Vacuum Preference

[Magellan498]

Hey guys. I have been using a small DirtDevil vacuum for the cars and it kinda doesn`t meet my suction needs. I was wondering what vacuums yall have had the best experience with? Any good small vacuums out there, or should I switch to the big upright ones?



Miguel Garcia

[JimS]

I bought one of the Vac n Blow models and it`s fantastic!



Great cleaning power, lots of attachements for every concievable type of job all the way down to a computer keyboard....AND......the 200 mph blower works great drying the truck after a visit to the car wash.



It`s small enough to carry around the car easily, has a 6 ft hose so it reaches about anywhere in the car if you lay it down on the floor, has two plastic extensions and comes with a shoulder strap! It has tons of power, the most powerfull on the market....or so they say....and I believe it. When you crank it up the torque dammed near turns the thing clear over.....like cracking the throttle on a 8 second Big Block!!



Expensive (about $180) but in the long run I`ll be glad I did it....I think....at least that`s what I keep telling myself!



Later Jim

[70fastback]

Buy anything except for the vac n blow JR. We have one of them at work our IT dept purchased for computer cleaning and it doesn`t work worth a damn. (They tried to give it to me and I wouldn`t take it)



I use a craftsman 5 hp. its ok, nothing spectacular. I vacuumed my van floor mats with it and spent alot of time on them with less than satisfactory results. After approx. 5 min on each mat, I could still shake tons of sand out of them. I had come to the conclusion that they needed shampooing when I had a brilliant :rolleyes: idea. I took them inside and threw them on the freshly vacuumed living room carpet and unleashed the PHANTOM 12amp super sucker on them. After the Phantom, I shook them and hardly any sand at all. They came so clean I wanted to call a Kirby salesperson for a vacuum challenge.

[Patrick]

Cant go wrong with the HD Rigid, that sucker sucks !! Even the small ones work great ......

[Magellan498]

Cool these sound great guys. Can you give me the company names for these things? I haven`t been able to find much on google or ebay under those names. Thanks. Keep the suggestions coming.



Miguel

[George M.]

Im pretty sure Riged is the home depot bran. thats all i know. I use a craftsman. I like it.

[imported_Dude]

I have a Vac n Blo, too. It is the greatest. The power has to be experienced to be believed.

[jimmybuffit]

The Fein is imported from Germany, and is highly regarded in the woodworking field. They have bigger/stronger models, but this one, at 90" of waterlift, will get most of the chrome off your bumper hitch! Get the optional 16` hose, and you can do your whole house!



Fein via CoastalTool (http://www.coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/fein/femtur.htm?L+coastest+xnnq4943ff52c252+1045124464)



Coastal has the best price I`ve seen. Your mileage may vary.



Jim

[BradE]

I use a 4.5 HP Shop Vac. It`s the Hang Up Pro model. It comes with a 18` hose (very handy, can vac entire car without moving the vac) and also comes with attachements. The vac can be mounted on the wall if you would like.



Overall I am very happy with it. I got mine at Sears for around $80.

[Ktulu]

A good thread I found earlier while trying to answer the same questions.



http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15210&highlight=vacuum

[C. Charles Hahn]

I have the 3HP version of the same one SRL has, again really convienient and perfect ammount of power for my needs...



so yeah, lemme just say, "my vacuum sucks!" :p

[Bobby G]

I have to agree, I love my Vac n Blo!

[Magellan498]

Well it appears that the Vac`n Blo is the best bet. Thanks for the help, i`ll be upgrading soon :).



Miguel

[70fastback]

DavidB and Dude, Is this the same vac n blo you have?



http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000068LA5/104-3474906-8054361?v=glance&s=hi

[HellrotCi]

That`s the one. That is a really good price with no shipping. I bought the same one from that geeky auto car care place :p last fall when they had a big discount and free shipping.



$140 is a lot of money for a vacuum, especially when you can buy some big wet/dry vacuums for less. One of the things I used to judge Vac `N Blo`s worthiness was the fact that Griot`s Garage sells them. Since Griot`s offers a lifetime warranty on almost everything they sell, that was enough to convince me that this vacuum will last a long time. Another was the fact that DavidB recommended it. Now that I`m using mine, I couldn`t be happier. I like the fact that it`s small, but powerful, and easy to maneuver around the car.