OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
less than impressive.
I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
last that long.
Matthew
Matthew wrote:
> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
> Their
> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
> been less than impressive.
>
> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
> for a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
> didn't last that long.
>
> Matthew
I have a cheap sears that I bought for $29 when I moved into my house 9
years ago. Use it for everything from cleaning up the sawdust in my garage
to sucking leaves from the gutters. Sucked up the water when the water
heater leaked, sucked up the gravel under the bathtub when I needed to get
to the drain line. I can't seem to kill the thing, I want a quieter one so
I can use it as a dust collector hooked up to the router but it just won't
die and give me an excuse to but a new one. I have never even changed the
filter for it either.
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> scribbled:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
In 14 years, I am on my third shop vac. The first was a small model
(3-4 gallons?). It was too small and not very useful. Then a 13 gallon
model that was excessively noisy. Uses: cleaning up the shop & sucking
up water when the greenhouse watering tanks overflowed. I also use a
Lee Valley cyclone lid garbage can cover
<http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=30282&category=1,42401&ccurrency=1&SID=>
most off the time, as well as a filter bag inside and the corrugated
cartridge filters. The smoke that keeps the motor running escaped
about a year ago. I was not unhappy about that. I now have Shop-Vac
Ultra 18-gallon Wet/Dry Vac from Canadian Tire. It's a lot more quiet,
but earmuffs are still indicated. Don't know how durable it will be,
but it does suck.
However, the durability of ShopVacs does not seem to be all that
great, judging by the number of replacements. So the more expensive,
bigger shopvacs prolly aren't that more durable.
Luigi
Replace "nonet" with "yukonomics" for real email address
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/antifaq.html
www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/humour.html
In article <[email protected]>, mac davis
<[email protected]> wrote:
> never used it outdoors.. interesting idea, though..
I use mine to blow out my sprinkler lines each fall.
djb
In article <[email protected]>, Tim Douglass
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Good idea! Too bad my ShopVac doesn't blow, it only sucks.
That air has to come out somewhere...
I have an old shop vac that has been in regular (but not extensive use for
at least 15 years). I find it a bit noisy, but it has sucked just about
everything including water, grass, dirt, cement dust, saw dust, etc.
Recently I noticed that dust was coming out the exhaust. Taking it apart
revealed the foam filter had failed. I got a new hard plastic filter
instead of the foam filter with the nag around it since I rarely such water
with it anymore, and then bought the bags that fit inside. It seems to work
better this way. Its noisy but I think I paid like $50 for it new. I got
my money's worth out of it.
One of the hold down clamps broke off years ago, but it seems to be fine
with just the two left.
"Gregory McGuire" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have been using my shopvac 16 for about 20 years and it still works
> perfect.
> Water- saw dust- dirt-
> if you take care of the filter it will suck harder and last longer.
> I wrap an old t-shirt around the foam filter shake it free of dust
> occasionally and when sucking water
> I tape like a plastic hefty bag against the inside to prevent water
> getting
> sucked into the motor.
> "Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
> Their
>> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
> been
>> less than impressive.
>>
>> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
> for
>> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
> didn't
>> last that long.
>>
>> Matthew
>>
>>
>
>
Not a bad idea. I seem to recall a guy who had his under a cardboard box,
probably for the same reason.
"Joe Nation" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have a Sears vaccum that is very noisy. I built a box in the shape of a
> cube out of plywood, put a door on the cube and put the vaccum inside the
> cube. The noise went away! I can talk or listen to the radio while the
> vaccum is on. I suggest you try this. It works remarkeably well.
>
>
> "Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
> Their
>> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
> been
>> less than impressive.
>>
>> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
> for
>> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
> didn't
>> last that long.
>>
>> Matthew
>>
>>
>
>
I have been using my shopvac 16 for about 20 years and it still works
perfect.
Water- saw dust- dirt-
if you take care of the filter it will suck harder and last longer.
I wrap an old t-shirt around the foam filter shake it free of dust
occasionally and when sucking water
I tape like a plastic hefty bag against the inside to prevent water getting
sucked into the motor.
"Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
Their
> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
been
> less than impressive.
>
> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
for
> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
didn't
> last that long.
>
> Matthew
>
>
I have the feeling that we're dealing with a "generation crap" problem here,
too. The 30-year old Monkey Ward branded (manufactured by Shop-Vac) is
still in the basement, after I found that I could get Shop-Vac branded
replacement filters. The Shop-Vac replacement is in the garage, where the
grinding noise from the new age universal motor isn't so noticeable.
Quieter on the exhaust, though.
<Greg G.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> My original 10 gal Shop-Vac lasted for 15 years, including sucking the
> crap out of our outdoor pond. The metal cannister finally rusted out
> and I replaced it with a 90L series (93010-11) 10 gal, "4 HP" model.
>
> This is the worst thing I ever used. The motor squeals and the
> bearings resonate and the motor windings constantly fill the room with
> the peculiar odor of burning insulation. I even tore it down to see
> what was wrong. Chinese armature, bronze sleeve bearings, and a
> really crappy switch.
I have a Sears vaccum that is very noisy. I built a box in the shape of a
cube out of plywood, put a door on the cube and put the vaccum inside the
cube. The noise went away! I can talk or listen to the radio while the
vaccum is on. I suggest you try this. It works remarkeably well.
"Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
Their
> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
been
> less than impressive.
>
> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
for
> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
didn't
> last that long.
>
> Matthew
>
>
On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 09:28:06 -0400, "TEF" <[email protected]> wrote:
>For as long as these Shop Vacs have been around, I would have thought that
>they would be more user-friendly by now. the electric cord might as well be made of
>spring steel. Rather than a supple rubber-covered cable, they have used
>some rigid plastic. Moreover, it cleats used to hold the cord are too small
>and rotate as one tries to coil it for storage and/or transport. The coiled
>cord also fouls the lid when one tries to replace the top after one empties
>the unit. Why couldn't Shop Vac provide a reel like one finds in a domestic
>vac?
Part of my job responsibilities is the design of cordage for my
employers products. You simply cannot believe how hard it is to get a
cord that will last long enough and pass UL testing, never mind
usability. These things are sometimes like a Manhattan project.
The rigid plastic you mention it being made from is most likely PVC.
Cheap, easy to get. Given the cost issues involved, I think it
unlikely the manufacturer will want to spring for a rubber jacketed
cord. And then there's the issue of the conductors inside which play
the biggest role in flexibility.
Other issues like storage are separate from flexibility, approval and
longevity. They're more a matter of what marketing likes for unit
appearance.
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
>
>Matthew
>
my about $300 porter cable vac has been a good performer, but I
wouldn't use it for lawn edging...
Lee Gordon wrote:
> I had a Shop-Vac brand unit for many years but recently I decided that one
> should not have to wear a respirator and hearing protection to operate a
> vacuum cleaner. So I put it in the trash and bought a Fein. So far I am
> very happy with that choice. It's quieter than the vacuum I use inside the
> house on my carpets (probably cleans better too).
I've had a Shop Vac now for about 14 years that's still going strong. I never
used it for anything wet; just the usual crap around the garage... sawdust and
vacuuming out the car. I upgraded the filter to a HEPA and added a Ridgid
muffler to it. It remains loud enough to cause chromosomal changes.
Last week I installed a Penn State dust collector with their accessory muffler
and now have a system quiet enough to hear the radio or normal conversation
while it's being used. I'll continue to use the Shop Vac for the car.
I guess this means I can put away the respirator and ear muffs now.
--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
[email protected]
http://www.mortimerschnerd.com
I've owned two. The original Sears 16 horse model was a
good sucker but louder than it needed to be. It ran a long
time. Too long. Onna 'count of it being so loud I longed
for the day that it would shoot craps and I could get me one
of those sooper silent Euro-vacs. That day came and I
bought a Fein. Aside from the fact that it involved an
additional investment (a pleated filter and a brush nozzle)
I like it and it holds up well.
UA100
Eugene <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Matthew wrote:
>
>> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
>> Their
>> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand)
>> has been less than impressive.
>>
>> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to
>> pay for a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like
>> $80 or so) didn't last that long.
>>
>> Matthew
> I have a cheap sears that I bought for $29 when I moved into my house
> 9 years ago. Use it for everything from cleaning up the sawdust in my
> garage to sucking leaves from the gutters. Sucked up the water when
> the water heater leaked, sucked up the gravel under the bathtub when I
> needed to get to the drain line. I can't seem to kill the thing, I
> want a quieter one so I can use it as a dust collector hooked up to
> the router but it just won't die and give me an excuse to but a new
> one. I have never even changed the filter for it either.
>
>
Second the Sears for durability and excessive noise. I have this horrible
feeling that it will outlive me.
Isn't that kind of a duh? It costs money to use a quiet brushless
motor My Craftsman16 gallon that is nearly 20 years old is noisy as
can be. I replaced the bearings once. It actually uses sealed roller
bearings. My little Dirt Devil with a 6 inch beater bar is loud as can
be. It has a brush type motor spinning some fast speed. If it had a
universal brushless motor it would be much quieter. They can also
knock down the noise by using more solid materials that have some
mass, using foam like they do in the modern diesel cars and tractors
and other acoustic tricks. That would take a little more money that
joe blow tight wad wants to spend. Joe blow not such a tightwad buys a
Fein.
I bet the ShopVac people said duh to your letter. They are fullly
aware they make a noisy piece of junk that works but that is what most
Amercans want. Look at all the people that are getting excited over
Harbor Freight coming to their neighborhood. There are some great
deals there but most of their stuff is pretty crummy knock offs. I
bought a blasting cabinet from them. I went to my father-in-laws house
and looked at his blasting cabinet. His was made in Ohio and for a few
bucks more it was so much nice than my third world cabinet. Had I seen
his cabinet first I would have ordered one of them. I have bought
clamps and other generic stuff. Now if folks want to get excited they
should do so when the equivelant of a Highland Hardware shows up in
their city. That is a real cool store.
"TEF" <[email protected]> wrote:
>For as long as these Shop Vacs have been around, I would have thought that
>they would be more user-friendly by now. I have year-old 6.0 hp model that
>I just despise. While it does suck up dust and whatever, there are jet
>engines that make less noise. The casters are cheap and seem to hang up
>when dragging the unit around and the electric cord might as well be made of
>spring steel. Rather than a supple rubber-covered cable, they have used
>some rigid plastic. Moreover, it cleats used to hold the cord are too small
>and rotate as one tries to coil it for storage and/or transport. The coiled
>cord also fouls the lid when one tries to replace the top after one empties
>the unit. Why couldn't Shop Vac provide a reel like one finds in a domestic
>vac? I don't believe that Shop Vac's designers ever use their products. If
>they did they'd recognize that the device is nothing more than a cheap
>plastic tank with a noisy motor attached. In short, I will probably look to
>one of the European vacs in the future.
>
>About two months ago, I sent virtually the same comments to Shop Vac, but
>they never responded to my points.
>
>
>"AL" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:zub3d.9638$wV.4326@attbi_s54...
>> I've had my Fein Turbo II for 6 years and it still works like it was new.
>>
>> "Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
>> Their
>> > last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>> > durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
>> been
>> > less than impressive.
>> >
>> > I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>> > tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
>> for
>> > a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
>> didn't
>> > last that long.
>> >
>> > Matthew
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 12:58:20 -0700, Luigi Zanasi <[email protected]>
wrote:
>In 14 years, I am on my third shop vac.
I have a theory about this, Weegie.
I've owned two Craftsman shop vacs and one "Shop Vac" shop vac in
thirty some years.
I still have one Craftsman and the "Shop Vac".
The "Shop Vac" shop vac will live forever because I bought it to take
to customer's houses (because it was quiet and the nice metal canister
cleaned up so purty), and I don't got no more customers, and the
Craftsman shop vac will live forever because...
Here's where the theory comes in:
"Because it's so damned noisy that nobody can stand to have the
sumbitch on for longer than is absolutely necessary, so the actual
runtime on a twelve year old vac is about two hours."
This leaves the original Craftsman shop vac...
Which died one cold morning when I was working under the extra burden
of a particulary bad hangover (hell, I was still in my twenties).
The helper claims that I was aiming at him...
But all the buckshot went straight into the Craftsman.
Nice tight pattern.
No pain.
(Note: This may only have been a dream, because most of the seventies
was passed in that sorta state, don'tchaknow.)
(btw - where the hell you been, dood?)
Regards,
Tom.
Thomas J.Watson - Cabinetmaker (ret.)
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1
<Greg G.> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Matthew said:
>
> My original 10 gal Shop-Vac lasted for 15 years, including sucking the
> crap out of our outdoor pond. The metal cannister finally rusted out
> and I replaced it with a 90L series (93010-11) 10 gal, "4 HP" model.
>
> This is the worst thing I ever used. The motor squeals and the
> bearings resonate and the motor windings constantly fill the room with
> the peculiar odor of burning insulation.
We have a few Shop Vac brand at work. The switch went on every one of
them. They all deteriorated in about three months. We do use them to vacuum
water so we even tried the very expensive ($300) one that sits on a drum. No
better than the cheaper ones.
Ed
Try using a muffler. IIRC, HD carries the one I put on my Shop Vac brand
and it cut the noise quite a bit. Still not what you could call quiet,
but it helps a lot.
Mark L.
Lobby Dosser wrote:
> Eugene <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>
>>Matthew wrote:
>>
>>
>>>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
>>>Their
>>>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>>>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand)
>>>has been less than impressive.
>>>
>>>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>>>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to
>>>pay for a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like
>>>$80 or so) didn't last that long.
>>>
>>>Matthew
>>
>>I have a cheap sears that I bought for $29 when I moved into my house
>>9 years ago. Use it for everything from cleaning up the sawdust in my
>>garage to sucking leaves from the gutters. Sucked up the water when
>>the water heater leaked, sucked up the gravel under the bathtub when I
>>needed to get to the drain line. I can't seem to kill the thing, I
>>want a quieter one so I can use it as a dust collector hooked up to
>>the router but it just won't die and give me an excuse to but a new
>>one. I have never even changed the filter for it either.
>>
>>
>
>
> Second the Sears for durability and excessive noise. I have this horrible
> feeling that it will outlive me.
Mark L writes:
>Try using a muffler. IIRC, HD carries the one I put on my Shop Vac brand
>and it cut the noise quite a bit. Still not what you could call quiet,
>but it helps a lot.
I had one for a Ridgid. Pulled it apart and stuffed it with very coarse brass
wool (couldn't find the steel wool). Decreased the noise even more, but it did
reduce vacuum power a bit.
Charlie Self
"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for
President. One hopes it is the same half." Gore Vidal
"Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:8D43d.627$Bg5.535@trnddc07...
> Eugene <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > Matthew wrote:
> >
> >> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
> >> Their
> >> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> >> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand)
> >> has been less than impressive.
> >>
> >> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> >> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to
> >> pay for a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like
> >> $80 or so) didn't last that long.
> >>
> >> Matthew
> > I have a cheap sears that I bought for $29 when I moved into my house
> > 9 years ago. Use it for everything from cleaning up the sawdust in my
> > garage to sucking leaves from the gutters. Sucked up the water when
> > the water heater leaked, sucked up the gravel under the bathtub when I
> > needed to get to the drain line. I can't seem to kill the thing, I
> > want a quieter one so I can use it as a dust collector hooked up to
> > the router but it just won't die and give me an excuse to but a new
> > one. I have never even changed the filter for it either.
> >
> >
>
> Second the Sears for durability and excessive noise. I have this horrible
> feeling that it will outlive me.
Put me in line. Mine almost requires double hearing protection and it
really does suck, but it just won't die. I do like the detachable head that
the wife uses as a leave/debris blower to blow off the sidewalk, but I'd
imagine that's pretty common these days.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
>
>Matthew
>
I'm still using a 15 year old sears shop vac.. unless they got worse,
I'd recommend them in a minute!
My wife was trying to get me to replace it for a newer one a few
months ago, because I needed a new hose and it was $20... said I'd be
better off applying the money towards a new vac that had a new hose...
changed her mind the following weekend when she was helping me clean
my bench and sucked 2 3/4" bench dogs up and had to open the vac and
dig them out of the sawdust.. lmao
never used it outdoors.. interesting idea, though..
I have one of those craftsman leaf blowers with the vac bag and all..
damn thing will sick the bowling ball out of your closet... well,
maybe not, but it's like 200 mph or something and mulches what it
vacs.. (already replaced mulcher blade, they have trouble mulching
sheet rock screws from the shop floor)
Mac
03 Tahoe Widelite 26GT Travel Trailer
replaced 1958 Hilite tent trailer
99 Dodge Ram QQ 2wd - 5.9L, auto, 3:55 gears
mac davis <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
(snip sad story of demisal)
> >I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> >tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
> >a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
> >last that long.
> >
> >Matthew
> >
> I'm still using a 15 year old sears shop vac.. unless they got worse,
> I'd recommend them in a minute!
>
I'm a pretty cheap old fart, so when I found the shiny silver
contractor's vac I wanted in a dumpster I couldn't resist. That was a
few years ago, and it wasn't too new even then. The motor worked, but
it sounded like a cat caught under a rocking chair. When I took the
thing apart I found the fan blade had parted company with the shaft.
I taught myself to braze on that thing. For about three years it's
worked great suckin' dust from the TS and etc.(right now it's catchin'
lead-paint chips from a second story gable while sittin' on the ground
attached to about 30' of hose and pipe), it's quieter than I ever
expected, AND I have a cool metalworking skill ta' boot.
Welding's next, but I don't think I'll find that utility trailer I
need in a dumpster. :)
Dan
On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 15:54:54 -0600, Dave Balderstone
<dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, Tim Douglass
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Good idea! Too bad my ShopVac doesn't blow, it only sucks.
>
>That air has to come out somewhere...
A series of vents all around the motor. It actually helps keep it a
bit quieter, but you can't put a hose on it.
Tim Douglass
http://www.DouglassClan.com
Matthew said:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
My original 10 gal Shop-Vac lasted for 15 years, including sucking the
crap out of our outdoor pond. The metal cannister finally rusted out
and I replaced it with a 90L series (93010-11) 10 gal, "4 HP" model.
This is the worst thing I ever used. The motor squeals and the
bearings resonate and the motor windings constantly fill the room with
the peculiar odor of burning insulation. I even tore it down to see
what was wrong. Chinese armature, bronze sleeve bearings, and a
really crappy switch.
Waddya want for $60?? I wish I had bought something else...
FWIW,
Greg G.
I had a Shop-Vac brand unit for many years but recently I decided that one
should not have to wear a respirator and hearing protection to operate a
vacuum cleaner. So I put it in the trash and bought a Fein. So far I am
very happy with that choice. It's quieter than the vacuum I use inside the
house on my carpets (probably cleans better too).
Lee
--
To e-mail, replace "bucketofspam" with "dleegordon"
I didn't read all the other posts but I also had 2 shop vacs and they
both died very fast. I just sucked up regular garage dust with it and
some other crap like construction stuff. Nothing special but they both
died after a long squeal.
Got fed up and decided I was too poor to afford some crappy shop vacs.
So I got the smaller FEIN unit. Can't love it more. Very quiet, sucks
up like hell and very easy to maintain. Fortunately, I know the sales
representative so I got it for the same price that the tool stores are
paying.
Hope this helps,
Wally
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
>
>Matthew
>
Iuse two 16 gal. sears shop vacs. They work well, albeit a bit loud.
One is in the garage, the other in the basement where it sucks up
stuff from the floor as well as the DC for my planer. The basement
unit has a Cleanstream filter. I really couldn't ask more of either
one except to be quieter.
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
>
>Matthew
>
On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 14:02:35 -0600, Dave Balderstone
<dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote:
>In article <[email protected]>, mac davis
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> never used it outdoors.. interesting idea, though..
>
>I use mine to blow out my sprinkler lines each fall.
Good idea! Too bad my ShopVac doesn't blow, it only sucks.
Tim Douglass
http://www.DouglassClan.com
I did that at the wood shop because the cyclone vacuun system was so
loud. A big plywood box to encase the filter bags lined with 2" of
fiberglass ceiling batts attached to the plywood.
"Joe Nation" <[email protected]> wrote:
>I have a Sears vaccum that is very noisy. I built a box in the shape of a
>cube out of plywood, put a door on the cube and put the vaccum inside the
>cube. The noise went away! I can talk or listen to the radio while the
>vaccum is on. I suggest you try this. It works remarkeably well.
>
>
>"Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
>Their
>> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
>been
>> less than impressive.
>>
>> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
>for
>> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
>didn't
>> last that long.
>>
>> Matthew
>>
>>
>
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 17:44:46 -0500, "Matthew"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot. Their
>last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
>durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has been
>less than impressive.
>
>I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
>tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay for
>a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so) didn't
>last that long.
I've been using a 16 gal. ShopVac for five or six years now. It has
sucked water and all sorts of unmentionable debris without any
problem. Probably about the hardest use it got was when I busted the
rear window of my pickup canopy and had millions of tiny glass
granules down in my lawn. I just vacuumed it all up (along with about
40 gallons of grass. A few years later one of my boys threw a rock
through a side window on the same pickup. This time in a gravel
driveway. I almost filled the 16 gal. tank with gravel and glass. It
took two husky guys to dump it. I have vacuumed up incredible amounts
of drywall dust and normal shop detritus, all without a hiccup. I
think I paid about $100 for it, but IIRC it was on sale marked down
from $150 or more. Good to replace the stock filter with a washable
tyvek one.
Tim Douglass
http://www.DouglassClan.com
I have a 5gal Shopvac that I've had a long time, and a 16gal Shopvac
I've had for about 5 years now. Both are going strong, and both have
seen their fair share of abuse. The 16gal one was used to pump out
our basement once, and is currently the DC for my planer. The 5gal is
currently used to vaccum up garage gunk and broken glass and such.
For as long as these Shop Vacs have been around, I would have thought that
they would be more user-friendly by now. I have year-old 6.0 hp model that
I just despise. While it does suck up dust and whatever, there are jet
engines that make less noise. The casters are cheap and seem to hang up
when dragging the unit around and the electric cord might as well be made of
spring steel. Rather than a supple rubber-covered cable, they have used
some rigid plastic. Moreover, it cleats used to hold the cord are too small
and rotate as one tries to coil it for storage and/or transport. The coiled
cord also fouls the lid when one tries to replace the top after one empties
the unit. Why couldn't Shop Vac provide a reel like one finds in a domestic
vac? I don't believe that Shop Vac's designers ever use their products. If
they did they'd recognize that the device is nothing more than a cheap
plastic tank with a noisy motor attached. In short, I will probably look to
one of the European vacs in the future.
About two months ago, I sent virtually the same comments to Shop Vac, but
they never responded to my points.
"AL" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:zub3d.9638$wV.4326@attbi_s54...
> I've had my Fein Turbo II for 6 years and it still works like it was new.
>
> "Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
> Their
> > last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> > durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
> been
> > less than impressive.
> >
> > I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> > tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
> for
> > a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
> didn't
> > last that long.
> >
> > Matthew
> >
> >
>
>
"Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:8D43d.627$Bg5.535@trnddc07...
> > Eugene <[email protected]> wrote in
> > news:[email protected]:
<masive snip>
> > Second the Sears for durability and excessive noise. I have this
horrible
> > feeling that it will outlive me.
>
> Put me in line. Mine almost requires double hearing protection and it
> really does suck, but it just won't die. I do like the detachable head
that
> the wife uses as a leave/debris blower to blow off the sidewalk, but I'd
> imagine that's pretty common these days.
HomeDepo had one of those merchandise turnover clearances and I bought 4-6
pairs of earmuff/safety glasses combo thingies at $5 each. I have glasses
and putting safety glasses (with side shields) and then ear muffs just hurt
too much. I store them on my Ridged roll-around vac, so I always have them
at hand, though my wife has noticed a somewhat diminished hearing on my
part,..."what? Were you talking to me"??
Joel. phx
> --
>
> -Mike-
> [email protected]
>
>
I've had my Fein Turbo II for 6 years and it still works like it was new.
"Matthew" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> OK, lets get this out of the way up front. I use my shop vac a lot.
Their
> last job was sucking up the dirt from edging the sidewalks. But the
> durability of the last two shop vacs I owned (both Shop-Vac brand) has
been
> less than impressive.
>
> I would be interested in hearing what others experiences have been in
> tougher than normal shop vacs -- brand, size, etc. I am willing to pay
for
> a decent unit, because the last two units (which were like $80 or so)
didn't
> last that long.
>
> Matthew
>
>