# Backpack Vacuum



## cardgunner (Feb 29, 2016)

What is everyone using for dust extraction? I recently was on an exterior trim job scraping and found a vacuum to be very handy. For sucking up the chips and blowing off the dust. Less mess. Issue is handling the the shop vac up on a ladder. A backpack version would be great. Or a stronger vac and longer hose (40' longer). Anyone else do this? 

Also stripping some interior trim and then having to sand the finish. And general prep work.

Any recommendations? I seen another post were it had only one comment with a recommendation for a Nikro hepa vacuum. $600 is pricey but not out of the question if it works and increases my productivity.


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

I use a Festool Midi. 

For high exterior work, I’ll carry my vac up the ladder and attach it using a tie down strap. It’s a much cheaper alternative to buying 40’+ of hose. 

If you’re only sucking up the chips just about any shopvac would work. The benefit of the Festool is that you can adjust the suction. This is important if you want to hook a sander up to your vac. Typical shopvac’s have too much power.



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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

You can get a Festool. It will be expensive. You would most likely need at a minimum the RO90, and one of the lager ectractors, then you would need to get a long hose (the one that comes with the extractor is only 11 feet), which I think is 32 meters. I would think the cost would be pushing $1,500.



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## cardgunner (Feb 29, 2016)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> You can get a Festool. It will be expensive. You would most likely need at a minimum the RO90, and one of the lager ectractors, then you would need to get a long hose (the one that comes with the extractor is only 11 feet), which I think is 32 meters. I would think the cost would be pushing $1,500.


Thanks however if I'm having issue spending $600 I have a whole lot more issues spending $1500. 

I had my shop vac secured on top of ladder with a string (A little more crude then tie down straps). It wasn't handy because I was constantly moving the ladder and going up and down. 

I'll keep looking. I'm guessing too few use a vacuum while scraping. I'll have to wait for spring to work on perfecting a process for exterior prep. Thanks.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

I was possibly one who was suggesting a Nikro since I own one. 

I like the vac unit itself but have had issues with the hose coming loose from the unit and with the crappy cord (wants to kink and twist up constantly) that came with it. Hopefully those issues have been addressed since I bought mine about ten years ago. If I wanted a backpack unit now, I would certainly look into the Nikro model.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

This one is $100 and you can sling it over your shoulder. https://www.amazon.com/Hoover-CH300...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PDCBF28KEB8145TY8MCF


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

cardgunner said:


> Thanks however if I'm having issue spending $600 I have a whole lot more issues spending $1500.
> 
> I had my shop vac secured on top of ladder with a string (A little more crude then tie down straps). It wasn't handy because I was constantly moving the ladder and going up and down.
> 
> I'll keep looking. I'm guessing too few use a vacuum while scraping. I'll have to wait for spring to work on perfecting a process for exterior prep. Thanks.


It is very expensive all in one shot. It took me several years to get all of the equipment together.

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## [email protected] (Mar 1, 2008)

I have used a backpack vac. They get heavy and don't suck that well. I was sweeping carpet in a Arena


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