Appreciation post: My old shop vac finally died mid-job in Boise

I had to choose between rushing to the hardware store for a new one or trying to finish the sweep with just brushes and rods. I went with the brushes and it added like 90 minutes to the cleanout. Anyone have a go-to shop vac model under $200 that can handle a ton of soot?

3 comments

3 Comments

emerychen3mo ago

What model was your old one?

the_uma3mo ago

That's the worst timing, sorry to hear it. @emerychen is right to ask, knowing the old model would help narrow down a good replacement.

willow_ellis1mo ago

and honestly the brushes and rods move can be a nightmare with soot, you have my sympathy. for a sub-$200 workhorse that eats soot for breakfast, the rigid 6 gallon wet/dry vac is kinda the benchmark. i've had mine for like 4 years and it's been through construction dust, wet messes, and heavy ash without missing a beat. the filter bags are cheap and easy to swap mid-job which is huge when you're dealing with fine particulate. one thing that helped me was grabbing an extra long hose kit for it, lets you keep the unit outside while you're working so the exhaust doesn't blow everything back around. just make sure you get the model with the two-stage motor not the single stage if you're going to be doing heavy soot.