The Bosch AirSweep Wet/Dry Vacuums have long been considered top of the line when it comes to jobsite vacuums. The Bosch units were some of the first to include a power tool activation outlet as well as pulse clean feature to keep the filter from clogging prematurely. The unit has always been sealed tight and well powered making it the standard for everyone from woodworkers to those grinding concrete. In recent years these features have become more common as OSHA & EPA regulations become more and more strict. Bosch has now updated these very popular units, available now, check out the 14 gallon automatic VAC140A ($669), 14 semi-automatic VAC140S ($619), 9 gallon automatic VAC090A ($599) and finally the 9 semi-automatic VAC090S ($549).
The first question you might have, as we did, is what is the difference between semi and automatic? Basically this is the ability to clean the filter which will either happen automatically every 15 seconds the vacuum is running or for with the semi-automatic units there is a trigger where the hose connects to the tool you need to push as often as you like. Certainly different jobs require different filter cleaning intervals but we do really like the ease of the semi-auto trigger so you really can’t go wrong.
Above is a look at how much dust is created from grinding concrete in less than a minute. The enclosure on the right had the new Bosch VAC090A attached to the grinder and on the left just grinding without any vacuum. Pretty convincing about how important dust collection can be.
The L-Boxx connections on top make a lot of sense for the whole Bosch system. These vacuums have heavy duty casters and sturdy base which could easily handle a stack of full L-Boxxes on top. The lower profile of the 9 gallon especially gives a nice low center of gravity just begging for a couple L-Boxxes.
The other thought you’ll probably have is that this setup looking very much the like Festool CT36 & CT48 which would be very accurate. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery however the Bosch actually outperformed the Festool with 150CFM suction force vs 137CFM of both Festool models. The price on the Bosch automatics are also about $50 below the Festool models so a very good value all around. We are just hoping the Dust Deputy will make a system pre-dust collection unit like you’ll see above on the Festool Vac (for more on that unit see Fine Woodworking).
Of course if you have any questions on Bosch Power Tool give the pros at Ohio Power Tool a call 800-242-4424 and they will be happy to help you get the right tools and dust collection accessories.
