Shop-Vac 9650610 3.0-Peak Horsepower Right Stuff Wet/Dry Vacuum 6-Gallon with Tool Storage & Accessories, Uses Type X Cartridge Filter & Type H Filter Bag & Type R Foam Sleeve

I ordered this little vac on a whim thinking I needed something for the garage and my car cleaning for the summer months. I tested this on a small drywall project sucking up the dust as I sanded. And found this thing works great! I have used it on dry suction only so far but I am impressed with the suction. It even worked on vacuuming the carpet area where I was working. The vac is even lighter than my upright so pulling it around to clean is even better for my petite wife who doesn't like the upright due to the weight. This is a good all around vacuum.

We have purchased several Shop Vacs over the years and been very happy with them. When our prior one finally wore out after many years of use, we bought this one. We are very disappointed, and this model has frankly changed our opinion of Shop Vac quality. We will not be buying another one. Others have also complained of some of these things, but here is our list: 1) POOR QUALITY SWITCH. It became very difficult to turn on and off. We have had to jam it in the “on” position, and turn the vac off by plugging and unplugging it. This is a real pain, and probably dangerous if vacuuming water. 2) UNRELIABLE LATCHES ON TANK. It is difficult to get a good connection. This is often discovered when you go to lift a full vac, only to have the contents dump onto the floor and make a terrific mess when the tank falls off. 3) SMALL, NON-STANDARD HOSE WHICH IS PRONE TO CLOG. It especially clogs right where the hose goes into the tank. This also limits the size of what you can vacuum, and my other Shop Vac accessories don’t fit the hose. 4) POOR ACCESSORY STORAGE. My previous model Shop Vac (from the early 2000’s) could actually store not only the accessories, but also had a nifty slot where you could store the hose. On this one, the hose must be left to flop around or drag on the ground. About the only good thing I have to say about this unit is that my current collection of Shop Vac filters (HEPA, etc.) do fit it. To Shop Vac: I have to say “shame on you” for producing such a poor-quality product.

I like it but there are a couple things to know. Firstly if you use the included blue paper filter it takes up so much space you will lose a lot of bag capacity. I have a cloth filter on order. Secondly it's not quite as powerful as I expected but it still does the job and I used the blow side to clean out small cans of screws and nuts. The blower will blow out the dust and small debris and not the heavier items providing you don't get too close. It is a well made vacuum and seems to continue along the traditional lines of Shop-Vac quality. I think they should include the cloth filter instead of the paper one for the reason I gave above. Still I would recommend this vacuum.

this vacuum has alot power for what I paid! it really sucks up dirt/dust of the floor w/ hose about 1" off the floor & I never had to unscrew the plug on back for max power. it really blows alot of air when you move hose to connector on the back. I filled up a 4'x8' air pillow (ice dam for under pool cover) in about one minute. it works good getting cobwebs, dust, etc. from them hard to reach places. it also sucks up water without no problem! I say this a must have around house, shop, etc.

kind of low end. the suction line is very corrugated and small in diameter so even small pieces of debris like drywall or plaster bits clog the hose up quickly. works just fine for wet pick-up, which is what it has been relegated to. not really all that great at all for dry pick-up but would be fine for sawdust or other small/soft particulate.

So Sad.... I had one of these for years that was the workhorse around the house and workshop. It had power and was reliable. The switch broke on it so I replaced with a heavy toggle switch and ran it for many more years. Finally all the drywall dust and fine powder got to the motor and it froze up. SO, I thought I'd get another one just like it. Well, this one IS NOT IT!! This one has power and suction, but the switch won't stay on. Once you finally get it on, you can't easily get it to turn off. The switch is run by a couple push buttons that are as cheap as you can get. The motor already sounds like it's got bad bearings/bushings. It growls and will probably start squealing soon. I know everyone makes products in China, but usually quality improves over time, this one hasn't. I am very disappointed with the vacuum. It works just well enough that I can still use it, but I don't think I'll go with Shop-Vac anymore. Too cheaply made.

I am a painting contractor and I use these for dust clean-up and hooked up to a buzz sander to keep the dust to a minimum. I also hook them up to a drywall sander. If used without filter bags, they last me about 6 months. With high-efficiency bags in them, they last about a year and a half. Note that they are sometimes run continuously for 8 hours, and most of the time are just abused intermittently throughout the day, 5 days a week. I used to pay $49 for them, but they have gone up to $79 for this Right Stuff model. The 6 gallon Shop-Vac sold at Ace Hardware is still $49, but it is garbage. Depending on your needs, this is a highly portable, relatively quiet, economical little workhorse. It wont break your back, but it doesn't have a 2" hose for picking up small pets. Update 6/26/13: the thin little wheels seem to get stuck in joints and crevices and break the cylinder that they are attached into on the legs. these used to have a wide, 1.25" wheel that never had this problem. so be careful using it on decks or areas where the wheel can drop into an opening.