# shop vac recommendations wanted **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275 "2007-12-17T00:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/1 "2007-12-17T00:42:12Z")
I’m looking for a shop vac. I need something that can handle the leaves in my car (from transporting them to the city compost site) and some cleanup from the August floods (everything is dried now, but there is some sawdust from the cleaning folks opening up the walls). There will be some additional sawdust from when I put up new panelling. Although everything is dry now, being able to suck up wet stuff is desired. I’m guessing 10 gal is probably big enough, but I’m not sue so that is why I’m asking here. Bonus if I can get it Menard’s, since I am going there anyway to get some other stuff. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Harry1945](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Harry1945](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harry1945)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/2 "2007-12-17T00:55:38Z")
In the woodworking community, Ridgid is well-regarded for price and features. I don’t have one, since my old Craftsman still works, but Home Depot carries them and they are often on sale. There are better vacuums available, but the Ridgid is a nice compromise. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/3 "2007-12-17T01:02:14Z")
Unless you have one hell of a good sized storage space get the smallest one that will do the job. I have a 2, 5, and 10 gallon vacs. I use the 2 the most, and the 10 almost never. It is just too damn big to lug anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/4 "2007-12-17T02:29:53Z")
May I second the smallest reccomendation? You can empty the wee ones repeatedly and they will go with you into the most surprisingly small and uncomfortable places. I can’t imagine moving around in the crawlspace with a 10 gallon. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/5 "2007-12-17T02:59:14Z")
Get one that you can lift when full of water, too. I have a 12-gal that never gets full of dry stuff, but when I went to use it to suck up water I realized I can only lift about 8 gallons of water-in-a-shop-vac up into the slop tub. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shop-vac-recommendations-wanted/430275/6 "2007-12-17T03:10:06Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Get one that you can lift when full of water, too. I have a 12-gal that never gets full of dry stuff, but when I went to use it to suck up water I realized I can only lift about 8 gallons of water-in-a-shop-vac up into the slop tub. [/QUOTE] Uggh, slop tub sounds bad.