Im in the market for a small shop vac for the garage.

Im thinking about a small 3.5hp 6gallon wet/dry ShopVac.
is that enough capacity to do most car interiors and small
jobs around the garage? My garage houses only garage
queens so never really gets that dirty...

I want one that i can kick around the garage...not a
corner mounted one as i will need to have access not
only in the garage but my cars that are parked on the
driveway.

i have a 50ft extension cord mounted in a nice Griots
cord winder thingie so no issues on the cord length itself.

My budget.... i'd like to keep it under $100 but willing
to spend more if needed. I looked at a couple low-end
ShopVacs today but not sure if peak 3.5hp is enough
suction.

Thanks

 

Rigid makes a great one!

 

Yeah, after endlessly looking for an affordable 12v car vac and finding nothing powerful enough, I got the smallest sears craftsman wetvac which goes on sale regularly for 19.99.

Actually that thing is so great I've stopped using my upright in my house and just use the wet vac for everything!
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00917713000

 

I bought a really big and cheap one a few years back from Home Depot. Use it all the time and it just keeps on sucking.

Only thing expensive about it is the filter replacements which cost about $20

 

Get the biggest/most powerful one you can afford and have room for. $100 will get you a nice one at Sears with good capacity and great power. I started out with a small one, but upgraded after a few years. Make sure you get one that takes 2.5" hose and accessories too. You can always switch to the smaller 1.25" hose on a larger vac (I use both), but you can't switch to the larger hose on a smaller vac if you need it for larger jobs, and odds are you will sooner or later. I have a medium sized 5 hp 12 gallon shopvac from Sears, and it has done everything I've needed it to over the years, the price for the current model like mine at Sears is $80, although they are frequently on sale. Still on the original filter. I use mine a couple of times a month and clean the filter about once a year.

-Keith

 

I'd recommend Sears as well...

I bought mine for a catastrophic coffee spill in the floor of my '92 Mazda (2 full pots of coffee dumped from a broken vac pot)... that was way back in '96. I've vaccuumed cars, dried flooding basements... all of that stuff. It's still running strong after 10 years of abuse. I also know that I'll always be able to find parts / filters / attachments / etc.

 

Here's one on sale... 16 gal, over 5 hp, all the bells and whistles: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

 

I bought my 3.5HP, 5gal Shop Vac at Wal-Mart 10 years ago for $20 and that things still sucks like it was fresh out of the box. I got tired of cleaning the filter for it so I put the bags that are available for it inside. I change them probably once every 6 months. I bought the car accessory pack with it. It has the smaller crevice tools and an adapter that allows the hose to fit them. You never can go wrong with a Shop Vac.

 

guys, thanks for all the insight! im heading off to Sears after work.

i might just get this... 2-1/2 hose too. + a blower...shucks,
i won't need my cordless blower.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

Anyone use a ShopVac brand shop vac? They look kinda nice... are they
good as they look?

 

decided to go with the 6gal/3hp $39.99 one (on sale $36.99)
i tried it out... much quieter than i thought, nice suction, cleaned up
my garage real well. hell with the broom!

will try vacuuming the car on the weekend and even drying the
wheels/tires with the blower function.

thanks again.

 

I was going to start a thread about my other vacuum I keep in my garage. I have a 2hp shop vac for general cleaning, but I bought a SpotBot about a year ago to use in my house to clean up after kids, dogs, husband etc. Anyway, last week a can in a 12 pack of Cherry coke exploded in the back of El Kabong. By the time I got home it had leaked all over one of the back seats and when I took the pack out of the car it leaked all over the other seat and onto the carpeting. Of course I was in a panic and grabbed a roll of paper towels. Then I remembered the SpotBot and grabbed it. I used it with just the general cleaner, not the Oxyboost stuff added and went to work. When I finished the entire back of El Kabong was wet, so I had to wait for it to dry. I was absolutely thrilled when I checked back a couple of hours later and everything was clean and dry and stain free!!!!
Since it was still out and had cleaning solution left I decided to try to get a grease spot out of a floor mat in my husbands truck that has been there a couple of months. The Spotbot completely got it out!
So go for the smaller shop vac, but when you have some extra $$, look into the Spotbot. I got it at Linens and Things and used one of the 20% off coupons I got in the mail.
Annette

 

^^ that's a cool looking vac. are those like the "steam cleaners" that
people use for carpeting? or something else?

 

Considering how incredible a cheap shop vac can be, it is incredible what we'll pay for an ordinary household vacuum. . . .

 

True. It's about the only time you can honestly say that you were happy with buying something for less money because it sucked more.

 

mine even blows...

 

Personally, I would avoid using the standard round "shop vacs". They suck (which is a good thing ) great but the sheer size of most of them makes them very cumbersome. I have one and it only gets used for construction projects.

I have a smaller NARROW roll around Sears vac that is very powerful, small and maneuverable between two parked cars in a garage, and has a small diameter hose which is more versatile in the small confines of a car. Cost less than $100.

 

I ignored this thread at first - what a mistake. GREAT idea... I had no idea the shop vacs were so affordable, and I hate sweeping all the leaves and crap out of the garage every few months! Plus, it's a pain dragging my Dyson all the way outside to vacuum out the car. Thanks!

 

I love this thread...great info, everyone!!

 

Brad- that's a nice looking unit... but mine is only 6 gallons and probably
only as wide as a regular upright (width). i got a good 3.5ft between
my garage queens so no issues getting between them.

plus, shop vaccums need to be round and tank looking!
(just my personal preference).

but i do agree that i will need an adapter from the 2.5" hose to a
narrow nozzle like yours to get between the seats, etc. which
im planning to go look at tonight.

 

u were using your $500 Dyson to clean your car?!

 

i got the attachments tonight. now i am ready to vac
the car.

 

Post pics!

 

Ken,

Actually you made me realize I need a new one myself. I have an old Shop vac 2 gallon and it just doesn't cut it anymore.

Gotta love Sears for certain things.

 

I always buy 2 filters with my shop vacs. I change filters and use one to vacum the other. Works great and saves $$ on those things. I think I still have original filters from 5-6 yrs ago.

 

Sure... After the ammount of pet hair that thing has sucked up, my car is nothing for it. And it's quite literally the toughest vacuum cleaner I've ever had - before the Dyson I went through vacuums 1 or 2 a year.... a hazard of having a 175 lb. hairy dog and having to vacuum 3-4 times a week (my wife has a daycare and has to keep the place pretty spotless), and the Dyson's almost 4 years old now and still going strong. It's just a pain to lug it outside.