Recommend me a vacuum cleaner for onsite use

[joechip]

Hi all, someone save me from the dust !

My 'onsite' vacuum cleaner has given up the ghost and if I use my mothers top of the range miele it will mean certain death (to me, not the vacuum).

Before I go ahead and buy something can anyone recommend a sturdy vacuum suitable for use in our home renervation environment. One that has good brush attachments for dusting down all that horrible dust you get lying around after the builders have gone home or picking up whats left after sweeping up 'on site'. I guess good filtration is a must have as there is no point in having the dust blow out the back.

Budget of upto approx £150.

I guess I can't be the first person to have to make a purchase for this purpose so thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Gervase]

I've found a Henry to be pretty versatile for general cleaning up - it's as tough as old boots and has a nice powerful motor. If you use power tools you might want a vacuum with a power take-off that switches on the suction when the tool is turned on - I've got a Makita that does that, which is very handy with sanders, electric planers, jigsaws and the like.

 

[Tom]

Yes, Henry's yer guy! We have a large 120v vaccuum, too, but for the smaller jobs and finer dust we use a Henry. Don't bother using the dust bags...you don't need them. They're just a money making scheme for the manufacturer!!! :evil: Hope this helps.

Jaqy

 

[inwood]

I have a Henry - for site work it just isn't up to the job. My plumber however has a wet/dry vac from Wickes - it was around £60 I think. If you see the abuse he gives the machine you'd be amazed it's still running but it is. Being wet/dry it's also very good for those occasional spillages....

 

[ljn]

Henry works great for me too.

I do wonder who thought of painting a cartoon face on a product used buy builders? Now that seriously sucks!

 

[Tom]

I believe they were originally designed for use in hospitals and offices.

Jaqy

 

[yamin]

Another vote for Henry, though in our dog hairy house we really had to buy the 'power brush' attachment, which was an extra £20-£30 I think, which seemed a bit of a rip off!! Bit like selling a 1500 car but you have to pay extra to access the last 300cc!!!!

And no complaints re the cartoon face - never had it so easy getting the boys to do the hoovering for me!!!!

 

[chuckey]

I have a 28 year old Aquavac 412. POWERFUL, NOISY, DUSTY, now after its second motor was replaced a mere 15 years ago, its can is rusting . They don't make things like they used to :evil: For building work its a serious machine, can lift a house brick with its suction. I have used it constantly to excavate foundations in clay. Poke around to loosen bits of clay, vacuum up, repeat. . .Its got a 2 3/4" diam pipe. I would love to buy another but they don't seem to be obtainable any more in this country.
For interior use I have a 1934 Goblin cylinder, again the rubber lining of the flexible tube peeled off about 10 years ago :evil: , still works OK. Has a cloth bag, so no spares to buy.
Frank

 

[yamin]

Very impressed! Do you still have your first cooker and a TV from 1951??? :lol: You're right though, they don't make things like they used to! (Bet you can't beat my dad - he is 77 and still wears the trousers he was issued with as a rating in the Navy for National Service! Beat that for making things last!!!!!)

 

[Nemesis]

I still have the skin I was issued with at birth, although I suppose it's stretched a bit and there's been some repair and renewal, but I haven't bought another.

 

[yamin]

Like Triggers broom - 5 new heads and 4 new handles, but its still the same broom he was issued with!

 

[Tom]

Our microwave just burnt out tonight...after 18 years!! I'm quite sad, actually Poor thing, it still looks brand new, too!

Jaqy

 

[yamin]

Good grief! Have microwaves really been about for so long? Seems like 5 minutes ago when we pulled the wrapping off this new, wildly exotic piece of equipment!!

 

[Cloudscape]

Hoover Aquamaster, bought in the 1990s. It's a real workhorse and rarely complains. Easy to empty. No paper bags (just a fabric one you can keep using).

 

[Feltwell]

Another vote for a Henry, mine is the old metal-bodied type, must be 20 years old at least and still going strong despite much abuse. Agree that you don't need a bag in it, although it's much easierto empty if you do and you don't get a cloud of dust in your face! Great for clearing up after building work, but I wouldn't use it for everyday "normal" household vacuuming.

 

[Anita]

My O/H uses a wickes' wet and dry in his workshop. It was only about £40 and it is really robust. It is used primarily as a blower for his forge - but then also for cleaning up on our "project". Absolute bargain!

 

[sewin]

Hi all, someone save me from the dust !

My 'onsite' vacuum cleaner has given up the ghost and if I use my mothers top of the range miele it will mean certain death (to me, not the vacuum).

Before I go ahead and buy something can anyone recommend a sturdy vacuum suitable for use in our home renervation environment. One that has good brush attachments for dusting down all that horrible dust you get lying around after the builders have gone home or picking up whats left after sweeping up 'on site'. I guess good filtration is a must have as there is no point in having the dust blow out the back.

Budget of upto approx £150.

I guess I can't be the first person to have to make a purchase for this purpose so thanks for any suggestions.

Go on line and look up Kiam products. They do a range of vacuum's at very discounted prices.

Let me tell you, I have got through many so called industrial cleaners and most are fairly useless and loose suction very fast, I got sick of the regular cleaning when they were fundamentally empty!

From Kiam I just purchased the big 80ltr boy with three motors and am totally thrilled with it. But you will need to be carefull where you point it with all three motors running. Just to give you an idea on price, I paid about £250 and its retail price is just shy of £1000. It is big, but with this renovation lark you need it!

 

[Tom]

I think you missed this bit...

"Budget of upto approx £150."

Jaqy

 

[chuckey]

Yamin, don't be silly, 1951 TVs don't work on 625 lines , I got rid of it years ago, still have my 1974 Sanyo colour set, still works. The cooker was given away after about 20 years, forgotten why, still looked and worked like new. I think my wife was attracted by all the automatic features of its replacement, during its life (so far) of 15 years one would have thought that we could have tried to use one of them.
Nemesis, I am a little suspicious of you, most humanoids slough(Sp.?) of their skin (AKA house dust) over a year or so. Are you a non human form of life?, reptilian, perhaps?
I am considering buying a Wickes vacuum cleaner and transplant my suction unit and hose fittings into its plastic tub. When it finally fails, perhaps I can then use the Wickes bits in their original place. :roll:
Frank

 

[Andrew Bodenham]

I clean up with a big Numatic extractor - essentially the same motor & fittings as the Henry but a bigger tub. It's excellent. One of the good things about Numatic machines (apart from being industrial rated, very well built etc.) is the excellent range of accessories widely available from the high street and from ebay shops etc. These include really good dusting brushes which I use to prep work for paint and varnish, and hoses up to 5m long which make life so much easier than the piddling things supplied with some other makes.
Next new vac in the collection will probably be Henry's brother 'Charles' with the wet / dry option; this can be very useful for minor floods, plumbing works and so on.