Dry vacuum pumps are currently not in vogue, but can solve a lot of problems in metallurgical, chemical and biomechanical processes. Some types of dry pumps, developed for pressures below a few mbar, which use claw type rotors, are compared to multistage pumps with Roots type rotors. Applications at pressures up to 100 mbar and more, in continuous service and for processes involving liquids, are discussed. Results of 3-, 4- and 5-stage configurations with and without gas-ejectors are presented, among them pump configurations with continuous working pressures of 10-3-103 mbar.