Stongest most quiet wet/dry shop vac please input...

[EMIN007]

Hi everyone I was wondering what is your picks on the strongest and most quiet wet dry vac. I want a unit with the highest "water lift" possible while keeping the noise factor in cosideration. Thank you for any input you might have.

[Troy@Protekt]

This was also my criteria for a wet vac when I was looking. I chose a Powrflite Commercial Vacuum. It gave you the same extraction power of an extractor while still being an effective wet/dry vac.

Any of the Craftsman or Rigid vacs are great as wet/dry vacuums but not so good at extraction (water lift).

[Mr. Clean]

This was also my criteria for a wet vac when I was looking. I chose a Powrflite Commercial Vacuum. It gave you the same extraction power of an extractor while still being an effective wet/dry vac.

Any of the Craftsman or Rigid vacs are great as wet/dry vacuums but not so good at extraction (water lift).

Not to detract from the OP`s point, but rather to expand on Troy`s input...

Troy, how long have you had the Powr-Flite? What are your opinions of it`s performance vs. your previous vacs? They have a spotter that I have read about over and again, but unsure as to the quality. They are located over in Ft. Worth which, though not around the corner is probably only an hour`s + drive from here.

My Craftsman wet/dry vac (12 gal. 5hp {peak}) does a fair job of extraction, but you must remove the filter cartridge and move the wand slowly.

Edit to add: I forgot about your question of quietness. IMO, it is not quiet, but I don`t have a real good point of reference for comparison.

[Troy@Protekt]

Troy, how long have you had the Powr-Flite? What are your opinions of it`s performance vs. your previous vacs?

I`ve had it about 3 years now. I modified mine with 30` of 1 1/4" hose so it`s CFM (air flow) isn`t great but it still does well at extraction (water lift). First commercial wet/dry vac I have owned and it has performed very well. Since I don`t use an extractor I felt a vacuum with extractor like power was a must to be able to take care of spills. Shampooing or vapor cleaning alone would not be enough.

I know if I used the hose it came with it would perform quite a bit better but I decided to sacrifice a little performance for the convenience of not having to take it out of my truck.

[accordn17]

i bouth a 5 gal 5.5 horsepower contractors wet/dry shop vac at lowes.. this thing is small, very powerful and super quiet! definitely reccommend it..

[Mr. Clean]

I`ve had it about 3 years now. I modified mine with 30` of 1 1/4" hose so it`s CFM (air flow) isn`t great but it still does well at extraction (water lift). First commercial wet/dry vac I have owned and it has performed very well. Since I don`t use an extractor I felt a vacuum with extractor like power was a must to be able to take care of spills. Shampooing or vapor cleaning alone would not be enough.

I know if I used the hose it came with it would perform quite a bit better but I decided to sacrifice a little performance for the convenience of not having to take it out of my truck.

I know exactly what you mean by this. I thought I would upgrade my setup by adding a Mr. Nozzle hose/attachments. I got extra length and probably a better constructed hose, but it seems to have impacted the suction capabilities of the vac plus the attachments are a notch (or maybe even two) below those supplied with the Craftsman vac.

[Tex Star Detail]

i bouth a 5 gal 5.5 horsepower contractors wet/dry shop vac at lowes.. this thing is small, very powerful and super quiet! definitely reccommend it..

Same here. My 1st one lasted 3 years. Running daily for hours. When it died, I replaced it with the same one. Very powerful and quiet.

[Mr. Clean]

Troy, I wanted to follow-up on your Powr-Flite wet/dry vac.

Is yours the PF51 model?

• 5-Gal Poly tank
• 100" water lift
• 114 cfm

If yes,
How is the noise factor?
It says the filter media is permanent cloth, does that mean there isn`t a pleated paper filter?
Have you had any luck finding compatible quality auto related attachments? It looks like it only comes with a crevice tool that would be helpful.

[Russ@Exclusive]

i bouth a 5 gal 5.5 horsepower contractors wet/dry shop vac at lowes.. this thing is small, very powerful and super quiet! definitely reccommend it..

I have one of the 3hp ones and it is amazing. It was only $30. It is a little on the weak side but god is it quiet and small and works fine for now. Plan on upgrading soon though.

[Troy@Protekt]

Troy, I wanted to follow-up on your Powr-Flite wet/dry vac.

Is yours the PF51 model?

• 5-Gal Poly tank
• 100" water lift
• 114 cfm

If yes,
How is the noise factor?
It says the filter media is permanent cloth, does that mean there isn`t a pleated paper filter?
Have you had any luck finding compatible quality auto related attachments? It looks like it only comes with a crevice tool that would be helpful.

Yes that is the model. It is quieter than my Rigid Wet/Dry vac.

I modified mine from the start. I took out the cloth filter and replaced it with a foam filter (like ShopVac uses). I also modified the hose fitting to accept 2 1/2" hose. I did this because I have engineered a hose reel to be fitted with it.

I understood from the start that I was voiding any warranty by doing this and probably shortening the life of the motor, but I knew this would give me maximum performance and convenience and that is what I wanted.

The foam filter does not filter well. The vac stays in the back of my truck and it does get dirty back there after a while. The pleated paper filter would be a better choice. I just knew the cloth filter was not going to work for me.

[Mr. Clean]

I agree, no desire to mess with a cloth filter. That is just a bad idea (IMO, of course). But even the vac shops I`ve dealt with recommend tossing the cloth bag (if equipped) in favor of disposable paper.

So you actually replaced the 1.25" hose with a 2.5". I guess that resolved any question of hose-end accessories.

Was the foam filter and off-the-shelf item or did you have to "manufacture" one? Would any of the stock pleated paper filters fit? FWIW, I run both the foam filter and paper while dry vac, removing the paper to help with suction when wet vac. I think I would want to do the same with the Powr-Flite.

[Troy@Protekt]

I agree, no desire to mess with a cloth filter. That is just a bad idea (IMO, of course). But even the vac shops I`ve dealt with recommend tossing the cloth bag (if equipped) in favor of disposable paper.

So you actually replaced the 1.25" hose with a 2.5". I guess that resolved any question of hose-end accessories.

Was the foam filter and off-the-shelf item or did you have to "manufacture" one? Would any of the stock pleated paper filters fit? FWIW, I run both the foam filter and paper while dry vac, removing the paper to help with suction when wet vac. I think I would want to do the same with the Powr-Flite.

Actually as you can see the hose is a 1.25" on the reel but it is 2.5" coming out of the vacuum. What can I say, I should have been an engineer.

I use standard houshold vac attachments. It`s not good for sucking up medium to large debris but it is very good at getting dirt and small debris.

The foam filter was off the shelf. I had to modify it with staples to get it to fit. I`m sure you can find a pleated filter that will fit the Powrflite. Just take some measurements and visit Sears.

[Mr. Clean]

Good job Troy! Quite inventive of you. I had a similar set-up for my water hose reel, but it kept springing leaks, so I ditched it.

I may just fire off an e-mail to the Powr-Flite folks and ask them. I see the PF51 is @ $170 + tax, not sure about shipping costs. I`ll weigh that against the Fein Turbo I, which has similar specs but is @ $300.