Sort-of boatie: workshop vacuum cleaner

[JumbleDuck]

Can anyone recommend a cheap, tough workshop vacuum cleaner? At the moment I am using a Henry, which works fine but is maybe a bit delicate for the brutal life. Not bothered about wet.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I have an old Vax, 25 odd years old, which still goes strong and sucks everything up, a second hand one would be a good purchase. I bought a Kercher WD2 which is now about 4 years old. Works very well in the workshop and is light to carry about. Recently vacuumed up shavings and sawdust using the wand and flat bit and it cleaned all the dust out of the cracks in the concrete floor. One negative is that the nylon wheels have become stiff and one does not rotate easy. I also connect it to a Triton dust extraction bucket, one hose to my saw bench or router bench into the bucket, the other to Kercher, works great at sucking up the sawdust from the table saw. The Kercher was used to clean the bilges out after the refit, plenty of poking about, awkward corners, and did the job well, very good suction.

Karcher WD2 Multi Purpose Vacuum - Karcher Canister Vacuums - CleanStore

 

[Poignard]

I don't know if they are still made but my Earlex wet and dry has given many years of good service.

 

[penberth3]

I'm a fan of the Henry, found it bomb-proof and it was only about £100. There are bigger models available than the standard red one.

 

[chris-s]

Got to be a Henry, such a cheery smile when your life really sucks!

 

[Norman_E]

The problem now is that domestic vacuums are now limited in power. My old Wickes vacuum is more powerful that the current offerings, but for a cheap workshop vacuum the current £39 offering looks OK, but on their website I have just spotted this one with an automatic setting so that it switches on and off with your power tool. Einhell TE-VC 1930 SA 30 Litre Stainless Steel Wet & Dry Vac with Power Take Off - 1500W | Wickes.co.uk That looks perfect for use with my wood bandsaw which has a vacuum connection point.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Another vote for Henry. Or any Numatic product in fact. I use a Henry in my workshop, it's 20 years old and still working fine. Simple machine so little to go wrong. Useless for wet stuff but if that's not needed then a winner.

 

[lw395]

I have a Dyson DCO5 bought second hand. Good tools and easy to get spare filters. It's had about 6 years of workshop abuse, the last one got dropped off the deck of a yacht.
I also have a cheap screwfix wet'n'dry thing, which is good for wet but the filter is rubbish for dry stuff.
I've been looking at the cyclone units you can buy on ebay for about a tenner:
Plastic High Efficiency Cyclone Dust Collector Filter Extractors Vacuums Cleaner | eBay

are you trying to do dust extraction while tools are running or cleaning up after?
I have a little router which has a dust extraction fitting, but the blast of air from the motor cooling kind of outvotes the dyson...

 

[PetiteFleur]

I also have a Karcher wd2, works ok but the filter clogs up very easily if you vacuum fine dust, sawdust is fine. Can connect to my cut off saw and my sander . Just found that you can fit a disposable bag to it so the filter won't clog. It does have 4 wheels which is ok unless if you pull it along and it hits something on the floor it tips over...

 

[seacomm]

I have a Karcher WD3.5 which has worked very well for a few years now. It hooks up to various saws and sanders and has autostart

The filter does clog but seems to clear OK with a blast from the airline. I too fond out about the disposable bags recently and they work really well

 

[fredrussell]

I work on building sites and have seen the guys using various makes, including a fair few mentioned above, to clean up. Most commonly seen is a Henry (or Charles). What you never see are Dysons. Not the environment they’re built for.

 

[thinwater]

If you are really picking up a lot of stuff, try adding a cyclone separator in front of it. Many brands. Really, you can use a household vac after it.

 

[William_H]

I picked up an old wet and dry vac from the sid eof the road. Works brilliantly in the workshop and indeed even picking up small leaves out side. The container for dirt is huge and easily emptied and cleaned. No bags etc. The down side of this style is that the exit air is not well filtered like a decent indoor domestic vac so in really dirty conditions you can put a lot of dust into the air. I would certainly go wet and dry vac especially as you can then take it inside for carpet cleaning/drying. ol'will

 

[bluenomads]

Any cordless that are any good? The 4yo v6 dyson doesnt have much suction

 

[PCUK]

My ancient Kirby has been running for years with a 30ft extension hose. All spare parts also readily available. Vacs that suck through the fabric of the bag are no good as they clog with dust in a few minutes running.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Thanks very much. I'm now inclining towards a Numatic Charles, which is Henry's wet-and-dry double-the-volume big brother. As well as the workshop Henry, which os borrowed from the house, I also have a garage Henry so all the tools could be shared.

 

[Graham376]

Thanks very much. I'm now inclining towards a Numatic Charles, which is Henry's wet-and-dry double-the-volume big brother. As well as the workshop Henry, which os borrowed from the house, I also have a garage Henry so all the tools could be shared.

Depends on what you're picking up. If sanding dust, better to have something with a HEPA filter. Whereas if picking up shavings or wood chips HVLP with 4" hose is better.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Depends on what you're picking up. If sanding dust, better to have something with a HEPA filter. Whereas if picking up shavings or wood chips HVLP with 4" hose is better.

Thanks. It's just general workshop cleaning - I don't do much woodwork, but dirt seems to accumulate, particularly since the building is a 200+ year old smiddy with a rich assortment of visiting wildlife. Charles uses "HEPAFlo" filter bags.

 

[Graham_Wright]

I have a couple of the Wickes ones. Brilliant. Easiest way to achieve a dry bilge as well!

 

[Poignard]

I have a couple of the Wickes ones. Brilliant. Easiest way to achieve a dry bilge as well!

'

Wickes sold the Earlex like mine for a while (see post #3) but re-badged.