Vacuum cleaner suggestion?

[Stone Teran]

I've been using vacuum cleaner hand-me-downs and I keep breaking them.  I need a vacuum cleaner that will suck up all kinds of gunk including small drywall debris and drywall dust from carpet.  Should I go cheapo because it will probably break anyway, commercial vacuum or shop vac or something else?  Thanks.

[Marcia Maynard]

We use a shop vac for construction/maintenance uses and a regular vacuum cleaner for carpets and general cleaning. Commercial grade of either will be more durable than consumer models. Think about what you are vacuuming and what power and suction you need for the job.

Vacuum cleaners that do not have a disposable bag are a poor choice. You need to be able to effectively collect and dispose of debris. Opening a unit and dumping out debris makes no sense, as particles become airborne.

Another tip, don't use a shop vac for cleaning out fireplace ash... there are special vacs to that. We learned that lesson the hard way. :-)