Reddit
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r/BeginnerWoodWorking on Reddit: Shop vac recommendations for dust collection
November 23, 2023 -
For those of you using a shop vac for dust collection, what are you using? And are you happy with it?
I don’t have space for a full-blown dust collection system, so I want something portable that does as well as reasonably possible.
I want to take advantage of the deals this weekend and would love any recommendations on what everyone is using.
Most of my needs are from ocket holes, router, table, small tablesaw
Top answer 1 of 5
7
I’ve used a shop vac brand, a craftsman brand, a Kobalt and currently a Festool hepa 48. I know the Festool is outta 90% of people’s range so scratch that one off. Of the others, they all work fine and similar to each other. What I’d look for is the shape that easy to move around without tipping over, wheels that can roll over a cord without dumping the whole thing and a nice long power cord. All three of my basic brands are still running after close to 10yrs of occasional use but have now moved on to do specific jobs so they’re out of the workshop. A huge benefit for me was adding the cyclone separation system to the vac of choice. It’ll save you lots of filters by getting 90% of the trash and dust into the cyclone container before it hits your actual vac canister. Sure, it’s bulky and probably will need its own cart once it’s all set up but it’s fantastic at grabbing dust and keeping your vac in healthy shape. You can make one for the cost of PVC fittings and a trash can or buy a kit. Air quality is something I didn’t pay attention to when I was younger and really with I had. Having a clean shop is also nice but it’s the super fine stuff in the air that I really appreciate being sucked up with my vac. I’d say just get whatever brand that you like and don’t sweat it too much but think about the cyclone for sure. Especially if your running paper filters on your vac canister. It’ll save them a ton of work.
2 of 5
2
Project Farm on YT did a great comparison of shop vacs. This might be useful and will provide some insight into what to look for at the least.
Woodworkers Journal
woodworkersjournal.com › home › shop vacuum roundup
Shop Vacuum Review | Best Shop Vac | Woodworking Tools
March 2, 2015 - The Shop Vac is a general- purpose model and the most compact model in this group. It’s versatile and excels in the mobility department. I grew to like this vac because it’s a very good performer that’s easy to use anywhere. Priced at $130, it also comes with a generous selection of cleaning tools and even a paper filter bag for collecting fine dust from drywall and concrete.
Videos
19:22
Harbor Freight Changed BUDGET Dust Collection FOREVER (4 tools ...
09:51
Ultimate Dust Collection Setup Dewalt 10 Gallon Shop Vac vs Separator ...
38:38
The Perfect Shop Vac that Nobody Sells - YouTube
29:25
$1250 FESTOOL Dust Extractor VS $280 Rigid Shop Vacuum WITH Cyclone ...
20:49
Watch This Before You Buy a Dust Separator - YouTube
Are shop vacs and regular vacuums the same?
No, shop vacs are designed for heavy-duty suctioning containing larger pieces of debris, while normal vacs are primarily designed to clean carpets or floors. The regular vacuum will collapse if you try to suction up wooden or metal objects with it, but a shop vac is designed for this type of job.
woodsmith.com
woodsmith.com › woodsmith reviews › woodshop › best shop vacs for heavy-duty cleaning
Best Shop Vacs for 2024 (Our Review)
What is a good horsepower for a shop vac?
It is wiser to look for higher horsepower as it translates to the shop vacs’ overall performance. Cheaper models can also boast a higher horsepower, but they will come with low-quality bearings and windings. A horsepower of 2 is the minimum requirement for a shop vac.
woodsmith.com
woodsmith.com › woodsmith reviews › woodshop › best shop vacs for heavy-duty cleaning
Best Shop Vacs for 2024 (Our Review)
Can shop vacs clean up water?
Yes, a wet/dry shop vac will clean almost any type of liquid, be it water, soda, feces, urine, or anything. However, you must ensure that you have switched it to dry vacuuming. Also, your vacuum should have the necessary filters and other accessories to do the job. A HEPA filter is the best one for this purpose as HEPA filtration offers a special design to filter out harmful allergens.
woodsmith.com
woodsmith.com › woodsmith reviews › woodshop › best shop vacs for heavy-duty cleaning
Best Shop Vacs for 2024 (Our Review)
LumberJocks
lumberjocks.com › home › forums › workshop › focus on the workspace
Small shop dust collection - what vac to buy? | LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
What works for me is a 6 gallon shop vac for my portable sanders & some of my benchtop equipment. I also have a 16 gallon shop vac, don't use it much because it's too loud. I also have a 13 gallon dust collector from Harbor Freight Portable ...
Pro Tool Reviews
protoolreviews.com › home › best shop vac and wet-dry vacuums: expert picks
Best Shop Vac and Wet-Dry Vacuums: Expert Picks - Pro Tool Reviews
June 30, 2025 - In a perfect world, I’d love ... to the best performance when it comes to dust collection. Craftsman nails it with a 16-gallon shop vac that hits an impressive 190 CFM....
Woodsmith
woodsmith.com › woodsmith reviews › woodshop › best shop vacs for heavy-duty cleaning
Best Shop Vacs for 2024 (Our Review)
April 26, 2024 - Major brands manufacture cordless shop vacs and stackable wet-dry vacuums for various levels of heavy-duty cleanup. Keep reading to choose the shop vac that fits your needs. Large models deliver the quickest and most thorough cleanups, in part because they can hold greater dust, debris, and fluid.
Woodworking Talk
woodworkingtalk.com › home › forums › tools, materials & safety › dust collection
What's the most powerful small shop vacuum for use with cylone/dust-deputy? (poor man's festool?) | Woodworking Talk
I’ve had good luck with Rigid, Ive got another one dedicated to my combo sander and 12” bandsaw (no cyclone). Project Farm on YouTube recently did a review of shop vacs. Surprisingly the Bauer from Harbor Freight was one of the best. If ...
The Spruce
thespruce.com › best-shop-vacs-4151284
We Tested 25 Shop Vacs, and These Are the Best for Quick Cleanup
August 13, 2025 - Credit: The Spruce · We were impressed with how the Shark VS101 handled wet messes, picking up liquids flawlessly. Credit: The Spruce · The filters are easy to access and replace, but we haven't had to replace them in six months of use.
Tyler Brown Woodworking
tylerbrownwoodworking.com › articles › shop-vac-vs-dust-extractor
Shop Vac vs Dust Extractor (What Do You Really Need?) — Tyler Brown Woodworking
February 16, 2024 - If you use a dust extractor to collect a lot of dust from stationary machines the collection canister will fill up fast. A dust extractor is primarily designed for smaller tools whereas a dust collector is best for larger machines. Also, most dust extractors are considered industrial vacuum cleaners and are used in commercial environments making them expensive.
NC Woodworker
ncwoodworker.net › home › forums
Shop Vacuum Recommendation
New mitersaw dust collection hood idea.
The Art Of Lutherie
theartoflutherie.com › dust-extractor-vs-shop-vac
Dust Extractor vs Shop Vac (How To Choose)
July 13, 2024 - Dust extractors operate noticeably quieter than shop vacs, which can be very loud, especially the more powerful models. ... Festool dust extractors are the leader in this category, with an arsenal of professional-grade sanders and other tools ...
SHOP HACKS
shophacks.com › dustcollectorsystems.html
Dust Collection System Options - SHOP HACKS
... - Most people use one vac or ... sizes, types and prices vary drastically. Shop vac systems work best with 2" to 3" ID hoses and ducting....
Amazon
amazon.ca › shop-vac-dust-collection-system › s
Amazon.ca: Shop Vac Dust Collection System
Check each product page for other buying options. Price and other details may vary based on product size and colour · VPC Dust Collection Hose for Home and Shop Vacuums with Expanded Multi-Brand Power Tool Adapter Set Fittings | Orange (16 FEET) · VPC Dust Collection Hose for Home and Shop ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/beginnerwoodworking › shop vac recs for dust collection?
r/BeginnerWoodWorking on Reddit: Shop vac recs for dust collection?
January 12, 2025 -
Without breaking the bank on an actual dust collection system, is there a recommendation on best shop vac for dust collection from various tools (miter saw, orbital sander, router)? This guy has served me well for years but I’ve got to assume there are more powerful vacs out there. Does anything exist specifically for this purpose that sits between “shop vac” and “dust collector”? I’m basically cleaning this filter every couple days to keep the suction as good as possible.
Hope this post is on-theme with the sub.
Top answer 1 of 5
4
You might consider the Harbor Freight dust extractor . It has HEPA filters that are self cleaning, periodically reverses air flow to blast the filters clean. Here is one review of it . I don't have one yet but am likely upgrading to this.
2 of 5
2
I just have a 9 gallon Bauer shop vac that I think was 60$ and a home Depot bucket top cyclone separator. The cyclone catches damn near everything and I have a bag in the shop vac that catches the rest. Works great.
Popular Woodworking
popularwoodworking.com › toolreviews › dust-extractor-showdown
Showdown: What’s the best dust extractor for woodworking?
April 1, 2025 - The battle against dust is one ... their shop. Dust in the air, in their lungs, embedded in the finish they worked so carefully on. If you have the space and money, an industrial-grade dust collection system is great, but not everyone has that luxury. A simple wet/dry vac works, but ...
Sawmill Creek
sawmillcreek.org › forums › woodworking topics › workshops
Can a dust collector be used as a shop vac too? | Sawmill Creek Woodworking Community
December 29, 2014 - A dust collector is not really designed to pick up large particles. A shop vac is designed to have a large static pressure and lower volume of air movement and it designed to pick things up. The Rigid vac that sells for about $80 is a great deal.
Real Simple
realsimple.com › best-shop-vacs-7151442
We Tested Dozens of Wet/Dry Vac—Here Are The Top 5 For Tackling Any Mess
March 4, 2025 - We tested each shop vac at home, putting them through daily tests to see which options performed the best across categories. First, we clocked setup time for each vacuum, including battery charging time for cordless models. Once we had the units set up, we tested each device’s effectiveness, paying careful attention to how good they were at collecting dirt, dust, debris, and liquids from a variety of surfaces, including carpeting and hard floors.
Family Handyman
familyhandyman.com › home › tools, gear & equipment › gear & apparel › accessories
Best Methods for Sawdust Collection in a Workshop | Family Handyman
June 5, 2025 - This works best with larger capacity vacuums, because the sawdust and chips from a table saw or planer build up fast! ... Ideally, tool manufacturers would standardize dust ports so you could swiftly move your hose from one tool to another. But that’s not yet the case. In the meantime, save time and frustration by installing an adapter permanently on heavily used tools, such as miter saws. Then you can simply plug in the hose. ... Higher-priced shop vacuums often come with a special switch that turns on the vacuum automatically when the tool starts up.
Facebook
facebook.com › groups › woodworkingforbeginner › posts › 3277276452426957
What type of shop vac is suitable for Harbor Freight dust ...
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Amazon
amazon.ca › Shop-Vac-Dust-Collector › s
Amazon.ca: Shop Vac Dust Collector
Check each product page for other buying options. Price and other details may vary based on product size and colour · Dust Collection Attachment, 2-in-1 Vacuum Dust Collection Attachment for Drilling, Fits 4 Hose Sizes (1-1/4", 1-1/2", 1-7/8", 2-1/2") · Cyclone Dust Separator, 4" Retrofit ...
Quora
quora.com › Does-a-Shop-Vac-work-for-dust-collection
Does a Shop-Vac work for dust collection? - Quora
Answer (1 of 4): Obviously a shop-vac does just fine at picking up dust from floors and other surfaces so I am guessing you are asking about hooking it up to a tool that creates dust in order to more directly collect dust. This can work very well but there are a few things to be aware of: 1. Not...