I had been using a hair dryer on a low heat setting until now, and heard that isn't the best choice for the coat and skin. In addition, it was taking about 1/2 hour, and she still wasn't completely dry when I finally shut the thing off.

I decided to research dog dryers, and was floored by the prices, so I decided to look into a smaller Shop Vac. I ended up with one of these.



On sale at Walmart for $19.97: Shop Vac 1.5 Gallon HangOn Wet/Dry Vac - Walmart.com

You can use it as a blower. It's surprisingly powerful for it's size...2 HP, and 128 CFM (more than some of the lower end dog dryers). I was a little skeptical, but I gave Bella a bath when I got home with it, and was pleasantly surprised. It cut the drying time nearly in half.

I'm sure the mid to high end dog dryers would blow this thing away, but if you don't want to shell out $180 - $300 for a decent one, this might be worth a look.

Shop Vac's site has more technical info than Walmart's site does: Vacs | Shop-Vac Brand. The Original Wet/Dry Vac

This unit is made by Shop Vac specifically for Walmart.

I wouldn't use a Shop Vac that you've previously used as a vacuum, because there could be some debris in the hose, which could injure the dog. I bought this specifically for dog drying. It will never be used as a vacuum.

Thank you for posting this!! I have been looking for a cheaper alternative as well.


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I was fully prepared to return it, but it worked pretty good! It is a little loud, but unlike a hair dryer, the noise isn't right next to the ears when your drying the dog.

I also like the portability of it.


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Thanks for this info.

I have also been using the hair dryer and, as you, I am not fully convinced and happy about it!

Will keep that in mind

I actually went out to buy it today. I'm going to try it out tomorrow or Wednesday.. Can't wait!


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I hope it works as good for you as it did for me!

Please note, that I tried not to set expectations too high. I'm sure a decent dog dryer is better, but for $19.95, it's worth a shot......

Oh yeah, for that price my expectations are not too high lol. But it's better than nothing. How long did it take you to dry Bella with it?


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Thanks, maybe I'll try that. The blow dryer takes too long and trying to dry Bentley is like trying to herd cats

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I didn't really time it, but it was probably somewhere between 15-20 minutes. A hair dryer takes about 1/2 hour.

Next time, I'll set the stopwatch.

Let us know how it goes.

Depending on how your dog reacts to new sounds (loud), it may take some work to get her use to it.

Have you turned it on yet?