Customer Reviews

Shop-Vac 9254110 12-Gallon 5.0 Peak HP Right StuffWet/Dry Vacuum

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The bearings on my little 10-gallon Shop vac I purchased in the early 70's finally had a melt down. The closest replacement is the 12-gallon Shop-vac 925. You would think that 30 years of engineering and space age materials would produce a spiffy new model, right? Wrong.

There is a lot to like about the Shop-vac. The machine is very quiet. No need for ear protection. It is better constructed than others and offers several filter alternatives. It has a more flexible hose than most. For a vacuum cleaner, it's aesthetically pleasing (Ok, that's a stretch). Unfortunately it has some major shortcomings.

Power: While the suction is adequate, the airflow is considerably less than Ridgid or Craftsman. It will do a fine job vacuuming out your car, but it's nearly useless in the shop. It will pick up sawdust if you are patient (I'm not). Shop-vac does not provide a measure of air volume or suction so there is no meaningful way to compare models. In addition, the model/catalog numbers change from retailer to retailer so it is difficult make price comparisons.

Blower: This machine does not have an outlet for blowing. You cannot blow sawdust out of a machine or from behind a woodpile. In my shop, I blow nearly as frequently as I suck (did I say that?) so this was a deal-killer for me.

Wheels: The 2" wheels on my old Shop-vac were too small to roll over it's own cord and caused much frustration. In wisdom known only to Shop-vac engineers, the new model has 1.5" wheels.

Construction: I like the clips that hold the motor housing in place. The rubbery plastic housing looks great and appears rugged. In practice, however, static electricity causes the plastic to attract and hold dust. What a mess! Reminds me of Linus's blanket. You won't want to bring it into the house. The top handle does not allow the lid to lay upside down for maintenance.

I do not use the wet pick-up feature so I cannot evaluate that, but for shop use, take a look at a Ridgid or a Craftsman. I got a Craftsman 16-gallon model on sale for about the same price. It's a little louder and the case probably won't last as long, but boy does it suck and blow! That is the way it should be.

Purchased the 925-41-10 12 Gallon Shop-Vac from Amazon on clearance a couple of months ago and have been quite happy with it so far. The suction is excellent, it is lighter, easier to move around and the noise is much less than my 5yr old 10 gallon Sears wet-vac that burned out last year. We just purchased a house back in November and put in an upstairs laundry room, hardwood floors and other assorted messy projects, making the shop-vac an absolute necessary. I purchased the 906-72 dry pickup bags that are large and make picking up everything from drywall dust, wood shavings and a large nest of carpenter ants a clean and easy task. I have also used it to suck up standing water in the garage with no problems although 90% of my Vacuuming is for dry items.

Bought about 9 mo. back. Used for a couple of days for a small drywall job. Stored the rest of thje time. Pulled out for use last week. I used it for about four days. The machine had a total of about 10 hrs. total use time. The motor suddenly burnt out. I took it apart to diagnose the cause and found nothing obvious. I took it to a pro for a diagnosis and was told what I already knew. Burnt out motor, no cause found. I will go back to my old Craftsman which is over 8 years old.

With some improvements this model could suit most homeowner and light contractor needs. It is the quietest I've had. I would like a blow feature but having a calm exhaust comes in handy on many cleanup occasions. I was upset that mine met an abrupt end when one of the motor cooling fins broke off dropping into the motor and caused it to lock up. I may have it repaired depending on cost but needed to replace it and did so with another major brand--and am not as satified as with the Shop Vac. The Shop Vac filtering features are superior.

Fantastic for cleaning up all the destruction you'll create in the wake of dragging this thing through the house. It's a SHOP vac no doubt about it..... great for the garage and shop. Works in the house too----just be careful with it or R2D2 will wipe stuff out.

We have been buying Shop Vav's for years. Filters(great filtering round cartridge plus bag) and most accessories are available at hardware stores everywhere; when you have workmen are out on the job that's important. What we normally do is throw the big 2 1/2 inch hose in the trash right away; its to big most jobs to be use easily. We purchase the 1 1/2 inch 25 foot hose separtely. The casters on this model will eventually break so look for a model number on a bigger size Shop vac and order those heavy duty ones and matching feet from factory when they go bad (sometimes you have to call more than once, because you'll get an know nothing on the line) When we buy the larger units we also throw away the accessory holder too. it's too big and does not support the unit very well when it's full of water @8 pounds per gallon a 16 gallon unit or larger will be over 100 pounds. We also purchase a one piece plastic wand with swivel squeege head from sanitation supply house; about 75 bucks for picking water
(these are better than the metal two piece ones that Shop Vac sells because you don't lose half of it and your workmen don't destory them as often. Mostly we use these smaller units for dust and dirt larger unit for everything. Would give five stars if had the better casters, 1 1/2 hose right off the bat and if the top had a ridge that would flare out to keep the cord in place (you see what I mean after you own one they are all the same no matter what the size)

After giving up on home style vacuums I decided to go with "more power" in the Shop-Vac. While I am thrilled with the performance of the shop-vac, my fiance is not. It seems that shop-vac is a bit to clunky to pull around the house, furthermore the attachments are too industrial for carpets and rugs. This might be a different story if these carpets and rugs were under a foot of water or covered with nails and debris. In conclusion, if you must have a shop vac in your house (as I must), opt for the smaller model.