Thread: Which shop vacuum ?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Probably 1300w for the vac and 700w for the tool take-off, meaning the whole thing will be 2000w

The specs say the "Max. connection output of appliance socket" is 1000W.

The Bunnings website states "2000W power and 1300W energy use" so it is definitely a 1300W vac with the 2000W just being marketing hype.

Ok, well someone's figures are wrong

I got the medium-size 1400 watt SHOP-VAC from Masters a couple years ago, is okay as a vacuum, marginal for dust extraction; I'm about to purchase the 2HP Sherwood DC unit but I'll probably keep the vacuum handy if I have space for it - has its uses, especially with a crevice tool that the DC won't be any good for.

Okay, my conclusion.
I purchased the Karcher 30L 1300W from Bunnings for $390. The noise is acceptable and the suction power seems acceptable as well. I persuaded the Bunnings employee to let me test run the Ryobi 30L and the Karcher 30L to determine noise levels and the Karcher was the clear winner.
The suction power can be increased or decreased which is handy when attaching something like a random orbital sander. The whole unit seems to be well made.
Whether it can handle 4m of 50mm PVC is another matter but I don't yet have any 50mm PVC to try.
Whether it is worth $200 more than a similar Ryobi is also another matter but I preferred the Karcher wheels, dust filter system and lower noise level.

I don't think using a sander is a good idea unless you have a bag in there. The fine dust will clog the filter very quickly and you'll lose suction and put lots of unnecessary strain on the motor to push air through a clogged filter

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I don't think using a sander is a good idea unless you have a bag in there. The fine dust will clog the filter very quickly and you'll lose suction and put lots of unnecessary strain on the motor to push air through a clogged filter

Actually a blocked filter will result in a much lower load on the motor as there is no airflow.

Unless the unit is built like one of the better ones where the motor cooling air is sourced via a separate supply and not from the vac flow the danger is using it with a sander that produces a lot of dust.

The danger is that with no airflow there will be no cooling to the motor and, as happened to me, can result in the plastic bits all going up in flames.

I have a Shop Vac. like NathanealBC. I run 50mm pipe. I have a bag as well as the pleated filter. It has a thermal switch so the motor will cut out if the temp goes too high. It also has a hepa filter on the outlet.
Its hooked up to a line running down the workshop which can connect to my sander, track saw etc.
When connected to my Bosch 250 ROS it will hold it against a board, if you cover the bleed hole, with the suction.
It works well with all my hand tools as well as a shop Vac cleaner. What's best, it was $99 from Godfrey's.

Originally Posted by BobL

I don't recommend this.
For a start it limits the power available to the Vacuum cleaner and the tool.
If the vac is 1500W then the most you can run on top of that is about an 800W tool. This rules out using something big sanders like a big sander or router.
The best thing to do is to gets as powerful a Vac as possible and run that on one circuit (i.e. 2000+W) then run the large power tool on a separate circuit.

The other thing is the vac should not be turned off as the same time as the tool. The vac should be left ON well after the tool is turned off to help clear residual dust. For a vacuum cleaner I would leave it on for as long as you can stand the noise.

My vac with power point and auto start works very well and has done so for a few years running a Bosch orbital sander and turns off about ten seconds after the sander.

Skip the Power point = a minor convenience.
I run a real ShopVac. Mine sucks wet and dry. Mine has 4 grades of dry bags for different particle sizes,
down to plaster fines/dust.
Bigger is better. Mine does water. Rock dust. Compressed wood pellet stove dust/ash. Plaster crap.
Sandings from carving abalone sea shells.
Yes they are all screamers. Jet engines are not silent. Kind of a compromise, I think.
I confess that I trashed one. Tossed it and bought a bigger one. Temporarily pleased.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

My vac with power point and auto start works very well and has done so for a few years running a Bosch orbital sander and turns off about ten seconds after the sander.

How did you connect your Bosch orbital sander? I just bought a Swarts tools 1400W vac and I am attaching a cyclone to it. Next step is to connect the Bosch orbital sander to the cyclone. I haven't found a suitable connection or hose. The sander dust port is 30mm which is not a standard size for flex hose as far as I have seen thus far.

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I go through a lot of duct tape attaching my SHOP-VAC to my mitre saw, sanders, contractor's saw etc ...

Originally Posted by DaveVman

How did you connect your Bosch orbital sander? I just bought a Swarts tools 1400W vac and I am attaching a cyclone to it. Next step is to connect the Bosch orbital sander to the cyclone. I haven't found a suitable connection or hose. The sander dust port is 30mm which is not a standard size for flex hose as far as I have seen thus far.

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See this post

Bosch GEX 125 AVE ROS - anybody here use one?

Originally Posted by elanjacobs

I don't think using a sander is a good idea unless you have a bag in there. The fine dust will clog the filter very quickly and you'll lose suction and put lots of unnecessary strain on the motor to push air through a clogged filter

I use a Triton dust bucket collector which works brilliantly. The sawdust goes behind the shed to be eaten by the cattle (they seem to like it) and the filter is easily cleaned by tapping on the lid outside on a windy day. Dragging bucket behind me when I vacuum the shed floor is a pain, but hell, I can put up with that once a year!

mick