Check Out the Best Shop Vacs for Your Workshop
Shop vacuums are integral to any garage or workshop. These heavy-duty home appliances can handle elaborate cleaning tasks that a typical vacuum will not handle. Shop vacs are also more versatile.
In most of the products, you can reverse the suction to the blower for handling cleaning tasks. It would help if you considered several factors while choosing the right product. This includes the capacity, ease of maneuvering, and other factors. These can be powered by batteries or by an electric cord.
Check out the best shop vacs handpicked for the best performance based on Amazon reviews. Without much ado, here’s what you should know before buying the right unit.
Craftsman 16 Gallon 6.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac, Heavy-Duty Shop Vacuum
It’s a heavy-duty product with a powerful 6.5 peak HP for handling large projects in the garage or job site. The 16-gallon vacuum is sufficient to do the major cleanup. The product has a rear blowing port for fast cleaning of leaves and grass clippings in the outdoors. It features an oversized drain for emptying liquids conveniently. The diameter of the vacuum hose is 2 ½ inches. It is made with dual-flex technology supporting 180-degree mobility at each end. The hose is 7 feet long. It has a high suction power (190 CFM), making it a truly powerful product.
The dual-flex technology also resists kinking and crushing. It also comes with a host of accessories, making it one of the best shop vacs recommended by thousands of satisfied users. Accessories include 2 extension wands, a wet nozzle, a utility nozzle, and a car nozzle. It also has a Qwik lock filter and a dust collection bag. It is powered by a 20 feet power cord allowing sufficient movability.
The on-board hose storage facility plus power cord organizers eliminate any storage hassle when the vac is not in use. The oversized top carry handle also makes it easy to haul the unit. The only probable downside is the toxic smell from the plastic when you are using the vacuum, but it may not be so much of an issue.
Price: $119.99
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Milwaukee’s 18-Volt Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum
The cordless wet/dry vacuum provides a long continuous run time. It is operable on all 18 V slide-on batteries from Milwaukee, whether Li-ion or NiCd. Unfortunately, the battery pack and charger are not included with the product, and you have to buy them separately. It features high air power and suction driven by a powerful motor.
Unfortunately, it’s a 2-gallon vac, so it may not be appropriate when you have larger cleaning tasks. However, if you are looking for a lightweight product to remove dust, debris, and water, this is one of the best shop vacs you can get.
It consists of a reusable and washable wet/dry filter powered by Clean Stream 1 filtration technology. This filter delivers excellent fine dust collection, making it a convenient tool for cleaning up after a paint job or woodwork. The HEPA-rated filter does not need changing between wet and dry applications, making it a highly convenient appliance. The product features a built-in blower port for doubling its use as a blower. Conveniently clean the patio or garage space littered with leaves from the yard.
The product has a stackable too-poundsox design fitted with on-board hose and accessory storage. This allows for amazing convenience of storage and portability, furthermore due to the toolbox design. The hose is 1 ¼ inch in diameter, and it allows the fastening of standard vacuum accessories. Accessories include a crevice tool and a utility nozzle.
Price: $119.00
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RigidShopVac 12 Gal. 5.0-Peak HP NXT Wet Dry Vac
The 12-gallon Rigid Shop Vac is designed for pros. It features a 5 HP motor providing powerful suction. It has a built-in blower port making it a versatile product. Use the blower conveniently to clean fallen leaves and grass clippings from your garage floor. The 2 ½ inches diameter hose makes cleaning a big mess fast and easy. The vac features a patented Qwik Lock filter. It is designed for easy installation and removal of filters. The redesigned scroll technology offers an enhancement in power and suction.
However, the power cord is not very long. It is about 6 feet in length. So, if you want to clean up wide garage space, this may not be the most convenient option. The hose is made of plastic (and not rubber), and you can use it without any issue of the hose collapsing. The product does not come with a wet application filter, but you can buy it separately.
This is one of the best shop vacs in the 12-gallon range. If you want a good product with more capacity than a standard 2-gallon product but don’t need a 16 or 20-gallon unit, this one here can be a great choice. Despite its high capacity, it is a rather lightweight product, weighing only 0.69 Kg. It also comes with a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer, and this should be an additional incentive for buying this great product.
Price: $96.55
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Vacmaster Professional – Professional Wet/Dry Vac, 5 Gallon, Beast Series, 5.5 HP 1-7/8″ Hose Jobsite Vac
The VacMaster shop vacuum is powered by a 5.5 Peak HP motor delivering optimum performance. The vac has a large dust-sealed on/off switch to control the power. It is a product perfect for the most elaborate cleaning tasks at the shop, job site, or garage. The powerful product features a 1-7/8 diameter hose. The kink-resistant premium hose will work without collapsing.
The 7 feet hose combined with an 18 feet power cord provides a 25 feet cleaning area. It has powerful suction with CFM 102 and 82.6 Inches water lift. The versatile product has a capacity of 5 gallons and weighs 13.5 pounds. It comes with a fantastic set of accessories, making it suitable for any cleaning work.
These include a utility nozzle, a crevice tool, and a car nozzle. Other accessories are a fine dust cartridge filter, a wet foam filter, and an extension wand. It also comes with an air & noise diffuser. The tank is made of durable polypropylene material. You can easily on-board the hose and store the accessories on the product itself. This minimizes total storage space and eliminates the unnecessary hassle of storing the vac. All in all, it counts among the best shop vacs reviewed here.
Price: $89.99
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Workshop Wet Dry Vac High Capacity Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner, 16-Gallon Shop Vacuum Cleaner
The Workshop product is counted as one of the best shop vacs you can get. A 6.5 peak HP motor powers the high-capacity vac. The suction is extremely powerful. It can pick up about 1 gallon of water per second. It has a drain port for easy emptying of the water. The 2 ½ inch hose is 7 feet long. It is made with dual-flex technology offering 180-degree flexibility at either end. So you do not have to worry about the annoying problem of the hose getting detached from the vacuum during use.
The product has a locking tab to keep the hose attached securely in place. The integrated blowing port offers added versatility to the shop vac. The 16-gallon vacuum cleaner consists of a rugged copolymer drum that will resist dents and cracks. It is rust-proof and has a large drain. It is not compatible with dust collection bags, but you will never feel the need for an additional dust collection bag. The vacuum is mounted on smooth gliding casters for maximum mobility.
The product features a Qwik Lock Filter fastening system. Installation of filters is easy and quick with this system. In addition, all the included accessories can be stored neatly in the vacuum’s caster feet or lid surface containing integrated storage wells. Accessories include a utility nozzle, a car nozzle, a wet nozzle, and 2 extension wands.
Price: $128.34
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Wrap-Up
Keep your personal preferences in mind while buying a wet/dry vacuum. For example, if you want greater mobility, you should get the cordless model. That said, those with long cords are also suitable for vacuuming big areas. Check out what other users are saying.
Carefully judge the pros and cons of the products to get the right one for your use. If you have to clean large swathes of dust and debris in your garage, get ones with greater capacities.
If you need the vac for cleaning cars and doing moderate cleaning, products with lesser capacity should suffice. All in all, by selecting carefully from the best shop vacs listed here, you can get the one that fits the bill.