When you use power tools, you tend to get paint chips. A firm called Pacific Safety Solutions tested seven Desco tools, ranging from its corner needle gun to its Mini Flush Plate with a rotopeen hub. In contrast, tool manufacturers recommend HEPA-filter vacuums that can move 75 inches or more of water column. A hose with a diameter of three to four inches is a better airway than a hose measuring only 1.5 inches in diameter, said Cignatta. The smaller-sized hose, he said, dissipates sucking power.
Suction also is a function of hose length.
The shorter the hose, the greater the suction. Snaking hoses can develop kinks. Left unattended, they can lower your vacuum power. Desco offers a radical solution to the problem of hose kinking and hose distance by making a HEPA-filter vacuum that you can wear on your back. Desco President Ralph Fabian said that with 75 inches of waterlift, Desco's Compact Vac provides enough suction to capture lead dust.