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.
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.
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
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.
*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
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Lucky you... My vac is just new enough to have the plastic case.. *sigh*
mac
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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
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.
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.
SWMBO has never complained about the length of the hose....yet....
Tanus
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.
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
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Try adding a silencer
HerHusband wrote: ...
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