Fein 9-55-13 Turbo II 9-1/2 Gallon 1-1/3 Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum with Auto-Start

After considerable individual research which included many complementary user-reviews, I purchased this vac as a replacement to my existing vac. The Turbo II is much quieter than my other vac. It still make noise, don't get me wrong. But it is several dB's lower and doesn't have the obnoxious, high-pithed whine. The filtration bag that comes with it really does a superb job. Unless you have a serious medical reason for doing so, I would recommend at least trying the vac with the filter that comes with it, before upgrading.

I would however, strongly recommend considering the WET/DRY Clean-up Kit. (Fein doesn't package their vac's with the assorted attachments that most of their competitors do) This kit is good quality and worth the investment.

Besides the very tolerable noise level, I really like built-in electrical recepticle that starts or stops the vacuum automatically when the power tool is switched on or off. When you turn the power tool off, the vacuum will continue to run for about 4 seconds to continue cleaning the line, then the vac turns off.

For my application, this provides all the vacuum suction necessary. Since I've been using the Turbo II, the garage shop is much cleaner, the house stays cleaner and I'm not in touble nearly as much. My only regret is that I didn't buy it two years ago.


One of the best vacuums I have seen!   June 28, 2002
30 out of 30 found this review helpful

I finally took the plunge and bought the Fein vacuum for my shop. I did a lot of research and tried out the Dewalt, Porter cable and an industrial Shop vac unit. The Fein seemed to be of the highest quality so after I narrowed my research I did some more work in justifying its purchase. Here are some points to all the people that would like to buy this unit:

1. The Fein is in my opinion the best made vacuum for the price. Comparisons with competitive units showed the Fein to be the best made in the bunch. The looks, fit and finish and "feel" of the unit give out only one thing: QUALITY!

2. Despite what some Doom-sayers say about the Fein I managed to use my old Shopvac's hose on the unit! It fit right in without any trouble or modification whatsoever. I do not own a Sears vacuum so I do not know about them. The fit is tight but it DOES fit and you can use ALL your old Shopvac accesories with it! The opening on the Fein is just about 2.5" and it also accepted the hose that I use for my Dewalt tablesaw (2.5"). Again, The hose fit is snag but it fits and it stays in place beautifully. I could even pull the unit by the hose and it did not come loose.

3. My side to side noise level comparison with the old shop vac was a NO contest! The Fein is many times quieter and it does not have that high level sqeal of the old Shopvac! I do not understand the other reviewer that did not find a big difference! The difference in sound level between the two units is HUGE! You can talk with a friend while the Fein is running!

4. Suction! Does this unit SUCK! You can hear the air noise entering the old shop vac hose like a hurricane! The Fein is much more powerful that my old shop vac and it seemed to be at least as powerfull as the rest of the competitive units. The static pressure and the air volume of the of the unit's suction are incredible!

5. Someone else complaint about no place to wrap the cord? Maybe he was talking about a diferent unit! The ONLY thing you have to do is to remove a rubber insert which comes in the way of cord when you rap it around the unit's groove. Here I DO have a complaint that the power cord does not have this fitting that you can attach the plug onto the cord so it stays in place when wrapped around the vacuum. A minor quible but an important one for a unit of this price level.

I considered buying the wet/dry accesory package but I don think they are worth it! The plastic they are made from seems too brittle and I do not think they would stand heavy usage. The cost is ridiculous! I totally agree with other reviewers that this package should come with the vacuum for FREE!

For anyone looking for a new vacuum that is quiet, looks great, is of the highest manufacturing quality and it has power to spare DO NOT buy anything else before giving this unit the look it deserves. The price is a bit steep but as they say: You only get what you pay for!


This tool is powerful, quiet, and worth every penny!   November 20, 1999
Scott Pointon (Crest Hill, IL United States)
52 out of 56 found this review helpful

I purchased this shop vaccuum at a woodworking show last year and it has served me well in the time since. This tool is extremely powerful. I have used it on everything from wood shavings to drywall dust and it performs well no matter what. Besides great suction power, it is quiet, and has a built in automatic power-on feture for use with other power tools. The extra long cord and hose are nice features as well.


Another Fein Turbo II fan   July 8, 2004
Picky picky picky (Petaluma, CA USA)
30 out of 32 found this review helpful

Most of the other reviews are very positve. Mine is no exception. I want to add my 2 cents anyway and respond to some reviewers negative comments.

1) Yes, the manual is brief, but come on, it's a vacuum. It's got an on/off switch, a manual/automatic (tool triggered) switch and a hose. What's to know?

2) It is so quiet that I sometimes have to hold my hand over the hose to make sure it's on. It always is. 72ish dB by my meter with the hose on (how could you use it hoseless?) in my concert floored, plaster board walled garage shop. If you buy one and feel that it's loud it must be defective. Return it and ask for a replacement. Still that's a bit over twice as loud in real life as the maker's 57.8 dB claim (by definition twice as loud is +10dB, although Fein probably tests in an anechoic chamber to eliminate echo and ambient noise). Twice as loud as really, really quiet is still really quiet.

3) One reviewer commented about hose storage interfering with the clamps. I suggest that you empty it before you wrap the hose around the top and tuck it in for the night.

4) It's insanely powerful.

5) Yes, it's hose is small in diameter so you can't pick up big chunks of stuff. It does, however, do a great job on little chunks of stuff and dust.

6) It is expensive, but you get what you pay for "You always buy a cheap tool twice".

7) I have had no problems with any "brittle" plastic bits and pieces (in fact, I haven't found any yet).

8) I use it a lot because it's so quiet an effective. My shop is safer and more organized now because it's much cleaner.

9) I planned on buying the Porter-Cable, but it wouldn't handle the wattage of my 2hp router. I usually buy P-C and Delta so it was kinda hard to stray to Fein, but I'm glad I did.

10) The accesory kit is a little expensive ($70) but it's very useful.