This ProToolReviews video delivers a best-of roundup for wet/dry vacuums for jobsite, car, and home use, according to Cline DeBoer, the chief editor and founder of Pro Tool Reviews.
OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT:
Hey, this is Clint DeBoer with ProTool Reviews, and I'm going to give you my best pick for the best shop vac. Before we get started, yes, I know "ShopVac" is a trade name, but we're going to basically define a shop vac as the kind of vacuum that's going to be used mostly for collecting debris. Let me take you through some of my key picks and tell you a little bit about why I picked them.
Best Cordless Wet/Dry Vac
First of all, I want to talk about the best cordless shop vac, and this is the Ego 56V Cordless 9-gallon Wet/Dry Vac. What I like about this product in particular is that it's a wet/dry vac, and it's got 110 CFM and 100 inches of water lift. So, that's a lot of muscle, but it’s also got more because it has a filter cleaning mechanism built in that we don't typically see on a lot of shop vacs. You can even operate it via remote control, which is pretty cool.
I know there are a lot of products that I have in the shop that are cordless, and getting my vacuum to work with those usually requires a pretty sophisticated or manufacturer-specific tool. It's nice to see more companies like Ego here get on board with that. The price for this particular vac is $299 for the bare tool, which is awesome if you already own Ego products, or $499 for the kit with a 5-amp hour battery and charger.
Best Vacuum for Your Car
One of my personal favorite vacs for cleaning your car is the Milwaukee M18 Fuel Packout 2.2-gallon Wet/Dry Vac. First of all, it comes with really handy accessories that store right inside. It's very easy to clean your car's carpets and quickly switch to your seats. You can pick this thing up and take it anywhere.
I actually love pulling the filter out and using it to drain my AC all the time—getting the water out of those water lines and cleaning them out. Doing that a couple of times a year helps prevent any overflow issues. Plus, it's Packout-compatible, which is really cool if you're going to a job site with your Packout rig. You can put this vac on top and clean up when you're done, leaving your client really happy. This vac costs about $199 as a bare tool, and it's a really cool product.
Best High Capacity Vacuum
If you want a lot of capacity, Ridgid has the 16-gallon NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vac, the HD1800. I love these vacuums for several reasons. They're a great value, and you get a ton of suction for the price. This is a $159 vac with 6.2 peak horsepower and 184 CFM, making it the strongest model that Ridgid currently has in their lineup (though they do flip models frequently). The 16-gallon canister will hold more debris than most vacs out there. It's got a nice cart design with a handle so you can move it around your workspace, and you get tons of nozzles to tackle just about any kind of job you can imagine, whether on the floor, benchtop, or hooked up to a machine for dust collection on something larger, like a table saw or miter saw.
Best Compact Shop Vacuum
If you're looking for something smaller, the Craftsman 2.5-gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum is a great option. It has a long model number: CMXEVBE17595 (you should get an award just for remembering that). This is a small shop vac you can pick up and carry around. It doesn't have wheels, but with just 2.5 gallons, you don’t need them. This is a plug-in model, and it’s a great product with 2 horsepower, 60 CFM, and 48 inches of water lift. It's perfect for small messes, like spills in the shop or kitchen, when you just want to grab something and go.
Here’s the crazy part: it costs just $39.98, so it's under $40! You can pick this up at Lowe's, making it an even better deal.
Best Heavy-Duty Shop Vacuum
For heavy-duty applications, I really like the Vacmaster 8-gallon Industrial Wet/Dry Vac, model VK811PH. This is my best heavy-duty shop vac pick for a few reasons. First, it has 106 inches of water lift, and even with that strong suction, it still manages 125 CFM. It’s a very heavy-duty model. Another thing I love about this vac is that it comes with a "metric butt-ton" of accessories, which lets you vacuum floors, get into tight spaces, and handle a variety of tasks. It costs about $232, and you can buy it at Acme Tools or Amazon, so it's widely available.
Best "Shop Vac" for Home
When I wanted to pick a good shop vac for home use, I settled on the Hart 8-gallon Stainless Steel Wet/Dry Vac, model VOC812SF 3701. This vac costs $79, and for that price, you get a stainless steel canister, a handle for easy maneuvering, plenty of accessories, and large wheels to get over materials. It has 6 peak horsepower, 100 CFM, and 89 inches of water lift, which is incredible performance for the price. It’s a really good value for home use.
Best-Selling Shop Vacuums
I've given you my picks so far, but you might also be interested in the best-selling shop vacs at your favorite retailers. These include the top three best-selling shop vacs at Acme Tools, Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowe's.
Best All-Around Wet/Dry Vac
Now, it’s time for my number one pick for the best shop vac, and that’s the Milwaukee Modular Wet/Dry Vacuum System and their Air-Tip accessories. It sounds like I'm cheating because there’s technically more than one vac here, but these vacs are modular. You can pick the size you want—6, 9, or 12 gallons—and choose whether you want a corded vac, a single-battery vac, or a dual-battery vac. You buy the head that matches the canister size you want, and it's like playing with Legos for grown-ups!
You can also choose from their Air-Tip line of trade-focused accessories, which are compatible with almost any hose size, so you have plenty of options even if you want to use those accessories with another vac (don’t tell Milwaukee I said that). Prices range from $249 for a bare tool to $799 depending on how you configure the system. Their accessories start at $17.99 and go up to $119, letting you clean floors, reach corners, and tackle dry or wet tasks. It’s a really extensive system that’s far more versatile than anything else in the industry.
That’s my pick for the best shop vac, along with my other recommendations depending on your needs. Let me know what you think in the comments—whether you agree, disagree, or if there’s something awesome that didn’t make the list. Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and as always, thanks for watching!
