With a continued focus on user safety Bosch has announced a larger addition to their growing lineup of vacuums & dust extractor accessories. As companies have become compliant with the OSHA silica standards the Bosch VAC090 and VAC140 have been extremely popular. Both feature auto-cleaning, tool power management and 150 CFM which means they meet requirements up to 6” cutting & grinding tools. For professionals however there continues to be a big demand for a dust collection solution for use with larger equipment 7”, 9”, 12” and larger (cutting/grinding). The GAS20-17AH ($1500) is a heavy duty monster that’ll collect dust at a rate of 300 CFM so more than enough to use with larger grinders and cutters all the way up to 12” under Table 1 (possibly even on 14” or higher but would require testing).
This unit seems to get a lot of things right, the vacuum is a relatively manageable size and power is provided by single standard 20A plug. Some other vac units in the 250+ CFM range are much more expensive, way larger and require 220V or multiple plugs. It is of course auto-cleaning and HEPA rated to capture 99.97% of all particles at .3 microns or larger.
At 17 gallons of wet or dry material the holding tank can get pretty heavy, the unit has very smart dumping mechanism to easily empty the canister with minimal effort. All around a very solid construction, room to store the 16’ included hose, attachments and 27’ power cord.
While the unit is big, it’s manageable which means it could be your 1 vacuum providing versatility for a wide range of applications. To get the most work out of it you can actual split the port with a Y-Connector (unfortunately sold separately) to run two tools at once up to 6” capacity.
Where you might be disappointed is that it does not feature power management for tools (plug cord into vac which turns on/off with tool) like the smaller VAC090 and VAC140. For obvious reasons there is only so much power you can get from 1 outlet, this vac has a massive 17.5 Amp motor that isn’t going to share power with a 5”, 7” or 9” grinder pulling its own 10-15+ amps of juice. Running large electric saws and grinders with this vac will require locating separate circuits and depending on the electrical (especially in older remodels) could provide some challenges.
Check out our vacuum comparison video we did last year for more on Silica Dust Extraction Vacs, these were all in the 130-150 CFM range so nothing that compares directly to this new Bosch model. More info and specs on the Bosch GAS20-17AH below that. Also for additional questions on Bosch Tools check out the experts at Ohio Power Tool.
GAS20-17AH SPECS:
- Air Flow 300 CFM
- Amperage 17.5
- Capacity (gal) 17.0
- Height 36.0″
- Hose Diameter (in) 1.37
- Length 25.0″
- Static Water Lift 96.0″
- Vacuum Suction Pressure 242 millibars or 97.3 inches of water lift (max.)
- Voltage 120V
- Weight 139 lbs
- Wet / Dry Yes
- Sound Level 73 dB
- Width 22.0″
- BAG – Three-Layer Heavy-Duty Filter Bag VB170
- Filters – VF430H HEPA, VF410 Polyester
- Vacuum Hoses – VAC005, VH1635A, VH1635, VH1622A, VH1035, VH1022
- Suction Tube & Floor Nozzle Set – VX460
- Y-Connector for Hoses – VX450
- Wet Filter Bag and Plastic Bag – VB170S and VB170P
- Bend / Elbow – VX100
- Includes: (1) GAS20-17A 17-Gallon 300-CFM Dust Extractor, (1) VF430H HEPA Filter, (5) VB170 Heavy-Duty Three-Layer Filter Bag, (1) VH1635A 16 Ft. Anti-Static Vacuum Hose, (1) VX100 Elbow, (1) VX460 Suction Tubes / Floor Set
