was also going to say something like "Gosh, you'd need a really long
hose."
But now I'm not. :-)

Dan

On Nov 19, 9:04 am, HerHusband wrote:
Buy the Harbor Freight Tools Dust Collector instead, the shop vac you
described will run you nealry the cost of the HFT (possibly more!) put
it on wheels for the time being and put the uctwork for it on your
XMAS LIST.

I was considering that option last night too, but came to the conclusion
that I use the shop vac for a lot of tasks outside the shop. Vacuuming the
cars, cleaning the woodstove, drywall work, spring cleaning the house,
remodeling work at my in-laws, etc.

Not to mention that for some of my tools, ie miter saw, band saw, and
ROS where the hole isn't four inches, the suction of my $250 Harbor
Fright DC drops to worse than the shop vac.

wrote:
On Nov 19, 7:49 pm, Tanus wrote:
I like that idea for a basement shop,
but I'm in a small outdoor shop. My idea
is to mount the vac outside and run the
power cord and hose through holes in the
wall.

I forgot to mention that the box is on casters, I moved the shop out
to the garage a few years ago, and I get a lot of use out of that
station. But after checking out your shop link, I agree with your
choice to keep it outside. I would worry about blowing rain on the
motor but I think judicious use of an old tarp or plastic sheet to
protect it on all sides while still giving it lots of ventilation
would be easy enough to do. Probably would muffle it a bit besides.

The more I think about this, the more I
like the idea of a box. And on wheels.
Still outside, but covered with roofing
tin. The shop is pretty close to one
neighbour's cottage and he'll hear it,
but an insulated box should keep the
noise down to (sorta) acceptable levels.

I was also going to say something like "Gosh, you'd need a really long
hose."
But now I'm not. :-)

SWMBO has never complained about the
length of the hose....yet....

Dan

Tanus

In article ,
HerHusband wrote:
My Shop Vac died on me in the middle of sanding some cabinets tonight

Based on the many positive reviews I've read, I bought a Ridgid WD1450
shop vac this afternoon for $99 (+tax). I haven't had the opportunity to
really work it yet, but I did get everything assembled and fired it up
for a few tests.

Noise Level - Not bad. It's quieter than my "quiet" Shop Vac, though in
all fairness that has been sounding a lot louder and unhealthy the past
few weeks. I remember being impressed when I bought my old Shop Vac too.
I'm sure the WD1450 isn't as quiet as the Fein or Festool machines, but
it's only one third the price and it was in stock just a few miles from
home. It's certainly quiet enough to use by itself, and I wear ear muffs
when using it with other tools like a sander anyway.

Ridgid also makes an inexpensive 'muffler' the plugs on the air exhaust
fitting. It makes things a little quieter -- not so much the absolute
sound level but knocks off some of the higher frequencies. It is a
'noticeable', albeit *not* 'radical' difference.


If you want seriously quiet _on_a_budget_, AND are willing to compromise
down to household-size hose, look for a used 'Filter Queen'. they catch
_everything_ out of the air, are damn-near indestructible -- stainless
construction, and *amazingly* quiet. No provision for wet pick-up capability,
though.

Unlike virtually any other 'home' vacuum, you _don't_ risk damaging it
if it picks up something solid -- hardware, wood scraps, whatever.

They've also got a built-in 'cyclone', so suction doesn't degrade much as
it pulls in dust.

Filter Queens are _grossly_ over-priced on the new market, but can be had
reasonably on the used one.

On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:07:31 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

Not to mention that for some of my tools, ie miter saw, band saw, and
ROS where the hole isn't four inches, the suction of my $250 Harbor
Fright DC drops to worse than the shop vac.

Strange.. you have any leaks or vac loss?

I use a reducer at the lathe and the difference that I see (with the $150 HF DC)
is that 4" has lower suction but more volume, where 2 1/2" has more suction and
less volume..
I've tried both and for sanding on the lathe the 2 1/2" is easier to get close
to the work and will draw the dust further than the 4"..

OTOH, I sealed the little DC connecter on my band saw and put a 4" hole in the
lower clamshell and it works a lot better now..YMWV


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

On Nov 18, 7:44 pm, HerHusband wrote:

I need a QUIET vac!

Try adding a silencer
http://www.me.mtu.edu/courses/meem47...uum_report.pdf

HerHusband wrote:
....
A good quiet shop vac will cost you a minimum of around $400

I guess I should have added UNDER $200 to my list of requirements...

....

http://www.parish-supply.com/milwauke.htm

( )

--