I'm tired of going to the do-it-yourself car wash and using their vacuum. It's so big and bulky and dirty. You can't get into the tight areas as well. Can anyone recommend a great vacuum for home use that could also be used for the MINI? Any help would be great. THANKS!

p.s. I bought a Dyson Root 6 a couple months ago...it sucked (no pun intended) so I returned it.

 

I have had good usage out of a 5 gallon wet dry vac from Harbor freight. Its an 8 amp unit and was only $40 on sale. Its got plenty of suck.

Its on sale for $32 now...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=94282

Not sure you could find much of a better deal than that for how well it works. I am sure a big craftsman would work even better but for a lot more.

 

search the shopvac thread!

 

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=92397

 

The shop vac seems a bit bulky. The one above looks and sounds great, but $200 is a little steep...unless it's sold somewhere else???

 

i've been wondering about this too... i got a cheapo $10 dustbuster-type 12v hand vac at Wal-Mart that works 'okay.' not great suction, but it can be used with the cig lighter. if there's not much dirt, it works well and has some little attachments for getting in tight spots. usually, though, i have to use the DIY car wash vacs, which I also hate because they are dirty.

when I was at the dragon, i saw someone pull out a portable vac that looked pretty good. unfortunately i didn't get to ask them anything about it. from the looks, it seemed like it would have been pretty powerful and it was small. hmmmm...

because I don't have a garage... i need something small. perhaps I will have to spring for the Griot's. Has anyone here used it?

come on Kenchan... what do you use? I know you have pictures.

 

We had the Dyson Animal. After about a year, it didn't work very well anymore. So we took it back to Bed Bath and Beyond (ALWAYS buy this kind of stuff from them if you can...they'll take it back at any time, for any reason - like in 5 years, if you just don't like it anymore!) and used a 20% off coupon and got the new "Mega Dyson" (really it's called the Dyson Absolute). Somehow in the trade-in we got $60 back.

Anyway, it's awesome compared to the old one. Combined with my little craftsman micro-nozzles, my carpet and upholstery is spic-and-span

I also have one of the new "Kone" hand-vacs...I forget who makes it (maybe Dirt Devil?)...but you'll know it when you see it, it looks like a Cone in a little docking station. It works pretty well, better than any handheld I've ever had, but I prefer the Dyson because it gets into the little spaces better with the attachments.

 

you guys are too damn lazy... here's the link...
I use a sears shop vacuum with all sorts of adapters. also has the
diffuser (muffler) on there. your 12v duster thingie will seem like a tinkle
toy after you try these shop vacs.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...hlight=shopvac

 

After going through a number of smaller more expensive and under powered vacuums and wanting a good one for the shop, I ended up with this one which actually costs less than any of my smaller more portable ones. The trick noise reduction thing was what attracted me at first.


http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...cStoreNum=8125

$99 from Home Depot

It sucks like nothing I've ever used before and it's super quiet with the scroll noise reduction technology. I've been super happy with it--I actually like vacuuming now.

 

^^ yah, but it's not red and black like mine...

 

thanks kenchan... yes, lazy. there's some good stuff in that thread. i'll have to spend some time with it.

OG - looks very cool. will this fit in the recessed part of the MINI boot? guess i can check the measurements, just wondered if you've ever put it in there.

 

I got a Hoover PetVac Rewind Legacy the other day at Home Depot for $94 for the house. So after I did the house (scary what the Merry Maids leave behind every 2 weeks, I fired them today) I did the Mini with the powered pet hair remover attachment that goes on the attachment hose. It'll suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. I'd say 4 times the suction of a carwash, and it has a beater bar like the home vacuum. No need to remove the mats. And the crevice attachment does under the fridge really well (looked under there lately?). I used to use an older Oreck and this puts it to shame, plus I can do the Mini. My Shopvac didn't do the job worth a darn.

 

It probably won't. It's pretty large. When I brought it to the shop from Home Depot, I was afraid it wouldn't fit in the MINI even with the seats folded down. Well I made the mistake of leaving my sons car seat in the back. I had to remove it, and fold down both seats so I could fit the box inside.

It MIGHT fit with the privacy cover removed and one rear seat loosened. LOL. I will try for you tomorrow.

Richard

 

Central Vac for me in the garage.

I'm looking into getting a portable Dyson or Dewalt.

But with that Rigid being so cheap that might be a good score.

 

I have the Rigid 4 Gal portable that I have been pleased with. I have a storage space problem and I needed one that I could hang on the wall of "Squirts" trailer. It comes with a bracket that mounts on the wall and you hang the vac up on the bracket. Comes with 21 feet of hose and a bunch of attachments.

 

I have what appears to be the exact same unit, although it has larger wheels on the back and a tall metal lawnmower-type handle in addition to the orange plastic handle on top of the unit. The "lawnmower" handle even has a canvas bag for holding extra attachments and whatnot.

The unit works great, and it's quiet enough, even unmuffled, that I usually leave the muffler off for that extra bit of "suck". The attachments that came with it are pretty good, but I went to Home Depot and picked up a couple extra (one that has a round opening with bristles around the perimeter of the opening for carpets, and a few crevice tools).

EDIT: Found a pic - it's the Ridgid WD1850: (It's the same orange-and-black as Richard's - this picture is just horribly overexposed).

 

I use the Sears Craftsman 2 gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. Small and powerful, I actually use it for most of the vacuuming around the house as well. It's $30, but goes on sale for $20 a few times a year...can't beat that!

 

[quote=OctaneGuy;1634658]It sucks like nothing I've ever used before.../quote]

Does it, umm, blow, too?

 

i can't see myself using anything larger than 5gal's for the garage and to
vac the car. it just becomes too clumsy to move around and do your work.

 

That Snears one does look interesting, especially for the $$$. But, I have issues with Snears....

 

Well the nice thing about the large capacity ones is that you never have to empty it if you're just vacuuming cars! And with the wheels it's very stable and rolls with you. With the right hoses, it's never an issue. I had a different vac for my garage that was given to me by my brother, and I loved the power, but it just felt more bulky and less maneuverable. Well the hose was awful too, it didn't flex as easily once inside the car. Plus it didn't have the noise reduction thing.

 

Snears...Snucks!

 

hummm... ive been using my 5gal for a long time (6-7months? or more?)
and have not needed to dump the crap out yet... i probably wont for a
long time unless i decide i want to clean the filter.

yah, the hose could be better on the sears one. too firm. i might
get an adapter and a softer hose down the road from griots.

 

One of the things I love about central

Constant power, only one hose to worry about, its super long to and covered to protect it from getting dirty etc...and its not bulky.

But I do admire both those Ridgid models.

 

Krylon® Fusion !