Wet & dry vacuum recommendations for DIY and dog hair wanted

[victoriacalhoun]

Hi, I'm needing (well probably more wanting) to purchase a new wet and dry workshop vac. I've currently got a Ryobi which I must say, has been treated dreadfully & the accessories have disappeared so will now be relegated to mostly outdoor jobs.  

I've been looking at a Milwalkee M18, although I don't love battery reliant, the Karcher WD6 or getting another Ryobi, all of which will have far kinder working conditions.🤣 

Notes on my projects:-

• I like to torture myself by collecting antique furniture and wondering why on earth I continue to restore them.
• Current projects include:- 
  • an old fireplace surround which was coated in all sorts of lead paint. I used it as a welcome sign when I held an engagement party at my house and left it outside for it to be eaten by termites. I have actually restored it so IT WILL NEVER FALL apart, but aesthetically it is very roughly and am going to use it as a blackboard in my spray tan room. Yes, I also paint humans.
  • 3 wardrobes which will actually serve as storage / my tool shed and I will be adding shelves and drawers. One is not so kindly referred to as Big Mumma due to her difficulty to move, but since she is real wood, & I know that these monstrosity antique wardrobes are not really designed to be moved regularly,  I have decided she won't be going on the fire pit....this year. She has been on the front porch, semi protected for quite a few years and I stripped her walnut veneer and have repainted her with no where near as much care as I should have. I have more sanding to do on her, have only just re-hung the doors etc. Two are in my spray tan room back to back so they serve as a dividing room if I my clients come together. But sanding, painting the interior to add drawers and shelves in the hanging space.
  • Skirting boards in one of the bathrooms and also in the spray tan room. I have the jarrah so there will be plenty of mitre sawing & sanding to paint over the oil based gloss. 
  • 3 x daybeds. All teak. 2 that I have painted over the 10+ years I've had them, but you get the picture, I need to reinforce them as they are subject to the elements, more dust, sanding & then painting.
  • The spray tan room, despite having decent extractor fans still gets overspray and I've just converted an outdoor tap into a hot and cold so I can attach either my high pressure hose or just hose nozzle to clean all the overspray. So definitely need wet suction, but not to the extent that it will be Noah's Ark! 
  • Amazing chairs and lounge made of bamboo & wicker / cane that have been neglected but were made by the WA Blind Society so I LOVE them and am currently in the process of restoring them according to the fantastic advice that @JacobZ   @Dave-1  have given me. I've converted my front deck into a workshop but I still need just a little reprieve from the wind so I can get spraying properly!
  • Doors to hang, cut to size and paint.
  • 5 million more projects.
• MY DILEMMA
  • I don't normally love Ryobi. I have never had a great experience with any of their battery powered tools / equipment. But the wet & dry vac has been great. 
  • I can't find decent reviews on the Karcher WD6 and I have to say, that some of the attachments I have bought over the years for the various high pressure Karcher products I have had, have been really poor quality. But I like the idea of the self cleaning filter of the vac. Not sure if it is overkill considering I am a diy-er.
  • I also have a divine, but particularly hairy, considering her stature, Port Hedland special hound called Migaloo, who follows me everywhere and leaves insane amounts of white hair. I don't have any carpet in the house. It is all jarrah floorboards, apart from laundry and bathrooms and the only rug is on the front deck. But I do want something that will hopefully pick up Migaloo hair too.
  • I'm also on a busy street so there's plenty of dust for everyone.
  • I also like to upholstery clean the mattresses  about once a year and did briefly look at the George, but realise I can get an aftermarket attachment to do the mattresses.

Sorry, this has been so long, but I would love to know what everyone thinks about something that vacs, drinks, blows, has a decent range of accessories (& can add aftermarket), plug for sander etc,  filters that won't require me to remortgage my house.

Current salvage yard / deck workshop projectsDaybed needs reinforcement, paint etcBig Mumma Tool Shed WardrobeOG DaybedFireplace surround struggling to liveSpray Room Wardrobe Pre Shelve / Drawer conversionHairy and bossy MigalooMost controversial wardrobe ever

[Dave-1]

Morning @victoriacalhoun 

Now that is an impressive list! I wouldnt know where to start lol, but so much fuin to be had!

As to the question about a wet and dry vac. I have only used wet and dry vacs to suck up water at work when I have had 3cm worth across the floor. In your post you dont mention any liquid so I am wondering if you just need a vacuum instead? I have had a vacuum die because of plaster dust that was sucked up 😕 So maybe a wet and dry has a better fine filtration? 

I am old school and much more prefer brooms and hand brushes to clean an area before the final vacumn (less chance of re-killing that plaster vacumn again)

As to brands to use, I strongly support Ozito (for battery powered tools) and Makita They both just keep on going. The ozito product range will be using the same model batteries for the next several years so I dont need to worry about the skins and they come with a warranty so if they break in the first year or 3? (not sure anymore) then they will be replaced. It depends on how oftern they are used and how they are looked after. If you use a tool once a year for a little and then it sits there doing nothing for a chunk of time. It wont handle it too well.

Maybe wander through the aisles and see what types of equipment each brand has, I know both ozito and ryobi have "bits" that I look at and think "really"? As in they are surplus to need...  

Ratio of $$$ + amount of use + type of use +ease of use + warranty = product line

Dave

[JacobZ]

Hi @victoriacalhoun,

As @Dave-1 has said, that is quite a list of projects. I'm excited to see and possibly help them come to life.

There is a vacuum for everything and finding the right mix between price, performance and compatibility is not exactly easy. I'll try to offer some personal insights as well as some examples of what is out there to help guide your thoughts.

I can't speak to the quality of the Karcher Wet and Dry Vacuum WD 6 Premium as I haven't used it, but Karcher is a fantastic brand for wet and dry vacs. I have however used this Karcher 1380W 30L M Class Wet / Dry Vacuum which performs fantastically and I can't fault it in any way. 

I own a Ryobi 20L Stainless Steel Wet Dry Workshop Vacuum RVC-1220I-G which I am also not very kind to. For what I put it through, it has held up extremely well and for the price I paid, I am extremely happy with its performance.

I also own a Makita 18V Brushless Wet/Dry Dust Extractor DVC750LZX1 and a Makita 42L Wet/Dry Dust Extraction Vacuum from when I worked on commercial construction sites that required dust extraction to be used with power tools.  Being Makita products, they are very good for use with Makita tools and have some amount of cross-compatibility with other tools. 

The majority of power tool brands have their own vacuums that are designed to be compatible with their tools. They often refer to them as "dust extractors" as opposed to vacuums as they are intended to be attached to tools to prevent airborne silica dust and other hazardous materials. 

Some examples include: 

• DeWALT 61L Wet And Dry Vacuum
• Bosch Professional 35L M-Class Wet / Dry Dust Extraction Vacuum
• Metabo M-Class 30Ltr Wet & Dry Vac.

Another thing to consider is the hazard class of the vacuum. Higher-end vacuums come with HEPA filters that are classed as L, M or H. Once a HEPA filter comes into play, the price tends to jump considerably.

You might like to have a look at Selecting the right portable extractor or industrial vacuum cleaner for hazardous dusts for some info on what these hazard classes mean.

I hope this has helped to clarify a little what is out there. 

Please don't hesitate to ask for clarification, I understand that there's a lot to take in.

Jacob

[victoriacalhoun]

Thanks @dave-1 & @JacobZ 

Jacob, I am too scared to re-read your message as I literally wanted every one of your product suggestions!

Dave, I am a bit like you in that I do actually like a broom and hand brush (should probably not make that common knowledge if you saw the leaves in the driveway atm...).  I actually have a couple of Ozito corded tools that have been great, but I will confess, that I don't award them the same love I have for some of my other corded or petrol tools that are well known brands. I actually used an Ozito jigsaw, completely off label use yesterday morning as I had to frantically cut up a frozen marrow bone for my hound as penance / bribery for having a JOB!!! 

So thanks for the recommendation. You subsequently sent me on an online Bunnings bonanza of Ozito PXC products and batteries. So we shall see.  & even though I didn't say much about needing the wet function of a workshop vac, I do spray out my tanning booth, the walls and polished concrete floors of the spray tan room regularly and that needs drinking up (not like a tsunami) as opposed to the front deck which I can high pressure hose and sweep.

Let my 5,000 projects begin. Thank you again Dave and Jacob.