Vacuum for the weekender

[Astouffer512]

Looking for some information and recommendations on a vacuum for a weekend detailer.

I like the look of the metro’s and Etc but as a weekend guy non-pro I do not need to spend that much on a vacuum

Any good shop vac type recommendations? Or just other recommendations

I do know when we have a house I would like to instal a central vac for a garage / basement system.....but that’s a year away or more at least

So I’m the mean time recommendations from fellow Autopian’s? It would have to be portable / movable. I don’t have anywhere to park inside so I will be doing to interior sweeping outside with an extension cord

Thank you


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[Fishroes]

Any shop vac will do
The bigger ones have a bigger wand which may or may not get in certain spots
I have a smaller shark vac with a smaller wand that gets in spots the big one wont
I have the sears 5.5 hp 13 gal
This one looks pretty good for the price from Sam’s club
Also it helps to brush the carpet as you’re vacuuming
IMAGE FOR COMPETITOR’S AD REMOVED


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[Astouffer512]

Would a wet / dry be the better option for doing some light carpet cleaning? Meaning will the wet function help in sucking up any extra water? I’m not planning on soaking my carpets by any means but spaying a cleaner in the carpets, scrubbing, mopping up up with a micro-fiber, the. Using the sho oval to help soak up any extra?


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[tom p.]

A, the next time you visit Home Depot, look at the Ridgid WD3050 vac. It`s got tremendous suction and is small/compact. You`ll just need an extension cord for it.

[dcjredline]

A smaller hose model will help you get into the tight spaces of car interiors, usually they dont have the suction youd want. Even though its $200+ Id still lobby for the VacNBlo from Metro. It just kicks assssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

Otherwise a shop vac with a hose smaller than 2" would be second fiddle.

[Accumulator]

I guess I`m an outlier on this one:

FWIW I hardly ever use any of my ShopVacs, doing 99.9% of my Detailing-related vacuuming (shop, vehicles, etc.) with an old household canister vac from the `90s. Works fine, and if I need to suck up something wet I use one of the extractors.

I know a lot of folks have the wall-mounted ones, or the Metros (which I`m sure are really good), but I have zero interest in upgrading as I see no need at all.

ShopVacs are available used for pennies on the dollar and used household vacuums are often really inexpensive too.

EDIT: Don`t you have to check the amperage of your circuit for the twin-motor Metros? I know I have to plug the two cords of my extractor into separate circuits...

[JSFM35X]

My twin metro required a 20 amp dedicated circuit.


I guess I`m an outlier on this one:

FWIW I hardly ever use any of my ShopVacs, doing 99.9% of my Detailing-related vacuuming (shop, vehicles, etc.) with an old household canister vac from the `90s. Works fine, and if I need to suck up something wet I use one of the extractors.

I know a lot of folks have the wall-mounted ones, or the Metros (which I`m sure are really good), but I have zero interest in upgrading as I see no need at all.

ShopVacs are available used for pennies on the dollar and used household vacuums are often really inexpensive too.

EDIT: Don`t you have to check the amperage of your circuit for the twin-motor Metros? I know I have to plug the two cords of my extractor into separate circuits...

[Billy Jack]

I did some extensive searching for a wet/dry vac last year when I decided to replace my old, bulky Craftsman unit and found some interesting results. The commonly advertised number in consumer vacs is HP, which measures the peak power of the motor, but doesn`t really indicate how much air it moves or the level of suction. The more relevant numbers are CFM (cubic feet/minute), which measures the volume of air moved and sealed pressure or water lift, which measures the relative suction power.
The clear winner in both categories were the units from Powr Flite, a commercial vac company, but they`re also rather pricey, around $200. Second place in specs, and very reasonably priced, was the Vacmaster Beast line, such as the one in Fishroe`s post #2. Desiring a more portable size, I bought the similar unit in a 5 gallon size at Home Depot, LLINK REMOVED and have been well pleased with my choice. It comes with a 7 ft. 1 7/8" hose. Desiring a longer 1 1/4" hose, I also bought the Rigid Auto Detailing kit, also at HD, which includes a durable 10 ft. hose and numerous attachments. A bit of sanding of the inside of the vac`s intake port allowed me easy interchangeability between both hoses. After a year of use, I`m still well pleased with the performance as both a detailing tool and a household shop vac.

Bill

[Accumulator]

My twin metro required a 20 amp dedicated circuit.
Thanks for confirming that.

[Astouffer512]

I did some extensive searching for a wet/dry vac last year when I decided to replace my old, bulky Craftsman unit and found some interesting results. The commonly advertised number in consumer vacs is HP, which measures the peak power of the motor, but doesn`t really indicate how much air it moves or the level of suction. The more relevant numbers are CFM (cubic feet/minute), which measures the volume of air moved and sealed pressure or water lift, which measures the relative suction power.
The clear winner in both categories were the units from Powr Flite, a commercial vac company, but they`re also rather pricey, around $200. Second place in specs, and very reasonably priced, was the Vacmaster Beast line, such as the one in Fishroe`s post #2. Desiring a more portable size, I bought the similar unit in a 5 gallon size at Home Depot, LINK REMOVED and have been well pleased with my choice. It comes with a 7 ft. 1 7/8" hose. Desiring a longer 1 1/4" hose, I also bought the Rigid Auto Detailing kit, also at HD, which includes a durable 10 ft. hose and numerous attachments. A bit of sanding of the inside of the vac`s intake port allowed me easy interchangeability between both hoses. After a year of use, I`m still well pleased with the performance as both a detailing tool and a household shop vac.

BillThank you for that link...I wish I had a home depot close by but I don`t. Well, an hour away, but within 15 minutes I have a lowes and Harbor Freight

I see this model at Harbor Frieght. Has a CFM of 75 and a blower function....will I use the blower function? Or how useful is the blower function on a shop vac?
I`ll assume attachments for it are just possibly a means of modifying them to fit?

Can the wet function with 75 CFM suck excess water / cleaner from carpets and seats effectively?

Link Removed

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[quebert]

If you have any Ryobi tools and already have batteries, they make an awesome 18v vac that`s shaped like a tool box. It doesn`t work as good as my Metro, but it was way cheaper and works as a wet vac too.

[Accumulator]

....will I use the blower function? Or how useful is the blower function on a shop vac?

For non-critical/Detailing stuff it might be OK, but I`d never use it as a vacuum *and* as a blower for the vehicles for fear of contaminants.

FWIW, I`ve only used a shopvac as a blower once in my life (maybe 30 years ago), just to see what I thought of it. You can guess what the verdict was...since I never did it again ;)


I`ll assume attachments for it are just possibly a means of modifying them to fit?


I bet most of the vacuum attachments I use in the shop have some kind of adaptor/modification to make `em fit on the vacuums/extractors I use.


Can the wet function with 75 CFM suck excess water / cleaner from carpets and seats effectively?

I`d *GUESS* it`ll be OK with a narrow-orifice nozzle. Even my wimpiest little extractor does pretty OK with the right thing on the end of its hose.

BUT...the "for replacement filter, contact customer service" note in that ad would give me pause...I`d sure look into that before you buy it, just in case it takes some proprietary filter that`s hard to get. When you need one, sometimes you really *NEED IT NOW*.

[Astouffer512]

For non-critical/Detailing stuff it might be OK, but I`d never use it as a vacuum *and* as a blower for the vehicles for fear of contaminants.

FWIW, I`ve only used a shopvac as a blower once in my life (maybe 30 years ago), just to see what I thought of it. You can guess what the verdict was...since I never did it again ;)



I bet most of the vacuum attachments I use in the shop have some kind of adaptor/modification to make `em fit on the vacuums/extractors I use.


I`d *GUESS* it`ll be OK with a narrow-orifice nozzle. Even my wimpiest little extractor does pretty OK with the right thing on the end of its hose.

BUT...the "for replacement filter, contact customer service" note in that ad would give me pause...I`d sure look into that before you buy it, just in case it takes some proprietary filter that`s hard to get. When you need one, sometimes you really *NEED IT NOW*.


For non-critical/Detailing stuff it might be OK, but I`d never use it as a vacuum *and* as a blower for the vehicles for fear of contaminants.

FWIW, I`ve only used a shopvac as a blower once in my life (maybe 30 years ago), just to see what I thought of it. You can guess what the verdict was...since I never did it again ;)

In regards to the blower function and using compressed / forced air on the interior. Is it standard practice to sweep first or use compressed / forced air to move particulate to the carpet area and then sweep?


I bet most of the vacuum attachments I use in the shop have some kind of adaptor/modification to make `em fit on the vacuums/extractors I use.


I`d *GUESS* it`ll be OK with a narrow-orifice nozzle. Even my wimpiest little extractor does pretty OK with the right thing on the end of its hose.

BUT...the "for replacement filter, contact customer service" note in that ad would give me pause...I`d sure look into that before you buy it, just in case it takes some proprietary filter that`s hard to get. When you need one, sometimes you really *NEED IT NOW*.

Again I should have been more clear. I tend to type faster than I am thinking most times...i won`t not plan to actually have the seats or carpets / mats wet - more damp to the touch. With stating that does a wet purpose version of a shop vac have to auction to aid in "drying" the damp to touch feel?


I also did some looking at my local lowes yesterday afternoon at the shopvac`s they have in stock. To my amazement and disappointment none of the units had CFM listed anywhere on the packaging that I could find. I did however find on the shop vac website where they have a partner page listed and found the model I was considering at my local lowes.
This unit has 150 CFM. Some complaints I saw on lowes reviews was availability of filter bags, but a search on Amazon shows the readily available. I think I have a Christmas idea for someone now


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[Billy Jack]

Thank you for that link...I wish I had a home depot close by but I don`t. Well, an hour away, but within 15 minutes I have a lowes and Harbor Freight

I see this model at Harbor Frieght. Has a CFM of 75 and a blower function....will I use the blower function? Or how useful is the blower function on a shop vac?
I`ll assume attachments for it are just possibly a means of modifying them to fit?

Can the wet function with 75 CFM suck excess water / cleaner from carpets and seats effectively?
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By comparison, the Vacmaster specs are 102 cfm for the 5 gallon and 143 cfm for the 12 gal.
Personally, I`ve never found a shop vacuum blower to be of any value, just not powerful enough.
Also, HD offers free shipping.

Bill

[dcjredline]

In regards to the blower function and using compressed / forced air on the interior. Is it standard practice to sweep first or use compressed / forced air to move particulate to the carpet area and then sweep?



Again I should have been more clear. I tend to type faster than I am thinking most times...i won`t not plan to actually have the seats or carpets / mats wet - more damp to the touch. With stating that does a wet purpose version of a shop vac have to auction to aid in "drying" the damp to touch feel?


I also did some looking at my local lowes yesterday afternoon at the shopvac`s they have in stock. To my amazement and disappointment none of the units had CFM listed anywhere on the packaging that I could find. I did however find on the shop vac website where they have a partner page listed and found the model I was considering at my local lowes.
This unit has 150 CFM. Some complaints I saw on lowes reviews was availability of filter bags, but a search on Amazon shows the readily available. I think I have a Christmas idea for someone now


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Which one? Come on help some others out who may have the same question in the future