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Decent vacuum with good suction and wide hose!
Pros
Performs well, fairly quiet compared to others, and has strong suction!
Cons
Still a little noisy, gets heavy when full and some poor instructions!
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Unless you have very heavy debris, or a lot of fluids to pick up, this model should be adequate enough for anyone!
As tempted as I am to bring out all the cliches such as this vacuum sucks, or what a dirt bag, I will avoid doing that. Oh well, guess i did it anyway!
I purchased this vacuum (Amazon), for one purpose only, and that was to clean out my fireplace. You see, I have a real wood burning fireplace, and when it is time for cleaning it out, I'd use a shovel and brush. First take out the large chunks of wood still remaining, then use a shovel to pick up all the fine ash that I could reach. Dirt would drop off the shovel on to the floor before reaching the garbage bag, and would create more of a mess. Finally I got disgusted with this messy and time consuming method.
I got the idea of using my central vac system, but was told that fine ash would ruin/clog my central vac system and do the same to any standard home vacuum. That led me to a Shop Vac. By Shop vac I mean the type of vacuum as well as the brand name. I wanted 3 things in a vacuum:
1-Be able to pick up ash and all fine dust such as sawdust without clogging.
2-Had to be fairly quiet, as some vacuums sound like the space shuttle departing with the motor running.
3-Large diameter hose to allow for more suction and not clog if small pieces were sucked into it.
I did my homework and determined that for what I needed, a 12 gallon capacity would be large enough. Also, I wanted a motor that would provide the right about of power/suction without straining. I settled on this model because it had all I wanted, including casters and a 5 HP motor. The combination and price were good for me. There were other models a lot more expensive that were larger, more powerful, quieter or stainless steel, but I did not need any of that. For what I needed the $100 price point was fine for me.
This vacuum comes with:
6 Foot 2 1/2" Wide Flexible plastic hose
2 Extension wands
8" Utility Nozzle
Tool Holder
Foam Sleeve
Filter Ring
The last 2 items the ring and foam are really filters to prevent dust, dirt or water getting into the motor. Yes, this unit will pick up liquids with only the foam filter in place but you have to be careful how much you draw in so it doesn't hit the motor itself.
For those of you who will use this vacuum for fireplace ash or very fine sawdust or particles, SHOP VAC recommends the use of the optional disposable filter bags. They provide an extra layer of protection against the fine dust, and all the dirt goes into the bag for easy disposal. You see, like most vacuums of this type, it uses only a plastic drum to catch the substances and does not have a bag in it, like standard home vacuums.
I put the disposable bag into the tank just by slipping it on the nozzle extending into the tank, quite easily. I must tell you that when I cleared out my fireplace with this Shop Vac last week, it was a pleasure. Due to the 2 1/2" wide hose nothing got stuck in it, the 5 HP motor provided plenty of power and make the job clean and easy.
Now to the flip side. No product is perfect, so let me tell you what I feel are the negatives:
1-It is quieter than most vacuums of this type, but it is still a little loud, but bearable.
2-The end of the hose fits into the vacuum and has a plastic release on it to release it from the vacuum, but the hose end does not go in far enough to even reach that release piece! Don't understand that design. So I have to just insert the hose as far as it will go into the vacuum and hope it does not come loose, which it hasn't yet.
3-Instructions on how to put the tool holder on during the installation process was a little fuzzy, and it took me a while to figure out that the tabs had to go on to the outside of the tank and not the interior side.
4-Not crazy about the fluids filling up the tank and possibly ruining the motor. I believe there is an optional part to prevent this, but I will check with the manufacturer and update the review as soon as I have a definitive answer from them. I don't want to give anyone false info!
5-No thin crevice tool for those small places to get in to.
Well that's the "dirt" on this Shop Vac Model. It does what it is supposed to do, rolls easily on the 4 casters and has a hose wide enough to prevent items from getting caught. For the price it was a good deal, and unless you are vacuuming up very heavy debris, ths 5 HP motor and 12 gallon capacity should be good enough for you.
I purchased this vacuum (Amazon), for one purpose only, and that was to clean out my fireplace. You see, I have a real wood burning fireplace, and when it is time for cleaning it out, I'd use a shovel and brush. First take out the large chunks of wood still remaining, then use a shovel to pick up all the fine ash that I could reach. Dirt would drop off the shovel on to the floor before reaching the garbage bag, and would create more of a mess. Finally I got disgusted with this messy and time consuming method.
I got the idea of using my central vac system, but was told that fine ash would ruin/clog my central vac system and do the same to any standard home vacuum. That led me to a Shop Vac. By Shop vac I mean the type of vacuum as well as the brand name. I wanted 3 things in a vacuum:
1-Be able to pick up ash and all fine dust such as sawdust without clogging.
2-Had to be fairly quiet, as some vacuums sound like the space shuttle departing with the motor running.
3-Large diameter hose to allow for more suction and not clog if small pieces were sucked into it.
I did my homework and determined that for what I needed, a 12 gallon capacity would be large enough. Also, I wanted a motor that would provide the right about of power/suction without straining. I settled on this model because it had all I wanted, including casters and a 5 HP motor. The combination and price were good for me. There were other models a lot more expensive that were larger, more powerful, quieter or stainless steel, but I did not need any of that. For what I needed the $100 price point was fine for me.
This vacuum comes with:
6 Foot 2 1/2" Wide Flexible plastic hose
2 Extension wands
8" Utility Nozzle
Tool Holder
Foam Sleeve
Filter Ring
The last 2 items the ring and foam are really filters to prevent dust, dirt or water getting into the motor. Yes, this unit will pick up liquids with only the foam filter in place but you have to be careful how much you draw in so it doesn't hit the motor itself.
For those of you who will use this vacuum for fireplace ash or very fine sawdust or particles, SHOP VAC recommends the use of the optional disposable filter bags. They provide an extra layer of protection against the fine dust, and all the dirt goes into the bag for easy disposal. You see, like most vacuums of this type, it uses only a plastic drum to catch the substances and does not have a bag in it, like standard home vacuums.
I put the disposable bag into the tank just by slipping it on the nozzle extending into the tank, quite easily. I must tell you that when I cleared out my fireplace with this Shop Vac last week, it was a pleasure. Due to the 2 1/2" wide hose nothing got stuck in it, the 5 HP motor provided plenty of power and make the job clean and easy.
Now to the flip side. No product is perfect, so let me tell you what I feel are the negatives:
1-It is quieter than most vacuums of this type, but it is still a little loud, but bearable.
2-The end of the hose fits into the vacuum and has a plastic release on it to release it from the vacuum, but the hose end does not go in far enough to even reach that release piece! Don't understand that design. So I have to just insert the hose as far as it will go into the vacuum and hope it does not come loose, which it hasn't yet.
3-Instructions on how to put the tool holder on during the installation process was a little fuzzy, and it took me a while to figure out that the tabs had to go on to the outside of the tank and not the interior side.
4-Not crazy about the fluids filling up the tank and possibly ruining the motor. I believe there is an optional part to prevent this, but I will check with the manufacturer and update the review as soon as I have a definitive answer from them. I don't want to give anyone false info!
5-No thin crevice tool for those small places to get in to.
Well that's the "dirt" on this Shop Vac Model. It does what it is supposed to do, rolls easily on the 4 casters and has a hose wide enough to prevent items from getting caught. For the price it was a good deal, and unless you are vacuuming up very heavy debris, ths 5 HP motor and 12 gallon capacity should be good enough for you.
