porter-cable 7812 10 gallon 1-1/2 horsepower tool-start wet/dry vacuum

Rating:
Date: 2008-06-18
PC 7812 - Impressive Power
I've only had limited use of the PC 7812 so far. I recently bought a house and I promised myself I'd get a *real* shop vac. Not a garage sale canister vac, not a $75 big box specail, but a proper shop vac made to be used in a real shop!

I've had two incidence where I needed the PC 7812. The first was just your basic "clean up the mess I made after drilling lots of holes" and the vac worked perfectly...but also reminded me that it didn't come with any attachements (extra expense for that kit). I could have used a small brush to help with the cleanup...much like the nice one that came with my Dyson (that I promised my fiance I wouldn't use as a shop vac...though it's *very* tempting). The second incident involved a large pet water fountain that holds about a gallon of water, and was plugged up and overflowing due to cat fur stuck in the intake. I quickly grabbed the PC 7812 and poked at the carpeting and it seemed to be doing it's job, but it wasn't until I poked the hose into the fountain to suck up water and cat fur that I really saw the power of the Porter Cable. I swear, this little box sucked up a half gallon of water as quickly as gravity could pull the hose to the bottom of the fountain! It was EMPTY in seconds! I looked over at my fiance who laughed at the magic trick I just did, making a half gallon of water almost instantly dissapear.

So I'm impressed with the power, and cleanup was easy...but for the price I'm dissapointed that it comes without an attachment kit.

Rating:
Date: 2007-12-11
Quiet, Compact, Well Designed, OK suction, Wimpy Hose, No Nozzles
I'm glad I replaced my $99 Craftsman "6.0 peak horsepower" shop vac with this ($230 on sale) vac. The Porter Cable 7812 is much quieter, much less clumsy to wheel around, stores in half the space, has a filter-clearing gizmo, and other nice features. I replaced the flimsy 1-1/4 inch ID hose with a commercial grade 1-1/2" hose, and made adapters to fit standard 2" ID nozzles. The suction is good for most shop clean-up tasks, but noticeably less than the crazed suction power of the Craftsman 6HP.

Size: It is NOT 23-1/2" high as stated in the specs. It is 20-3/4" high. Width is 14-1/2". Length is about 20" plus at least 8" for protruding hose.

Suction: This unit is 9.0 amps versus 11.4 amps for my Craftsman "6.0 peak horsepower" vac. (Don't compare the stated 1.5 horsepower of this unit with the grossly inflated "Peak Horsepower" claimed by other shop vacs.) I'd say the suction and air volume are at least 25% less on the Porter Cable, but adequate for most tasks. The filter clearing gizmo helps maintain suction. Maybe it's nice that your loose fitting sweatshirt is not suddenly pulled 9" up the vacuum hose. On the other hand, when I am using a large nozzle to vacuum sawdust off my driveway, it takes just a bit longer.

Noise: It's not crazy quiet, but it's much quieter than my Craftsman 6HP shop vac. It's noisier than my (pretty quiet) Kenmore indoor canister vac, but it's not a grating sound and you won't feel like wearing ear protection.

Bags & Filters: I can't see spending $100 a year for bags (over $4 each) so I use the filter only. A filter cleaning gizmo dislodges crud when you pull a tab on the outside of the vac. I use this all the time. I hope it won't wear holes in the filter. Other vacs don't get de-clogged till they've lost 80% of their suction because it's too much mess and hassle. The top-mounted flat filter is more convenient than the cylindrical filters on most shop vacs.

Hose Replacement & Tools: The flimsy 1-1/4" ID hose provided is perfect for hooking to your belt sander or other hand-held power tools. A larger commercial grade hose is better for vacuuming floors, etc. Less air resistance. Less insult to your manhood. You'll need to track it down (get it with swivel cuffs), find or make adapters, and work out misc issues. (I used 1-1/2" ID hose. 20% more diameter means 44% better throughput. 1-1/2" PVC couplings (from the plumbing or electrical aisle) fit nicely. Some rubbery PVC tape from the plumbing dept will pad out the couplings to fit standard large (2" ID) shop vac tools available at Home Depot. 1-1/2" female threaded PVC couplings fit the 1-1/2" swivel cuffs nicely.)

Hose Diameter Confusion: If you are putting together a 3rd party hose & tool solution, beware that advertised info on diameters of hoses and adapters is often absent or misleading. This unit comes with 1-1/4" ID (Inside diameter) hose. The OD (outside diameter) is 1.56". The tapered cuff is about 1.39" at the midpoint. For so-called 2-1/2 inch hose that is standard for larger shop vacs, the inside diameter is 2" and tapered interconnects are about 2.275" at the midpoint. For 1-1/2" ID hose, the OD is 1.91" and the tapered cuffs are about 1.79" at the midpoint.

Power Tool Outlet - Trigger: Seems nicely designed. The owner's manual has loads of electrical precaution boilerplate but avoids the one thing you'd like to know: How many amps can you draw from the tool-trigger outlet? Theoretically, 15 amps minus 9 amps consumed by the vacuum = 6 amps. You might get away with more, but I don't think you'll be using this outlet with your table saw.

Transport: Very easy to wheel around and carry. 7" rear wheels with small front swivel-casters are the perfect design. Easily carried with top handle as the vac is only 14-1/2" wide. You'll suddenly realize how much you hate your traditional shop vac with the 4 protruding swivel-casters.

Other: The beefy 22.5 foot cord is water resistant 3x14ga. with 3 solid prongs. This vac feels like quality. The head is assembled with stainless steel screws, for example.

Rating:
Date: 2007-12-03
Porter- Cable 7812 Vac
I am generally happy with this product. It has good suction, it's relatively quiet and easy to use. I like the auto tool turn on feature. Three things could be improved -1.The hose is small diameter[1.5"]and seems flimsy 2. There is only a hook on the back of the machine to store the long power cord 3. There are no attachments included with the machine and the attachment package is very expensive [$61.00].

Rating:
Date: 2007-11-18
Old Timer
I have owned this product for nearly 10 years. During that time, I have used it heavily with the PC drywall sander, as well as routine heavy pickup. I don't baby my tools, so it has seen some action.

Others have commented on the "flimsy" feel of the hose. Yes, it really does look cheap, but it has held up well.

I recommend you either buy the accessory kit, or do as I did, get an adaptor so you can use more 'standard' accessories (such as Shop-Vac brand) you may pick up.

I still love it, no complaints. Check back with me in another 10 years.

Rating:
Date: 2007-11-16
Don't get "hosed" with this vacuum
I don't recommend buying this product unless you're willing to wear ear protection while using it. It comes with a cheap hose that causes a deafening, ear-piercing problem called "hose whistle." Porter Cable claims to know nothing about it, but it appears to be a well-known problem in the vacuum industry. After extreme frustration with PC's customer service, they finally agreed to send a replacement hose, but I think it will whistle too. Higher quality hoses are designed not to whistle. Other problems are that there is no place to store the hose or the cord, the hose size doesn't fit most fittings, and the plastic fitting intended to hold accessories doesn't hold much. On the positive side, the vacuum portion of the unit seems to be a good product. Overall however, I'm very disappointed in this product and in PC's customer service.

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