PC 7812 Vacuum

[Rob Tolentino]

Does anyone have experience or can provide feedback on a Porter Cable 7812 vacuum? I am looking to purchase a shop vac/dust extractor that I can plug the tool into. I see plenty of reviews for the Fein and Festool line of vacs, but don't see anyone mention the PC. One of the reasons I began to look at the PC is price and ability to use on drywall (only on occassion - the main uses would be woodworking and home repairs). Size isn't that big of a concern, but I wouldn't want anything bigger than the PC. Is the PC stable - not prone to tip over? Thanks.

[Chris Rosenberger]

I bought a 7812 last year & have been very happy with it. I have also owned a 7810 for several years & I have been very happy with it also.

[Paul Dwight]

I've had the PC 7812 for probably three years. I like it very well. The auto-start feature works perfectly. The filter bags are not too expensive and work well. It seems quite stable -- I don't think I have ever tipped mine over. The wheels are pretty small and hang up easily, but you'd have to work hard to tip the thing over.

The suction is good but probably not the best, and it's fairly quiet but not the quietest. It's also not as expensive as most of the competition. I'd buy one again. -- Paul

[Sue Wise]

I have one and it works great. I would agree with Paul that it is probably not the quietest vacuum, but I love the auto-start and stop. Just the perfect thing for my all my hand sanders and the domino.

[Rob Tolentino]

Thank you for the replies. It helps to be able to come to a forum such as this to solicit input on making tool purchases. I like to research on-line and talk to others in person before making tool decisions.

Also, I'm glad it works well with the Festool Domino because I just purchased one.

[Sue Wise]

Rob,
The only issue with the domino is creating an adaptor to fit. I bought one of those universal adaptors from the borg and then cut it to fit both ends. I made two slits for the end with the domino, so it fits nice and snug. So no problems now, but at first it was kind of a challenge to make both ends fit snuggly.

[Rob Tolentino]

I just received the current issue of Fine Homebuilding and they did a review of tool-triggered shop vacuums. The article is exactly what I was looking for when I started this post asking for advice. It will compliment the helpful advice I received on this forum when I make my decision.

Based on the article, I may go with the Festool instead of the PC7812 I was originally contemplating. Thanks to everyone.

[Paul Dwight]

Rob,

If you go with the PC vac, Festool will sell you a hose that perfectly fits both the vac and the tool. When I bought my first Festool sander, Bob Marino asked me what vacuum I had and sold me the appropriate hose. The only drawback is that it's not anti-static like the hoses that ship with Festool vacuums. -- Paul