Over at Acme Tools, they have the Flex VCE 33 LAC 9-gallon HEPA vacuum on sale for $300. I’m not familiar with the Flex brand, although it seems to me that this vac is made by the same folks that make Milwaukee’s HEPA vac. (Both Flex and Milwaukee vacs appear to be customizations of the Nilfisk ATTIX 33.)
It features a corded tool auto-activation receptacle, 11A motor, and both dry and wet pickup capabilities.
- Manual on/off and “automatic” mode switch
- Automatic filter cleaning system
- Adjustable suction flow rate
- Electronic liquid level control (for wet pickup)
- Soft start
- 15 second overrun empties dust and debris from vacuum hose prior to shutdown
- Dust-protected anti-static switch
- Large rear wheels and swivel casters in front
- 158 CFM max
- 25 ft power cord
- 1.25″ x 13′ hose
Sale Price: $300 (discount appears automatically after you add it to your cart)
Buy Now(via Acme Tools)
Compare(Milwaukee Vac via Tool Nut)
The Flex vacuum also seems to have a hose diameter selection dial, perhaps for adjusting suction power to your choice of hose, although there doesn’t seem to be much documentation about this feature.
Replacement HEPA filters look to be available from Acme Tools and elsewhere.
I can’t help but feel there’s a catch somehow, but I can’t find any. Maybe there’s a new model coming out? Otherwise, this is a fully-featured 9-gallon HEPA-rated vac that’s currently priced at a fraction of the price of other leading HEPA-rated vacuums.
Last night, when I first spotted this vac in Acme Tools’ deal list, the price was published. As of this morning, you have to add the vacuum to your cart to see the $299.99 promo pricing.
I’m not familiar with the Flex brand, but if I didn’t already have a Festool HEPA-rated dust extractor, I’d likely jump on this deal. It still seems “too good to be true,” but on the other side of things, supplies might be limited, or the promo pricing might only be valid for a short time. I’ll be looking to learn more, and will post an update if I discover anything.
Update: Supplies are limited. I’m also becoming increasingly convinced that this is an even better deal than I realized. Auto filter cleaning, adjustable suction power, automatic liquid level sensor, HEPA-rated filtration, and decent specs, and for only $300.
