Good vacuum / blower?

**crash93ssei** · 02-27-2009, 09:21 AM

Looking at picking up a good wet / dry shop vac with a blower attachment. I want it to have good power, but I don't need a 20 gallon vac. Also, I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on it.

What do you guys think of this one $99 at Lowes - Shop-Vac at Lowe's: 6.5 HP (Peak) 16-Gallon Wet/Dry Vac with Detachable Blower.

**06CivicSi** · 02-27-2009, 11:10 AM

That is what I have. It works great! No problems so far.

**Showroom Shine** · 02-27-2009, 11:17 AM

Too big for my taste. I read a post here about vac php. ( Peak Horse Power) It stated that anything much over 5 was still only running off the 110 standard socket. To get more than that it would need to run off more than 110 outlet. I have seen the smaller vacs have more suction than some of the big industrial models. Also the bigger vac have larger hoses. Makes it tuff on some of the smaller cars. Or you spend more money on reducers for smaller hoeses and connections!

**WindyCity** · 02-27-2009, 02:15 PM

I have a craftsman "clean n carry" 4 gallon 5HP shop vac and it works perfect for detailing. It is small and low enough to fit under most car doors and it has plenty of power. It was like 65 bucks and I am totally happy with it. I bought a 15 ft 1 1/2 inch Mr Nozzle hose for it. Mr Nozzle hoses are the real tough orange hoses that you see at gas stations and car washes. It doesnt have a blower though, but honestly I would never use it for that. I have a small air compressor if i need it and I dont want to waste time switching the hose around and in my experence the blowers on shop vacs dont really work that well anyhow.

**elk42** · 02-27-2009, 06:54 PM

im looking into the Rigid 5 HP and 6.5 HP. hearing alot of positives from some of my other forums. they are at Home Depot.

**Harleyguy** · 02-27-2009, 06:56 PM

Originally Posted by elk42

im looking into the Rigid 5 HP and 6.5 HP. hearing alot of positives from some of my other forums. they are at Home Depot.

I like the same size unit that are easy to carry ,not very heavy , I think rigid makes one at Home Depot also .Blower i use a leaf blower they are very inexpensive

**crash93ssei** · 02-27-2009, 06:59 PM

Well, I snagged this one up today and have already used it on my wife's car. I am thinking it will work great! I haven't had a chance to wash the car yet because it is too dang cold, but the blower does throw out some dang good speed.

**Harleyguy** · 02-27-2009, 08:34 PM

Problem solved .I forget it's still cold in other parts of the country

**killrflake** · 02-27-2009, 11:41 PM

I have a Craftsmen wet/dry vacuum and blower with 6.5 hp and I believe it says a 215 mph blower. The tank on it is a bit large but it's on rollers and the hose is quite long so I just roll it around behind me when it's used to dry the car after a wash. Works great drying wheels also to the point I only use 1 MF towel to catch any stray drips. I love it.