Which Shop Vac?

Viper

We are looking for a wet/dry vac that has alot of suction and is very quiet. The Craftsman we use now is just too loud. Any suggestions short of the $700+ units?

TempestV

I'm pretty impressed with the Rigid- two years ago we were putting a second story on a garage and needed to dig out pier holes under the slab to support the second floor. Anyways, one of the guys was getting frusterated with having to practically crawl under the slab himself to get the loose dirt out, and got his rigid shopvac and vacumed the dirt out- the performance amazed us all- the only thing that would stop it from sucking was when the catch area was so full of dirt that literally no more dirt would fit in. It would suck up rocks that I wouldn't have expected to fit down the tube. Some times it would latch onto a rock that really was to big to fit down the tube, and provide enough suction to pick up the rock and remove it from the hole. And after using it to move probably 2 cubic yards of dirt and gravel, it was none the worse for wear. We were shocked how well it worked- enough so that we bought our own, nothing but good words for the rigid shopvac. I never really paid attention to the noise, but I would guess that it is quieter than both the shopvac brand vac it replaced and a craftsman model that I have used before.

dayexco

buy the one that reminds you of your h.s. girlfriend

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slickshift

Consumer Reports just did a test on Shop Vacs under $150
They said they were all loud, so they didn't even publish db levels (except on the two loudest, over 85db)

The best "suckers" in the 12-20 gallon ranges tended to be Craftsman and Ridgid, which between them pretty much dominated the top half of the Medium and Large categories

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TempestV

I don't know how well that will work, he said that he is replacing the craftsman because it is to loud...

LNG24

Why? SHE WAS HORRIBLE I have learned practic DOES pay off


I too liked the Rigid, but I can not recall how quiet it was. It belonged to another sub on the job. I do recall it had a Muffler for the exhaust.

Norrrrrrrrrrrrm

I have the 16 gallon Ridgid. It is a true beast. All puns aside, it will suck up anything it gets near. It has nice options like large wheels to roll over rough terrain and a basket to put all your attatchments. I have a few Ridges tools and I am not to fond of them, but in my opinion this shopvac is the best in its class for the buck. It is also quieter compared to the craftsman and older ridgid models. It does not have that high pitch ear piercing noise like others. I used the craftsman in the same size class a few months ago and it seemed like it was covered in weak sauce. Get this one, you'll be glad. just my opinion.

Greg Di

Any of the store brand vacs will be noisy because they are single stage vacs.

You don't need to spend $700 for a good vac. The Fein mini-turbo or even the next larger size are only about $250ish and are quiet and strong. Plus, they don't expel exhaust at 300mph which stirs everything up. I've had "handy" customers comment on mine and then go out and buy one for themselves!

Sometimes, you just can't rely on HD, Lowes and Sears for you tool purchasing...

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Viper

Thanks for all the replies. I ordered the Fein 9-77-25 Turbo III Wet-Dry Vacuum for $359.
Seems like a fair price for that vac.

Greg Di

$359 seems like a lot for a vac, but the Feins are in different class from the store brands. Let us know how you like it.

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TempestV

Haven't used the Fein vac, but from the Fein tools I have used, I can most definitly say that Fein quality is amazing

plazaman

Ridgid here. Great for the price, picked up a 2nd here few days ago

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Bjd

ridgid is my brand, I went thru so many of those yellow shop vacs they just dont suck.

BJD

Ted W

I have a 10 gal. 5.0 HP Ridgid and a 5 gal. 5.5 HP ShopVac. They both work well. The ShopVac has way more suction but is a lot louder. I take the ShopVac to work with me, the Ridgid generally stays in the shop.

As for noise, you can probably find a muffler at a home supply that fits on the 2-1/4" exhaust.

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QuietMan

Fein is top-notch and dust filtering is much better than typical shop vacs, but not big capacity. Porter Cable has a good vac you can get for under 3 bills. Fein & PC have auto-start feature where you can plug a sander, etc. into the vac and keep clean while you work

PrecisionFloors

I just got my Festool CT 22 this past week. Freakin awesome vac/extractor. Not cheap by any stretch, but quality is unequalled in a small unit under $500.

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XPADREX

I don't know whether to thank you guys, or hate you!

We've been using an assortment of Shop-Vacs, but now, after checking out that Fein- well, I'm starting to see how a $300 vac could help.

We have to do a lot of drywall repair, as well as insulation tear-out- and you guessed it- dust produced is always a customer concern (as well as for me!).

Something quiet that has an auto-start feature for use with other tools sounds pretty neat- however, we don't use powered sanders tooo often. Maybe we should, if this will capture more dust.

Off to the drywall forum!

fiore22

I'm not a huge fan of the other tools I've purchased, but the vacuum is the best. I have two, I have used them for hours on end vacuuming up brick dust, the filter was totally full but I kept vacuuming in the very hot los angeles heat...the thing is still working hard after two years of straight-up abuse.

firemike

I hve Craftsman, Ridgid, and Porter-Cable. The Craftsman are as expected, OK and they do the job, The Porter-Cable is the one that mates with thier drywall sander, but I use it for the router, sanders, etc. It has the disposable bag and hepa filter. The Ridgid, 16 gal I believe, the one with the stainless steel tank, really sucks, literally. Better than the Craftsman I feel, and much quieter. I was supprised on how quiet it is for a shop vac. Use it all the time for just about everything and never a problem.

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2ndGen

I guess this is one tool where the one that "sucks" the most is the best one.