Quietest shop vac - WD1450

Joined
Feb 16, 2010
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Lots of people ask about dust collection, so I'm sharing a brief review of my new toy.

Best wet/dry vacuum:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-14-gal-Professional-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-WD1450/100081216
Dust Deputy:
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=51625686

In building my forges I process a lot of materials that create dust. Far more than the average knifemaker. The last pallet of bricks that I processed yielded roughly 400 lbs. of firebrick dust, about 15 buckets full. That means I run the shop vac a lot. I spent a lot of time researching, trying to find out which shop vac was the quietest. The Rigid WD1450 lives up to it's reviews and is about the same volume as the radio on 3-4. You can easily talk to people with it running, and I have found that I leave it running by accident because it's not the ear-grating noise that other vacuums are. It may not sound like it, but the suction is among the best. The difference is that it has a muffle built in for the motor. Even at that, it's still considerably quieter than my old Rigid with external muffler. I know there are quieter ones out there, but not anywhere near the $100 mark.

The second product, the dust deputy, is the best bucket dust collection device out there. It captures all but the finest dust and makes emptying very easy, just switch buckets.
 
Yes, that is a very good combination. I used that set up in my old shop but will be going ton a squirrel cage fan with the dust deputy in the new one. I'm hoping with the all metal throughout I will continue tonever have a fire problem.
Frank
 
I've got the dust deputy and I agree....
It catches everything. I run s paper filter in my shop vac and had no issues with it clogging.
I don't run the shop vac when grinding on steel just incase a spark get to all the dust in the bucket.

I guess I could change buckets...
One for metal and one for wood.
 
Is your dust deputy a plastic bucket? I've seen some for sale like that. You can put a couple of inches of water in the dust deputy. It won't affect it's operation. It certainly does collect everything except the very finest dust that did collect in the vacuum. I will now be moving that outside through the squirrel cage.
Frank
 
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