Buy a 5-gallon wet/dry vac with a hose, a floor nozzle, and both a cartridge filter and a foam sleeve. Wait on a 12- or 16-gallon unit until you are emptying the small one on every job. Ignore peak horsepower.
The dust usually comes from a drill or from sanding ahead of paint. More of the category: home improvement.
What to vacuum with
| Mess | Use | Avoid | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall dust and chips | 5-gal vac, cartridge, Type H bag | The household vacuum | View Drywall dust and chips (affiliate) |
| Spills and wet mud | Same vac, foam sleeve, cartridge removed | A dust filter left in for water | View Spills and wet mud (affiliate) |
| All-day shop extraction | Larger tank after the small one is the limit | Buying gallons you will not roll out | — |
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The spec that is a distraction
Peak horsepower is not sealed suction and it is not airflow with a loaded filter. A 5-gallon stainless tank is easy to carry to the room you are actually wrecking. Casters and a hose you can attach matter more than a second peak-HP digit.
Filters are the supply, not an accessory. Cartridge for dry dust. Foam sleeve, with the cartridge out, for water. Fine dust means you will knock the filter clean outdoors more than once a room. That is normal. Sending the same dust through a household vacuum fills the house with it.
The vac
What creates the mess
This vac and the Type H bags are in the workshop toolset under $750. The smaller bench leaves them off: toolset under $350. Fasteners and holes: drill kit and anchors. Wall finish: paint supplies.