1. The tank is stainless steel, but could be dented if you abuse it. I wouldn't drag it down the stairs by the hose. With proper care, it should last a lifetime. The handle and wheels are permanently attached to the unit, so it might be hard to invert the tank for cleaning purposes. The motor, cord, attached filter and top lid completely remove from the tank for cleaning.

2. The cord is plenty long enough for most homes, and the 12 foot hose is fantastic. You can reach ceiling fans without having to carry the vac up the ladder.

3. The wheels are sturdy, and make moving the vac very easy.

4. The motor is reasonably quiet (at least compared to my Sears unit), and sufficiently powerful to vacuum sand from the floor, through the 12 foot hose, and into the tank. Although the HP rating seems small, the motor is a two stage unit which much more efficient than the single stage units seen on cheaper vacs. Even after three days of cleaning a very dusty house, garage, and automobile (without emptying the dust bag), there was sufficient suction for efficient cleaning. I ran the unit from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM for three days, and didn't notice any heat problems or strange noises indicating that I was overtaxing the motor.

5. This unit comes with a paper filter, and I added vacuuum bags to eliminate any possible release of dust from the unit. The vac bags are a great idea. They protect the paper filter, keep the inside of the vac clean, and make for very easy cleanup. On the down side, they do prevent you from easily retrieving property that accidentally gets sucked into the vac.

6. The tools are pretty rugged, but not typical of the $400 industrial vacs that I've seen. This is probably a good thing since such tools are very heavy, bulky and hard to handle. The supplied tools will probably last for years.

Shop Vac's customer service was great (I called them with a number of questions), and they were nice enough to tell me that parts could be purchased at Wal-Mart (instead of having to order them from Shop Vac directly).

If you're going to be vacuuming an office, a small shop or a home, this vac will last a lifetime. I'm very happy with the purchase.

Still going strong  Apr 29, 2012
By Shimon Mor
I bought this from Amazon in 2001 and after heavy, heavy use for over 10 years, it's still going strong. So, I thought I would write a review. But first, let me say that since 2001, Shop Vac may have changed specs on this unit.

This vacuum is used at home to clean up woodworking and metalworking shops. I also use it for sucking out water from confined areas. I hook it up to power sanders and my table saw and other tools. It cleaned up the messes created in gutting out our 19th century home and remodeling it completely (it had 100 years of crud in some areas). I had bought two other "cheap" Shop-Vacs from local big box stores during the remodel to help keep up with all the work but they failed miserably while this unit just kept on ticking.

I've gone through countless filters, replaced the heavy metal wands with lighter, plastic ones, and the stainless housing has a number of dents...but the vacuum still works great and earns its keep. The original hose is still in great shape and it has seen a lot of abuse. It has been stepped on, run over by my truck and had all sorts of heavy objects dropped on it.

Don't look at HP ratings of these motors, because this two stage motor will out suck most higher HP motors and last a lot longer since it's able to cool itself even when things get clogged up.

I would not hesitate to buy another one of these. It is well worth the extra money compared to the cheap units you can buy at the big box stores. It's not so much the stainless housing that is worth the extra money, but the two stage motor.

My only complaint is that there isn't an easy way to store the hose. So, I zip-tied a piece of plastic pipe to one of the handles and use it as a scabbard for the wand and coil the hose on top of the motor. Works great.

Five stars for durability, longevity and reliability.

6 of 10 found the following review helpful:

Why and why not stainless  Aug 10, 2000

One could argue either way for the stainless construction of this vacuum. The upside is that it is easy to clean and will last longer than plastic. The downside is that it dents and pits and is susceptible to being severely bent to the point where the top would no longer fit (this has not happened to me). The motor is strong, the filter adequate, and the carrying dolly is a great feature. Like many high-end tools, it is expensive but worth the extra money if you plan to keep it for a long time.

0 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Light Duty Unit Only  Feb 09, 2006
By Chuck W.
When my old Sears vac died, I decided to try the Shop-Vac 610 - it looked strong and the stainless steel tank looked like it would last forever.

One thing I neglected to check on was POWER. This machine is light duty, and I should have known the small hose size was indicative of its capability - it is not nearly as powerful as the old, noisy Sears unit.

If anyone will make me an offer for this unit, I would like to upgrade to something that really performs like a shop vac should.

0 of 2 found the following review helpful:

how to get new caster  Jan 25, 2006
By Richard OConor "not a doctor, Jim, just a PhD"
For the guy with the broken front caster ("How do I GET new casters for this shop vac...?) - I had the same problem (except I had mine for several years before it broke) and I called Shop Vac Customer Service at 570-326-0502 and they are sending me a new caster part kit gratis. The rep was very gracious, especially since she noted that my model (8045) was "a really old one".

I gave 3 stars because I was required to give a rating but I have an older product that is much more similar to the 925 but only 4.5 peak HP. It is incredibly loud - like a jet engine in your garage - hopefully the newer models are quieter.

See all 6 customer reviews on Amazon.com