Shop Vac's

[LJFiler]

My mother wants to get my father a shop vac for father days. He would only be using it to clean the insides of their CTD’s. Can you give me some ideas of what to look for and possibly some names of the ones that you use and recommend? Since he is only going to be using it for cleaning the inside of his truck I would image that a 2 to 5 gallon would be big enough, but would like you opinions.



Thanks

Larry

 

[LesStallings]

Larry,



I've got the huge 16+ gallon ShopVac for all the regular shop stuff. It will certainly be overkill for what your dad needs.



I bought at Sears a small version, probably in the 2 gallon range, and picked up at the same time an accessory pack that includes all the attachments that fit the small hose on the vac. I find it just the right size and power for cleaning the cars/trucks. I also take it to car shows to give the car a final prep. I can attach the hose to the discharge and "blow" stuff off the suspension and out of the engine bay, etc. The vac is AC, but I always have had extension cord access to a receptacle or portable generator.



Just be sure to get the attachments and your dad will be happy!

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I have a friggin' 20 gallon one with a pump on it and it is way too big to be rolling around and stuff. If that is all he'll be using it for I would say you are right on in that 2-5 gal size range. I'm a fan of the original Shop Vac but the Sears Craftsman ones are pretty good too.



Definitely get him the attachments! They are worthless for the vehicles without them!



Jeff

 

[GerryDrake]

Different features

I have had quite a few over the years, and have 3 right now. A few years ago I got one I thought was going to be the hot item. It has a capacity to suck water via a hose and a few other things. I have never used that feature, but I do really miss the fact that this particular one doesn't have a discharge port where you can connect up the vacuum hose to blow off the driveway, walkway, or whatever... Definitely get one that can blow as well as suck... . (no, no sexual pun intended)

 

[rbattelle]

How about the Ridgid model WD0625 from Home Depot (check it out on their website)? I don't have it, but a good friend does. It has all the features I wish my cheap 6-gallon Shop Vac has. The only complaint is that the wheels keep coming off, but I think that could be fixed very easily.



I love the short design - keeps from tipping it over.



-Ryan

 

[bmoeller]

We have a John Deere (ShopVac, I believe) at the farm. Works great.

 

[BAnderso]

The Sears shopvacs are pretty noisy. Lowe's sells ShopVac with their name on it. Pretty good deal ...

Barry

 

[MFalkinham]

How about the Ridgid model WD0625 from Home Depot (check it out on their website)? I don't have it, but a good friend does. It has all the features I wish my cheap 6-gallon Shop Vac has. The only complaint is that the wheels keep coming off, but I think that could be fixed very easily.

I love the short design - keeps from tipping it over.

-Ryan

I have this Ridgid shop vac that Ryan mentions. Got it from Home Depot for $40 and it came with a $20 HD shopping card, so actual cost was $20. It's great for cleaning out the inside of the truck, and has a nice cartridge filter inside rather than just a cheap bag filter. I haven't had the wheels fall off mine yet, knock on wood.

 

[troll3193]

I have one of these and I love it.



http://www.mytoolstore.com/shopvac/hangup.html



Plenty of power, but easy to carry around. Has an 18' hose, so would be great for the cars. Also it is wall mountable. .



Bryan

 

[JasonBrown]

I have a ShopVac brand that I got at Sam's for 60 bucks. It is a 12 gallon with several attachments. It works very well. Really happy with it.

 

[MMiller]

Do any of these shop vacs not emit a large cloud of dust on start up? I have a cheeper "shop vac" and it has a very poor foam filter. Upon startup, and during hard use, the dust gets pulled into the vac and then blown out into the room. Most vacs I have used will bellow out dust on startup... ..... do any of the above not do this?



Don't get him a vac with the foam "filter" it just catches the big sticks, papertowels, etc, not much dust.



Michael

 

[rbattelle]

Do any of these shop vacs not emit a large cloud of dust on start up? I have a cheeper "shop vac" and it has a very poor foam filter. Upon startup, and during hard use, the dust gets pulled into the vac and then blown out into the room. Most vacs I have used will bellow out dust on startup... ..... do any of the above not do this?



Don't get him a vac with the foam "filter" it just catches the big sticks, papertowels, etc, not much dust.



Michael

My el-cheapo (bottom-of-the-line Shop Vac) doesn't do this. I use a paper filter.



-Ryan

 

[daveshoe]

The attachments for shop vacs are really pretty lame. I solved this by purchasing a blower nozzle for my Depot vac that reduces the 2. 5 opening to the size that lets me shove it inside the hoses that come with ''home'' vacs. I am not too proud to scrounge attachments on trash pickup day or look for a cheap vac with good attachments at a yard sale. This works nice for auto interiors,making for an easier to handle hose extension. I like the cartrige filters that come on the machine,and one feature nice to have is a blower that works without the head being attached to the canister. That makes it easy to go outside and blow dust from the filter. You can buy cannister style filters that are rated all the way to HEPA that will work even when wet. I just paid 25 bucks for one,but it is worth it when you consider the really fine dust will not get blown all over a customer's house when you use the beast. .

I really like the lack of noise that emits from thge Depo vac. It even has a muffler if you want further noise reduction.