Makita VC4210L 11 Gallon Wet/Dry HEPA Filter Dust Extractor/Vacuum

I’ve had a traditional Rigid 12-gallon shop vac for many years. It’s super noisy but has held up well. My biggest complaint about traditional shop vacs is the noise and the fact that the filters clog regularly for dusty construction work and there is a corresponding loss of suction. I end up having to wash and change filters regularly.The Makita is a true pro-quality dust extractor. It does make that “thump thump” noise about every 20 seconds- which apparently drives some people nuts. That’s the filter cleaning mechanism doing its thing. (Just like I did for 20-years thumping the old shop vac filter out in the side of the trash can). You can also just turn off that part by switching to the “wet vac” setting. Overall this has less overall suction than my Rigid shop vac, but the filter doesn’t clog, and it makes much less noise. I’ve got a kit of various sized adapters to plug it into just about any tool I’ve got that has a dust extraction port. Works with my Bosch Miter Saw, Dewalt Table Saw, Ryobi tools, and of course all the Makita tools.I really like the ability to turn down the power when I don’t need full suction (like for orbital sanders). It’s very quiet with the filter cleaner off and running on low speed. The “thump thump” of the filter cleaner doesn’t bother me so I just use it like that most of the time. The bags are great since I no longer have to empty the shop vac into the trash and have a cloud of toxic construction dust rolling out of my trash can.This isn’t the Bluetooth version, but I effectively turn it into one with a cheap remote control outlet. I’ve installed Velcro strips on my miter saw, table saw, track saw, etc. I just move the wireless remote with a Velcro strip around to whatever tool I’m using and click on the vacuum, make my cuts and turn it off. The Makita does have the plug in starter outlet, but I haven’t used it. My garage has 15A outlets and I’m close to maxing one out with a 13Amp saw plus the vacuum running on high. I just plug the vac into an outlet on a different circuit.One thing I do miss is having a giant 2.5” hose for vacuuming up bigger construction debris. The Makita hose is 40mm I think (1.5”). Doesn’t have the big size to be able to vacuum up chunks of wood from the floor.One note is that I still use a 5-gallon cyclone type dust collector for heavy table saw/dado cutting work that generates tons of sawdust. The Makita works just fine with my DustStopper as a sort of pre filter to catch the large particle saw dust from the table saw. The fine dust collects in the Makita bag.Overall I really like the Makita dust extractor, it does have its quirks, but I appreciate the fact that it hasn’t clogged after a month of cutting and cleanup. I like the fact that it’s much quieter than any other shop vac I’ve owned. No regrets on purchase.

This vacuum is in the general price range of the other high end shop vacs with similar features like auto start, variable power, and quiet operation that are not found in the $100 to $400 vacuums. The difference in comparison to the nilfisk or the festool is that it has all the features instead of some subset: it's wet or dry, variable power, auto cleaning for fine dust applications, hepa filter, auto start, decent capacity, robustly built, powerful, and quiet. No other vacuum in this price range has all those features and in my case I was looking for a vac that had them all because I use them all. the nilfisk attix is close but for some reason the version on amazon doesn't have variable speed. Yes, the autoclean is a loud "whump" but if you don't like the noise and aren't vacuuming fine dust you can switch it off by turning the vacuum to "wet" mode. Yes, the pictorial instructions require study but hey, it's a vacuum, I pretty much skipped the instructions. And all the filters are available now. So if you you're looking for a sturdy vacuum with all those features, it's a good choice.

The dust extractor is great, but the bags cost 2x the competition. If you use the extractor regularly, this is a bad choice, as it costs a ton to keep it running.

I love this dust extractor! Its one of the better ones I've used!Hose and cord storage along with the ability to attach additional locking storage boxes to store equipment, hose accessories, bags, filters, etc. is awesome. The rubber oversized wheels roll great! These concept's escape most producers of shop vacs and dust extractors...There are 3 small parts to attach once it arrives. You'll need a torx bit (T20-T25, dont quite remember) for 2 of them, 3rd part snaps in. Just look at a picture of the vacuum, and you'll know exactly where they go, no instructions needed. Theres a HEPA filter thats accessed by fliping up the back part of the vacuum with a release lever, the filter pops right out. Fleece filter bags and plastic bags just slip over the inlet hose.Theres two knobs; speed selection and automatic mode (for plugged in tools such as a sander) and manual mode with either dust extraction (popping sound/auto filter cleaning) or wet extraction (no popping sound)The negative reviews about "popping", "explosions" and "banging" while in operation is quite humorous. First of all, use "wet" mode and it wont "pop". Second, this is a dust extractor not a vacuum, generally used to safley vacuum fine wood dust, concrete/silica dust, drywall dust, etc. All very fine particles, with 99% particle capture! The periodically "popping" IS "genius", it give's a momentary (less than a second) pressure change on the entire system to knock the accumulated dust off the hose, HEPA filter and/or fleece bags. This is extremely helpful! I've used a few dust extractors, most of which had manual filter cleaning mechanism with a crank or a spring loaded lever to knock the filter when it starts loosing suction, none of which really worked and you had to stop work to deal with it.The "banging" sound is also helpful when using tools with the auto function. When operating a miter saw, sander, hammer drill, table saw, etc. you can't hear the vacuum kick on, that "explosion" sound lets you know that the vaccum is on. Also, its not that loid, infact, this vacuum is the quietest shop vac/dust extractor I've ever used!After 12 hours of vacuuming wood dust, drywall dust, silica dust along with screws, wood chunks, drywall chunks, concrete chunks, etc... its still performing with very little loss of suction! Thats impressive, period!The dust extraction while using the makita 3amp corded sander is fabulous! The Makita 3/4" to 1" hose for the sander/planer is $25 and works great! The vacuum came with three adaptors which has worked for all my Makita equipment. Buying a dishwasher hose for $9 to save a couple bucks is just silly after spending $620 on the vacuum.I'm journeyman woodworker, carpenter, builder and I've used a varity of equipment over the last 25 years. I've always preferred Makita, even though their tools/equipment from the 90's and earlier was way tougher, its still better than most... Hope this review helps!