Cordless Vacuum for Workshop?

[RG1911]

I've been vacuuming up spent primers, sawdust, etc, with a shop vac. This is clunky, requires an extension cord, and then the cord gets in the way.

So I've been thinking of getting a cordless vacuum and have been reading the comments/ratings left by owners/users. Many of these have harsh words about the suction and runtime diminishing after just a couple weeks or months, or parts breaking.

Does anyone have experience with cordless vacs that are powerful enough to pick up spent primers, sawdust, and so on? Hate to say it, but cost is a consideration.

Thank you,
Richard

[Winger Ed.]

I'm a shop-vac guy.
Cordless anything isn't as powerful stuff running on 120V.

I try to keep piled up stuff on the floor to a minimum in the shop.
I sweep as best I can, and blow what I can't reach out onto the floor with a air hose, sweep again,
then blow the rest out the door with the air hose.

If there is just dust on the benches and floor, I blow it back outside with my big, bad boy, leaf blower.
In East Texas, we don't have a shortage of spiders and their webs. I go after them with the shop-vac.

[RG1911]

I agree with you; I merely hoped I could get the power in a cordless. My shop has numerous obstacles that are guaranteed to catch a trailing cord.

Had an excessive number of black widow spiders when I was stationed in NM. Yet another good reason why we now are in Wyoming.

Cheers, Richard

[country gent]

Im going to buy a shop vac shortly actually for in the shop. I have an abundance of outlets in it 9 4 plug spots on the walls 3 2 plug in the ceiling so it will be a corded unit. I want it for cleaning chips from T slotted tables mostly and the bench tops those filings are rough to sweep up. Im thinking 3 gallon size as 5 gallons of mill saw chips and filings would be to heavy to lift by hand.

Fine dust and the likes a shop vac losses power do to the filter plugging up.

There are industrial models that fit on 5 gallon buckets and 30-55 gallon drums. These allow the bucket drum to be discarded with the crud not having to dump

[Scrounge]

Check out the Ryobi ONE+ 18VDC rechargeable tools at Home Depot, among other places. I've got one of their hand vacs that is decent if you keep the filter clean. Put one of their 4aH batteries on it and it lasts long enough to have to clean the filter. Though even a small corded Shop Vac works better and lasts longer between filter cleanings.

Bill

[RG1911]

Im going to buy a shop vac shortly actually for in the shop. I have an abundance of outlets in it 9 4 plug spots on the walls 3 2 plug in the ceiling so it will be a corded unit. I want it for cleaning chips from T slotted tables mostly and the bench tops those filings are rough to sweep up. Im thinking 3 gallon size as 5 gallons of mill saw chips and filings would be to heavy to lift by hand.

Fine dust and the likes a shop vac losses power do to the filter plugging up.

There are industrial models that fit on 5 gallon buckets and 30-55 gallon drums. These allow the bucket drum to be discarded with the crud not having to dump

Ah, yes. T slots. Forgot about those. So the shop vac remains employed.

[megasupermagnum]

I suggest you watch the Projectfarm video on cordless vacuums.

I only have experience with two cordless vacuums, a Dewalt, and Milwaukee. The Milwaukee is ok, it sucks up dirt and shavings well enough. It is nothing like a similar priced corded vacuum. The Dewault though, don't buy that garbage. You have to pray and wish it to suck up anything but air.

[MUSTANG]

Cordless Vacuums suck - but barely. Seriously; I have about 4 of them over the last 10 years. After 5 to 10 uses the battery's only last about 50% of their original use time. Wife likes them; but I would not buy another unless she "Wants It".

[StuBach]

I’m a big fan of my rigid cordless shop vac. Uses same rigid batteries as their cordless tools so you can swap as needed. Not as powerful as a plugged in unit but works great for fast jobs.

[samari46]

Bought a new shop vac last year when the old one gave up the ghost after 20 years. Far as I'm concerned no battery powered vacuum cleaner can do what a 120 volt shop vac. Use it the clean dirt and stay dry off off the floor especially when using my band saw. I spritz oil on the blade when cutting steel and even have a aluminum cookie pan to catch the oil. And does a great job cleaning the dirt off the rugs in my 14 year old GMC Sierra. Frank

[smithnframe]

Get a Dyson.

[GhostHawk]

Ordinarily I'd say get a corded vac.

But I have been very impressed with the 20volt Bauer tools at Harbor freight.

I have 3 of their drills, one in my RV parked near New Orleans, a 6" circular saw also in the RV. A sander, a light.
All have exceeded my expectations. Well darn if they don't make a cordless vac also.

Now one of those I do not have, yet.
https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-lithium-ion-cordless-hand-vacuum-with-floor-and-crevice-tools-tool-only-64148.html

I have 2 drills because I thought I broke one. Was running a 3.5" hole saw through the floor. When it broke through it caught, came around and slammed me on the leg with the battery. Handle looked broken. So I went and got a new one. When I got back and the leg quit hurting I gave it a smack the other direction and it seems to have popped back into place. Been using it for a year with no issues.

So if you can't find a corded vac you like take a look at this one. At 40$ it is not going to break the bank.

And if you get the chance to get your hands on one of these, jump on it.
https://www.harborfreight.com/20v-lithium-ion-cordless-12-in-hammer-drilldriver-kit-with-15-ah-battery-rapid-charger-and-bag-63527.html

[bangerjim]

Stick with cords and be happy. Cordless suckers do a short poor job. It takes a lot of sustained power to run the GOOD motors and the run-time is not enough to do a good job. I have gone thru 3 different brands and all have ended up in the Goodwill give-away pile. The only one I still have is the DeWalt cordless/corded one and is only used in the corded mode! DeWalt batteries are horrible and very short-lived.

Stick with cords! I have 5 corded shopvacs now in my various shops and all are VERY powerful and run forever. Just remember to clean the filters!

[gwpercle]

The Shop Vac is still working fine , still clunky , still requires a cord but will suck up anything on the floor ... use it to vacc out my car and trunk ... it will even do wet-vacc . It's so old I don't remember when I bought it .
The three or four "Dust Busters" all seemed like great and wonderful ideas ... had a holder that they sat in and recharged ... no cord , no clunky . The downside is a short life span ... sooner or later they just poop-out ... the batteries weaken , wont hold a charge then die ... they also stop sucking things up ...
...You Pay's Your Money and You Makes Your Choice ...
If you buy a battery powered vacc ... hang on to the clunky corded shop vacc ...You just may want to use it one day .

The problem I see is ... Made in China batteries , good long lasting rechargeable batteries are expensive ... and the ones China puts in the products they sells to us ... are JUNK !
China is killing us with the low quality high priced products they are sending ... It's a crying shame too .
Gary

[MaryB]

I've been vacuuming up spent primers, sawdust, etc, with a shop vac. This is clunky, requires an extension cord, and then the cord gets in the way.

So I've been thinking of getting a cordless vacuum and have been reading the comments/ratings left by owners/users. Many of these have harsh words about the suction and runtime diminishing after just a couple weeks or months, or parts breaking.

Does anyone have experience with cordless vacs that are powerful enough to pick up spent primers, sawdust, and so on? Hate to say it, but cost is a consideration.

Thank you,
Richard

I have a Ryobi 18 volt shop vac. Small, easy to carry... I got it mainly for cleaning the car but have also been using it near the drill press and metal saw to keep shavings under control. So far battery life has been good, can vacuum my SUV 3 times before the battery starts showing signs of needing charging. https://www.amazon.com/18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-Cordless-Project-Acessory/dp/B081FT7XCS/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=ryobi+shop+vac&qid=1629221068&sr=8-4

Homedepot also carries them if you can get their clunky website to work!

[David2011]

After putting an Onieda cyclone on my shop vac I never looked back. It pulls hard and the stuff it picks up never makes it to the vacuum bin. It’s all collected in a 5 gallon bucket that is attached to the bottom of the cyclone.

[BamaNapper]

There are videos and articles for DIY systems that use PVC and a shop vac. You could put multiple vacuum connections in the shop, one hose, and have the shop vac parked somewhere out of the way. Kind of like a whole house vacuum system.

[gwpercle]

There are videos and articles for DIY systems that use PVC and a shop vac. You could put multiple vacuum connections in the shop, one hose, and have the shop vac parked somewhere out of the way. Kind of like a whole house vacuum system.

Whole House Vacuum Systems ... for a decade or so these things were popular but they must have fallen out of favor ... I haven't designed a house in many years that the owner wanted one and I stopped specifiying them when so many reports of short lived performance surfaced ... but for a few years , they were THE thing to have in a new house .
A shop is much smaller than a whole house ... I see a good 110V shop vacc and some extensions/connections being very workable ... might be the best bet in lieu of battery power .
Gary

[snowwolfe]

Bought one of these 2 months ago, love it:
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Lithium-Ion-Tool-Only-Carpentry-Construction/dp/B01N0C7NGC/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=milwaukee+vacuum&qid=1629301375&sr=8-3

If you want to spend a little more try this:
https://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Lithium-ion-Tool-Only-Lightweight-Effortless/dp/B078GC33D4/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=milwaukee+vacuum&qid=1629301438&sr=8-2

Even the wife likes it. No cords, reasonable weight. So easy to grab and walk out into workshop, back porch, etc.

[bangerjim]

I have a 3HP 120v (big induction motor! no brushes here.) dust collection system plumbed around my shop. Quiet and VERY powerful. BIG 4" hoses plug into the knife gate connections and right up to the tool....joiner/thickness sander/thickness planer/shaper/chop saw/ table saw/wood lathe/spindle sander.......all the power tools that a simple shopvac just coughs at! Noisy brush-type motor-drive vacuums have their place, but I cannot stand the whine. I use them for quick mess clean-ups and the dust system for long haul dust and chunk removal. And around the metal lathes and mills for heavy quick chip removal and clean-ups. And I use 10-20 feet of 2" hose from the hand-held pick-up nozzle to the vacuum so the whine is far away from me.

Problem with trying to plumb a simple shopvac around your shop is you loose so much suction in the tubing/elbows/tees you need, that by the time you get to the tool location you nave less than half your suction. And that leads to clogs in the pipes real fast.

Good luck on your choice of vacuums!

[David2011]

Bangerjim,

Would you share the brand name of your dust collector? I have a 2 hp 220v Jet that’s on the loud side at about 77 dB. My perception is that it’s louder than most of the power tools.

[popper]

dust buster type cordless are trash.

[Mal Paso]

I just bought a planer and am impressed with the Cubic Yards of chips you can generate in a few Hours.

For the loading room which is also the casting room I want enough power to pick up lead and still push that air through a HEPA filter so I'm not breathing crud later. I've had good luck with Shop Vac, the quality of hoses and tools seems better too. Eventually battery vacs will catch up, I'm waiting for the 900 Volt System.

[MT Gianni]

Mount a retractable extension cord on a hook in the ceiling. Looks like a big roller. Buy once and cry once, they don't give away good ones.

[bangerjim]

Bangerjim,

Would you share the brand name of your dust collector? I have a 2 hp 220v Jet that’s on the loud side at about 77 dB. My perception is that it’s louder than most of the power tools.

www.globalindustrial.com/p/air-foxx-3hp-ufo-102b-bag-dust-collector

[David2011]

www.globalindustrial.com/p/air-foxx-3hp-ufo-102b-bag-dust-collector

Thanks. It looks a lot like mine other than the dual collection and filter bags. Mine uses a pleated filter on top.

[Bogart]

I'm a DeWalt battery powered tool guy, a few months ago I saw they had a small shop vac that uses the same batteries as my power tools. I like it a lot, about the size of a briefcase but twice as wide, weighs almost nothing and plenty of power / suction. It's very convenient to use and my big shop vac sits in a corner mostly unused.

[RG1911]

Mount a retractable extension cord on a hook in the ceiling. Looks like a big roller. Buy once and cry once, they don't give away good ones.

Now that is an idea I didn't think of. I'll definitely look into it.

Thank you, Richard

[RG1911]

I would like to thank everyone for the great information and suggestions. I do have a small corded vac, but it won't pick up primers, so it's pretty useless for a shop. The Shop Vac has no problems sucking up every loose item on the floor. It's simply that it is awkward.

Cheers,
Richard