Looking for a Induatrial type Vacuum cleaner for use on building site. To clear/clean loft area / and builders dust and tiny stones. Can anyone guide on what would be suitable?
I would either buy of Hire. Will need it for at least the next 6 months during weekends.
Yaz
Henry!!
David
I used an Earlex combi vac from Argos (711/1349, 40 pounds at the moment) when decorating a new-build house.
It came with a 4-metre hose and an adaptor for power tools that had no trouble handling the dust from cutting laminate and ceramic tiles and sanding the walls. It also coped fine with small debris from levelling off high spots in the screed and broken glass from getting too close to a lightbulb when rollering the ceiling. It's bagless, and the permanent filter is easily cleaned just by banging it on the ground outside.
I found it was tough, powerful and cheap enough not to worry about looking after it!
Roger.
Henry - seconded
Ours has lasted over 4 years of building rubble use. They're under =A380 now, and well worth it. Use it without the dust bags.
A
That's the same as the "Wickes Wet'n Dry Vac" which IIRC is cheaper than that (not on their website though). Have to say I really don't like mine, bought for workshop/diy - just doesn't suck hard enough. I usually try and sneak off with the 'domestic' Henry when SWMBO's not looking - it's w-a-y better.
David
I have the version with the power outlet so the vac switches on when power is drawn from the socket, very handy with power tools. It's been given some serious abuse, last used to hoover out the thick lime mortar dust, lumps of stone and plaster from the voids in the walls that are now underneath the new window cills and the void between the dry wall and outer wall. It's also dealt with bits of loft insulation (clogs the filter though) and other general building muck. Along with being attached to the 10" table saw for dust collection.
Loads of people will swear by a Henry but that'll have less than half the capacity of the Earlex for twice the money.
Earlex. Cheap, powerful, common enough to find spare bits for. Nice soft plastic case too, which seems a lot less prone to cracking when dropped, unlike the Rowenta before it. More power than a Henry.
Downsides: Price. Cheap to buy, but the good filter is another tenner, and the big-bore hose is even more.
Don't get a Henry. For a few quid more, they do Henry innards in a stronger steel case. Much better idea if it's going to have a hard life.
Don't forget the Dyson either, as these things can be picked up from the local dump for peanuts. Get three, and at least one "broken" one will just be the regular broken mains lead owing to the poor design of the stress relief - a few minutes to fix.
You're kidding - more power than a Henry??? I have both machines and that's assuredly not true.
Another disadvantage of the Earlex by the way - it doesn't have a carrying handle for some unknown reason. Sounds a bit petty, but when you are lugging it around, with the hose connected and the attachments sitting on top, it's a total PITA. Can't imagine why the left it off - keep meaning to bodge my own with a canvas strap or something.
David
I have the Earlex and a skip retrieved dyson, the dyson is good for light dust which the earlex either chucks out or clogs on. Dyson sucks relatively poorly but it is an upright carpet sweeping model, with drive belt removed.
AJH
I use the Earlex for work. The wet+dry is useful in plumbing work so if the OP is using it in a site-like environment may be a better choice. The blow function is also occasionally useful: sometimes you can blow away muck you cant get to to suck up. The topple-over instability, short non-retractable cable and lack of carry handle of the basic Earlex is a PITA though. I usually lug mine around in a gorilla tub with the hose coiled up around it but that's not entirely satisfactory either. Also when it gets water inside it it's prone to spitting out a spray of mucky water
- not at all domestic-friendly. Also the wet+dry filters are made witha tinplate case which rusts through eventually, though an application of car body underseal or similar to a new one should sort that. But they are cheap.
We also have a Henry at home which we use without bags and it's brilliant, though a bit mucky to clean dust off the filter. I notice Makro have Henrys at 60-something squids.
Screwfix have a range of industrial-type vacs which may be worth looking at.
Vaxes may also be worth a look.
Nilfisks are probably the mutt's nuts but cost a king's ransom.
Trend also do a industrial-looking canister-type vac which looked nice when I saw it at a local tool store (Drews in reading) but obviously not cheap.
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