Hello, everyone!

First post here.

Have some (little) experience working with wood as a hobby exclusively. A 'weekend warrior' wannabe. So, my question is posed within that context: what would my best option be for a good shop vac? I spend 3/4 hours once a week doing some basic stuff with my limited toolset: Makita 1.25 router, Makita circular saw with rail, Dowelmax / Kreg pockethole jigs and a crappy Dewalt sander that i plan on replacing when I get some funds. Projects are small things I can use throughout my apartment: a rack for my recording equipment, a small coffee table, etc.

I have done a lot of reading / searching, but not having professional experience, I have no idea if a Festool/Fein/Makita/Bosch/etc. $500+ vac would be overkill and I could do well with a simple Ridgid plus a hepa filter and a couple of adapters. I'm torn, because money matters to me, but I don't want to buy stuff that I will have to replace in the future. I have made enough of those mistakes! So far, I have managed with a very old Sears vac, but I would like to improve my dust collection methods (afraid of all the things I've read about fine dust getting in the lungs).

All opinions welcome and gratefully accepted! Shoot!