Pro Tool Reviews: When Milwaukee invited us up to get a sneak peek of “jobsite cleanup” solutions, we were curious what they would have behind the curtain. Our wildest guesses were dead wrong, and the reality of Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless wet dry vacuums is far better.
5 comments:
This is fairly interesting. I remember watching a series of videos done by a man who was a part of a crime scene cleanup company. This was cool in and of itself simply because you never really hear about those people. You see cops and csi and suspects and lawyers depicted all the time in tv or movies but the clean up crew, who usually have to clean up some truly disgusting and or horrifying stuff are left behind. He actually used these a considerable amount so I know how powerful this equipment can be. In a theatre space I think they would be especially useful for shows that incorporate large amounts of water on stage or plays of the ultra realistic variety that contain sand or dirt as part of the set onstage. Anyone who has ever had to work run crew for a show with glitter in it knows just how impossible it can be to clean up without the right tools.
I got to say Milwaukee makes some incredible products. I can’t list the sheer number of times I fought to use the Milwaukee impact driver in the scene shop, purely because it gets the job done. This m18 fuel cordless wet dry vacuum looks like an incredible product and could absolutely change clean up in the scene shop. Nobody likes hunting down an outlet, only to then inevitably run out of cordage, but this glorious invention solves that issue perfectly. I am already finding myself imagining the 100s if not 1000s of uses, terrains, and environments this product can be used in. While it is a bit expensive, I am sure it is worth the investment not just for convenience, but for the fact that it will help drastically combat dust buildup in construction sites and shops. While the CMU scene shop keeps itself relatively free of sawdust, I can’t begin to list the sheer number of times I’ve been greeted by a cloud of dust within a scenic design shop. Inhaling sawdust and specifically sawdust is never a good thing, but hopefully by implementing this vacuum shops everywhere can maintain a clean and healthy shop.
Here is my thing. I hate vacuums. They suck. But I will admit this is a pretty nice one. It doesn’t have a cord which is a must. I like the battery life. I also appreciate that it can hold both batteries on the sides because my drill can only hold one battery in the compartment and the other must be attached. For some reason that always really bothers me because I am concerned it will drain battery life. I’m not sure if it will or not but who knows. The wheels are quite nice. But I really just hate vacuums. I never want to lock the wheels so it will roll with me but then it moves at the inopportune time, but if I lock the wheels then I have to go all the way back and unlock them and that sucks. One thing is that I wish the hose was longer although there is always a fine balance between having a long enough hose and having a hose so long it gets tangled and is too long to manage.
When it comes to tools that you can buy at hardware stores or stores like home depot, I think Milwaukee is the only brand still producing quality stuff. Vacuums in my opinion are a hard tool to nail, saw dust is insanely small and literally gets everywhere so you need something powerful and more importantly something that wont break in just a couple of months. I like the idea of the vacuum being cordless especially when it comes to needing them in a space like the theatre. While I do not think it is needed in a scene shop, I do see the need when in a space like the chosky. I think an upgrade on the wheels is definitely needed when it comes to shop vacs but I am very skeptical about these wheels, they still look small and like they can jam easily. I also see what they are doing with the hose but it doesnt seem any different from a hose that kinks and tangles. Ultimately I think this is obviously a good move on milwaukee to make a better shop vac.
One of the great things about the Milwaukee company to me is that they truly know who their target demographic is lol. Like it really is a bunch of people who consistently work in shops who need decent tools and a bang for their buck. Another thing that Milwaukee does great is a lot of R&R for their tools and equipment. They’ve really designed great form factors and tested things out to their maximum capabilities for the benefit of their customer. Like in the article, it was talking about how they know that when you use a shop vac the two parts that fail the fastest are the cords and casters and they tested both of those line items out and designed the product so that it had reasonable wheels to roll around on and not break and they designed plug in cords to not kink so much and always return to their original shape. It’s a great brand and this is a great vacuum.
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