Thread: Anyone bought a good workshop vacuum recently

I have had a Hitachi RP30s for 17 years still going strong, (most likely superseded)

I bought the gerni 9000 a year ago and it’s great, bunnings looks out of stock currently though

Hi Lyle

I also have the Gerni 9000. I rate it fairly well and good value for the 4 years I've had it. Lot of use as dust extractor hooked up to ROS and portable router, plus general dirt and dust cleaning in shed. Only downside is the filter clogs up pretty quickly when sanding (which may indicate the filter is working pretty well) but the filter declog button fails to do just that. A lot quieter than the Aldi Workzone screamer which I still have but rarely use. Only 1200W, which is half what you are after and 22l tank which is a third of your requirement. I have a feeling they are recently superceded. Purchased from the BGS.

Maybe 2400W and 60l could push you up into the commercial unit range and more dollars.

Regards
Twosheds

My club brought one of these recently and it's quiet and has good suction. Only comes with a 2m hose but a 4.5m lead. As it is fairly new I can't speak about the longevity of it but the reviews on the site seem to approve.

I have a Karcher WD 6 P with a switched outlet and I rate it highly after a series of secondhand household castoffs.
Thirty litre tank and good suction (watt ratings on vacuums can be a very gray area)
Bunnings stock the Vac and the bags.

Tony

Getting a 6m hose is probably going to be the biggest limitation. have you considered buying one and running some pvc ducting?

Mine is currently setup with 2" pvc ducting, any vacuum can then be connected to the end and if noise is of high concern an enclosure can be built to manage that.

If you're really set on a 6m hose your best bet would be to get an aftermarket hose Mirka and Festool have 7m hoses you can buy, but be sitting down when you start calling around. The other issue you may find is depending on the vacuum you buy you may end up needing to make some kind of adaptor to suit.

If you're after a recommendation i'd go for Karcher, otherwise Mirka/Festool depending on the features that matter to you.

My wood turning club has two of these WDV8 Industrial Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner units from Hare and Forbes. Twin motors, with bucket loads of vacuum at 17.5kPa pressure.

There isn't a 6m hose that come with them, but we have a couple of 6m hoses, or around that length with which one can place it wherever you decide. Our units don't run continuously as they are used for cleaning up, but used they certainly are. We run each of them through a cyclone sitting atop a 200 litre steel drum, so they aren't clogged up with debris as quickly or easily running them straight.

https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/v508


I cannot remember how long we've had them, but we are talking years before Covid.

Mick.

Thanks Mick, I had looked at these HAFCO one. It is on sale too...

I took this picture today, it is a WDV8, so knowing that this one is years old, they must have been around for quite some time.

Mick.

WDV8_With_Dust_Drum.jpg

Lyle

You might want to consider another offering from H & F similar to Mick's vac:

WDV3P Workshop Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner - Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse

This one has automatic start up of the vac when a tool is plugged in to the auxiliary power outlet. This feature is very useful. It only has a single motor, but the suction is the same as the more powerful unit, although air flow is considerably less. However, this type of unit is going to be suitable for handheld power tools such as sanders and circular saws etc. It will not cope with a "lunchbox" style thicknesser for example. It is half the price of Mick's WDV-8

One thing to watch out for with shop vacs is the filters. It looks as though H & F have replacement filters available in both pleated and cloth styles. The noise of these units can be very irritating. I have a cheap unit (60L) that is so bad I have to wear earmuffs when using it. I do have another units that is only 25L and much more user friendly.

Corrugated flexible hoses are going to have a lot of frictional resistance. Bear that in mind when considering additional hose lengths. Unfortunately, 50mm hose or piping is something of a barrier to airflow even if everything else is optimum.

Regards
Paul

Lyle

Have a Makita VC3012, as it relatively quiet, and I could find db specification for this machine. But noise is not the only criteria.

Make use of a bag as this significantly reduces clogging of the pleated filter, extending the period of high suction suction . The trick is though one side of the bag is cut and resealed with binder clips. This has proven to be easy to empty and reduces the number of trips to the shop significantly.


Regards