Quietest Shop Vac? Need in a hurry!

[HerHusband]

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

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Subject

You start with Fein and go down hill from there.

Bring your piggy bank.

Lew

[BobS]

You will not find a so-called "quite" shop vac at any of those stores. A good quite shop vac will cost you a minimum of around $400 and go up from there.

?ID=202&HdnSource=index&StoreID=That one states "Extra Quite" and is from Shop-Vac.

You won't find that grade at those stores.

A common failure of the Shop-Vac models is the fusible link in the motor housing blows. The filter gets clogged, the motor overheats and the fusible link goes. When under warranty, Shop-Vac sends you a new motor assy. But you can do an emergency fix. Remove the cord from the power outlet.

Take off the top, remove the cover that covers the motor from the inside. Follow the power cord and you will see the black wire goes into a black plastic enclosure that is secured to the housing either with a screw or by snapping in-place with tabs. In that is the fusible link and you most likely will discover it's no longer there since it melted. Take that assembly apart and use a piece of solder that is about 20ga or - affix an in-line fuse carrier (auto parts store) and put in a delay type fuse of the proper rating. Amp draw should be stated on the sticker on the vac. Mine is a 16 gal, 5.75hp shown on the sticker (if you can believe that) with a 11.7A rating.

Clean the vac and filter. Put it back together, plug it in and check for smoke - at your risk of course. Most of these are wet/dry vac's and are double insulated. But a bad motor can start a fire so use common sense.

These so called "Contractor Grade" vac's sold at home centers are not really very heavy duty at all - despite the advertising. Compare them to a real industrial grade, heavy-duty model and you'll see why they cost so much.

Here's a page that has some Porter-Cable vac's you may be able to find locally at a dealers store. All in the $300-$400 range.

if it doesn't really have to be that quite and you can live with about the same noise level of your old vac and you can't fix it - then the Shop-Vac models that are wet/dry and in the 16 gal range will meet your requirements. I have the 16/5.75 Shop-Vac with water pick-up and it was $99 at Lowes. I initially bought a Rigid from Home Depot and it was loud in comparison. Note that the smaller model Shop-Vac's (12 gal or less) are not quite in comparison to the larger models. Cost was around $100. Lowes had them on display and I was able to plug one in before I hauled it off. If you insist on hearing one (nicely) they most likely will honor your request.

Bob S.

[Bill Stock]

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.

[Max]

"HerHusband" wrote

Be sure to check this one out.

for me.

Max

[Joe]

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

[JeffB]

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

[HerHusband]

Bob,

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

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.

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

[Tom Veatch]

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

[Art Greenberg]

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

[bookman]

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

[Hoosierpopi]

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.

[DS]

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

[HerHusband]

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

[henry]

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.

[mac davis]

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

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[mac davis]

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

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[mac davis]

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

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[J. Clarke]

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.

[David Starr]

I have the Ridgid WD06250. Was a gift, but probably came from the Borg. It's OK. It's quieter than the radial arm saw. Just running the vac, I don't bother with ear defenders. Vac plus radial arm saw, I put on ear defenders. It's all plastic, with a paper HEPA filter. Hose is all plastic with a plastic snap lock thingie so I can pull the vac by the hose. It's been sucking for a year without any trouble.

David Starr