King of the Cordless Vacuum's?

[justinmcf]

I am looking to buy a cordless vacuum.

I have not got a clue which one to buy.

Has anybody got a recommendation.

Thanks for your help, Justin.

 

[Ken Nagrod]

I posted this a while ago, but here it is again.  Very inexpensive, yet reliable and it's green!

 

[Brice_Arnold]

I don't know what's out there aside from the dewalts but I have one that runs off the battery packs and would not recommend it.

What did you have in mind?

What is your application?

Obviously a dustpan and broom will not work if you are trying to vacuum the upholstery in your automobile.

 

[Julian Tracy]

I have two that I use on a daily basis.  First one is a Makita LXT stick vac.

Has a very chessy filter setup that fills up fast, but it sucks very well and is super quiet.  Great for over all floor cleanup after a simple handyman fixit or I've been using it all week after pulling up my floor protection just before I leave the job.

Second one I have is a Milwaukee 18volt portable battery operated shopvac that's in the shape of a tool box.  I ripped the battery jack guts out of it and made a Makita battery "socket" so that it takes my mak batts, either 3.0 or 1.5.  It's got a ton of capacity and isn't too loud and has a great durable pleated filter.  The hose self stores on the side.

It's handy enough to use hooked up to a domino or a belt sander or a pocket hole jig when I'm doing a quick little job and I've been using it all week for intermittent cleanup in the shower stall I'm building.  I have a CT, but it's in the garage hooked up to the dustless grinder for cutting the Hardi board.

I had the Dewalt version, the smaller one and it was so loud, it was just about un-usable.

As for folks that poo-pah battery vacs - that's BS, they are handy and work great and I wouldn't be without one - just don't expect to use it as a real vac replacement.

I'd recommend the Milwaukee one to anybody, but it you don't use their batts, or aren't capable of modifying the the battery compartment you should just buy whichever one matches your battery system.  But if you buy the dewalt, buy the larger of the two they have, that little one is a rocket engine, it's LOUD!

Julian

 

[justinmcf]

thanks julian.

the makita stick vac is looking good as i already own the 18 volt 1.5ah and 3.0ah 18 batteries.
i am glad to hear that it's suction works well for you.

i will be using the vac for the same purposes as you, quick timber floor clean up after pulling up floor protection and also vehicle clean up.

cheers, justin.

 

[upscale]

battery system.  But if you buy the dewalt, buy the larger of the two they have, that little one is a rocket engine, it's LOUD!

I've got the larger one and while it works as advertised and not too loud as Julian has cautioned, I've used it all of twice in the two years I've had it. Don't remember the exact price I paid, somewhere in the $150 CA range. I admit to buying it partially because it was innovative and I was also buying other DeWalt cordless tools at the time. However, I wouldn't buy one again ~ I just don't use it enough, especially considering I could have spend the $150 on three cases of beer.  [laughing]

 

[Julian Tracy]

Hate to tell you, but $150 would buy 7 cases of beer round here...

You guys have $$$ alcohol over there, I remember that.

Jt

 

[upscale]

Hate to tell you, but $150 would buy 7 cases of beer round here...
You guys have $$$ alcohol over there, I remember that.

Yeah, you guys have cheaper gas too. But, if I remember correctly, doesn't your beer have less alcohol in it? So, all things being even, we're a little less far apart.  [laughing]

 

[gbruzze1]

If you're open to going corded but super-small, I picked up this guy from Sears Oreck Vacuum
 It's a great compliment to my CT, because I can easily carry it up to the 3rd floor and vacuum up after a small job, and I don't have to remember to charge any batteries.  Really light-weight and a convenient shoulder strap, plus a few hand accessories.  It was perfect for what I needed.

 

[jonny round boy]

THIS is what we have. It's very powerful, and looks cool too! Doesn't come in green though.

Dyson handheld advertisment November 2010

Oh, and if I used it for cleaning up the workshop the missus would kill me! But it's great for cleaning the car (or so she tells me! [tongue]).

 

[AlexThePalex]

jonny , you'd figure the Dyson would be strong enough to hook up to a small sander like the DTS400? Might be useful on a ladder.

 

[jonny round boy]

Alex,

I'm sure you could do it, just not sure why you'd want to. The Dyson has a trigger switch rather than an on/off switch, so you'd have to overcome that. Plus, you'd need power for the sander, so why not just use a regular vac & a long hose? If you were concerned about the weight of the hanging hose, just tie it to the ladder...

 

[RONWEN]

THIS is what we have. It's very powerful, and looks cool too! Doesn't come in green though.

Dyson handheld advertisment November 2010

Oh, and if I used it for cleaning up the workshop the missus would kill me! But it's great for cleaning the car (or so she tells me! [tongue]).

That is one SERIOUS looking hand held vac! 

My wife just bought a Dyson upright vac for the house even though I advised her I've read they have some durability concern.  They must be pretty good overall or they would be out of business.

 

[GhostFist]

A buddy of mine has one and says the battery life is around 5 minutes, the dyson that is

 

[Julian Tracy]

They key is finding one that takes the batteries you already use.  For me, battery life is irrelevant, as I can simply switch out batts and be ready to go.

Most cordless vacs have super cheap chargers that take 6-24 hours to fully charge, so what's the point.

JT

 

[Ken Nagrod]

The Dyson supposedly lasts only 15 minutes in regular mode and 5 minutes on turbo max mode with a 3 hour recharge time and only 1 battery included.  I don't think they thought that one through, well.

I agree with Julian's recommendations, although what he did with the battery brand swap is a little odd and probably voids any warranty on the batteries and vac.  Do what works for you.

 

[PeterK]

The Makita vacuum that works off their 18volt batteries gets really good reviews and has a much longer life and quick recharge times. Think I will try that first as I have charges and batteries and can get the tool for around $80.

 

[jonny round boy]

The Dyson supposedly lasts only 15 minutes in regular mode and 5 minutes on turbo max mode with a 3 hour recharge time and only 1 battery included.  I don't think they thought that one through, well.

I think that's a little unfair - now I come to think about it, those timings are probably correct, but it isn't designed for continuous use, it's designed for general cleaning. I think for that use it's a good compromise in terms of time/power.

It's a bit like complaining that the cordless carvex doesn't have a long enough run time. Depending on how hard you pushed it, you'd probably get between 5 and 15 minutes of run-time on that - but that might be a full day's use for some people. If you want to cut shapes in plywood with a jigsaw for 8 hours a day, then the cordless carvex won't do it, but that's not because the tool is crap, it's because it's the wrong tool for the job.

I doubt you'll see any cordless vac that'll run for more than 15 minutes on a single charge. And, if you do need extra run-time,you can buy additional batteries at a fairly reasonable price.

 

[Julian Tracy]

Here's the Milwaukee vac with the battery mod.

The Makita stick vac is nice, but better for general floor sweep work, not so much for general construction cleanup.

JT

 

[Ken Nagrod]

The Dyson supposedly lasts only 15 minutes in regular mode and 5 minutes on turbo max mode with a 3 hour recharge time and only 1 battery included.  I don't think they thought that one through, well.

I think that's a little unfair - now I come to think about it, those timings are probably correct, but it isn't designed for continuous use, it's designed for general cleaning. I think for that use it's a good compromise in terms of time/power.

It's a bit like complaining that the cordless carvex doesn't have a long enough run time. Depending on how hard you pushed it, you'd probably get between 5 and 15 minutes of run-time on that - but that might be a full day's use for some people. If you want to cut shapes in plywood with a jigsaw for 8 hours a day, then the cordless carvex won't do it, but that's not because the tool is crap, it's because it's the wrong tool for the job.

I doubt you'll see any cordless vac that'll run for more than 15 minutes on a single charge. And, if you do need extra run-time,you can buy additional batteries at a fairly reasonable price.

Jonny,

The Dyson is $299 in the states + the cost of an extra battery or more considering the ridiculously long recharge time and you've got something that just isn't worth it, in my opinion.  It might be a great vacuum otherwise, but that other stuff (run time) is just as important to me AND you can't plug it into the charger and use it while charging.  That might have been a savior for the sucky battery life if you could, but ya can't.  Pet peeve of mine - companies bringing things to market quickly without thoroughly thinking the product through.

5 to 15 minutes might work for a homeowner wanting to make quick cleanups throughout the house without dragging out the big boy, but a contractor relying on it throughout the day, might be very disappointed.