Customer Reviews

Fein 9-55-13 Turbo II 9-1/2-Gallon 1-1/3-Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum with Auto-Start

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The vacuum has superior suction and is easily cleaned. The Tubes and tools are all extra cost accessories. This also has odd sized hose and fittings. There are no american made set of tools or hose that will fit this device. I was able to make adaptors from PVC to incorporate it into my existing 2" dust collector system.

The one tool in my garage shop that I dreaded turning on was my shop vac. I have a larger dust collector for my table saw and planer. But, for fine dust and chip removal from hand held sanders and routers and for general shop cleanup, I like to use a shop vac.

After considerable individual research which included many complementary user-reviews, I purchased this vac as a replacement to my existing vac. The Turbo II is much quieter than my other vac. It still make noise, don't get me wrong. But it is several dB's lower and doesn't have the obnoxious, high-pithed whine. The filtration bag that comes with it really does a superb job. Unless you have a serious medical reason for doing so, I would recommend at least trying the vac with the filter that comes with it, before upgrading.

I would however, strongly recommend considering the WET/DRY Clean-up Kit. (Fein doesn't package their vac's with the assorted attachments that most of their competitors do) This kit is good quality and worth the investment.

Besides the very tolerable noise level, I really like built-in electrical recepticle that starts or stops the vacuum automatically when the power tool is switched on or off. When you turn the power tool off, the vacuum will continue to run for about 4 seconds to continue cleaning the line, then the vac turns off.

For my application, this provides all the vacuum suction necessary. Since I've been using the Turbo II, the garage shop is much cleaner, the house stays cleaner and I'm not in touble nearly as much. My only regret is that I didn't buy it two years ago.

I finally took the plunge and bought the Fein vacuum for my shop. I did a lot of research and tried out the Dewalt, Porter cable and an industrial Shop vac unit. The Fein seemed to be of the highest quality so after I narrowed my research I did some more work in justifying its purchase. Here are some points to all the people that would like to buy this unit:

1. The Fein is in my opinion the best made vacuum for the price. Comparisons with competitive units showed the Fein to be the best made in the bunch. The looks, fit and finish and "feel" of the unit give out only one thing: QUALITY!

2. Despite what some Doom-sayers say about the Fein I managed to use my old Shopvac's hose on the unit! It fit right in without any trouble or modification whatsoever. I do not own a Sears vacuum so I do not know about them. The fit is tight but it DOES fit and you can use ALL your old Shopvac accesories with it! The opening on the Fein is just about 2.5" and it also accepted the hose that I use for my Dewalt tablesaw (2.5"). Again, The hose fit is snag but it fits and it stays in place beautifully. I could even pull the unit by the hose and it did not come loose.

3. My side to side noise level comparison with the old shop vac was a NO contest! The Fein is many times quieter and it does not have that high level sqeal of the old Shopvac! I do not understand the other reviewer that did not find a big difference! The difference in sound level between the two units is HUGE! You can talk with a friend while the Fein is running!

4. Suction! Does this unit SUCK! You can hear the air noise entering the old shop vac hose like a hurricane! The Fein is much more powerful that my old shop vac and it seemed to be at least as powerfull as the rest of the competitive units. The static pressure and the air volume of the of the unit's suction are incredible!

5. Someone else complaint about no place to wrap the cord? Maybe he was talking about a diferent unit! The ONLY thing you have to do is to remove a rubber insert which comes in the way of cord when you rap it around the unit's groove. Here I DO have a complaint that the power cord does not have this fitting that you can attach the plug onto the cord so it stays in place when wrapped around the vacuum. A minor quible but an important one for a unit of this price level.

I considered buying the wet/dry accesory package but I don think they are worth it! The plastic they are made from seems too brittle and I do not think they would stand heavy usage. The cost is ridiculous! I totally agree with other reviewers that this package should come with the vacuum for FREE!

For anyone looking for a new vacuum that is quiet, looks great, is of the highest manufacturing quality and it has power to spare DO NOT buy anything else before giving this unit the look it deserves. The price is a bit steep but as they say: You only get what you pay for!

I purchased this unit several weeks ago so I paid list for it at a local hardware store I needed it for paint removal and containment so I also bought the Hepa filter and fittings.It is not sold with the usual vacum attachments,you must purchase those as an extra. I especially like the auto on off feature.I also own one of their multi-sanders,and purchased the dust pick-up for that tool;I used it just yesterday to sand a cabinet face frame.They are excellent quality tools and worth the money.

I purchased this shop vaccuum at a woodworking show last year and it has served me well in the time since. This tool is extremely powerful. I have used it on everything from wood shavings to drywall dust and it performs well no matter what. Besides great suction power, it is quiet, and has a built in automatic power-on feture for use with other power tools. The extra long cord and hose are nice features as well.

I always wanted a Fein vac and finally coughed up the money for one. I have to admit it is very quiet, very powerful and very versatile. It comes with a very long power cord, vacuum hose, flexible rubber adapter sleeve, large cloth dust filter, and an auto on/off socket that will handle power tools up to 16 amps.

On the other hand, if you want your shop vac to pick up something special (like shop sawdust) Fein recommends buying an additional pleated filter [price], paper prefilters [price], and mounting brackets [price]. In addition, if you plan to actually use the vacuum to sweep the floor and dust some equipment, you have to shell out another $70 for wands and tools. All in all, it s great vac, and the tools are good quality, but a buyer should plan on spending an additional [price] to make the vac really useful.

This seems to be a good vacuum. It's easy to assemble (put the wheels on and attach the HEPA filter) and operate. Good thing, because the manual is poor. Removing the top and the 5 micron felt filter require a little force. The chord and 1¼" hose are nice and long (but can get in the way). Other vacuuming accessories cost extra.

The HEPA filter is expensive, but if you're doing woodwork or sanding, you need a HEPA filter (not available for all shop vacuums). The dust that standard filters let pass is invisible, and dangerous over time. The automatic switch is a particularly nice feature; it lets the (2000 watt max.) tool you're using turn the vacuum on and off.

If this vacuum actually put out only 57.8 dB(A), as advertised, it would be incredibly quiet. The first unit I got was defective, putting out close to 90 dB with the hose on, so I exchanged it. If you get one that sounds loud, something is wrong. In a large, fully carpeted room (i.e., no echo), I measured 3½ to 4 feet from the unit with a Radio Shack decibel meter. Without the hose it put out about 68 dB; with the hose about 72 dB (A and C). This is about as loud as a noisy office, so it's still pretty quiet; but although it's only 1/1000th the volume of my old (90 dB) shop vacuum, it's technically 16 times as loud as advertised. (Due to the nature of human hearing, that means it sounds a bit more than twice as loud as 57.8 dB.)

10 Oct 03 update: The vacuum has performed very well. The information available on Fein's web site ......... is pretty much what comes with the vacuum (not much). I got some bags to protect the expensive filters when I vacuum the car; they're also expensive. Unlike most shop vacuums, the exhaust does not come out one opening that you can attach a hose to (e.g., to direct the exhaust air somewhere or to use it as a blower). I've been able to use accessories from previously owned vacuums with this one.

Most of the other reviews are very positve. Mine is no exception. I want to add my 2 cents anyway and respond to some reviewers negative comments.

1) Yes, the manual is brief, but come on, it's a vacuum. It's got an on/off switch, a manual/automatic (tool triggered) switch and a hose. What's to know?

2) It is so quiet that I sometimes have to hold my hand over the hose to make sure it's on. It always is. 72ish dB by my meter with the hose on (how could you use it hoseless?) in my concert floored, plaster board walled garage shop. If you buy one and feel that it's loud it must be defective. Return it and ask for a replacement. Still that's a bit over twice as loud in real life as the maker's 57.8 dB claim (by definition twice as loud is +10dB, although Fein probably tests in an anechoic chamber to eliminate echo and ambient noise). Twice as loud as they say is still really, really quiet.

3) One reviewer commented about hose storage interfering with the clamps. I suggest that you empty it before you wrap the hose around the top and tuck it in for the night.

4) It's insanely powerful.

5) Yes, it's hose is small in diameter so you can't pick up big chunks of stuff. It does, however, do a great job on little chunks of stuff and dust.

6) It is expensive, but you get what you pay for "You always buy a cheap tool twice".

7) I have had no problems with any "brittle" plastic bits and pieces (in fact, I haven't found any yet).

8) I use it a lot because it's so quiet an effective. My shop is safer and more organized now because it's much cleaner.

9) I planned on buying the Porter-Cable, but it wouldn't handle the wattage of my 2hp router. I usually buy P-C and Delta so it was kinda hard to stray to Fein, but I'm glad I did.

10) The accesory kit is a little expensive ($70) but it's very useful.

I bought the TurboII to replace a burned out shopvac QSP-pro. So far I am quite happy with my choice. The turboII is much higher quality than the shopvac QSP-pro. This is the first shopvac I've used that has a decibel rating low enough to preclude hearing protection. The motor should far outlast those used in lower cost shopvacs, since it has a bypass cooling system. Suction power is as good or better than the QSP-pro. The extra long stock hose is great for hooking to tools for dust collection. For general purpose vacuuming I recommend investing in a wider diameter hose. My only caveats about this machine are the high cost of accessories and filters. It ships with zero attachments. My QSP-pro cost 1/3 in price, but came with a wide assortment of tools. Luckily you can friction fit a standard large diameter shopvac hose. The rubber tool adapter will let you use accessory tools from other vendors. The top handle is a bit uncomfortable when the vac is loaded down. Some cardboard padding and a bit of tape fixed that problem for me. Overall this is probably one of best shop vacuums available. Definitely worth the high cost if you need a machine you can depend on everyday.

I'm writing this messege with the intent of alerting users to some issues I just experienced with the Fein Model 9-55-13 vacuum. I"m not recommending against buying one, but I do think they should revisit their service policy.

I had my unit for about a year and a half. During that time I was genrealy very pleased with the unit in many respects. It had fantastic dust collection, a resonable foot print, and of course made a lot less noise than anything else.

A few days back it broke. I called Fein and was told that I had to send it into either Pitsburg or Hartford. I told them I was a contractor and needed an immediate replacement. The rep asked me if I wanted to buy a new one!

I sent an email. Below is the response (note he got my name wrong):

Craig Morrison [cmorriso@feinus.com]
Hi Vince,

I am not really sure how to respond to thie compliant, or even if we should. While I think our repair centers probably shouldn't throw repair estimates at our customers, and wait till they actually see the tool, I also don't believe that Sears, or any other manufacture would consider a "no-charge" replacement on a power tool that has been used for a year and half.

Craig

Contast this with Shopvac - 5 year waranty (and a cheap unit!)
http://www.shopvac.com/web/products/detail.asp?ID=100&HdnSource=index&StoreID=
(Note: I had a shopvac that was a few years old and they simply sent me out a new engine when it broke OVERNIGHT!!!)

Festool - 3 year waranty (this is what I replaced my Fein with)
http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=6&prodid=583360