Craftsman Shop Vac : The Hobbyist's Workhorse

The Craftsman Shop Vac comes in quite a large number of models. I've arranged them on this page by tank capacity, from small to large. Scroll down to the size you need.

No Sears Craftsman shop vac has the capacity for variable suction, which is particularly useful when connecting hand sanders to stop the sander being sucked down onto the workpiece.

Variable suction can be achieved by drilling the wand that connects to the tool, and partially covering the hole with either tape, or a close fitting sliding tube.

Decibel ratings are hard to find for these Sears shop vacuums, although it's accepted that they're quite noisy. Craftsman do make mufflers/diffuseres for them which drops the noise level by about 7 decibels.

Hepa standard filters are available for these shop vacs from Cleanstream.com, although I would recommend adding a cyclone to avoid frequent clogging.

For an explanation of the significance of the criteria listed below, please go to the shop vac reviews page.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 2.5 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 56 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 1.25 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings No

Amps 4 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Standard filter bag

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting An extra hose can be attached to the blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes, wet with the filter bag removed

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout No

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 2.5 gals

Dimensions
Height 16 in.
Width 9 in.
Depth 14 in.
Weight 7.9 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 4 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 57 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 1.25 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings No

Amps 7.5 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Standard pleated paper filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting No

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes wet with filter removed.

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout No

Use as a Blower No

Bags Available No

Dimensions
Height 17 in.
Width 14 in.
Depth 22 in.
Weight 17 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 5 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 94 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 1.9 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings No

Amps 8.5 amps

Filter Effectiveness Filters available up to hepa standard

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting Extra hose can be attached to blower port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout No

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available No

Dimensions
Height 17 in
Width 15 in.
Depth 9 in.
Weight 22 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 6 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 59 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 1.9 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose attachment

Amps 5.8 amps

Filter Effectiveness Filters available up to hepa standard

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting An extra hose can be attached to the blower port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout No

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 6 gal

Dimensions
Height 18 in.
Width 15 in.
Depth 15 in.
Weight 16 lbs

Craftsman Shop Vac : 12 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 170 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose

Amps 10.5

Filter Effectiveness 'Fine dust' filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) 88 db

Outside Venting An extra hose can be attached to the blower port.

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 12 gal.

Dimensions
Height 21.5 in
Width 19 in.
Depth 19 in.
Weight 23 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 12 Gallon Detachable Blower

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 157 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting.

Amps 10 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Upgradeable to hepa

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) 76 db

Outside Venting Extra hose can be attached to blower port.

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes, and the blower is detachable.

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 12 gal.

Dimensions
Height 21.5 in.
Width 21 in.
Depth 21 in.
Weight 30.5 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 16 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 170 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting

Amps 11 amps

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter is available

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) 86 db

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 16 gal.

Dimensions
Height 24 in.
Width 21 in.
Depth 22 in
Weight 24.5 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 16 Gallon Detachable Blower

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 183 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting

Amps 12 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter is available

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes, and the blower is detachable for ease of use.

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 16 gals.

Dimensions
Height 21.5 in.
Width 17.5 in.
Depth 18 in.
Weight 27 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 16 Gallon Stainless Steel Professional

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 184 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting

Amps 12 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 16 gals.

Dimensions
Height 36.75 ins
Width 22 in.
Depth 20 in.
Weight 38.8 lbs

Craftsman Shop Vac : 16 Gallon Professional

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 184 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting

Amps 11.5 amps

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 16 gals.

Dimensions
Weight 40 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 20 Gallon

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 175 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose fitting

Amps 12 amps

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 20 gals.

Dimensions
Height 21.5 in.
Width 18 in.
Depth 18 in
Weight 27 lbs.

Craftsman Shop Vac : 20 Gallon with Cart

Cubic Feet/Minute (CFM) 175 cfm.

Intake Hose Size 2.5 in.

Swivel Hose Fittings Posi lock hose attachment

Amps 12 amps.

Filter Effectiveness Fine dust filter

Cyclone Kit Available No

Decibel Level (db) No data available

Outside Venting If extra hose is connected to blowing port

Tool Activated Craftsman market an Auto-Switch through Sears that allows three power tools to start simultaneously.

Variable Suction No

Wet or Dry Pickup Yes

Water Level Sensor No

Drain Spout Yes

Use as a Blower Yes

Bags Available Yes

Filter Bag Capacity 20 gals.

Dimensions
Height 26 in.
Width 21 in.
Depth 22 in
Weight 36 lbs.

Warranty
One year from date of purchase

Contact
Craftsman.com