HF wet/dry vac

[Millwab]

I was looking for a small vac to use with my SS.  HF has this one on sale and I was wondering if anyone here has one and could comment on how loud it is.  Thanx

[Scrappile]

I just looked a the reviews and several mentioned it was loud, that was one of the negative You could insulate a box and put it in that to reduce the sound.

Edited February 25, 2023 by Scrappile

[Norm Fengstad]

I have a discarded/ recycled central vac that is extremely loud. I surrounded it wit an insulated box. The noise is reduced to very tolerable levels

[OCtoolguy]

I would be a bit leery of putting them in an insolated box or container because of heat build-up. But, worth a try I guess. I was lucky enough to find one of the "old" style Fein vacs for sale on Craigslist in almost new condition. It had the HEPA filter in it. Very quiet and has the "on demand" outlet so it only runs when the saw is cutting. Then a few seconds afterwards it shuts down. 

[Dak0ta52]

I've actually got two HF vacs. One slightly larger than the one you have pictured and then I have their big one. I built a cyclone system for the small one and had it hooked to only run when the saw was running. It did pretty well although it was fairly loud. It wasn't a problem because I usually have headphones on listening to books or music. I eventually disconnected it from the saw because I didn't think it starting and stopping that much would cause it to last very long. I've actually had it for about 10-years. I only start it now to vacuum around it after the sawdust builds up. The large one I use for my jointer and planer. I've purchased a cyclone system for it but have to get a container to attach it to. The power on both is pretty strong, especially if you keep the bag empty (small one) or the filter clean (large one).

At the price those sell for I don't think you could really go wrong. I will say they don't put a long enough power cord on them. I actually replaced the cord on my small vac with a larger 50-foot drop cord. I can plug it in now and almost cover my entire shop. Again, I would question connecting it to an on/off switch to run with the saw. I'm not sure that many starts and stops in a short amount of time is really good for it. It would be ideal to vacuum after dust buildup or cleaning your car.