Ridgid or Craftsman wet/dry Vac?

[marchboom]

I will be buying a wet/dry vac soon and have narrowed it down to the Ridgid WD1450, 14 gal unit and the Craftsman model 17762, 20 gal vac. Was wondering from the posters here which one would be a better unit. I will be using it for the average home shop projects, the cars, etc.

Thanks

[garager]

I do have the craftsman and it's the best I've had yet, lots of power and holding capacity. Since I use it with one of my table saw I don't have to empty it all the time. I don't own the Ridgid so I could not compare the two and tell you which one is the best. Good luck, there will be others to let you know about Ridgid.

[SCBOB]

I have the Ridgid 12 gal. 5HP and suggest going for the craftsman.
Take another look at sears tools front page, they have a special today.

[Woussko]

That model Craftsman is a big 20 gallon vac. The Ridgid you mention is a 14 gallon. In the online listing of the Craftsman it shows large dirt collection bags which are nice if you suck up lots of fine dust with it. When it comes to Ridgid and bags, you'll need to look at their 16 gallon WD1850. If you don't mind the size of the Craftsman, I would go for it. Also, Sears has far more in accessories even though they are made in the same factory. People that do have Ridgid brand vacs would do well to check the Sears tool catalog for bags, filters and other accessories. If you go to Home Depot or Sears in person, look over all the models they have. You might want to set a given size and look again. The big 20 gallon machines get heavy when full and they take up room.

[SWLigler]

I've had the same Craftsman for over 15 years. It's a real work horse and has never given me a moments trouble.

Steve

[Wild Weasel]

They're both made by the same company so I'd expect quality to be identical. Just pick the one that's got the features you want at the best price.

[CWSmith]

I have the Ridgid 12 gal vac. I like its power, as it certainly has great suction and the motor is not too loud either. The warranty is better than it's Craftsman cousin, but either one would be a great choice in my opinion.

As far as size goes, this is about as large as I'd want and still maintain portablity, especially if your need to use it outside the shop. Going up and down stairs a bigger unit can be bothersome.

The one thing I do not like about this particular Ridgid is that the top doesn't seal down when moving it around (motor off - when motor is on, it seals great). Subsequently, when you pick it up and move it, dust drops from the seal area.

CWS

[Roadrunner]

I've had my 16 gal Ridgid for a while now, and I'll tell you it really sucks, in a good way. I upgraded to the gore-tex filter, since it's easier to clean. The detachable blower is a plus too.

[amcnerl]

Roadrunner,

A gore-tex filter??? I've never heard of that. Was it expensive and worth the money??? Where did you purchase it?? Sorry for all the questions... I have the same vac as you. The filter is a PITA to clean, anything easier, I'm all for it.

[marchboom]

Decided to get the Ridgid 14 gal. vac. Much quieter than my friend's Craftsman vac. I added the Muffler/defuser and it takes away some of the noise. Very powerful too. Totally satisfied, so far.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

[djb]

amcnerl -

Until I get a "real" dust collection system (which will be when I get a "real" shop :rolleyes:), I started using my 16 gal Ridgid shop vac for dust collecting on my woodworking tools, and the [stock paper] filter got packed full pretty often. So I put a nylon stocking (pantyhose) around the filter. What used to take 20+ minutes to clean the filter (brush off heavy dust, remove filter from the vac lid, tap out the fine dust, reinstall filter) now takes me 15 seconds (lift vac lid and brush the filter off); the dust practically falls off by itself. I clean the filter more often now, but it's soooooo much easier to clean.

- djb

[VASandy]

Thanks for the tip, djb!!! Mine gets clogged quickly with the sander dust and such. I'm gonna go clean it and use some of those stockings for something better than sitting in my closet collecting closet dust!!! :D

[amcnerl]

Hey djb,

Thanks for the idea. I hope my wife doesn't think I'm buying the nylons for someone else :D ...LOL... I'll have to give your idea a try.

[Woussko]

You might try a mini size pillow case and tie it in place or you can buy special pre filter bags with elastic in them. Please look over the site links below. It may give you some ideas.

This will fit over the regular filter below. It may work on a Ridgid, but I have yet to try it.
http://www.shopvac.com/detail.asp?id=154 (may work on a Ridgid)
http://www.shopvac.com/detail.asp?id=167 (only for use with their filter cartridge)
http://www.shopvac.com/detail.asp?id=156 (standard cartridge filter)
The above are not made for use with other brands so far. They are nice with their brand machines.

This filter cleans up nice in the sink. You soak it in warm water with some dish washing detergent like Dawn or Joy and then rinse from the inside out under running water. Then let it sit overnight on a towel to dry. http://www.shopvac.com/detail.asp?id=337

Emmerson-Ridgid really needs to catch up in the filter and bags department.

As for the nylons, I think big size knee high type would work and get a garter band to hold them in place. Sandy, Any thoughts on this idea?

[VASandy]

LOL Woussko!! No...haven't tried the garter belt idea. I did take a pair of hose and cut them. I get about 4 filters per pr, so it works well.

I emptied the drum and cleaned the filter real well. Set the panty-hose piece in place by pulling, tugging, etc until it was all the way over the filter, and a bit on the top. It doesn't go far enough over the top to affect the seal of the filter unit with the mating piece. Leave enough on the bottom to catch in the big black "washer" on the bottom. I was able to clean the entire shop (it was WAAAAAAAY overdue for a cleaning). Then just take the piece of hose off and replace it with a new piece. It really works wonders!! No garters required! :p

[Woussko]

Let's put this another way. When I did own and use a Ridgid vac, I always hated their idea of filter. I really like what some other companies have much better. ShopVac Corp. is such an axample. It you look over their web site, they really took filters and bags to the max. Some others do as well. Ridgid wants us to buy their filters all the time I think. Actually I think it's that to do everthing right would make the machines cost more to build so they just makes them good enough so they do sell. Some models by ShopVac are real junk and some are pretty good. What I hope is that their filter division might contract with HD to sell special ones that will fit the Ridgid machines. Maybe Ridgid will improve on filter designs. For now if pantyhose cut up works, then go for it.

[grumpy42]

I bought a ridgid vac a couple of week ago. Had to clean the filter too often
and don't believeit when they say you can rinse the filter and run the vac to dry it. As has been said already let it dry over night. I purchase some ridgid 14 gal bags and haven't had to clean the filter since. I am replacing a shop-vac that i had for about 10 years. Am very happy with the ridgid other than the filter. Have used with table saw, planer and miter saw and it is performing great.

[hewood]

I've got a Ridgid WD1660 and a friend has a Craftsman that uses exactly the same fan head. If the two you're looking at come from the same factory, I'd buy the best deal and/or best warranty.

[Woussko]

Bags and filters

Check with Sears and especially in their tool catalog. They have a far better selection that Home Depot. Do your homework to make sure the Crapsman vac they say it fits is the same machine as your Ridgid model. I did see at one time at Lowes a special filter made to fit most Ridgid vacs that was made by the company that makes them for ShopVac and they looked to be much better than the normal Ridgid filter which in my opinion is a joke. Look at the regular ShopVac brand filters sometime. Their blue one really does clean up nice if you wash it as per instructions and then let it dry before putting it back on your machine. I use 2 of them, but then I own a pretty nice ShopVac brand. I have another really wild vac but that's for another thread. Please see my post with links. I really think the special cloth bag that fits over the filter might work for many of you. I use it and love it. It can be washed in a clothes washer on gentle with warm water. I find just a little TIDE works well. Do not add too much detergent or things don't rinse well.

[PhilG.]

This thing with the filters is one reason that the next vac I buy (though it may be years) is going to be either the Porter-Cable or the Bosch. They've really got the accessories and bags and filters covered. Especially the Bosch with the anti-static hoses - in full size and power-tool size. And it is so much quieter than my Ridgid vac or my Craftsman.

[Woussko]

Phil,

Take a good look at the Milwaukee line too. Their good models are made by Mastercraft industries for them. Their lessor models are ShopVac. The good ones are very nice long lasting machines. Start with the 8911 and work up. They don't come cheap, but once you put one to work you'll be glad you invested in quality. This is not to put down the Bosch or Porter-Cable as the are nice too.