wet/dry shop vac for woodworking projects

[Vigo]

I am starting to look into shop vacs, or wet/dry vacs....I need it mostly for cleaning up my shop sawdust, mdf, and other misc. shop grime. I also need it to vacuum out my cars and the boat I will hope to have someday....the whole wet capability doesn't matter much to me, as cleaning a wet vac is a horrible experiance so I try to avoid it completely...

I had grown up using a model like this one:


I loved this vac, it did the job well....but I now need a new one...I went to menards to look for one just like it, but it appears shop vacs have changed in design over the years, and I don't know what kind would be comparable...

My brother gave me a black and decker one, and I must say, it was a royal piece of trash...

Can anybody recomend a shopvac that would fit my needs and be comparable to the good old one?

Thanks!

[Angry_Radish]

I absolutely love my Ridgid vac I picked up at home depot a couple years ago: http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/16-Gallon-Vac-Blower/index.htm
Wet/dry, nice hose fitting at the bottom for continuous use or draining, tons of avail attachments you can get for it, PLUS the motor comes off for use as a blower, so I can clean out my garage.
Also has the hoses that don't pull off, but I think that's pretty much standard on all of 'em nowadays.

[nostrebor]

Rigid makes a good SV. They used to have a lifetime warranty on their powertools... we would buy the Rigids for the plant crews (precast plant) and if you killed the vac, they replaced it for free. Not sure this still works though. I figure if they are tough enough for our plant monkeys, they are probably pretty good vacs.

[Vigo]

The rigid looks really sweet, and similiar to what I used to use...I'm definitly going to look into this one...

[MYX]

I bought a rigid when I was starting my cab. Great investment. Just do not put it near a space heater in the winter or you may have a hose that hangs a little the left. 

[bleemus]

I got a ShopVac QuietDeluxe and like it quite a bit.  It is a bit quieter than others I have used, as advertised.  My only complaint is that the diameter of the hose is a bit smaller than other more powerful ones I have used.

Link to Sears

IMO, I think this is one of those things that you can get just about anything and it'll be sufficient for your use, barring you don't want to pick up bricks or small children with it.  Just figure out what you want in the way of size, price, power and go for it.

[cnlmoore]

I would also recommend the Rigid brand.  They have a decent one at Home Depot that looks like a big tackle box.  Each end opens up to store the hose or attachments, all neat and tidy.

[Howard_Casto]

Somewhat related:

Did you know that most routers  and sanders come with a vac exhaust attachment?  What this meains is you take the hose of your vac, put it on the port, turn it on and poof!  No more sawdust.  Just use the tool while the vac is on and 90% of your dust will immediately be sucked up.