Originally Posted by ErnieBanks
This is a cool thread. Without the dick pics we might think about putting it on the front page. Thanks to everyone for keeping the comments on topic.Question: which pump to buy? In this thread, TG recommends a one: Robinair (15115) VacuMaster Single Stage Vacuum Pump. But BeardedDragon said he bought a Robinair 1.5 CFM pump, and it died on him in a couple of months. So he went out and bought a 3.0 CFM pump from JB Industries (probably model DV-85N), and that one’s a monster.
If I try this idea, I’d want a pump that (a) is quiet, (b) is durable, and (c) is affordable. Which one is better? All the electric vacuum pumps I’ve seen are really loud.
The issue at hand is that the pump is from China. Every China product isn’t bad but with that being said the prices of China products reflect less attention to quality and durability. Maybe BD got a bad one. Maybe they suck. I will find out.
A more powerful pump is more expensive, for me to play Devil’s Advocate. And a more powerful pump probably has a steeper learning curve. Also, above all else, motor size is going to dictate your noise levels. It doesn’t matter what device it is, the bigger it is and the more moving Parts it has the more noise it will make. Because these are industrial pumps the noise level is usually not a primary concern in the design factors for the more powerful ones. I think I incidentally found a quieter pump because of the specs used not because of a quieter design.
So if I had to hazard a guess if you don’t want to get the Robinair pump I picked I would probably do more research and see if you could find something nicer that still had 1.5 CFM. I was shopping on a budget so the Robinair is fine for me. Something nicer, maybe down the line, if this fails will be in my future.
Or, we can just take it the simple route. I spent about $88 or so on the pump in question. I think it’s a relatively small investment compared to a larger and more powerful one and it would give you a chance to get a feel for this kind of pumping and see if you want to invest more heavily in a more powerful unit. Additionally, if you are mechanically inclined, while you are working with the cheaper pump you may be able to devise an exhaust system that may quiet it further. Which would be able to be used on a more powerful and louder pump in the future. Not a project I’m terribly interested in nor do I have the technical expertise for but I do believe it is certainly within the realm of possibility that it could be done if noise is truly a primary concern and you wish to use a higher quality or more powerful pump than the 1.5CFM Robinair.