shop vac advice

[Admiral]

I got a larger Rigid vac at a black friday sale a while back, and I also bought one of these, they say its a diffuser but it also muffles; I'd buy one again.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-2-1-2.../100037235

[AHill]

What are you willing to spend? Do you need it to be a wet-dry vac or just dry? I have a Rigid that does a decent job - even better with a dust deputy. You can get the muffler thing that attaches to the intake at the back of the vac, but honestly, I don't think it cuts the noise down that much. I also have a Festool. Huge difference in price, but the Festool with the extra plug that turns the vac on when your tool turns on is very convenient, and even though it's small, it's very powerful. You can also adjust the degree of suction, which comes in very handy when attached to a sander. It's also insanely quiet for a vacuum. Bosch and Fein also make very high end shop vacs with many of the same features as the Festool. I wouldn't recommend a Festool for everyone. They are pricey. I picked mine up as a package deal with their track saw - a luxury purchase for me after getting a nice bonus at work.

[PittTrack]

I had a Ridgid for the past 20 or so years and it finally bit the dust (RIP). It was emitting a strange smell, not electrical but I was talking to a coworker who told me to go to go to Ridgid's website and submit a warranty claim. I had to snap a few pictures and a couple of weeks later a brand new one that was comparable to what I had showed up on my doorstep. I was impressed with them and it saved me a few bucks as I was ready to buy another one.

[adamcherubini]

Do yourself a favor and check the emissions standards of whatever brand and model you are interested in. You gotta know that 99% of Home Depot shop vac purchasers are buying vacs they won't use often, use for routine basement clean ups, dirt and leaves in the garage, vacuuming out vehicles etc. They aren't sucking up toxic jungle wood dust.

Even with a HEPA filter installed, these vacuums, which are sold based on their super high suction, blow fine dust past their seals. Sometimes when you are working with drywall, you will see the white dust streaks where the top meets the tank. The motors are so powerful, the seals can't hold the pressure. No good.

I have a Fein Turbo I that is now 20 years old. I have a HEPA filter and I use vacuum cleaner bags. If you are cleaning up drywall dust, you cannot smell (or taste) it. If you can smell (or taste) the dust you are cleaning up, you need a better vacuum.

I think serious woodworkers need to get serious about their dust collection so that what happened to Norm doesn't happen to us.

Only downside of the Fein, besides its high price, is that the hoses fit nothing but Fein's over priced accessories. Find a better vacuum or find a way to adapt the Fein hose to everything else you need to attach it to. Otherwise, I absolutely love my little orange vacuum.

[jussi]

I have several for different purposes. 3 of them (festools and fein) are dedicated to tools. A handheld Milwaukee about the size of a tool box. Ridgid that I only use for wet jobs. And a porter cable for general dry use. I really like and mostly use the pc. It’s powerful enough for my use but very quiet. It also has a tool activated feature but I don’t really use it for that. If it ever breaks I would hesitant in buying another (assuming they’re still in production)

[jcousins2]

hi all - thanks so much - i appreciate all the information and suggestions -i must admit i took the easiest option. i live in a pretty rural community - the closest big box stores are about an hour away - and did not want to order through amazon - so went with the 16 gallon craftsman primarily because it is available locally. so far so good - although it is kinda big - and introduces a whole 'nuther color scheme to the shop.
thanks again everyone
jerry

[briman87]

There is a small rigid shop vac that is compact in size but has 5 HP. Since we really dont need capacity with a dust separator it is a nice option for a small footprint

[JohnnyEgo]

I somehow ended up with two Festool CT vacs, but I still kept my early 2000s vintage Craftsman wet-dry vac. Even though it takes up a ton of space and sounds like a jet engine at all times. It won't die, it sucks better than <deleted>, and it just doesn't care what it is vacuuming. Wood, nails, bolts, metal shavings, the sand my kid dumped out of his sandbox and all over the driveway, it doesn't hesitate. I've also found the detachable blower motor to be surprisingly useful in cleaning out the shop and irritating the neighbors I don't like. It's big, it's bulky, and I swear at it every time I trip over it. But it keeps going, so I keep it.

[R Clark]

I somehow ended up with two Festool CT vacs, but I still kept my early 2000s vintage Craftsman wet-dry vac.  Even though it takes up a ton of space and sounds like a jet engine at all times.  It won't die, it sucks better than <deleted>, and it just doesn't care what it is vacuuming.  Wood, nails, bolts, metal shavings, the sand my kid dumped out of his sandbox and all over the driveway, it doesn't hesitate.  I've also found the detachable blower motor to be surprisingly useful in cleaning out the shop and irritating the neighbors I don't like.  It's big, it's bulky, and I swear at it every time I trip over it.  But it keeps going, so I keep it.

Well, far be it from me to get in the way of your love/hate relationship with one of your tools.  Got several of my own!  (Love/hate relationships, that is)...

[Cooler]

I have two Rigid vacs and they seem to work forever.  One is quite small and handy; the second is larger and uses the larger diameter hose. 

They are both noisy. 

I have been able to mitigate that by getting a second hose and doubling the distance the vac is from me.  It seems considerably quieter at the greater distance.  It does not seem to affect the suction very much.  It is quiet enough for me, otherwise I might try adding a third hose.

By doubling the distance the sound is about 1/4 as loud.  Rigid also sells 13 foot and 20-foot hoses so greater sound reduction is possible.

When I used to have my darkroom, using a vacuum inside the darkroom was a no-no as it would kick up too much dust. 

So I drilled a hole throughh the wall and had the vacuum  outide the darkroom and the hose inside.  Almost no noise and no dust was kicked up.

A 20 foot hose is $30.00 from Home Depot.  A cheap way to reduce the perceived noise level.

Note:  The noise level does not actually go down, but the distance makes the perceived noise level to go down.