Best vacuum?

5gal. 5.5hp Shop Vac is perfect for me! Along with the auto and micro attachment kits there's nothing it can't suck!
 
Maturola said:
I know this thread is a little old but just wanted to let everyone know of what I think is a great deal. First time poster, long time reader.

I got the Ridgid 14 gal. 6.0 Peak High Performance Wet/Dry Vac with Free Auto Detail Kit, for $72 (including txes and fees).

Homedepot have it for $89 currently and they honored the 20% off Harbor-freight coupon (printed of the internet) at my local store.

It is a lot bigger from what I was originally looking for, but for that price it's great. it also include the Car detailing Kit which by itself is $40.
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That's a good deal.
 
I bought a Power-Flite after reading one of the posters on this site rave about it. Not cheap; but not overly expensive.
Within the first week of having it, my wife accidentally flooded part of our house. This machine came through like a champ. I'll never hear," Why did you spend the money on another vacuum."
When it comes to sucking, Power-Flite is the real deal.
 
Basic questions are:

What is your budget?

Do you need wet/dry?

Are you using it only for detailing?

Are you mobile?


Not all of the suggested vacs are capable of wet. Some are pretty large

Don't let horsepower (HP) fool you. Unfortunately, there is not a standard measure that all manufacturers use. Lift is a good indicator of performance in wet vacs, some suggest that you need around 90" of lift to effectively extract liquids from carpet and upholstery.

I find that the 2" hose on some vacs is less manageable than a 1 1/2" hose.

Meguiar's training video indicates over 70% of contaminants in carpet can be effectively removes with the "brush, then vac" technique. I agree, and find that by vigorously brushing prior to vac, it goes twice as fast
 
I love my Metrovac Vac N Blo 500, super powerful, very compact and does a great job. Best lite weight compact vacuum I've ever owned. Worth every penny, and best of all Made in the USA.
 
ducksfan said:
I bought a Power-Flite after reading one of the posters on this site rave about it. Not cheap; but not overly expensive.
Within the first week of having it, my wife accidentally flooded part of our house. This machine came through like a champ. I'll never hear," Why did you spend the money on another vacuum."
When it comes to sucking, Power-Flite is the real deal.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It was Richy's review that helped me decide. Great vacuum and a great substitute for a water extractor. I do all of my shampooing with this vac, pro chemicals, and a pump sprayer of water. Sucks water out really well.

One bad part to this vac is the lack of attachments and the lack of attachments that will fit. Richy says that he uses his master blaster attachment adapter to get "standard" attachments to fit however. The problem is, I don't have a master blaster!
 
Good info here but I believe a key point is being missed. I normally wear the bearings or switch out in my Shop Vac Vacuums, once every 8-12 months, although if I didn't use and keep the filter clean it wouldn't last 3 months. Filters are made of a paper substance so if you vacuum up a little water it hardens the filter and cuts down on suction. So here is my solution and allows me to get a years use out of the machine until it just wears out.

Ditch the paper filter, Buy 2 of the foam pre filters, put them both on the vacuum, clean them as needed, pressure wash them and let dry completely once a month or so.

You will thank me in the long run.
 
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