Looking for a quiet industrial vacuum cleaner mainly for dust collection

[cindyh68]

Hello,

Looking to replace tradesman vacuum cleaner, the current one has give up the ghost and besides it is so noisy I needed earplugs to use it.

This is mainly for dust collection after sanding (paint preparation) something quiet would be a bonus, anyone suggest a good unit.

Thanks

[EricL]

Hi @cindyh68

Thanks for sharing your question about replacing your Vacuum Cleaner. If you had to use earplugs, it must have been generating noise in the 100 to 120-decibel range or louder. It's usually recommended that anything past this noise rating you should use earplugs. There are several models of Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner and what I've noticed is that whenever you use the catch bag on these units, it reduces the noise output. Mind you these units will still pump out an average of 80-decibels.

For me personally, I have an Ozito 1250W 12L Stainless Wet And Dry Vacuum and it's good for my occasional woodworking needs. I don't need to wear earplugs when using it and is a lot less noisy than my circular saw. It does double duty as I use it to vacuum my car and garage. But if you are looking at a stronger motor or larger capacity. then anything past the 20L capacity should be sufficient. Please note that these are still shop vacs and are not industrial or commercial type systems.   

If you have any other questions we can help with, please don't hesitate to post them.

Let me tag our experienced members @TedBear, @JoeAzza and @Tom-builds for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[TedBear]

Hi @cindyh68 , I am very happy with my Ryobi 20L Wet and Dry.  It is similar to the 12L Ozito in that all the accessories are stored on the unit.

It also has a powerful blow function, which I find essential for a workshop where you can't get into every nook and cranny to vacuum -and also handy for cleaning other things that need a blast of air.

Quiet vacuum..??... I don't think that has been invented yet. I don't need earplugs when using the Ryobi, but will use them sometimes if using the unit for a long time.

I don't bother with bags, instead I purchased the wet-use filter which is only a couple of dollars more than the standard one, and this one can be washed. I also have a special cloth bag that goes over the filter, which stops heaps of dust from going through - adds another layer of filtering. This isn't the same as a dust catchment bag and it is washable too.  For home workshop use it's more than adequate and I empty about once a month, unless I've put it to a particularly messy task. I can't remember how many years I've had it now, but it's still going strong (whilst indoors, we've been through a number of fancy, expensive, well-advertised vacuum cleaners in the same time.)

If noise is a big issue, I suggest that you mount the vacuum cleaner outside the room you will be using it in and run the hose and cord through a small hole. But that might be more trouble than its worth for normal, occasional, non-industrial use.

Looking back at your requirements - for occasional use after sanding, perhaps a stick vacc might suit your purposes...

I notice that there is one called i-VAC X20 (available from Godfreys, or on-line (for less) from Kogan), which is relatively cheap, has good reviews and the head can be mounted directly onto the unit, so it would be easy to manage for that type of work. It would be quieter than the larger machines we have been mentioning, but I haven't personally used or seen one.