# ShopVac vs. Rigid



## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

I'm looking at replacing a tiny little shop vacuum I've been cursing for years. People seem to like the RIDGID 14 Gallon Pro Vac WD1450 at $100. The comparable (capacity and horsepower) ShopVac seems to be something like a Shop-Vac 962-15-00 Vac-N-Vac Wet/Dry Vacuum for about $120. Some ShopVacs seem to get really spendy though. So I'm wondering, what have people found to be a good shop vacuum and is there anything in particular I should be looking for. I have a Jet dust collector for the table saw, jointer, and planer, and am just looking for something to use with the portable power tools and to help in cleaning the shop (dragging the tipsy Jet around just isn't working for me


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

I love my Ridgid. It is still working great and is very old. I just upgraded it to a Clean Stream filter and a new switch.I'm adding the Dust Deputy now. If this one ever gives up I;m going with Ridgid again, absolutly no doubt.


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## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

I have a small garage shop, and am wondering if perhaps my Jet dust collector is just overkill. I have a hyprid 1.75 HP tablesaw, a 6" Jointer, and a 13" benchtop planer as my biggest sawdust generators. Would a good quality shop vacuum handle all these tasks if I added a pre-collection bucket? If so, I guess I go with the biggest shop vacuum I can find, maybe the 16 Gallon Rigid and reclaim some space.

How about filters etc? Does it cost more to run/maintain a shop vacuum versus a dust collector?


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## BreakingBoardom (Dec 18, 2009)

I have a 9 Gallon Ridgid and like it. The Lifetime Warranty always adds piece of mind. I haven't had the money for a dust collector yet so I use it with my table saw, router table, and 13" planer. It does great for my table saw, and router table, but the planer still leaves a little mess. That could just be an issue with my dust hood though. And although I've never used a ShopVac, I'd say go with the Ridgid.


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## Alonso83 (Jul 14, 2009)

Same here as Matt, I just bought 2 of the 9 gallons Ridgid this last weekend, they were on sale for $20 each, I also own a 14 gallon Ridgid, and still has lot of power, but I think that a new filter will increase a lot its suction power.

I'm a also thinking up adding a pair of dust deputies, to the new 9 gallons or I may make my own cyclone collectors.


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## BOB67CAM (Dec 28, 2009)

i bought a black friday shopvac and and at work i use ridgid vacs almost exclusively for grinding cement and at work, theres no new filters ever added into the occasion but if we do get sick enough of having no suction well buy the filter ourself and they ALWAYS spring back to life withought missing a beat whereas the shopvac does not keep up with my router and wont make too much of an attempt with the table saw either
in an ideal world we use a couple of vacs at work, 1 is a camel-back with 2 motors and the other is a pulse-bac with 3 motors and it automaticly cleans the 3 filters as it runs, but i doubt anyone wants to blow $1200 or $2,000 on a vac…lol but seriously the ridgids are pretty much a staple and never let us down untill the filter plugs and we just bang them off of course and there back to new and its very seldom that they go out on us
as for the shopvac its works ok for the oscilating sander and for cleaning up the shop but im pretty sure i will buy ridgid next time i need a vac


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## grub32 (Jan 20, 2010)

I bought several on black friday…they work great in the shop…GREAT!!

I would not hesitate doing it again.

Grub


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## TheDane (May 15, 2008)

My next vac will be a Ridgid.

Right now, I am using an older ShopVac in conjunction with a Dust Deputy and it works fine. I am not unhappy with the ShopVac, but I like the Ridgid warranty, and want to give one a shot based on the many positive comments here in LJ's.

I have a dust collector that gets very little use. The only time I fire up the dust collector is when I using either my jointer or thickness planer.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

My rigid will suck with the best of them. Had to use in in the house once on a water leak that got in the carpet. It would suck that carpet right off the floor… Best I've ever had. No more shopvac's for me


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## mikedrums (Feb 1, 2010)

I have a Ridgid and I'm amazed at how quiet it is.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

I've got a Ridgid WD1660 that's getting close to 10 years old…made by Emerson and nearly identical to an older Craftsman that belongs to a buddy. It's got great suction and a blower. It's on the loud side so I put a $10 muffler on it that helps.


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## sh2005 (Jul 16, 2009)

Darren,
I have a similar situation. I have a small shop and the dust collector, even though smaller than most, takes up quite a bit of room. If a shop vacuum can do the task of the dust collector, I would rather run that than the DC because it's more portable and less noisy. So, I am curious as well to hear from others what the others have to say in terms of the shop vacuums taking the place of a DC.


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## stevenhsieh (Jan 8, 2010)

Home Depot just had a sale like black friday sale over the weekends here in Califonia. I am sure they will have it again.


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## Ingjr (Feb 21, 2010)

I have almost the same tools as the OP has and get by very nicely with a Ridgid 16gal vac and a large barrel preseperator. Works great on the planer and jointer. The only place it really lacks some is the TS. Need a higher flow with that. Generates less wood dust, but seems harder to collect.


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## mark88 (Jun 8, 2009)

go ridgid…its what i got…i look for a good filter, easy to switch and repair , and good strong suction, ridgid passed with flying colours. it also blows out a strong gust too…so if you dont have an air gun to spray out the dust in the end use your vacuuum to blow it out…that what i do…works great and hasnt let me down


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## Gofor (Jan 12, 2008)

I have the 14 gal RIdgid, and will add my name to the list of avid fans. It gets a lot of use as a vacuum (TS, TP, Ros, Miter saw, etc) and also as a blower (cleaning of the riding lawn mower after grass cutting, blowing the dirt/dust out of the garage/shop, etc). Still going strong after 3 years.

Biggest thing I noticed when I first bought it was how quiet it was compared to my previous shop vacs. I do not know if the current shop vac brands have quieter motors or not, but the SNR (scroll noise reduction) on the Ridsgid is hard to beat.

JMHO

Go


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## GuyK (Mar 26, 2007)

Ridgid all the way. I have had, Shop-Vac. Craftsman and some off brand. Ridgid certainly beats them all. Very quite compared to the others and works great for my Ridgid Jointer and Dewalt Planer, plus just general shop clean up.


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## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

OK, so it's pretty clear people are very happy with Rigid as a general purpose Shop Vacuum. What about using it for dust collection on large machines, particularly the tablesaw where one poster reported it a bit lacking?


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## tommyd (Oct 28, 2009)

hd just had a sale on rigid for 19.00 don't know if it is still on


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## BOB67CAM (Dec 28, 2009)

dv, the ridgid works awesome on everything ive used it on whereas my shopvac falls pretty flat trying to keep up, ive used it on the tablesaw, planer, spindle sander and router table i havent even tried it on the mitre saw since it just wont do enuff to take off the bag on it i dont think, the table saw still throws some stuff up but not untill its starts getting plugged, the planer is no problem, the only thing my shopvac actually keps up with is the spindle sander, o yea and as they have also mentioned, the ridgid is half as loud too


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## MNedman (Dec 1, 2007)

i've had my rigid for about 3 years now and I absolutely love it… use it extensively in the shop and have never had it complain about being jammed full..it just keeps on sucking.

I suggest getting the muffler attachment for it as well, really helps keep the noise down.

Also Rigid has a lifetime warranty so if it ever does burn out I know the warranty will be there for a replacement.


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## davidroberts (Nov 8, 2008)

i'll just add that I saw a vacuum motor attachment you put on a 5 gallon bucket. I think I saw it at lowes for $20. seems like one per portable machine could be a good deal.


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## JohnGray (Oct 6, 2007)

I have a Ridgid and I love it.


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## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the feedback folks. I went to the local HD planning on picking up a 16G version, but when faced with them, they were just to darn big! I opted for the much less expensive 14G model and picked up the longer more flexible hose as well as a few accessories, like the dust bag. So far I've been pleased with it, but will report back after I've used it more.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

Make sure you get one that can accept a bag. Ironically you get more suction overall because the bag keeps the filters from getting clogged so fast. I sold my old 12g ridgid b/c it couldn't support a bag and bought a Craftsman 20g. The craftsman is nice, but comparing the two, the ridgid motor stays cool after extended use and the hose connections are better. If I had to do it again I would have bought this: Ridgid WD1450 14-Gallon 6-Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum which has the capability for a bag.


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## dvhart (Feb 22, 2010)

@Sarit, yes the WD1450 is the model I picked up, along with 2 extra filters, 3 bags, etc. At $99 it seems to be right at the knee of the price/feature curve.


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