I have two ceramic grills, a medium Primo and a large Big Green Egg. Removing ashes with the ash removal tool is a somewhat tedious process usually resulting in a mess. A standard shop vac doesn’t work because they have only one filter and are not fine enough to capture the really fine ash particulates resulting in a cloud of fine ash. Not so with this vacuum. It has two filters that capture all of the ashes. This vacuum has a ten amp motor providing more than adequate vacuum power avoiding potential clogging. After grilling I usually wait until the next grilling session to vacuum the grill allowing the ashes to burn out and cool. It takes less than five minutes to finish removing the ashes and presto a nice clean grill with no messy ash residue to clean up.First up is obvious in my photos, there was damage when it arrived. Probably the carrier, but not sure. There is a visible dent in the corner of the box, so better packing material in that area would be suggested. It's usable so I am not concerned. Performance wise, it shines. Very good suction and is sealed well. I have not had any noticeable discharge of fine particles. It is light and maneuverable. I only give four stars due to the damage. Would suggest this to anyone looking at a dry vac. It is NOT a wet/dry vac.I read every review before purchasing this ash vacuum, so I'm going to address every issue addressed in those reviews. If you are buying this to use on a pellet stove, you will definitely NEED TO BUY the PowerSmith PAAC302 Ash Vacuum Cleaning Kit. (It allows you to get into the small areas you won't be able to navigate with the vacuum's accessories. If you have a regular wood burning stove, or maybe even a more spacious pellet stove insert, you might want to wait and see if you need the accessories kit.PRO: Seriously good suction power. Even if you use the smaller accessories with the optional cleaning kit, it still maintains powerful suction.PRO: It is fairly quiet. Not much louder than a regular vacuum cleaner. Other reviewers complained it was too loud; they have obviously never used a shop vac. This is far quieter than a shop vac.PRO: Lightweight, but sturdy canister. It rolls around like a dream and has a handle on the top so you can pick it up and carry it very easily.PRO: The floor vacuum accessory is AMAZING. I was going to buy another vacuum to sweep up the pellet dust/ash that falls around my living room, but I do not need to. It has great suction on wood, ceramic tile, and vinyl flooring. I don't have carpet flooring, but it has a switch so you can adjust for carpet.PRO: Dumping the canister is easy. YES - it is a messy process. You are dealing with messy ash. The cool part is that the bags that hold the 40 lbs of pellets slides over top of the canister opening. So take the vacuum outside, remove the filter (messy) and shake it out, put the empty plastic pellet bag over the top of the canister, turn it upside down, wait a few seconds for the ash to settle, then remove the canister.PRO: The cord is long enough for most needs. The hose is plastic, but strong enough not to be damaged from normal use.PRO: The unit sets up very easily. (Anyone can put it together.) The canister snaps are easy to use. The unit looks great.PRO: The price is a good value for this highly functional vacuum.NEUTRAL: The "full" indicator is too vague to really be helpful. (You'll only see the red indicator when the vacuum is ON.) But I was able to do 2 full deep cleans, and 5 basic cleans, without having to dump the canister. (By the way, the vacuum will automatically shut off when it gets overheated from being too full.)NEUTRAL: The top of the vacuum will heat up. No, it will not BURN you to touch it. If the unit does overheat, you will have to let it cool off for about an hour. However, you should be able to accomplish a deep cleaning of the ash without it overheating. It doesn't overheat under normal floor vacuuming operation. It only overheats and shuts off under prolonged heavy suction and ash filtering...and that just keeps you from burning out the motor. (DO NOT SUCK UP hot embers unless you want to burn a hole in your filter. Be smart and only use this once your ash is cooled or medium, but without embers. If you have a pellet stove, you'll need to deep clean every few days anyways.)NEGATIVE: Someone reviewers mentioned they get a shock when using it. YEP -- me, too. The manufacturer really needs to put a different plug on this thing. I suspect a 3-prong plug would eliminate the shock issue. (As for the shock, it is not going to hurt you or kill you -- it's a tad more than an static electricity zap, but it really is annoying.) Not everyone who owns this unit is reporting zaps, but it does do this on mine. If you GROUND yourself to the stove with one hand while vacuuming with the other, it eliminates the zap all together. If you clip an alligator clip to the metal on your stove, and the other clip to the metal canister snap, it reduces (but doesn't eliminate) the zap. I will likely buy a 2-to-3 prong cheater/adapter (cheap and available at any home improvement store) to see if this works. I suspect having that extra ground will eliminate the problem.That's it for the negatives. That zap is the only negative thing I have experienced and I can work around it. For all the PROS this vacuum offers, it is well worth the money. It has made pellet stove ownership far more enjoyable for me.Didn't want to spend the $800 on a name brand furnace vac so gave this a try. Works great, excellent suction, sturdy hose - get the longer hose sold separately, the one that comes with it is too short for much of anything. Very strong filter and washable! Does the job well for a fraction of the price.I just moved into a new house with a pellet stove, so I needed a vacuum that could handle the ash clean up. The reviews for this one were mixed, but it seemed like it had the features I needed, so I gave it a shot.I've used this vacuum probably twice a week for the last two months and so far I've been impressed. It feels well constructed, comes with all the necessary attachments, and the suction power is impressive. It only takes me a few minutes to completely clean my stove of ash, and it handles warm ashes great. Cleans up the area really well. It's mentioned several times in the description that this is a "quiet" vacuum and I can honestly say that's bogus - this thing is loud. I've never found a quiet shop-vac though, and wasn't expecting one here so no big deal.I'll update this review if anything changes, but so far I'm really happy with this vacuum and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a quick and efficient ash cleanup methodI put off buying an ash vac for our pellet stove for years. I'm not sure why, but a family member had a really crappy one and I just assumed that it was easier to do the cleaning manually. Then I had a cleaning of my stove by a professional with a real commercial vacuum and decided to invest in one. I checked all the reviews and this model and manufacturer seemed to always be at or near the top of the lists for value. I've used it for 3+ months now and am very impressed with its performance. I got all the options listed and the suction is excellent. I'm a little worried that it will eventually lose suction and the bag will need to be replaced, so I bought an extra. I can clean the glass with it without making a second pass. It effortlessly sucks up everything from the burn pot and inside area without expelling any noticeable ash. The cord is very long. There are many attachments to get the ash where it is, as required. It has rollers so I can easily put it away, hidden under a table and pull it out in seconds to do my thing. I'm completely satisfied at this point and the quality appears to be there so I'm sure that I'll get many years of use from it.When I bought this vacuum I was hoping to buy regular shop vac bags and get double duty from it as an ash vac and shop vac. But I don’t think so.As an ash vac I find it has good suction and is great for cleaning up hard to reach places in my wood cookstove without making any dust. It’s very clean to use. Much cleaner than sweeping out the ash pan area with a brush. The brush is handier, maybe faster, less cumbersome, but definitely messier. I remove the bulk of ash manually and only use the vacuum to clean the fire components right down, bare and clean.The vacuum does have a rather loud whine my dog doesn’t like. Or me either, when it comes to that. But I know it isn’t going to eat me.Because of the strict filtration in the vacuum which enables it to suck in air and ashes, and then expel the air back into your house WITHOUT the ashes, it is working hard even when it’s clean and empty. That’s why these vacuums tend to get hot so quickly. It’s not a defect. And it’s also why they need to be emptied and cleaned after every job.My first use I vigorously beat the inner liner and the fabric started to unravel at the stitching, so a word of caution to go easy with that, and I wouldn’t put it through the washing machine even though I believe it says you can. Maintenance is easy though, just dump out the can and shake the liner out and put it all back together, ready for next time.I find it best to vacuum, then shut it off while I do any little thing, then turn it back on. I don’t leave it run while I take something apart to clean under or put back. Even if it’s only for a few seconds, I just turn it off and let it sit while I fiddle with something. (For example, my stove has an accessory drawer that collects ash. Sometimes I’ll pull it right out to clean underneath the stove.) I’ve never had it overheat yet and I’ve used it several times.If the hose gets hot, your fire’s not out and you’re sucking up hot coals and ash. I noticed some reviewers complaining about that. The fire must be out cold before vacuuming. Embers can stay alive while buried in ashes for a long time. Be fire-safe.There might be better vacuums out there but I find this one is sufficient and I’m happy with it.When it works, it's a great little ash vacuum, especially if you buy the add on kit. However, after only 5 uses, the motor died part way through cleaning my furnace out, and now it won't turn back on. Also, the filter, which is easy to clean, seemed to be deteriorating and fraying in multiple areas and got worse the more I cleaned it. I have contacted the company to see if they can do anything with the warranty and will update my review when I hear back.Otherwise, the product is lacking in the quality department. I do not recommend anyone buy this, look elsewhere.Good vacuum. Much quieter than the last one. I ordered the accessory pack based on other reviews that said the hose was too large to fit into their stove, but I never even opened it. I think our pellet stove is a pretty typical size and the hose, even with the metal piece and the brush attachment both installed, fits to clean it just fine. So I recommend getting this vacuum and not getting the accessory pack unless you find that you need it later. The vacuum even comes with a floor attachment, which I did not expect, so I can vacuum the floor around the stove more easily.It also has a top port where you can attach the hose to blow air instead of drawing it, so you can blow dirt and dust out of the motor and other areas of the stove.Let me say again: it is MUCH quieter than the last ash vacuum we had. I used to work as quickly as I could because the noise of the last one made my ears hurt, but this one doesn't bother me at all. The lower noise level alone is worth one star.The unit is nice, well built overall for the price. The metallic hose is a nice touch.However, the suction leaves a lot to be desired. The first time I turned this on, it was nice, but the within seconds the filter gauge showed almost clogged. I am the owner that shovels out the majority of the ash before any vacuum, and I also don't vacuum any potential hot ash. I mainly use an ash vacuum to clean up any ash that falls off the shovel and onto the mantel. So, I barely can get a small film on the bottom of the canister before I can hear the motor struggling due to the clogged filter. Considering I rarely use the vacuum, and how I use it, it is no better than a shop vac which I already have. I am smart enough not to vacuum up hot ash.I also have 3 fireboxes, so having a vacuum work for a few seconds, only to spend 5 minutes cleaning it, seems like a great example of the law of diminishing returns. A good broom and a mop is faster for the floor, and you don't have to have a pristine firebox considering I use them so often. My good cast iron shovel and broom set will have to do.A suggestion would be a system that keeps the ash in as much suspension and minimal hits the filter. That is, of course, on a more expensive system.If you REALLY need a spic and span firebox and only use your fireplace for ornamental fires one in a blue moon, sure. This product will do you just fine for the 1-2 times a year you would use it. If you don't have a shop vac already, it does a good job in that regard so it may be worth your time. If this is primarily an ash vacuum, and you already have a shop vac, save your time and buy a paper filter for your machine. I'm sure if you're a woodburner for heat, you already know about hot coals. You would have to go through a lot of paper filters to make up for the cost and storage of this unit.Just my 2 cents. I am returning this product as it is more a paperweight than useful.Really quiet! And I sucked up the very finest of soot and there wasn’t a hint of material that escaped the vacuum. It’s a great tool for cleaning the fireplace that I use regularly. Note that the motor does seem to get pretty hot. I was worried I had sucked up some hot coals or something the first time I used it because the top of the motor felt so hot. I wouldn’t want to use it for extended lengths of time for that reason. Certainly not as my only vacuum. But great for the fireplace.