The Shop-Vac saves the day... again

Buffalo is now on the other side of a snow storm that dumped over 4 feet of snow (and upwards of 6 or more feet in other areas of the Buffalo region. Now, as the great thaw starts, flooding ensues. Now, for
anyone with a basement, this means some flooding. For most of us, especially those of us with a sump pump, this means a few areas of the basement where we get puddles or even a quarter inch of water flooding part of the basement. For others, especially those at the bottom of hills or living near creeks, their entire basements get flooded. For those in the former situation, the ShopVac or any similar wet/dry vac is a key tool in keeping the house reasonably safe.

The first potable, true vacuum cleaner was invented and sold by Walter Griffiths circa 1905. After several decades, mechanical engineer Martin Miller created the ShopVac company as an offshoot of the Craft Tool Corporation (1) - this occurred in 1953. Miller's efforts then led to the creation of the ShopVac cannister vacuum, circa 1969. Located in Williamsport, PA, the ShopVac company is today rebuilding after the Miller's sold the company; it almost closing during the Pandemic (1). 

Now, other companies have developed their own brand of wet/dry vacs, but ShopVac is the brand best
known for these shop staples/miracles. From my research, it appears that several "brand names" are actually ShopVacs with the other brand name printed on the vacuum's exterior. Still investigating this further. That said, as the water continues to build in Buffalo, NY, the wet/dry vacs I own are helping me manage the water/melting snow. I have an actual "ShopVac"(2) in my garage, but it is a larger unit, making it difficult to maneuver around the different rooms in my basement. So, last year, I purchased a smaller wet/dry vac made by 'Hyper Tough', which appears to be a brand developed by Walmart (3). I'm looking into this further. Let me tell you, this little, 1.5 gallon, vacuum is a nice vac for sucking up water in basements. The one drawback is the connectors that secure the top of the vac to the bottom. If filled with water, the connectors tend to disconnect if not careful (so hold the device from the base when transporting it or you may find all the water you sucked up back on the basement floor). For that connection issue, I give this vacuum 4 out of 5 Trowels. 

REFERENCEs

(1) https://www.sungazette.com/news/top-news/2022/02/company-with-about-200-workers-looks-to-employ-more/

(2) https://shopvacint.com/pages/about-us

(3) https://whomakehub.com/who-makes-hyper-tough-tools/#google_vignette