Specialty vacuum pumps are specialty or proprietary products and accessories related to vacuum pumps. Specialty vacuum pumps include portable, handheld, and miniature vacuum pumps; low power or 12-volt vacuum pumps, and a variety of other devices. Specialty vacuum pumps also include low power electric pumps for use in vehicles. A 12 volt vacuum pump is commonly used to create the vacuum necessary for operating power brakes. This type of electric vacuum pump is also used in other portable or battery-powered devices.

Specialty vacuum pumps are used for many different industrial and scientific applications, including purification of chambers in chemical or semiconductor manufacturing, degassing fume areas in laboratories, and for holding components in place during machining processes. A specialty vacuum pump used for handheld applications may include devices for bleeding brake lines on cars and trucks. A hand vacuum pump often employs a trigger-style design, allowing an operator to easily disengage the vacuum. Other specialty vacuum pumps include miniature or even microscopic pumps for use in small apparatus or motors. A mini vacuum pump may be battery-powered and used in robotic applications or in applications where space is limited.

Specialty vacuum pumps for other types of applications include rotary vane vacuum pumps and liquid ring vacuum pumps. A rotary vane vacuum pump consists of a hollow body with a rotating cylinder that is mounted off-axis with two opposing vanes. The motion of the turning rotor causes the volume present between the two vanes and the hollow body of the pump to vary at each half turn. Rotary vane vacuum pumps are used in all kinds of vacuum applications, including thin film deposition and other semiconductor processes. A liquid ring vacuum pump consist of a rotating impeller with multiple blades mounted in a pump housing. As the impeller rotates, centrifugal force moves a liquid against the outside wall, forming a seal. Liquid ring vacuum pumps work like a piston, compressing the gas in the chamber as the impeller moves toward the top of the pump housing.