Showerthought: The difference a good shop vac makes on sanding day

I used to just open the windows and let the dust fly, thinking a mask was enough. That was before I worked on a remodel in a finished house last fall. The homeowner had a brand new baby and asked, no, begged me to keep the dust down. I finally broke down and bought a proper HEPA filter for my 6 gallon shop vac and hooked it to my sander. The before and after wasn't just about the air, it was about the finish. Before, a fine layer of dust would settle on everything, even walls I'd already taped, making the final coat gritty. After, with the vac running, the dust was gone. I could see the mud lines clearly, sanded smoother because I wasn't rushing to escape the cloud. The cleanup went from two hours to maybe twenty minutes. My lungs felt better at the end of the day, too. Anyone else find a tool upgrade that actually saved you time instead of costing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

karent754d ago

My old Craftsman vac from 2003 still works fine, just means I sweep up a bit more after.

the_vera4d ago

Honestly though, that sounds like a lot of extra work. My old vacuum from around that time was the same way, and it drove me nuts. I'd spend 20 minutes vacuuming and still find dust and crumbs on the floor after. Finally upgrading to a newer model that actually picks everything up the first time saved me so much time and frustration.