Ridgid WD1451 - Shop Vac + Detailing Kit

[chuck2417]

So after awhile of using a leaf blower to remove the pooled water from door handles, front grills, plastic molding etc another member on the forum was using this vacuum`s exhaust port to dry off the vehcile. Well a leaf blower does work, it is a bit hard on the ears which means you should be wearing protection when using it. I will say that a shop vac will not offer the same amount of blowing potential as an electric leaf blower (cheap ones can exceed 220mph). The problem with the leaf blower has been it`s fixed plastic extension on the end and lack of maneuverability. Now I haven`t been able to use a metro blower or vac so I cannot comment on if this system would perform similarily.

Pros:
- at $129 in Canada for the kit from Homedepot or $99 in the US it is cheaper than the metro
- 6 HP motor means it has plenty of power
- both hoses can be connected with the coupler provided in the kit making your hose 17 feet, add that to a 25 foot power cord and you have lots of room to move around ( 7 feet of 2 1/2inch hose and 10 feet of 1 1/4 inch hose)
- lifetime warranty
- lots of attachment in the kit making it great value
- not as loud as most shop vacs
- can be used as a wet vac as well so it offers more versatilty than a metro

Cons:
- does not filter or warm the air like a Metro
- it is a lot larger than a metro blower/vac (this can be good or bad depending on what you use it for) - just detailing it`s a bad thing, but if you use it for household things as well like picking up water or saw dust then it`s great

So since most of us want to clean interiors as well as exteriors this vac makes a great buy. Really the only draw back for me is storing the unit as it`s 53L or 14 gallons. The power though is usually only found in the larger units. My previous shop vac was a 4HP mastercraft which worked well for cleaning interiors, but couldn`t be used to dry off the vehicles. For $10-$15 a muffler can be purchased to help lower the noise even more and reduce the exhaust air when being used as a vac.

Conclusion: While this product does offer great value, I cannot directly compare it to the industry standard (metro). When you compare the cost though, factoring that this is easily available and offers a great warranty it means there are other options out there for those who don`t run a professional shop or don`t want to spend $150-$300 on a metro unit. I have no regrets. The leaf blower was being used to avoid spending a lot of money. But this one unit can replace my leaf blower and shop vac saving space in the garage.

- remember even after drying to still follow up with a clean, good quality mf towel with some form of lubrication on it (damp with water, detail spray, spray wax, nanoskin shock etc)
- dry in a shadded area if possible, washing in a shadded area is even better but for me my only option is washing outside with a hose and then bringing it into the garage to dry off

[Angus]

Great advice for fellow enthusiast looking to maximize their budgets. Thanks for taking the time to write this up

[tropicsteve]

great write up. I went a similar route with a 5hp rigid and the detailing accessory kit. pretty big, but it works great and is actually affordable for the rest of us.

[chuck2417]

There was a post on the interior forum about the rigid shop vac vs the metro. Angus mentioned that he was using the blower port on his shop vac for drying off. That got me thinking. It`s something so simple yet for some reason I overlooked it. Hopefully others will see the post in the future and it`s just another option. I agree it works and it`s affordable.