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  1. #1
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    Default Shop Vac advice for a beginner on a budget.

    Hi all,

    Been reading a lot on dust extraction as late - a lot of it I had no idea about (all the fine dust issues).

    Anyway, I'm only a newb at all this and only have a small shop with limited tools. Before I buy any more tools I thought I should try and pick up a small shop vac to sort out the epic mess that is my garage of late. I'm not running a table saw at the moment as I don’t have room so most of my cuts are done with my drop saw, circular saw and router (so these things are primarily what my dust extraction will be used with).

    I have done a lot of search on the site but most topics relate to more industrial sized options which just isn't going to work for me. Really only looking to spend a couple hundred dollars so hoping for some tips on what others have used when they were starting out and on a budget.

    Thanks.

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  3. #2
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    Aldi do a good little unit; from memory it costs about $80 but it only goes on sale a few times a year.. It has a power take off point that is great for sanders as it fires up as soon as you switch the sander on and continues running for about 5 seconds after you turn the sander off. My table saw and router table are both Triton items so for them I use the Triton dust canister in line with the vac; it's easier to empty that than to pull the vac apart.

  4. #3
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    Whatever you get make sure it has the auto start/a power point. My Ozito doesn't and it's a pain in the.....back to have to lean over to turn it on before the tool.

    Sam

  5. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chief Tiff View Post
    Aldi do a good little unit; from memory it costs about $80 but it only goes on sale a few times a year.. It has a power take off point that is great for sanders as it fires up as soon as you switch the sander on and continues running for about 5 seconds after you turn the sander off. My table saw and router table are both Triton items so for them I use the Triton dust canister in line with the vac; it's easier to empty that than to pull the vac apart.
    Thanks, yeah I've noticed the Aldi units mentioned a couple of times in other threads. Might have to keep an eye out for when they go on sale I guess.

  6. #5
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    I use a Hoover garage vac, and love it to death. It is a 1600 W (2 HP) unit with bags of suction.

    Normally they are over $300, but I got mine on sale for about $165.

    I made three changes that are highly recommended. First I made up a hood and put the beast outside ... see pic. BobL alerted me to the fact that vacs actually produce very fine dust by mincing up the bigger particles. I tested that theory ... he was dead right. Second, I ran 50 mm PVC pipe into the shed and hooked the standard flexy up to that.

    My vac does not have a switch that automatically switches the unit on when a tool is activated. So, I went online and bought a remote RF switch that controls 3 GPO's. One is my dusty. The second is my shop vac. That way I can turn the vac (or the dusty) on or off anywhere in the shop using the remote which is on a lanyard and in my pocket.
    IMAG0318[1].jpg

    Finally, I took out the filters. Be careful here ... BobL tells us some vacs will overheat. Some have an overload cut out (mine does) and some do not. The way to check that all is likely to be well it is to test the amps with the filters out. In my case the limit is 1,600/240 = 6.7 Amps. When I tested the amps with the filters out, they were about one amp lower than that, and I have had no problems despite long periods of use.

    Cannot recommend putting the beast outside highly enough. Mine coated the wall it was on with superfine dust that built up over time. That dust gradually spread throughout my shop ... and because we are discussing superfine dust here, we discuss the stuff that damages our lungs. My shop now stays clean, and I breathe clean air. Putting it outside is a cheap and effective fix.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Monty85 View Post
    Thanks, yeah I've noticed the Aldi units mentioned a couple of times in other threads. Might have to keep an eye out for when they go on sale I guess.
    I've only ever seen them come on in late May/June, so you might have quite a wait. They have plenty of sucking power and plenty of noise. The filter tends to block up very quickly if you creating fine dust (e.g. MDF) and needs at least a rough cleaning off waaaay before the bin is full. This can be solved by using a mini-cyclone of some sort.

    You get what you pay for, and I certainly don't regret buying it, although I've moved on from it now.
    Regards, FenceFurniture

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  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post
    The filter tends to block up very quickly if you creating fine dust (e.g. MDF) and needs at least a rough cleaning off waaaay before the bin is full.
    This is true of most vacs. Mine clogged in minutes if I was vacuuming over-spray. They also clogged quickly when sucking up very fine stuff from sanders etc. My solution was to ditch the filters, and it worked very well. I'm told the mini cyclones are good, but that they don't trap a lot of the superfine stuff, which is what clogs the filters. If you park the vac outside and remove the filters, you will not need a mini cyclone. A length of 50 mm PVC pipe to connect the vac to your flexy is cheaper than a mini cyclone.

    It seems to me that my suction now is just as good as when the vac was inside with clean filters. Even clean filters create some resistance, and removing the filters seems to have balanced the slight additional resistance created by the PVC pipe. So now my vac performance is always optimal and I have clean air.

    The cyclone in the Hoover garage vac is pretty crude, but it works better than I had expected. Every time I turn it on I am grateful for the 1,600 W of power. With vacs or dustys, power is important.

  9. #8
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    Yes, good points John. Just thinking about that, and also the setup you have - I presume it's a bit more of a hassle to empty the unit the way you have t (maybe not though). If that was the case, or indeed such a setup for someone else was going to make it tricky, then you could always have a mini-cyclone inside the shed, before passing to the vac outside.

    Depends upon what will work best for individuals of course. Also depends on the noise of the vac, the neighbours tolerance, how close to the washing line......
    Regards, FenceFurniture

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  10. #9
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    Actually, it was the constant cleaning of filters that was the hassle. I now empty the vac every 4 or 5 days, and it is never full (nice big canister). I Thought about a mini cyclone, but once I had the offending beast outside, the filters out and a length of 50 mm PVC pipe coming in to the flexy I soon parked up that idea. I just don't need it. Walking outside once or twice a week to empty the canister is no chore.

    I remember the constant cleaning of filters, and noting that the canister had only an inch or so of dust in it. That was a proper PITA.

    You are right to suggest that noise is another issue. When it was inside that big 1,600 W motor made slightly more noise than the muffled Clear Vue. Now it is a low hum. Thankfully, none of the neighbours is close to the vac and the Clear Vue outlet, so I am not annoying them (I hope ... none of them has said anything). Also, I expected that the removal of filters would make a fair mess. Not so. Under the vac hood is dirty, but the occasional shower of rain keeps the brick wall and the ground clean and I have experienced no messy build-up of dust (except under the hood, which is very grubby ... but I don't care about that).

    When I saw just how much superfine dust my vac was producing it became clear that I needed to either get a vac with good HEPA filters or to move the beast outside. It was an easy decision.

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by FenceFurniture View Post

    Depends upon what will work best for individuals of course. Also depends on the noise of the vac, the neighbours tolerance, how close to the washing line......
    Yes, my situation really doesn't allow me to store the vac outside. I could possible try and come up with some kind of solution to vent it outside, but storing it outside wouldn't work unfortunately.

    As the Aldi vacs only appear to come around mid year (which has passed) does anyone have any other suggestions on what is good / bad around the $200ish range.

    Happy to include a cyclone if it can be done for a budget as well.

    Thanks for all the info so far though guys.

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