[Shop-talk] Shop-vac $.02

[Jim Franklin]

I have a Ridgid, 4.5 HP I believe. It has a sheetrock filter and other  
than an initial puff of dust after removing the filter for cleaning  
(done upside down and some dust gets in the motor) it runs clean.  
However, it is LOUD. And suction isn't super fantastic. It may be  
better with a regular filter, but there's always some sheetrock dust  
where I am...

A friend has a WAP. German. It will, impressively quietly, suck the  
chrome off a trailer hitch. Spendy though. He just had to replace the  
motor, $250. But after thinking about it for a while, he decided it  
was worth it, given how long he'd had it, and how often he uses it.  
Unlike the Ridgid, the vacuum airflow does not go through the motor.

jim