Picked up a new shop vac to replace my trusty old Craftsman that developed emphysema after 15 years of use. This one is a Rigid WD1851, 16 gal/6.5 hp. I like the wheels on this one, the Craftsman had tiny wheels and would always fall over if you tried to drag it by the hose. This one follows me around like a faithful dog. They were generous with the electrical cord as well, 20' compared to the Craftsman's 8 footer.
They give you a canvas bag for the small attachments and it's supposed to snap onto the top of the push handle but got in the way of my modification so I left it off. My Craftsman had a nice tool caddy on it to hold attachments and it just happened to have the same curve as the new vac so a few pop rivets later and it's now on the front of the Rigid.
The Dust Deputy riding piggyback is a cyclone device, similar concept to a Dyson, and spins most of the debris into the bucket while the finest material goes into the vacuum. DD claims it catches 99% of what passes through but in my experience it's probably closer to 90%, depending on what I'm vacuuming.
Final upgrade was the filter. CleanStream makes a HEPA filter for this and it can be used for wet or dry material. If it's dry I just use compressed air to clean it, and if it's wet a garden hose can be used without damage. I once made the mistake of using the Craftsman to vacuum out the old ashes in the fireplace. I managed to coat everything in the room with a fine layer of ash. Mrs. Sky was not pleased. The new setup works like a champ and even drywall dust can't get past the filter.
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