My simple shop-vac dust collection system works very well for my small shop, but one annoyance is turning the vacuum on and off every time I turn a tool on and off. I finally bought an iVac switch and my only regret is not buying it sooner. You plug both your vacuum and your tool into this switch. Whenever your tool turns on, your vacuum will turn on. When you turn the tool off, the vacuum runs for another 3-5 seconds and then shuts off. It’s incredibly convenient.
It has two plugs so that you can source power from two different electrical circuits. This would be useful if the tool you are using takes around 15 amps. You’d blow the circuit if you turned on a shop vac too. I don’t use that feature yet but I like knowing that it exists.
There’s a switch on the front that lets you choose from Auto, On, or Off so you can still flip the vacuum on without a tool or stop it from coming on when you turn on a tool. The whole thing seems simple but it’s very well-designed.
Now I don’t have to reach under my bench to flip the vacuum on and off. I can hide it away and let this magic switch do the work.