My New 63dB Vacuum Cleaner

[violaine]

what i have for my woodshop is a limited capacity shopvac20 and its six years old..it is working fine until today except for the fact that it is really (sic) noisy..rated at more than 100dB at peak!..that.combined with routing task using the 3612c makita, you may loose your hearing organs sooner than the natural aging process and eversince, i am on the look out for the less noisy vacuum cleaner.

i was planning to get a dedicated dust collector but its bulky for my shop (torq 1HP dc at 11,000 pesoses) and until recently when i visited Hans tools and there i saw this zekoki (never mind the brand name hehe) beside a 40liter capacity 63dB made in germany karcher worth 42,000 pesos..i inspected, flipped it over, studied the construct, turned it on and was surprised that its producing even less noise than the top class karcher..and after checking my pocket i finally decided to get one for myself..the cost? its cheap at 6,300 pesoses..

comparing it with diameter of the hose tubings of the shopvac, the zekiko oops zekoki...hehe..is wider at 45mm..this posed a problem since i dont have forstners that big and dont want to brave the mdf making a hole that size using a jigsaw..id like a smooth entrance for the tubings and so yesterday, i visited the favorite store in binondo and got myself the 45mm forstner..the only drawback is its cost at 1,770 pesos! after making a hole, the forstners still looks new..i can still return it for exchange to another tool if i want to but never mind.at least i am happy now that the router table dust port is now wider and better at dust collecting...so if you are planning to get one, i suggest this brand..looks well built with a 6 month warranty...

http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/violainesweetness/zekokivac.jpg

the top tube is a shopvac..the one below it is the sikorsky..este zekoki.
http://i435.photobucket.com/albums/qq76/violainesweetness/hose.jpg

[violaine]

oooops! my new vacuum cleaner isnt really silent but is less noisy.promise.

[JayL]

Congrats on the new Vac. Please let us know after a few weeks or months how it holds up. Could be a good alternative to shop vacs.

What brand is the 45mm forstner bit? 1,770 pesos is around $37. Yeah looks expensive.

[timber715]

been looking at the Bosch GAS50... it has a built in remote system... balang araw I will get one of those. but if you really want to make your shopvac silent, there is a way... here is a solution (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKkbq1fcKz4)....

[guad]

I am guessing it is Alpen-Maykestag (http://www.alpenmaykestag.com/EN/index.htm) --
http://www.alpenmaykestag.com/alpen/pdf/Holzbohrer.pdf
Machine Forstner Bit, page 6

In contrast to Alpen brad point bits, the Alpen Forstner bits do seem unusually costly.

Would a 1-3/4 inch hole saw also have worked?

From what country/manufacturer is that 'zekoki'? There appears to be no info on the web on that name.

[JayL]

Would a Hole Saw worked too?

[violaine]

zekoki is china made..and they boast of their silent type vacuum cleaners..(at least thats the first heading printed on the packaging box...

anyway i will put it to test till the 6th month and see what we have here.

it has longer hose too about 2 meters..plus some aluminum extension tubings good for industrial work..

i planned to get a set of holesaws like the one made by morse or a single piece bosch but they they dont have 45mm...further i was thinking hole saws may not carve smoothly on mdf..i could be wrong.

yes its Alpen...you can borrow it if you have some holing to do of that size.

timb! thanks for the link..he too is soooo concerned about the noise of his vacuum cleaner..haha!

the illustration from the user manual of this zekoki (odd name), there are lots of dampening pads in and around, top and bottom of the motor..i just wanna make sure this all dampening system doesnt make the motor to burn right after turning it on.hehe...for me three minutes vacuuming is already a long time for the motor so ill be easy on it naman.

next time, i will take photos of this dust monster piece by piece and its innards.

for now..i am quite happy with its vacuuming power.

[timber715]

that sounds great Doc V. keep us up to speed on its performance please. as for 3 minutes... well, I run my ShopVac when I cut on my TS (usually around 5 to 12 minutes)...
can you please post some pictures of its filter? usually the sound it makes is dependent on its filtering system.

[jarod]

Hi Doc V!

Any updates on the sikorsky err Zekoki? =)

[violaine]

hey!

re: zekoki vacuum

half filled na yung bucket niya so far..but got no pictures yet...

it is working fine until now..i vacuum all of my dust naman within the woodshop..and the sound it produces is still very sweet to the ears..


i really love this vacuum....noise is what i hate kasi...and the power for suction is awesome...

the design for noise cancelling in this vacuum is something of a feat!

my shop vac? i hate it but i simply cant throw it away!

hey brothers, any idea or mods how to deadened the ear damaging sound of the shop vac? (got the shop vac 20, still US made).

[timber715]

doc V. one solution I know to make your shopvac super quiet is to send it over. I need another one which I can dedicate sa ts ko. :D
I'm always happy to help... :p

[jarod]

Thanks for the update Doc! I guess aside from the non-standard tube diameter, the Zekoki is a good buy!

[violaine]

doc V. one solution I know to make your shopvac super quiet is to send it over. I need another one which I can dedicate sa ts ko. :D
I'm always happy to help... :p

yan ang gusto ko sayo bro..you always have a solution to a problem! har har:p

[violaine]

Thanks for the update Doc! I guess aside from the non-standard tube diameter, the Zekoki is a good buy!

tell me when you get one..

i can lend you the 45mm forstner..

[jarod]

Thanks Doc, will keep that in mind!

[guad]

Saw Zekoki routers (fixed and plunge) and sanders at a DIY. Superficially, they did not look too good, unlike the vacuum cleaner.

On the labels, the mysterious Zekoki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Country of origin not mentioned.

[joey81]

Took some pics of my Zekoki:

Close up of the intake port
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150193/1227026402_fgjN9-S.jpg

Intake port viewed from the inside
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150192/1227023993_nijDo-S.jpg

Hose that fits into the intake port is 5cm in diameter
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150213/1227113103_c2xDf-S.jpg

Pipe that fits into the other end of the hose is 3.8cm
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150215/1227111767_WQ3Bu-S.jpg

[joey81]

The head
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150204/1227012852_m4LaH-S.jpg

The filter
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150210/1227113953_pWPeo-S.jpg

Top view of the stainless steel cylinder
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150197/1227010121_HRsqX-S.jpg

At the bottom is a metal chain for grounding, to dissipate the static electricity that builds up during operation
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150194/1227011454_jmtFW-S.jpg

[jarod]

Thanks for the pics sir joey81!

[violaine]

@joey,

that filter alone costs around 1K as a replacement.

kaya iniingatan ko eh..hehe

haha grounding pala yung chain na yun...

i never bothered to read the manual though.

why is it that mine's hose' end is 45mm..5mm less than yours???
:confused:

[bryant77]

Sale ngayon sa Ace Hardware ang Shop-Vac

Shop Vac Pro 30 - P7K+ (before) -------> P5,700 (now)
Shop Vac 20 - P3,999 (now)

[violaine]

never with the shopvac again...they are so noisy..my woodshop is so little and so enclosed...it is a bonus to have a cheap but quality built zekoki.

two mods that we can do for noisy vacuum cleaners...install a muffler or box it!

i will try to find how i can mod the shopvac20 with a muffler..but it seems this option may not work perfectly.

need help.

[violaine]

in retrospect...i do not know if the thread name is appropriate since the zekoki isnt at all silent..

hey admin..help!

[balarila]

With my ShopVac's decibels and the way you describe your Zekoki, title of the thread is justified.

I'm also sore at ShopVac, got my 20 for P5k but 2 weeks later and til now, it's always been on sale for P4k!

[violaine]

got mine sv20 in 2006 for 4.5K...the yellow industrial karcher with auto filter clean is nice as well in terms of noise at 63 dB only...but too expensive at 40K i might get a dedicated TORQ 4" dust collector instead for only 11K..but happy for now with the Z.

[jarod]

in retrospect...i do not know if the thread name is appropriate since the zekoki isnt at all silent..

hey admin..help!
Done! I made it super accurate as per request :D

[moji]

Ei doc, i may have missed it in the previous posts but how much is the Zekoki?

[violaine]

roughly between 6-7K iirc;)

[violaine]

@admin,

whoah!

[joey81]

BTW,

One weak point of sikorsky is the plastic standoff of the intake port. Mine was broken out of the box. I don't know if I missed it during inspection or it broke on the drive home.

After purchasing it from Hans you might as well pass by True Value and get this size of nut and bolt:
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150230/1228050008_QaB6M-S-1.jpg


Sooner or later you'll need it for this:
http://joey81.smugmug.com/Hobbies/DIY/P1150193/1227026402_fgjN9-S.jpg

[violaine]

well if noticed the screws in the first place but didnt bother to ask..

i checked mine and its stuck.

[ilahora]

hi,

Re ZEKOKI vacuum; I just recently bought my mine here in Davao for 5,400; 15L tank capacity. Initial use and testing looks promising. Anyway I will keep you guys posted of details later.