Shop Vac

[MikeK]

Don't know if it's just me or not but your link takes me to Duracell batteries

I fixed the link.

 

[ian33a]

I use an NV750 (but a cheaper Henry will do a decent enough job too). Numatic NV750 Workshop Vacuum Extractor - 230V | Axminster Tools It isn't M class but has a decent enough suction for my needs, which are not commercial.

I have a remote control on/off DEWENWILS Remote Controlled Plugs, 13A/3120W Heavy Duty Wireless Light Switch, 30m/100ft Long Range, Programmable, CE and RoHS Listed, 2 Pack Sockets and 1 Remote : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

I run everything through a cyclone system DUST COMMANDER - Cyclone Filter Element/Dust Collector : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools with a large air tight cabinet that I built myself from MDF.

I also have a couple of dust hubs, How to make the workshop Dust Hub - YouTube . One of them is the actual unit that Peter demonstrates in his video and another is one that I made myself (shown below)

These allow me to simultaneously fit tools requiring different exhaust port diameters without cause to connect and disconnect them. I also have a few Festool flexible dust pipes which link to various tools.

The whole thing is ducted using 63mm Dust Extraction Kit | Axminster Tools

I'll be first to admit that this HPLV rig is larger than your budget but you can start small and build the system gradually.

As an alternative approach you could buy a Henry and then use this Cen-Tec Systems 94698N Quick Click 3m Numatic Hose with Five Piece Power Tool Adaptor Set for Dust Collection : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools. If you can incorporate a cyclone, all the better.

 

[SDM01]

I am in a similar situation, smaller shop with a couple of main power tools, I went with an Evolution R15VAC. Not too noisy, wet n dry with the power on socket. Added a cyclone unit inline and seems to be working out ok so far. Got it on a deal so cost me under £90.

 

[Ollie78]

I would definitely suggest a cyclone separator, they are very cheap and save tons of vac bags.
For the shop vac itself it doesn't matter too much as long as it works well.
However, a lot of the cheap ones have a poorly designed method of bag fitment and a huge amount of internal space is taken up by the filters making the capacity very small. Also often poorly designed switches and wheels, short hoses etc. which don't sound like much but will annoy you daily.

The very cheap B and Q or Lidl type ones will be noisy and you may struggle to get parts or bags later on as they change often.
Nilfisk are good, Numatic are good, the Bosch/Metabo/3M gas vacs are great as are the Festool ones.
A power takeoff is essential too.

Don't forget some kind of air filter for the light dust in the air, it makes a big difference. Cheap enough to buy or make.

Ollie

 

[swisstony]

Cheers Harry. I had looked at the Nilfisk Aero, and the cheaper Multi II 22T (the only difference I notice other than the capacity is that the PTTO on the cheaper one is restricted to 1100W). Could I ask, what benefot this might have over, for example, the previously mentioned Wickes machine?

my two penny worth .
I have a small workshop and in there I have everything including table saw , mitre saw , planer etc . Luckily I have a small shed attached that I have decided to use as my messy place so all the sanding gets done in there and I use a dewalt sander hooked up to a dewalt vac and that keeps most of the dust down but I also use a 3m respirator for good measure . Still gets messy though but cuts down the bulk. Like yours ceiling too low for one of those record power hung units .
In the workshop I use a second dewalt vac which uses their quick lock system so everything from table saw to pocket hole jig to mitre saw to planer gets hooked up using one hose . The hose that comes with the vac is then swapped for general cleanup .again I use a mask in the workshop but it’s not half as bad or dusty as the shed. One word of caution on the Nilsfilk models . Sorry but can’t recommend them at all ! I have gone through three of the multi 22 ones which whilst the power take off function was great all three burnt out in no time at all for any extended sessions. And once they overheat you have to wait for nearly an hour before you can use them again and after that you get 10mins of use . Threw them all away .

hope that helps

 

[AdrianUK]

Don't know if it's just me or not but your link takes me to Duracell batteries

Thanks, updated it now

 

[Pineapple]

Hi all.

Newbie here.

I've just built myself a small workshop, and for health (and sanity!) reasons have started to investigate what to do about dust.

At the moment, I've only got a few small tools - a circular saw and track saw, belt and random orbital sander (about to add a spindle sander), mitre saw and palm router. I'll soon be adding a larger router mounted in a bench, and a table saw, most likely the Dewalt 7485.

I understand that I should be looking at a hplv type "shop vac" for use with the saws and sanders - I just wondered if anyone could offer any recommendations? Budget will not stretch to anything like the Festool midi - looking at something sub £200 and potentially adding a cyclone to it. I would like a tool socket on the vacuum, and preferably something not too noisy. I've found a couple of reasonably priced options such as the Dewalt DXV23PTA, Trend T33a (review suggest this ones extremely noisy!) and a really cheap option in the Titan TTB776VAC. Only one of these (the Trend) is M class, but I'm not sure if it's the machines themselves that get rated as M class, or if this is down to the filters that go in them? I did come across a Festool CT15E for £250 - is this any better than other options, or is it more expensive just because its Festool? I have noticed many people praising Nilfisk machines - the Attix 30-01 looks to be powerful, pretty quiet and with power tool take off, but again doesn't appear to be class M rated.

Could anyone offer advice? Am I overthinking this and most machines in this price range are likely to give me more or less the same dust protection?

HALF-PRICE-TODAY-ONLY ! = Premium Vacuum Cleaner with Power Tool Take Off Socket - 30L | Next Day Delivery

 

[Slarty]

I've just taken the plunge and upgraded my dust collection from a household vac with a cyclone to a Rutlands High Filtration Dust collector combined with their Dust Separator Kit, seems to be working quite well so far, it is quite noisy as pointed out - measured 87DB on a phone app so I've built a cabinet to house it and used some sound proofing foam and got it down to a more liveable 63ish DB (especially for the neighbours!) - Pics below for those that are interested. I mainly use it for Lathe Dust collection but have also routed ducting for bandsaw - I tend to wear a mask when generating dust and continue to wear it for a good time afterwards having read some of the horror stories of what dust can do.

And a hood I built to capture the dust from sanding on the lathe - oe day I may be good enough not to need to sand so much!!

 

[swisstony]

I have a remote control on/off DEWENWILS Remote Controlled Plugs, 13A/3120W Heavy Duty Wireless Light Switch, 30m/100ft Long Range, Programmable, CE and RoHS Listed, 2 Pack Sockets and 1 Remote : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Great bit of kit but it did make me laugh when you look at the marketing photos. Apparently they are very convenient for all kinds of people

 

[Al Lewis]

HALF-PRICE-TODAY-ONLY ! = Premium Vacuum Cleaner with Power Tool Take Off Socket - 30L | Next Day Delivery

Thanks Pineapple

Has anyone used this Rutlands vac??

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

+1 for the Wickes shop vac.

 

[Al Lewis]

I use an NV750 (but a cheaper Henry will do a decent enough job too). Numatic NV750 Workshop Vacuum Extractor - 230V | Axminster Tools It isn't M class but has a decent enough suction for my needs, which are not commercial.

I have a remote control on/off DEWENWILS Remote Controlled Plugs, 13A/3120W Heavy Duty Wireless Light Switch, 30m/100ft Long Range, Programmable, CE and RoHS Listed, 2 Pack Sockets and 1 Remote : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

I run everything through a cyclone system DUST COMMANDER - Cyclone Filter Element/Dust Collector : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools with a large air tight cabinet that I built myself from MDF.

I also have a couple of dust hubs, How to make the workshop Dust Hub - YouTube . One of them is the actual unit that Peter demonstrates in his video and another is one that I made myself (shown below)

These allow me to simultaneously fit tools requiring different exhaust port diameters without cause to connect and disconnect them. I also have a few Festool flexible dust pipes which link to various tools.

The whole thing is ducted using 63mm Dust Extraction Kit | Axminster Tools

I'll be first to admit that this HPLV rig is larger than your budget but you can start small and build the system gradually.

Ian - I must admit, this type of setup looks very tempting! Does all of this ducting connect to the Numatic and have enough power?? I'm wondering if I'd be able to do something like with one of these, or the Rutlands extractor as mentioned by a few people here. I only plan to have 1 tool with a larger port (table saw) - would it be feasible to cobble together some ducting and connectors so that this one machine could be permanently attached to the table saw, and also give me a couple of hoses to attach to other hand tools?

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

I also hook my Wickes shop vac up via a "Master and Slave Auto Power-Off IEC 3 Way 1M METRE MAINS Extension Lead". About a tenner off fleabay link here. Turns the vac on with the router/saw/etc and turns it off about 5 seconds after the router is turned off.

 

[swisstony]

I also hook my Wickes shop vac up via a "Master and Slave Auto Power-Off IEC 3 Way 1M METRE MAINS Extension Lead". About a tenner off fleabay link here. Turns the vac on with the router/saw/etc and turns it off about 5 seconds after the router is turned off.

I like how the ebay ad states don't use this with a table saw as one german gentleman found out

 

[HamsterJam]

I got a secondhand Camvac - you should find a single motor version within your budget if you’re patient.
Good capacity and hose size means less emptying and fewer blockages plus if you believe the rating, the filter takes out a lot of the fine dust. They are also relatively quiet, especially if you duct the outlet into a silencer.

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

I like how the ebay ad states don't use this with a table saw as one german gentleman found out

Yes I saw that today although I tend not to use it with my table saw as I use a 'proper' dust extractor with that. I use the shop vac and auto switch with my drill press, sander and routers.

 

[ian33a]

Ian - I must admit, this type of setup looks very tempting! Does all of this ducting connect to the Numatic and have enough power?? I'm wondering if I'd be able to do something like with one of these, or the Rutlands extractor as mentioned by a few people here. I only plan to have 1 tool with a larger port (table saw) - would it be feasible to cobble together some ducting and connectors so that this one machine could be permanently attached to the table saw, and also give me a couple of hoses to attach to other hand tools?

The NV750 is reasonably powerful (which is an obvious initial benefit) and try to minimise the amount of flexible piping in the system. I also ensure that any pipe runs have 45 degree rather than 90 degree angles and I keep the pipe diameters at 63mm whenever possible. I am stuck with 90 degree angles in the dust hubs.

The NV750 has a largish diameter inlet and I use an Axminster reducing sleeve to link into the 63mm piping. The whole thing has to reduce to 50mm to go into the cyclone - and I then open it up to 63 to feed the first dust hub. Many cyclones come with a variety of couplings to fit a range of vacuum cleaners provided you buy a kit and not just the cyclone. Mine is a 50mm unit and it came with three, I think, reducer coupling pairs.

On the first dust hub there is a straight through coupling to my Kapex. Festool extraction hoses fit nicely into the the Axminster 63mm plastic blast gates. From there I run about a 1.5m hose to the Kapex saw and it works well.

I also have a 63mm outlet off the top which goes through a 63mm duct for about 2 metres and into my second dust hub. This sits above my assembly table and, to it, I can connect virtually any power tool I want. I routinely attach TS55 track saws and they suck up just fine. I can even use the hose with a Festool floor cleaning attachment and it does a reasonable job.

The port sticking out the front allows me to connect a Cen-tec hose system and use those adapters. I have an 11m cen-tec hose and I connected that there the other week while I sanded our wooden front gate, laid flat on a couple of workmates on our driveway. A random sander doesn't need massive suction but it worked just fine.

I don't know if the unit you have mentioned will be good enough or not. To be honest though, so much of this is about noise level and adherence to health and safety. For a hobby user, as long as it has a reasonable suck and if a cyclone is added, a cheaper vacuum system often is just fine.

 

[sasq]

I'm going over the exact same process right now, trying to decide what to buy. Hoping to make my mind up in the next few days.

I have (had) a Scheppach HA1000 which i managed to kill after 10 years. I liked the 0.5 micron filter but the 4" pipe was just too much when connecting to power tools (bosch router, sander, mikita skillsaw, mitre saw, one a year the planer/thicknesser), and honestly the paper bags you get now never seemed as good as the felt bag it originally came with.

So i have been looking for something more shopvac like. Around £200, better suction (so > 50l/s, more the better), better filter (so better than 0.5m) and on the assumption i would be putting in a cyclone, a smaller size.

So far my list is

1. Nilfisk Alto 26-21 with the Additional M Filter. £165+£20. 60 l/s and 64db so nice and quite. Recommended here
2. Fein Dustex 25L. £213 + £20 for the M Filter. 72 l/s and 67db. I am not sure if the filter that comes with it is M class or not.
3. Metabo ASR 25L. £259. 73 l/s and 72db. Does come with M filters as standard
4. Trend 35A. £289. 70 l/s and M class and 75db. Already thinking the Metabo or Fein are better options.

I am drawn towards the Fein or the Metabo but i can not find any decent reviews on them. The Alto has plenty of rave reviews, but I like the extra suck and flow rate of the Fein and Metabo. I am clearly overthinking this as i can not make up my mind.

 

[Ollie78]

The Metabo are sold as 3M, Bosch, Flex, Mafell and probably others too. ( I think bosch might not do them now but used to). So check reviews of those maybe.
I am not sure about the real validity of the M over L filters. On the Festool the filter of M and L was the exact same part, only difference was the m made a beep. They changed it now but probably only because people noticed.

Look at the proper numatic range, not just Henry's they do many different machines up to H filtration.
I had a Nilfisk for a while, it was good but spares were not easy to find and I didn't like the hose much.
The Fein is probably good, they make proper industrial kit as a rule.
Trend is probably overpriced generic rebadged as this is trends general method. It looks very similar to a 50 quid Lidl one.
Don't forget to check the price of the bags.

Ollie

 

[Pineapple]

I would definitely suggest a cyclone separator, they are very cheap and save tons of vac bags.
For the shop vac itself it doesn't matter too much as long as it works well.
However, a lot of the cheap ones have a poorly designed method of bag fitment and a huge amount of internal space is taken up by the filters making the capacity very small. Also often poorly designed switches and wheels, short hoses etc. which don't sound like much but will annoy you daily.

The very cheap B and Q or Lidl type ones will be noisy and you may struggle to get parts or bags later on as they change often.
Nilfisk are good, Numatic are good, the Bosch/Metabo/3M gas vacs are great as are the Festool ones.
A power takeoff is essential too.

Don't forget some kind of air filter for the light dust in the air, it makes a big difference. Cheap enough to buy or make.

Ollie

If you intend to Make a Fine-Dust Air Filter for your shop - maybe you could utilise a pair of these =
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RDD7...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==