VacuMaid Garage Vac PRO

Garage Vac PRO Review: I bought the Lindsay Manufacturing Garage Vac PRO for my husband's birthday. He is a real garage guy, spending an inordinate amount of time and energy on keeping his garage CLEAN and well organized. This gift was a real winner!! You would not believe a man would be so excited about a vacuum! Because he is so happy, I asked my hubby to help me with this review: I have owned and been disappointed with several "Shop (type) Vac's" with the roll around canister, and noisy motor. Over the years they all ended up being tossed out in the trash. Not so with the Garage Vac PRO by Lindsay Manufacturing. Finally, a company right here in the USA "get's it" when it comes building a powerful, durable and highly efficient garage vacuum. Right out of the box, I could see and feel the quality. The canister was metal (not flimsy plastic) and painted in a gun metal pewter finish, which actually looks good mounted on the garage wall. There is enough hose to easily provide overage of a three car garage if mounted mid-centric in the garage. There are enough attachment tools for every possible task. OK . . . I'm impressed out of the box, but how about performance? The mounting kit provided made installation and set-up a breeze. You will need to drill into the studs behind the wall or use concrete anchors if applicable. And you will need to mount it within about three feet of an electrical outlet. Putting the bag in was a cinch, so now lets give it a whirl. I hit the switch and WOW . . . I was blown away! The power of the suction is incredible, WAY beyond my old canister vac's. Sawdust, old bugs, spider webs, crumbs, and whatever else is lurking on the floor or carpet don't stand a chance. It does not bog down as the bag fills, or lose suction because of the long hose. But wait . . . there's more! Are you ready . . . NO NOISY MOTOR! Usually a powerful vacuum means big and noisy motor. The Garage Vac PRO is so quiet you can actually hold a conversation with your wife as you impress her with your clean garage. And if that's not enough, the "ratcheting" adjustable floor wand and brush make you wonder why somebody else hasn't figured this out. So in summary I'm giving the Garage Vac PRO all Five Stars and would recommend this to anybody who is serious about keeping the car and or garage tidy clean. If the extra $$$ are a concern, go ahead and spend the money. This is one machine you will NOT be tossing out down the road and will serve you well, for many many years. Thank You Lindsay Manufacturing!

This review is two-fold; first a review of Amazon on this transaction and then on the vacuum itself. First—we ordered this vacuum from Amazon and it arrived promptly but unfortunately was damaged. I wouldn’t normally blame Amazon for damage. However, after speaking to Lindsay Manufacturing and examining the packaging, it was clear that Amazon dropped the ball. The units that Amazon sells come out of their warehouse (they have already been shipped from Lindsay to Amazon) and it was clear that this unit had been damaged already while in transit to Amazon since it (in its original damaged carton) was placed in a larger box at Amazon and then shipped to us. Clearly, this was Amazon’s error. Needless to say, we returned the unit to Amazon and a refund was issued as soon as the package was in the system at UPS. So, Amazon gets high marks for their return policy. As always, they offer no-hassle returns. They just shouldn’t ship things that are clearly damaged. We ordered a replacement directly from Lindsay Manufacturing. The price was the same and shipping was free there as well. Second—The Vacumaid GV50PRO We chose this vacuum because it fit the parameters we had set—wall mounted, bag type instead of bagless canister (emptying canisters creates a dusty mess), and we didn’t need to vacuum up anything wet. We were simply looking for a unit to keep the cars and the new garage clean. The five-year warranty is also a good selling point! First off, the overall quality of the unit is nice. It is well built of heavy gauge metal; the hose and accessories are high quality. There are less expensive wall-mount vacuums on the market but their quality is less. The extension wand that comes with this is chrome plated with a positive locking mechanism for adjustable length. The brushes are very nice quality. A lot of the other wall vacuums just scream “cheap!” Not this one, though. Installing the unit is straight-forward; locate a stud in the wall and drill two holes, mount the bracket with the provided hardware and then slides the vacuum on to the bracket. Mount the hose hanger and you’re good to go (see photo)! As far as performance, we would rate the suction as adequate (you are, after all, vacuuming through fifty feet of hose!) and the noise level is surprisingly low. A few reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the lid for the canister does not have a latch and simply sits there. I assure you that this is not a problem. In all of the time that we have had this vacuum, that lid has yet to jump off or fly away on its own. Don’t let that be a concern. A note about the bags—first of all, if a prospective buyer is concerned about having to constantly replace bags, remember that this vacuum holds five gallons! Unless you are using this on a daily basis and doing a lot of vacuuming, it will be a long time before you fill one of these bags up. We have had this vacuum for roughly eight months; we clean our vehicles and our garage frequently and will probably need to change out the original bag some time next year. Second thing, this vacuum comes with a hepa bag. That is a nice feature but not necessary for our needs, so to save money on replacements, we ordered the pack of three paper bags (# HPB1) that are less money than the hepa bags. There are two things that I would change on this vacuum (if I was Lindsay Mfg., but I’m not!). First, there is a collar on the wand at the end of the hose that rotates and opens up a hole which reduces suction. Frankly, I just don’t get it. Having the option of less suction on a vacuum makes about as much sense as the option of having less fun. Please, someone explain this to me. As other reviewers have stated, duct tape will solve this issue. Second, the crevice tool has numerous slotted openings in the side of it which reduce the suction at the end of the tool. I am sure there is a reason for this, and if I had to guess, I would say that the openings are probably there to keep the end of the suction tool from “adhering” to everything in its path. But a few less opening would be okay. Just as with the rotating collar, duct tape will fix this. All that said, these two minor things are not deal breakers. We love this vacuum, would buy it again in a heartbeat and highly recommend it.

I had been looking at this vacuum for awhile, but what got me to get it was seeing a Vacuumaid at a top tier detailing shop, and asking them how they liked it. The said it has the power and the hose reaches whatever you need it. They let me try it and I was impressed with the suction and for the amount of power it's not too loud. So I have it mounted in my shop and it reaches wherever I need it. Plus with the hepa bag I shouldn't have to deal with cleaning a filter like my other cheaper vacuum. The hose is definitely quality and the attachments are pretty good too. Don't waste your money and time on cheaper brands like I did. This thing should outlast me!!

Was tired of lugging the shop vac around the garage and the difficulty of using it to clean our cars. Started researching wall mounted vacs and came across the VacuMaid. Great quality, easy install, great customer service, and much quieter than I was expecting. Suction is sufficient considering the hose length and diameter, which I find optimal for cleaning and detailing cars. Will still use the regular shop vac for some jobs, but the VacuMaid will be used 90% of the time. One item to note is that although VacuMaid doesn’t advertise this unit as having blowing capability anymore, it can still be used as a blower. I gave them a call and found you can still use it for this function safely (you will need to prop open the spring loaded port cap on top). This change was made due to customer complaints about not having sufficient blowing power compared to a larger diameter hose shop vac. It may not be great for blowing leaves out of your garage, but it’s perfect for blowing debris and dust out of tight areas when auto detailing. I’ve used it to blow sawdust out of my mitre saw. Like the HEPA bag system which keeps the exhaust air clean and minimizes dust when emptying. Price of replacement bags is reasonable when you consider the size and HEPA rating. Very satisfied with my purchase. Unit has an old school classic look and build quality that means it should last for a long time. Great investment for the garage.

I really like this company. This is a very powerful vac that sucks up about anything that will fit through its 50' hose. It's relatively quiet for a utility type vac. In the interest of full disclosure, I did have to replace the motor on mine. It suddenly started sounding like a runaway rocket engine; most probably due to getting plugged up. Unfortunately even after I cleared the obstruction, the noise persisted. The company was very easy to deal with and sent me out a replacement motor promptly under warranty. The vacuum uses a one time use filter bag like older model canister and upright vacuums. You have to be careful not to allow the vac to completely fill the bag, otherwise it's difficult to remove. The vacuum inlet as you can see in the photo sits on top. The bag is located directly behind it. To remove the bag you pop the cover off and maneuver the bag off the inlet pipe and pull it strait up. When the bag is really full, there isn't quite enough room to lift it out and it becomes a big headache. Another issue is moisture. This is not a wet dry vac, and it does not handle moisture well at all. If you vacuum up anything that's wet, or even moist, the bag absorbs the moisture and the outcome is not good. The motor is located directly under the bag, so any moisture vacuumed up can drain directly into the motor. As long as you're only vacuuming up dry waste and you're careful not to overfill the bag, this vac is a good choice, given its power, long hose and assortment of attachments.

Purchased this Vac for the garage. I was pleasantly surprised by the size. It's not small, but it easily fit in a corner of our garage. It comes with a mounting bracket and hardware. Mine came with the 50 foot suction hose and a simple mount for the hose (with hardware) along with a basic set of vacuum tools. The packing was great and the product has a good quality feel to it. It's very easy to setup. The cord isn't long, but that was not a problem where I mounted it. The vac is maybe 4 feet from the outlet. Further than that and you will need to extend the electrical outlet or the cord on the vac. I was very happy with the mounting bracket. It only required a single vertical stud. Luckily, I found one that was in a good position. Installing the bracket with a few lag screws (included) was pretty easy. You just slide the vac over the mounting bracket and install of the vac is complete. The hose has a simple plastic hanger that installs with a few screws. Originally, I had planned to get a reel for the hose, but after draping the hose on the included hanger, I'm satisfied for now. If you make sure to mount the hose hanger far enough above the ground, it only takes a few wraps of the hose to put the hose away. Simply plug the hose in the vac - plug the vac into AC and you're done! The vacuum has maybe 75% of the suction that I get at the car wash. That amount of suction works very well, and is more than my current corded or cordless vac. I have had a number of people use it, and comment that they were impressed with the suction. The tools included were fine, but the crevice tool could not get between the seats. I ordered the Vacumaid Car Kit, but eventually returned it (see my review for the car kit). Put simply, the Car Kit accessories were not the same diameter as the ones included with the Vacumaid. They can be used, but you can't simply slip them on and off of the hose. Instead, you need to screw and unscrew an adapter for each tool set. Instead, I returned the car kit and simply ordered a Flexible Crevice tool from Vacumaid. It's inexpensive and does a great job getting into tight places. Overall, I am very pleased with the Vacumaid for garage usage. Uncoiling the hose will easily reach all the cars and is much less of a hassle than dragging out the conventional vac. Plus - the vac doesn't need to be constantly moved as you clean the car.

VacuMaid GV50PRO Professional Wall Mounted Utility Vacuum with 50 ft Hose and Tools When comparing the suction power of competing vacuums, note each machine’s “air-watts”. This from WikiPedia: “Air watt relates to actual airflow, while part of the electrical power (watts) consumed by a vacuum cleaner is dissipated into heat due to necessarily imperfect efficiency; two vacuum cleaners of the same air wattage have essentially the same suction, while devices of the same electrical wattage; but motors of different efficiency may have substantially different air wattage.” Based on my research, the GV50PRO’s 740 air watts is the highest rating of any vacuum designed for a garage. It also has more suction, based on its air watts, than any machine except perhaps the most expensive workshop vacs costing twice as much or more. In fact, the only wall-mounted vacuum I could find with higher ratings were 220 volt central vacuums costing three times as much. Things I like about the GV50PRO: - reasonable price for such a powerful machine - excellent suction; you won’t be disappointed - bags are HEPA rated, which is healthier for the lungs - even though the HEPA bags are expensive, they are so big (5 gallon?), they’ll last longer - 50' hose is very pliable and will reach almost 30' beyond the front of our double garage - 5' from the machine is only 78 decibels, which is MUCH quieter than the ear-shattering shop vac it replaced. You can actually carry on a conversation with this vacuum running. - attractive unit with a nice paint job – for a garage - easy and secure mounting system - case is all steel, with plastic reserved for the in / out ports and things like that. - decent accessory tools - the curved nozzle screws onto the hose and stays put -- it also easily rotates 360 degrees - rubber grommets on the vacuum mounting plate, to absorb vibration - made in the USA (in Ponco City, OK) - protective packaging – unit arrived in perfect order Things I don’t like: - the adjustable vacuum reduction sleeve is on the curved handle, right where you hand goes – so that sleeve opens/closes when you don’t want it to. Since we don’t need this feature, I used duct tape to seal it shut; crude, but it solved this problem - we have 4 other vacuums of various makes and none of the accessories from those machines fit the VacuMaid or vice-versa. You’d think there would be accessory size standardization by now. Other points: - actual watts: 1490 (measured with a Kill-a-Watt meter) - actual amps: 12.85 (measured with a Kill-a-Watt meter) - inside diameter of the vacuum hose is 1.25"; outside diameter is 1.5" - machine is designed to operate on any household 15 or 20 amp 110 volt circuit. - on older machines, the 12" diameter top cap was held in place with gravity only (current models have two latches to hold it down). I bought latches from Amazon and installed two each on our two VacuMaid machines; attaching with 3/16" aluminum rivets – see photo. (Uxcell Stainless Steel 201 Spring Loaded Draw Toggle Latch Catches – 86mm.) - to replace the HEPA dirt bag, you’ll need to remove the top cap and reach into the machine – so if it’s mounted much above your shoulders, you’d need a step stool or ladder to change the bag. - if there’s no stud in your wall where you want the vacuum, consider mounting it on 3/4" plywood, and screwing the plywood to studs. See Customer images for an example of this. - the hose is easily cut (shortened) if you decide it’s too long... Summary: I can’t see how anyone could go wrong buying this excellent garage vacuum.

So far so good. Keeps my garage neat, clean and organized. The attachments all seem quality and work well. I bought this primarily because my prior shop vac screamed with noise and the hose was short so the unit had to be right outside the car door, whaling into the car. This is so much quieter. If I'm vacuuming my car outside I basically only hear the sound of the suction at the end of the tube. The suction is not amazing, but it is very good for cleaning out my car. I love using the bristly end to suck the dust off my dashboard. The diameter of the tube is smallish, which could be both good and bad, but so far it has not been a problem and does add a level of convenience.. 9/30/17 Update - I have been using this vac for my cars for several years now. Still doing great and the original bag still seems closer to empty than full. I did end up wrapping electrical tape around the wand suction relief as I've never needed to relieve suction and the plastic cover is easily accidentally slid open. It really is ideal as a car vac... can reach around and vacuum 2 cars parked outside the garage. The smaller hose allows it to get into crevices and is just more maneuverable. It picks up small pebbles in the floorboards with ease. I vacuum my car every 1-2 weeks and I can't think of an improvement this vacuum needs (other than a better suction relief valve design). I probably would not buy if my main use was to vacuum saw dust and nails as the hose is relatively small diameter for being a shop-vac For such a long hose, the suction is very good. I suppose there is a trade-off... lose some power with such a long hose but gain convenience a quietness. For me, the suction/airflow works excellent for my car cleaning.

Power is alright comparable to other vacuums. Hand held nozzle to vacuum is absolutely ridiculously large hard to maneuver. Not being wet vacuum kinda defeats purpose of a garage vacuum! Overall spend your money on best wet dry vac especially if it's for a garage.