Shopvac shopping - Inches of lift / CFM / HP?

[Anto]

So how many inches of lift do you really need for carpet cleaning with a shopvac? I'm doing some shopping and I've found two vacs that I'm between.
The one I originally wanted to get was the 5.5hp 5 gallon shop vac. It has 195cfm & 59 inches of lift.

Other one is a 3.0hp 6 gallon, 57 inches lift, 143cfm.

Does hp & cfm really matter that much? I'm know both will be ample in general vac duties, but would the 2 inches lift matter that much?

Reason I ask is because the price difference - $25 on sale for the 3.0hp and $70 for the 5.5hp. I have a $10off coupon & the 5.5hp goes on sale sometimes for $50, but I'd have to wait for that, but I can pretty much get the 3hp for $15, or wait for the other one for $40..


opinions?

 

[nitro78]

I usually refer to consumer reports for things like this. the highest rated model they have is the craftsman 17762 for 110 dollars.

 

[TOGWT]

Shop Vac:
This Wet / Dry vacuum that provides 100-inches water gauge static lift (suction power) a 105-cubic feet per minute (CFM) airflow rating from a 3-Hp, 120 VAC motor, fitted with a heavy-duty filter, a 4-gallon capacity stainless steel canister (Groit’s Shop Vac PN 77836)

Note - Vacuum is measured by the amount of lift stated in inches of water gauge (ins. wg.) Horsepower (HP) is the amount of motor power, Air Flow in cubic feet per minute (CFM) and the Amp rating is the amount of power drawn.