On Tue, 4 Mar 1997 TR4guyinVA@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hiya. . .
>
> I need a shop vac.
>
> Any suggestions?
> Stability, ergonomics and gadgets seem like the important things.
> I've seen big ass ones with variable speed and even retractable cords?
>
> How about noise?
I am on my third as an individual, and used two others at work. At work
we have an expensive Makita, I believe it is, which is an average
performer. It annoys me by using a non-standard hose and wand size so
you have to buy their own expensive accessories. Another one at work is
a Sears a few years old. It works well, but is so powerful that it can
rather violently collapse its accordian pleated hose. It also sounds
like a 747 in mid takeoff.
I started with a cheap Sears that worked well, but had a small base so it
toppled over when you tried to drag it along. It had only the small hose,
and clogged frequently in the wood shop. I then bought a Shop Vac, which
had the removable blower thing on top. It used a bag type filter that was
very cheap, but clogged almost immediately. Then the lock assembly that
held the blower to the base broke. I pried off the blower, took the rest
to the dump. Then the blower bearings packed up. By then, I considered
Shop Vac to be junk, but I liked the blower idea. I bought a separate
leaf blower which is the greatest thing since sliced bread for "sweeping"
the garage.
I am now on another Sears mid level wet/dry about 3 yr old. It has feet
wide enough apart that it is stable. The filter is pleated paper and very
expensive, but lasts quite a while. I have both small and large hoses and
accessories. This is the best of the lot, but it is very noisy. If I am
using it any length of time, I use hearing protectors.
Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
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