Recommendation for a table vacuum

Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well Santa didn't bring me a new vacuum for my table this year, so I'm going to have to get one myself. I have a corded upright vacuum that I use, but it is a little inconvenient. I'm looking for a battery powered hand-held unit that is quick and easy. The problem is that the typical hand vacs have a very small nozzle and don't seem practical. Anybody here have a good recommendation?
 
Rivhardo

Rivhardo

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I have dirt devil, it is a hand held...i think it works great...some will tell you never to vacuum...may be so but i have had no problems

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
 
Y

yankee817299

AzB Silver Member
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What are some of the problems that could arise with vacuuming your table? I also use a handheld dirt devil which works great, but since upgrading to Simonis cloth, I haven't vacuumed, only brush. and simonis x-1.
 
jgpool

jgpool

Cue ball draw with this?
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Rivhardo said:
I have dirt devil, it is a hand held...i think it works great...some will tell you never to vacuum...may be so but i have had no problems

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

DITTO. Works great.
 
sfleinen

sfleinen

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You can't beat a Dyson handheld for this job. I have the Dyson DC-31 "Animal" version (with attachments specialized for picking up hair out of cloth) and although I'd purchased it for its original purpose, it works very well at cleaning the table, especially with the horsehair brush attachment.

The current incarnation is the DC-34:

http://dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/Handheld.aspx

It's expensive, yes, but it's one of those vacuums that you buy once, and it continually pays for itself over and over. (Just like those Kirby vacuums from the 50s/60s, for those that remember them.)

-Sean
 
Dan White

Dan White

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The spec on the dirt devil says the mouth is 2.75 inches wide. It just seems like it would take forever to vacuum the table like that...maybe I've just become accustomed to the upright attachment which is probably 4 inches. I'm guessing that all the battery powered vacs come with a smaller nozzle for higher air velocity.

Sean - what size is the attachment for your Dyson vac? How long does it take for you to do the whole table?

As far as vacuuming causing problems - when my table was installed they used something that looked like spackle to fill the joint between the slates. The first time I vacuumed over the joint it sucked up pieces of spackle out of the crack and onto the bed underneath the cloth. My only recourse was to pound down the bumps with the cue ball. Now when I vacuum I just avoid the slate joints. I supposed beeswax or something like that might work better.
 
B

bbb

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yankee817299 said:
What are some of the problems that could arise with vacuuming your table? I also use a handheld dirt devil which works great, but since upgrading to Simonis cloth, I haven't vacuumed, only brush. and simonis x-1.
Click to expand...

if the suction is too strong it could damage the cloth
similar if the attachment isnt right is could damage the cloth
 
S

stan shuffett

AzB Silver Member
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sfleinen said:
You can't beat a Dyson handheld for this job. I have the Dyson DC-31 "Animal" version (with attachments specialized for picking up hair out of cloth) and although I'd purchased it for its original purpose, it works very well at cleaning the table, especially with the horsehair brush attachment.

The current incarnation is the DC-34:

http://dyson.com/vacuum-cleaners/Handheld.aspx

It's expensive, yes, but it's one of those vacuums that you buy once, and it continually pays for itself over and over. (Just like those Kirby vacuums from the 50s/60s, for those that remember them.)

-Sean
Click to expand...

I really, really like my DYSON DC-34. I would get another in a heartbeat.
Stan Shuffett
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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The larger the cleaner the faster you're going to do a thorough job. How about a shop-vac that stores under the table and a good brush?

As for the spackle coming up, at least you know who not to call back for next time.
 
sfleinen

sfleinen

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Dan White said:
The spec on the dirt devil says the mouth is 2.75 inches wide. It just seems like it would take forever to vacuum the table like that...maybe I've just become accustomed to the upright attachment which is probably 4 inches. I'm guessing that all the battery powered vacs come with a smaller nozzle for higher air velocity.

Sean - what size is the attachment for your Dyson vac? How long does it take for you to do the whole table?

As far as vacuuming causing problems - when my table was installed they used something that looked like spackle to fill the joint between the slates. The first time I vacuumed over the joint it sucked up pieces of spackle out of the crack and onto the bed underneath the cloth. My only recourse was to pound down the bumps with the cue ball. Now when I vacuum I just avoid the slate joints. I supposed beeswax or something like that might work better.
Click to expand...

Hi Dan:

The Dyson DC-31 handheld that I have came with a kit of attachments, and one of them is a six-inch-wide "rectangular horn" for vacuuming hard floors. Around the perimeter of this "horn" is that same red velvet-ish directional material used on lint wands, where if you wipe in one direction, it picks up the lint; in the other direction the lint is removed. If you vacuum by pulling in the direction towards the hose, this red velvet material picks up lint "stuck" on the cloth that vacuum power alone won't pick up. That's what I use to clean my table. I'd say it takes me about a minute or two to do the bed of the table, and then switch to another attachment (the horsehair brush) to do the rails, under the cushions, in the pockets, etc.

I'm pretty sure this kit of attachments is the same for all Dyson handhelds, including the current DC-34, but you might want to check.

As far as any issues with excessive vacuum power "pulling" pieces out of the table (e.g. this spackle you mention), I haven't seen that, although I am conscious of the power of the Dyson, and always keep the vacuum moving, never allowing it to "stick" in place. Also, I make sure never to do multiple passes in the same area unless absolutely necessary (even then, if something won't come up with the vacuum or that lint-picking red velvet material on the horn attachment, I'll remove the vacuum and do a "Johnny Archer" -- intervening with my fingers in that spot).

All told, it takes me about 2-3 minutes to do a table.

-Sean
 
Bob Jewett

Bob Jewett

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bbb said:
if the suction is too strong it could damage the cloth
similar if the attachment isnt right is could damage the cloth
Click to expand...
At carom tournaments where the cloth is faster and more expensive than Simonis pool cloth, the standard is to use a commercial vacuum after every match. I agree about the attachment needing to be right.
 
Pushout

Pushout

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I've used a one horsepower shop-vac since I've had my table, about 13 years now. You do need a brush or upholstery attachment.
 
dabarbr

dabarbr

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bbb said:
i use this one shop vac pro 3.0hp
http://www.amazon.com/Shop-Vac-9650600-3-0-Peak-Series-6-Gallon/dp/B00315CWXE
with this attachment
http://www.amazon.com/Shop-vac-906-15-19-Round-Vacuum-Accessory/dp/B00002ND49/ref=pd_sim_hi_3
used it now for over a year
Click to expand...

This the proper equipment to us. You don't want to use a brush that is too harsh like in some dirt devils.
I normally vacuum once a week and use a lightly damp micro fiber cloth to remove the remaining chalk. In between I use the Simonis X.
 
realkingcobra

realkingcobra

Well-known member
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bbb said:
if the suction is too strong it could damage the cloth
similar if the attachment isnt right is could damage the cloth
Click to expand...

If there's no plaster in the seams, you couldn't hurt the cloth with a 6hp Sears shop vac, and even that couldn't do any damage to the cloth. In 30 years I've never seen damaged cloth because a vacuum had to much suction:grin:....but the best brush to use is the 7in wide wet/dry attachment from sears.

Part nbr 16944
 
Last edited:
Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
sfleinen said:
Hi Dan:

The Dyson DC-31 handheld that I have came with a kit of attachments, and one of them is a six-inch-wide "rectangular horn" for vacuuming hard floors. Around the perimeter of this "horn" is that same red velvet-ish directional material used on lint wands, where if you wipe in one direction, it picks up the lint; in the other direction the lint is removed. If you vacuum by pulling in the direction towards the hose, this red velvet material picks up lint "stuck" on the cloth that vacuum power alone won't pick up. That's what I use to clean my table. I'd say it takes me about a minute or two to do the bed of the table, and then switch to another attachment (the horsehair brush) to do the rails, under the cushions, in the pockets, etc.

I'm pretty sure this kit of attachments is the same for all Dyson handhelds, including the current DC-34, but you might want to check.

As far as any issues with excessive vacuum power "pulling" pieces out of the table (e.g. this spackle you mention), I haven't seen that, although I am conscious of the power of the Dyson, and always keep the vacuum moving, never allowing it to "stick" in place. Also, I make sure never to do multiple passes in the same area unless absolutely necessary (even then, if something won't come up with the vacuum or that lint-picking red velvet material on the horn attachment, I'll remove the vacuum and do a "Johnny Archer" -- intervening with my fingers in that spot).

All told, it takes me about 2-3 minutes to do a table.

-Sean
Click to expand...

Thanks! Sounds like a good option.
 
Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
dr9ball said:
I have a Shark hand held cordless that seems to work well.
Click to expand...

I looked it up and it appears to have a rotating brush. I'd be a little concerned about the cloth. Maybe it works fine but I think I'd rather have one without the mechanical brushing.

Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Dan White

Dan White

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Bob Jewett said:
The larger the cleaner the faster you're going to do a thorough job. How about a shop-vac that stores under the table and a good brush?

As for the spackle coming up, at least you know who not to call back for next time.
Click to expand...

I'm really looking for a cordless. I have an upright I use only for the pool table and it works great, it's just a little cumbersome with the cord for me. I'm thinking that Dyson might be good. I've also been looking for something with a good amount of suction for the cars.

Thanks.
 
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