Which wet/dry vacuum should I buy?

[allenk4]

Buy this one:

288 CFM
90" Water Lift

Requires two power outlets

This unit is manufactured with three separate 2 stage vacuum motors (6 stages of vacuum)

-Clean Storm HEPA Triple Vacuum Motor Triple Filter Wet Dry Shop Vac 20 Gallon Tank w/ Tool Kit 120v [SBM3HEPA] - Canister Vacuums - Vacuum Cleaners

[1CleanG35]

I just bought the Ridgid Black Friday shop vac from HD. I was really happy to get a good price on my first real detailing tool, especially for such a good vacuum(what I think might be a good vacuum anyway)--but I was pretty devastated once I realized for maximum efficiency I would need that $40 auto detailing kit. So I bought it too, overall I am very pleased with my purchase just because I know it'll pay for itself by spring, boy was I tired of putting money in those coin op machines

Also spent $42 at AG Black Friday sale and $27 on various car care related items between Wally World and HD.

So I spent $149 on tools/products and then my appointment for Saturday cancelled, frustrating but I did enjoy playing with my new Ridgid shop vac and all of its attachments


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[spence]

After searching this and other forums and going down to Lowes, Orchard Supply and Home Depot, I bought the following from Home Depot;

Rigid wd40700 4 gal 5hp wet dry vac
Rigid car cleaning kit (quality 10ft 1.25" flex hose not stiff like 2" hose)
2 Rigid dust bags (blowing out dry canister filter did not look like fun)
Shopvac foam sleeve(blowing out wet canister filter did not look like fun)

I cut the foam sleeve, wrapped it around the wet dry canister filter and held it in place with 2 rubber bands.


I am very happy with my purchase, plenty of power, easy to clean the car and I can pick up the vac and take it upstairs as it is small and light.
The build quality of the Rigid appeared to me to be of higher quality than shopvac or craftsman. You seem to get a lot more for your money with the equivalent size craftsman but the craftsman demo unit lid seemed very difficult to close and the hose was not same quality as the rigid.

[richy]

After owning this for several years now, I still highly recommend it. The water lift (it's POWER rating-don't be mislead by HP and crap like that) #'s are great. Seriously, I stuck it to my arm while it was on and I could not shake it off no matter how hard I tried. Try THAT with your vac, LOL.


PF51 Wet Dry Vac Review

[Kengo123]

How much are you wanting to spend on a vac tops? Is blowing the car off or extracting carpet with it more important?

If extraction is the most important factor and you want to stay within a reasonable budget, check this out as you want to be looking for a high static pressure rating. (water lift)

Google "Craftsman wet dry vac Model # 9-17761"

$252.25 at Grainger

6.0 peak horse power, 11 amps, 219 inches of static pressure and 170 mph of blowing speed is pretty good for the price.

Zoro Tools has the same model for $142.26 less at $109.99 Can't beat it man.

Is that water lift rating inflated or what? I was considering the powrflite vac that richy has, but since seeing this post I'm not so sure. Anyone wanna chime in on this craftsman vac? Coach Steve? Art? Are the specs wrong?

[richy]

Is that water lift rating inflated or what? I was considering the powrflite vac that richy has, but since seeing this post I'm not so sure. Anyone wanna chime in on this craftsman vac? Coach Steve? Art? Are the specs wrong?

Honestly, you can't go wrong with the PF51. I confidently stand by my recommendation of it. Very powerful vac for the money. You won't be disappointed.

[Hoytman]

I've got a 10 year old 6.5 16 gallon Craftsman (210 mph blower) and my only complaint is it's loud. It has a corded version of a detachable blower, that I've used for many things.

If my Craftsman grabs you...like richy's...it is NOT coming off by a simple shaking...you have to yank it. It'll suck the paint right off the car if you ain't careful...well, not really, but you get the picture. I do have to be careful on carpets because it'll grab it so hard I can't push or slide the nozzle forward and backward. It's almost too big and powerful for auto carpets in my book...it has that much power.

[Kengo123]

Thanks guys! I'm just mesmerized by those numbers on that specific craftsman.

Hopefully someone with that exact model can confirm that the specs are legit... Otherwise I may have to go with the strongly confirmed greatness of the pf51

[Shower]

Have you considered looking into a 2 or 3 stage vac? More power and quiter than your standard box store offerings. Look at the CFM and sealed pressure inch of water / static water lift specs if powerful suction is important. Several years ago I purchased a 2 stage ShopVac QXL30ATS from OverStock.com on close-out and have been very happy with it over the Craftsman's I had prior.

Recently I


picked up

Edit: The spam link embedded to the words picked up have been removed. -Mike Phillips



a Milwaukee 8912 wet/dry vac in very good condition from a construction company going out of business for $80. All it needs is a new hose and the swivel connector to make the hose to vac connection (current set-up is hose duct-taped to vac). I can tell you the 3 stage Milwaukee is a beast compared to a standard shop vac.

[mdbenge]

You do realize the last post prior to "shower's" was 2014. Not sure how to see when the last time someone posted.

Speaking of, anyone know whatever happened to Bobby G.? He had a yellow Corvette behind him on his avatar.