From: jeffj@panix.com (Jeff Jonas)
Newsgroups: rec.woodworking
Subject: Re: Shopvac
Summary: floop!
Date: 16 Sep 92 02:54:40 GMT
Organization: Jeff's House of Electronic Parts

>In article <14SEP92.21899543.0026.MUSIC@NMUMUS> FABY000
	<FABY@NMUMUS.BITNET> writes:
>>I just fininshed working in my shop and swept it with my Shpovac.  I
>>have had the vac about two years and I am constantly irritated by the
>>hoses coming off when I use it.  My second criticism is the very short
>>cord that comes with the vac.

As for the cord: I cut off the plug and spliced on a longer cord.
As for the hoses coming off: I've wedged mine so tight that I
dare not take it apart.  Perhaps you can duct tape over the joints?
I don't suggest gluing them since there are times you need to
take it apart.

In article <1992Sep15.152932.22433@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>
	patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
>I have the same problems. In addition, mine has gotten to the point that
>the port into which you plug the hoses will frequently separate into its
>two components. The solution to both problems is simple. Buy the top of
>the line Craftsman shop vacuum. It has a longer cord and the hoses don't
>come out. So far I've been to cheap to actually do this, but my father
>had one of these.

I've previously posted a rather long and hopefully informative
article about the Sear's 16 gallon wet/dry vacs
("Shop vac" is a trademark of the Shop Vac company).
I've used mine for about 10 years now and it's been great.
Just poke the nozzle at anything that'll slide in and FLOOP!
It's instantly gobbled up!  Wet or dry, nothing escapes my suck monster!

It's hard to determine what model is exactly the "top of the line"
because they keep playing games with the so-called 'peak HP' rating
of the vacs.  They all draw 10 amps, but now they're advertising a
3.5 "peak" HP vac.  It's usually on sale or 'special purchase' for
about $100 including most of the useful accessories.

The design keeps changing every year.  Sometimes the impeller is
plastic, other times it's metal.  There's the usual trend
of replacing as much metal with plastic.
The "industrial" version of the 16 gal vac is still about $200.

Some have a speed control so you can vary the power.
There's also a handle accessory with a slide over a hole
so you can bleed off the power of vacs with just an on/off switch.
Oh yes, the handle's much more comfortable than holding the
2.5" diameter hose directly.

On the whole, I'd say that most of the design and material changes
are for the better.  The drain hole is larger and has a tethered cap
(the old vacs had a small hole and washers to seal it).
The all plastic hose resists crushing and does not accordion up
when blocked.  The all plastic top does not rust like the metal one,
but the metal ones never cracked (I've seen several broken vacs
on display in Sear's, which does not speak well of them).
Still, I've never found a more powerful, better priced nor
more flexible wet/dry vac.

The new vacs have the hose go right into the bucket, with a splash
shield several inches behind the inlet.  Look into the inlet and
you can see right into the bucket.  This is good - anything that
can slide through the hose has a straight shot into the bucket.
(the old vacs had a 'Y' adapter at the inlet so stuff tended to
clog there).
The vacuum inlet and blowing outlet are on opposite sides with
clear markings (an arrow in or arrow out).
(the old vac had them next to each other, leading to surprises when
you intended to inflate something and instead stuff starts disappearing!).

The most unusual use for my vac was the time I used it to suck up
all the wasps that were actively nesting in the garden shed.
The car nozzle concentrated the suction so well that it snatched
the bugs in mid air and ripped apart the nests as they were sucked down.
It was so fast that none of the buggers got near me.  When done,
I simply put the other end of the hose into the blower to trap the
bugs inside.  When I used the vac later, I turned on the vac
before taking off the hose to be sure to suck any bugs back into the bucket.
Quite effective and ecologically sound!

-- Jeffrey Jonas
jeffj@panix.com
From: rer@hpfcdc.fc.hp.com (Rob Robason)
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 21:42:05 GMT
Subject: Re: Help on Router bit selection
Organization: HP Fort Collins, Co.