DeWalt - 16 Gallon STEALTHSONIC Poly Wet/Dry Vacuum DXV16P-QTA

I have a 6 and a 16, and the 6 has plenty of power, plus the smaller hose is easier to maneuver

I got tired of listening to my Rigid, so when it died, I bought a Dewalt Stealth vacuum, and it is so much nicer not listening to the old one screaming.

I bought a Dewalt Stealth vacuum, and I liked it so much that I went and got another smaller one. They have plenty of power, and they are really quiet.

If you aren’t buying the Dewalt silent model shop vacs you are just being silly.

The first one is good for cleaning up small jobs, or holding while cutting with a multitool but like others said don’t expect it to do the work of a normal sized unit. Dewalts Steathsonic vacuums are nice, I would recommend them to anyone, just absolutely head the warning and don’t run them without the filter

This. They are insanely quiet you almost forget they’re on. The sound of air sucking through the nozzle is louder than the vacuum itself

Dewalt Stealth Sonic. So, so quiet.

Seconded. Very pleased with mine.

Just got one delivered strictly for car use. Can't wait to fire it up. 

Honestly any shop vac or similar is going to be completely fine. Anything will pick up crumbs etc. as long as it has a reasonable amount of power. Just don't use a handheld, they are clumsy and weak. You need something with a hose, and a crevice attachment. For me, I like quiet tools. I don't like having to wear ear protection all the time if I an avoid it. I use a DeWalt StealthSonic 'shop vac' and it's very powerful, comes with everything you need including a good quality crush-proof hose and most importantly it is extremely quiet. Costco carries them (in my area anyway) and they are very reasonably priced.

You don't need anything crazy, any good quality ShopVac-style vacuum is completely fine for automotive use. Maneuverability inside the car is a non-issue regardless of what you buy as that will depend on the hose and attachments you choose, which can be adapted to any vacuum. My suggestion is to buy a **quiet** vacuum. Cordless options will also never be as powerful as the corded versions. I personally like the DeWalt StealthSonic units, they sacrifice the blower port for a muffler and you don't need ear protection when using them which really like. If you deal with a lot of pet hair, look into getting a FUR-EEL attachment.

Great question! I’ve been operating CNC routers for 10+ years and building/modding them (and lasers and 3d printers) for about 4 years now. My main machine is a modified ShopSabre 4896. It’s got a bed just over 4’ x8’ and I have 4x 3/4” HDPE panels on it with 1/4” vanes cut into them at about a 1” grid size. For sealing I use 3/8” backer rod (from Home Depot) I use a single DeWalt Stealth sonic shop vac for the whole table *HOWEVER* I ONLY use the vacuum for machining foam and I don’t cut all the way through it (I leave a .75-2mm skin one side for manual removal later. If you’re not cutting all the way through your material (or you seal the piece outlines beforehand) and you work with flat, airtight material and you work carefully, you can get a lot of mileage out of a shop vac vacuum table setup. I actually moved to a shop vac over a 3-phase industrial vacuum pump recently for simplicity/operating cost reasons. If you’re machining metal or plywood, I’d stick with an MDF spoil board and screws (or machining clamps if you’ve got them). If you’re machining foam (seems like you are, but I’m getting lost in all the comments) a shop vac is a great option and works well for me. The biggest thing I’d recommend is sealing the entire system as best you can. Don’t leave gaps, use proper glues on your plumbing and use something air tight for your actual table (I’ve used glue-sealed MDF and it doesn’t compare to HDPE). You can get away with some leaks if your system is overpowered, but with a single shop-vac it won’t be. I highly recommend the StealthSonic line from DeWalt (no affiliation). I bought one and a week later I bought a second one. They’re fantastic and SUPER quiet. When I’m not machining foam, I fasten 3/4” MDF pieces on top of the vac table with bolts and threaded inserts. Makes converting the machine from foam mode to everything else mode a 10-15 minute job. I tried finding info on this online as well and ran into all the same problems you described (lack of info, unhelpful comments, etc) so I finally designed my own system from the bottom up and crossed my fingers. I’ve had lots of success with it. Happy machining!

I bought a DeWalt StealthSonic because they are much quieter. If you need a shop vacuum and can wait, Black Friday will have the best deals.

DeWalt Stealthsonic quieter vacuums are on sale at Lowe's for BF.

Please consider a DeWalt Stealthsonic version for the reduced noise while running. Ridgid hasn't kept up with the latest shop vacuum accessories, but they are starting to offer some, and their vacuums take up considerable garage floor space. I no longer recommend them. General cleaning is their purpose. I vacuum out dryer lint, clean corners, and clean up wet messes.