Craftsman 16 Gallon Wet/Dry Curb Find

Last night on my walk I saw one of my neighbors had set a Craftsman wet/dry vac on the curb. It was getting dark so I figured if it was still there in the morning I’d take a closer look and possibly grab it.

It was, and I did.

Looks to be in good shape, I couldn’t find a date on it, but I’d say definitely late 80s or early 90s, red and black in color and made by Emerson. It’s quite dirty, and I would probably take it all apart and give it all a wash with hot water and detergent.

It came with a hose, the small utility nozzle, two plastic wands, two round dusting brushes, a crevice tool and a large floor brush. Everything is the large Jumbotron size. lol

I thought it was a great find for free as you usually find them without any tools at all, and replacements can be quite pricey. One of the dusting brushes and the wands appear to be newer than the machine, as they have stickers on them that say “Sears Brands Management Co”.

I wish it had been the all black variable speed model my other neighbor had, but oh well it’s very nice for free.

Not sure what’s going on with that house. An older man lived there for many years and suddenly I haven’t seen him. The house went up for sale and sold but what’s odd is his mint condition 2008 Chrysler Town and Country Limited is still there, so I’m thinking maybe family ended up buying the house or something.

That guy loved those Chrysler vans as he had multiple Grand Caravans and Town and Country jellybean vans from the early ti mid 2000s over the years, before finally getting that box style one a few years ago. He also had a Grand Cherokee and Chevy HHR at one point and a nice 1990 GMC box body truck a few years ago that was mint too.


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Post# 470274 3/24/2024 at 09:17 by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Last night on my walk I saw one of my neighbors had set a Craftsman wet/dry vac on the curb. It was getting dark so I figured if it was still there in the morning I’d take a closer look and possibly grab it. It was, and I did. Looks to be in good shape, I couldn’t find a date on it, but I’d say definitely late 80s or early 90s, red and black in color and made by Emerson. It’s quite dirty, and I would probably take it all apart and give it all a wash with hot water and detergent. It came with a hose, the small utility nozzle, two plastic wands, two round dusting brushes, a crevice tool and a large floor brush. Everything is the large Jumbotron size. lol I thought it was a great find for free as you usually find them without any tools at all, and replacements can be quite pricey. One of the dusting brushes and the wands appear to be newer than the machine, as they have stickers on them that say “Sears Brands Management Co”. I wish it had been the all black variable speed model my other neighbor had, but oh well it’s very nice for free. Not sure what’s going on with that house. An older man lived there for many years and suddenly I haven’t seen him. The house went up for sale and sold but what’s odd is his mint condition 2008 Chrysler Town and Country Limited is still there, so I’m thinking maybe family ended up buying the house or something. That guy loved those Chrysler vans as he had multiple Grand Caravans and Town and Country jellybean vans from the early ti mid 2000s over the years, before finally getting that box style one a few years ago. He also had a Grand Cherokee and Chevy HHR at one point and a nice 1990 GMC box body truck a few years ago that was mint too.

Post# 470282 , Reply# 1 3/24/2024 at 23:36 by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Curb find!* It sounds like your neighbor took good care of his equipment, so hopefully after you get the "recent" usage washed off by whomever it will be a good find for you. At least the person who put it out on the curb was thoughtful enough to include all the attachments.If the family didn't keep the Chrysler maybe it was included in the sale of the the house!

Post# 470290 , Reply# 2 3/25/2024 at 11:15 by human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I had a chance at a Craftsman shop vac like that, at least I assume it was like that, since there aren't any photos with the post. My dad had it and had run it hard. He offered it to me when he and Mom were downsizing, moving to a retirement community. Like I said, it had been run hard. The hose and power cord were both held together with duct tape, and it would have taken up too much space, both in my car and at my house when I got it home. Besides, I already had a smaller Dayton shop vac that I'd rescued from the discount retail store I'd worked at. We hardly ever used it, and the attachments had gotten scattered all over the stock room, so the manager told me to gather up all the pieces and pitch it in the dumpster, or if it ended up in the trunk of my car, to not tell her. I parked it outside the back door and loaded it into the back of my car after I closed the store that evening, and I honored the manager's request not to say another word about it to her.

Post# 470296 , Reply# 3 3/25/2024 at 14:02 by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )
Checkrate/Likes 1 can you post a picture of it ,?

Post# 470324 , Reply# 4 3/26/2024 at 20:51 by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes *Per the requests… some photos* Needs some cleanup, looks like it should clean up well. It definitely needs a new filter. From what I gather, Amazon seems to be a good place to find filters for the older Craftsman. I saw one on there that claims to fit post 1988 Craftsman machines and is even washable. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 2 View Full Size

Post# 470325 , Reply# 5 3/26/2024 at 22:06 by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )
Checkrate/Likes Looks complete from what i see a filter a bag and should be a good shop vacuum for years to come given proper maintenance those are loud heavy bulky but when water comes in to play they save the house i sure love my shop vac.