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willowcat11

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Just seeing what you guys are using out there for your vacuums. I currently have a 2.5hp Craftsman shop-vac that I have had for a while.

Do you guys prefer more HP? I've even heard that some vacuums have even better suction even though they have lower hp.

I'm just trying get a feel of what most people prefer for their detailing jobs. I'm not a high volume detailer at all. I'm just doing 1-2 cars a week for extra money.

Thank You!


Ray
 
That's a really powerful looking setup there Eldorado2k! I like the Megs Sticker you popped up on there too!
 
FinishingtouchA, thank you for explaining the water lift thing, and for your suggestion of the DP vacuum! I also googled water lift, and found some really good information there, were it further explained the difference between that and HP ratings.
 
The most horsepower you can afford. I like a small canister with a strong motor.
 
I highly recommend a Metro-Vac. They are powerful and quiet. Those 2.5 hp shop vacs are loud and high pitched. The hoses and attachments from Metro are high quality. Switching from a shop-vac, or its equivalent, is like switching from a PC to a Rupes.
 
Interesting opinion about the metro-vac. My honest opinion is its way overpriced. It's a bag style and they are small so you need to buy bags constantly. It was just as loud as a shop vac with muffler and after it got heated up the hose would start to scream at you. The hose is a metal spring wrapped in vinyl and wears out quickly. On top of all that it's not a wet/dry vac.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
Use what you have if it works for you. HP doesn't make a huge difference, Water Lift is what matters. I have one that AG doesn't sell and it has 100 inches of Water lift but this one is good too Detailer's Pro Series 8 Gallon 2.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Auto Detailng Vacuum, car vacuum, auto vac, shop vacuum
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I have had this DP vac since May 2014. I absolutely love it. Quiet, powerful, super durable hose, boars hair brush, 35 foot power cord... I would buy it again & again. With the current sale and discount it can be yours for $140. Get it!
 
I've got the DP vacuum(thanks again to Paul for the contest!)and love it! I always hated vacuuming but now it's so much better that I have a great vacuum. The long cord and hose really add to the ease of use too!
 
expdetailing said:
Those 2.5 hp shop vacs are loud and high pitched
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The high pitched squeal is the 1 thing I strongly dislike about my vac. If I'm using the 2.5" hose w/2.5" attachments there's no squeal, but once I put on the adapter to hook up the 1.25" attachments, the thing screams like hell in between switching.. So what I usually end up doing is removing the brush and immediately putting the end of the hose to my chest to prevent it from screaming while I reach for the next attachment I want to use. It's pretty annoying.

Using the 10' Orange hose reduces the scream to almost nothing vs. the original hose, but you cannot connect the 2.5" attachments to the orange hose..

I've been told that my vac is surprisingly quiet for its size. It boasts about having "Scroll Noise Reduction" and I also bought the muffler/air diffuser.

According to Ridgid:

View attachment 39478

But according to my iphone app it measures 89 decibels.
 
FinishingTouchA said:
I have one that AG doesn't sell and it has 100 inches of Water lift[/url]
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That must be 1 hell of a beast.. I hear what you say about hp mostly being hype, but I'm still curious how much hp your vacuum has? And how many gallons is the tank?

100 inches of water lift? Damn that's insane. Crushing it compared to my vac...

View attachment 39479
 
Eldorado2k said:
That must be 1 hell of a beast.. I hear what you say about hp mostly being hype, but I'm still curious how much hp your vacuum has? And how many gallons is the tank?

100 inches of water lift? Damn that's insane. Crushing it compared to my vac...
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2 yes TWO Horsepower, 10 Gallon, 105" Water lift, 110 CFM. It's a beast to say the least.
 
i purchased the Rigid vacuum that has the detachable blower.

have yet to use it, but people here have said it's awesome, and serves as a dual purpose tool.
 
Years ago when I bought a 16 gal Rigid Shop Vac, one of the things I did before even leaving the store with it, was buy the reducer, and 25' of smaller diameter Hose, and all the smaller attachments I felt I needed.

The Shop Vac of course has the suction and power, and impervious to water-moisture, but the supplied large diameter Hoses are often way too short to be of any use around a vehicle, and as well, most of the attachments again are too large to be of much use with vehicle cleaning.
 
RFrommann said:
i purchased the Rigid vacuum that has the detachable blower.

have yet to use it, but people here have said it's awesome, and serves as a dual purpose tool.
Click to expand...


I wound up getting a blower wand for free after the online seller incorrectly advertised it as a "claw attachment"

I hadn't even thought about using my vac as a blower until I got that part and decided to check it out.. I was amazed at how great it works. I now use it to sweep the backyard patio in about 5min. It takes waay longer to sweep it clean.

@FinishingTouch. The specs on my vac say: Air Volume [cfm] : 168
What exactly does that measure?
 
MarkD51 said:
Years ago when I bought a 16 gal Rigid Shop Vac, one of the things I did before even leaving the store with it, was buy the reducer, and 25' of smaller diameter Hose, and all the smaller attachments I felt I needed.



The Shop Vac of course has the suction and power, and impervious to water-moisture, but the supplied large diameter Hoses are often way too short to be of any use around a vehicle, and as well, most of the attachments again are too large to be of much use with vehicle cleaning.
Click to expand...


The only drawback is you lose a bit of suction power when you connect a smaller diameter hose vs. the original 2.5" hose.

They now sell a 20' version of the original hose for $24.99. But like yea said, it is a bit cumbersome compared to the orange hose.

As far as the large attachments, I use them inside the car to deep clean large areas and seats, then follow with the smaller 1.25" version for the smaller areas.
 
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