Best shop vac

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:34 pm

The HF DC is pretty quiet. I think, a mite quieter than the SS DC and a heckuva lot less expensive.

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 6:32 pm

Gene Howe wrote:The HF DC is pretty quiet. I think, a mite quieter than the SS DC and a heckuva lot less expensive.

Not necessarily, if you are willing to accept used equipment. I saw a used Shopsmith dust collector today for $75. That's about half the price of the HF DC.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 9:46 pm

8iowa wrote:The best vacs, and most certainly the quietest, are the Festool and Fein. Another big plus that they have is that you can "plug in" your orbital sander, attach the hose, and the vac will suck up virtually all the dust as you sand. Both manufacturers now offer a variable suction feature that fine tunes this dust pick up feature.

I have the Fein Turbo II. It comes with a 5 micron polyester filter, but HEPA filters are also available. A downside is that the attachments are metric and the handy dusting brushes are harder to find. Another disadvantage is that you wife will like this vac so well that it will often be in the house rather than the shop.

I second the vote for Fein Turbo II. I have been using mine for well over three years. It is quieter and more efficient than any other I have ever owned or used. Currently we own three different model/brands. The Fein is the only one that is reached for. 8Iowa clearly knows his stuff he suggested a heater form my new shop. When the heating contractor was called to see if he could get one he grinned and said he already had mine in stock. When asked if he had any other to suggest. He said no way, thanks for the great suggestion. Fjimp

KDC · Post by **KDC** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:30 pm

I found an older SS dust collector for sale. Are they quiet and efficient? Thoughts?

I also found a boatload of used Jet d/c's out there. Thoughts?

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:57 pm

KDC wrote:I found an older SS dust collector for sale. Are they quiet and efficient? Thoughts?

I also found a boatload of used Jet d/c's out there. Thoughts?

Are you looking for a shop Vac or a dust collector? They are two distinctly different tools with different uses. A dust collector gathers sawdust and particulate from the work you are doing and the air you breathe. A shop vac is designed for clean up of a wide variety of wet and dry particulate. A dust collector does not pick up larger scraps without damaging the tool. fjimp

KDC · Post by **KDC** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 6:42 pm

Yes I apologize. My thread title should be "dust collectors"

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 9:30 pm

KDC wrote:Yes I apologize. My thread title should be "dust collectors"

No apology needed. My remarks were simply a reflection of my aging and related simple minded confusion.

I am very fond of my Shopsmith DC3300. I added the 1 micron bag shortly after I purchased it. Recently I had a carpenter here while it was running. The fellow commented he found it quieter than the Jet he has in his own shop. He was also pleased with the amount of dust particulate it removes from the air. As an asthmatic I am particularly concerned with airborne dust. So much so I am considering adding a Jet Air Filter. The only reason I haven't yet bought one is I am having trouble convincing myself of the need. Okay I am CHEAP. Fjimp

KDC · Post by **KDC** » Sat Feb 05, 2011 11:21 pm

Thank F. Jim,

I too have some respiratory issues. I think I am going to keep my eyes peeled for a nice used SS d/c and follow your advice and get a Jet air filter setup.

magnaman · Post by **magnaman** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:20 am

Last week I bought a Rigid 14 gal shop vac at Home Depot. It is much quieter than other shop vacs I have been around and I can sweep the whole shop without being annoyed by the sound.
I am hoping to adapt the 2 1/2" hose to my SS sanding tools to use as a dust collector. It will plug directly into the blade guard assembly of my router table so no problems there.
Since I have respiratory problems with some plywoods and other glued materials I wear a respirator mask when working on them but H.D. sells several different levels of filters for this shopvac so I should be able to solve that problem with the HEPA filter.
Also, my latest Peachtree catalog has a long slinky hose that I may adapt to the output port of the shopvac and run to an old dryer vent in the wall of my shop.
So far I have about $120 invested. The vac was $99 and I went back and bought two brush attachments for it. I am still measuring and looking at adaptors. H.D. has several available.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:13 am

magnaman wrote:Last week I bought a Rigid 14 gal shop vac at Home Depot. It is much quieter than other shop vacs I have been around and I can sweep the whole shop without being annoyed by the sound.
I am hoping to adapt the 2 1/2" hose to my SS sanding tools to use as a dust collector. It will plug directly into the blade guard assembly of my router table so no problems there.
Since I have respiratory problems with some plywoods and other glued materials I wear a respirator mask when working on them but H.D. sells several different levels of filters for this shopvac so I should be able to solve that problem with the HEPA filter.
Also, my latest Peachtree catalog has a long slinky hose that I may adapt to the output port of the shopvac and run to an old dryer vent in the wall of my shop.
So far I have about $120 invested. The vac was $99 and I went back and bought two brush attachments for it. I am still measuring and looking at adaptors. H.D. has several available.

I was watching as I swept the shop floor with a push-broom last week while the sun was streaming in the end windows facing south-west. I was kind of surprised at just how much dust I was making. I knew it made some but it was a LOT.

I am going to switch to vacuuming the floor instead as much as I can. The push broom will just be used to gently "push" the bigger stuff across the floor to the DC floor attachment then the actual dust will be vacuumed. I also need to get on the stick and get a "proper" air scrubber put up.