Shop Vac reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 242 Reddit reviews across 31 subreddits and 63 posts to rank the best Shop Vac brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Tools, r/HomeImprovement, r/VacuumCleaners, r/woodworking, r/PitBossGrills. Top-rated brands include Shop Vac (4.3/5), Ridgid (4.4/5), DeWalt (4.7/5).

Stats

Reviews242

Subreddits31

Posts63

Brands51

Products62

Top communities

r/Tools50 r/HomeImprovement37 r/VacuumCleaners24 r/woodworking21 r/PitBossGrills13

242 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Shop Vac

4.3

(44)

"Karcher and Shop Vac are great. But you do get more of an accessory pack with Shop Vac."

"I'm sure glad I came on hear to read the comments on Shop Vac recommendations."

"I second this vac. I have the same one, and it’s small enough to tuck away out of sight."

"I bought a little 2 gallon unit for small but specific tasks and it’s been a lifesaver."

"He'll yeah!!! Get somethin decent. It'll help you out a lot."

"Yes, esp if you have been sanding."

"The cheapest, must buy item that any home improvement DIYer must have."

"One of the best tool I’ve ever purchased."

"I have 3 shop vacs, and the one I use the most is the small 2.5 gallon size. It is so easy to carry than the other large models."

"A shop vac will change your life."

Ridgid

4.4

(28)

"I would stick with Rigid. They are great and have the lifetime warranty."

"Get a Rigid 12 gallon, it'll cost ya like $80 at Ho Creepo."

"Yeah just buy a rigid 12gallon or so."

"Went with the Ridgid vac from the original post. 99 bucks and it works perfect."

"Highly recommend doing it outside."

"I like my 16gal Ridgid, dropped a CleanStream filter on it and it’s great."

"Ridged shop vacs have always been the best!"

"I swapped to a rigid shop vac which is hard plastic and it’s amazing."

"It's a beast of a vacuum. I use it in the shop and during remodeling jobs."

"We just have a rigid. Takes beatings. Doesnt complain."

DeWalt

4.7

(25)

"The Dewalt Stealth is so quiet, and you can have a normal conversation while it is running."

"I own the DeWalt. It is absolutely fantastic. You will not regret the purchase."

"I use the Dewalt 12-gallon stealthsonic, and it's the best one I've ever had, no question about it."

"The DeWalt one is really good, I've been very impressed with it."

"House flooded last year and the floor attachment with the rubber squeegee saved me."

"I freaking love my syealthsonic 9 gal vac. It's quieter than the dyson I use inside the house, it's crazy."

"I would without question get one of those Dewalt Stealthsonic (9 gallon in your case) vacuums. I have a Ridgid, and it’s great, but that sucker is loud."

"Dewalt. Bought upgraded flexible hose. A lot quieter than others."

"I also threw my Ridgid in the trash when I first turned on the dewalt and found I didn’t need ear muffs to use it."

"The new ridgid vacs are made outta garbage, the dewalts are immortal"

Dewalt

4.7

(10)

"Dewalt Stealthsonic 9 or 12 gallon with upgraded filter and a bag."

"Dewalt Stealthsonic hands down!"

"Dewalt Stealthsonic is the only shop vac under $200 you should even consider, it’s in a league of its own."

"Stealthsonic and its not even close."

"Stealthsonic is the best. Can't even here if it's on."

"My dewalt stealthsonic is quieter than my big Jet 1.5hp dust collector."

"I purchased the Dewalt stealthsonic to replace a 20year old shopvac."

"Dewalt Stealthsonic is a game changer. I don’t think it’s as powerful as similar models but it’s so quiet I don’t care."

"The newer Dewalt stealthsonic shop vacs are very quiet."

"3rd DeWalt stealth sonic. One minor quibble, it had less power on paper than louder shop vacs. Never bothered me, but it's a trade-off to be aware of."

Karcher

3.8

(10)

"I have a Karcher WD5 and I really like it. It has a narrower hose which works for my uses garage and car cleaning."

"The Dustless hepa bags are a great recommendation. I have a yellow Karcher WD 5 and it's made in Romania."

"The Karcher is better for cleaning a car because the hose and tools are narrower than a regular shop vacuum at 35 mm so they are easier to fit into the tight spaces and corners of a car interior."

"Just a heads-up if you want a commercial Karcher but cheaper you could go for one of the residential models. The Karcher WD 3."

"The WD5 adds suction speed control, a power outlet to turn on the vacuum say when ever a sander plugged into it turns on, and a blower function."

"Karcher tact 30..."

"There are already shop vacuums with better filtration."

"Get the six-gallon; it’ll be easier to use and store. The squat 8+ gallon shop vacs are annoying to maneuver around IMO."

"Shop vac has its place, for shop/garage, dry and wet."

"Partner has a k’archer vac for the workshop, and we have a Kirby for the house."

Craftsman

3.9

(9)

"I’ve got a small (3 gal) Craftsman that’s been going for a decade."

"Craftsman"

"I got a craftsman one for less than $50 from Lowes."

"I bought a cheap one from Amazon , it is craftsman."

"I've had both, and prefer the Craftsman. It seems to have more suction."

"Gets the job done."

"In short, Craftsman or Bauer"

"Don't buy a Craftsman; limited places sell filters, but a good vacuum."

"I would go with craftsman."

Ryobi

4.1

(8)

"The ryobi 1 gal was life changing for me, especially cleaning out the kids car seats."

"Ryobi makes a nice and pretty powerful 1Gal shop vac."

"Home Depot Ryobi shop vac. Battery powered. Works great."

"Shop vacs are great, I got a Ryobi one for my home after using different shop/wet and dry vacs at various cleaning jobs."

"I would recommend the Ryobi."

"I use a Ryobi 18v."

"I have 3 vacuums. Ryobi that doesn’t want to die."

"We have the basic Ryobi one and I wouldn't recommend it."

Shop-Vac

4.1

(7)

"I find myself going for the small 5-gallon Shop-Vac more often than the larger ones. It has better suction and is just easier to move around."

"This is what I have in my small shop and it’s quieter than others I’ve tested."

"Most regular shop vacs require you to use a high efficiency bag. Works well for me."

"Home Depot sells a little vac that goes on top of a 5 gallon homer bucket. It's small but will do the job."

"The dust separator and shop vac will generally be 2-1/2" hose size."

"Buy adapters, also I highly recommend picking up a dust separator and dust bag."

"I recently upgraded to a 2.5" one. Really like it. Shopvac from lowes"

Fein

4.7

(6)

"I've had a Fein Turbo II for many years. Noise rating of 66 db per the manufacturer."

"I have owned the smallest Fein brand shop vac/dust extractor for several years now, the noise difference is very noticeable between vacs marked as quiet and the rest of the screamers out there."

"I have been very satisfied with the Fein vacuum for hand tools and general shop use."

"I have a Fein. Absolutely love it. Uses bags so it keeps it from just blowing the dust out."

"Look into a Fein vac. They are spendy, but they are very quiet."

"It's nice."

#10

Milwaukee

4.5

(6)

"Milwaukee 18v cordless. Works great, lasts a long time."

"Milwaukee m18 Vac as said before is really great."

"A better solution for clearing drain pans is probably the milwaukee cordless transfer pump."

"I can’t speak to the Bauer offering but I almost exclusively detail using the Milwaukee Packout Vac."

"If you’ve got a couple 5ah’s or 8ah’s you’ll be fine with the cordless model."

"Can’t go wrong with the brushed m18."

#11

Harbor Freight

4.3

(6)

"Two years later and it's a perfect companion to my smoker."

"I've had a $60 harbor freight one for two years and it still works perfectly."

"I bought a cordless harbor freight vac."

"I've had one of the Harbor Freight ones for probably 15 years."

"I have a small shop vac that I got from harbor freight about ten years ago."

"Check out harbor freight. They're perfect for getting the crazy expensive tools."

#12

Nilfisk

4.2

(6)

"Nilfisk, also sucks the remaining soul out of dead objects."

"Nilfisk attix or the equivalent makita."

"That Nilfisk looks like a very capable vacuum."

"Nilfisk is a great quality brand, it will do well."

"Nilfisk shop vac for price, quality and noise."

"Depot or Lowes always has some good deals."

#13

Dyson

3.8

(6)

"Buy a dyson instead."

"I use our old Dyson with a 8ah dewalt battery lol. Works fantastic."

"I just use my old Dyson Ball Vacuum that stays in the garage."

"Dyson makes a good one for “spot jobs” marketed as “car+boat”"

"I have a old cordless handheld dyson that I ended up using."

"Wrecked their $700 dyson from sucking up drywall dust."

#14

Festool

4.6

(5)

"The Ferrari in that category would be a festool."

"Festool is amazing - quiet, variable speed, the best hose in the business and they last forever."

"I love my festool mini and ct-26 with workshop attachment set."

"I have the ct315, it is very nice and quiet."

"If you KNOW you're going to stick with woodworking as a hobby or business. At the very least, look into festool."

#15

Titan

4.2

(5)

"I've had a wet/dry one for a few years and renovated the whole house and apart from a slightly worn nozzle it's still going strong."

"I second this, dunno if they all do it but ours is wet and dry. Handled plaster dust like a champ."

"Titan from Screwfix. Has managed lots of sanding jobs with ease. Worth buying the upgraded paper filter though."

"Aldi and Lidl often do their version of the metal-can wet/dry vacs and are good value. Else if you need it now then probably Titan at Screwfix."

"I've got the titan one from screwfix and its great. I think I paid £45."

#16

RIDGID

4.8

(4)

"I highly recommend rigid shop vac with the handle at the top."

"Every one of our crews use one of these."

"My rigid has been a work horse. I have no regrets spending the extra 50 bucks or so."

"Make sure you use the better filters that are meant for fine dust and ash."

#17

Hercules

4.3

(4)

"I love my 2.5g Herc for cleaning truck and tractor cabs out."

"The Hercules brand is shockingly good for the price. Not as good as Dewalt but 1/3rd to 1/2 the price."

"HF has a new Hercules dust extractor that is supposed to complete with Festool and is pretty quiet."

"I would get the Hercules one that can be used as either cordless or corded."

#18

Bosch

3.2

(5)

"There’s other offerings from brands like Bosch, etc. that are higher quality than a sub-100 shop vac."

"The Bosch and karcher are fine."

"I use the Bosch. With the 8ah battery I was using it for 4 maintenance a day."

"Don’t do it! I did this - bought a Bosch wet and dry."

"I have a shop vac for the garage and a proper domestic Bosch vacuum cleaner for the house."

#19

Bauer

5.0

(3)

"I have a Bauer (harbor freight) shop vac that I love."

"This Bauer model from Harbor Freight is solid, use with a 20V battery."

"I have that Bauer cordless and it is the most useful tool I have in my house."

#20

Stealthsonic

4.7

(3)

"I bought a Stealthsonic, liked it so much, I bought a second for the shop."

"Another vote for the stealthsonic. - you mostly hear the air moving through the hose."

"16gal Stealthsonic ran good for a week. Died. They promptly sent me a replacement motor."

#21

Numatic

4.7

(3)

"Really good would be a Numatic shop vacuum."

"We bought a Numatic Henry over 20 years ago and it's still going strong."

"Numatic Charles. Not quite as much air flow as a shop vac but Charles is a 2 stage little beast."

#22

Rigid

3.3

(4)

"I've been considering one of these Rigids."

"I prefer Rigid stuff personally, for around $100 you can get a 5hp motor vac."

"I have a Rigid vac which I am happy with so I recommend the brand."

"Rigid vacuums are trash."

#23

Buckethead

4.0

(3)

"I'd say either the Buckethead as someone else mentioned."

"Buckethead from Home Depot. Fits right in a five gallon bucket."

"It's cheap and attaches to a 5 gallon."

#24

Henry

4.0

(2)

"I think I am liking the idea of trying a Henry."

"Henry (UK name) or Nace-care (US name) build their canisters to be shop vacs that are also home-friendly."

#25

Hyper Tough

4.0

(2)

"I use a cheap ass Hyper Tough from Walmart, I think it was $20."

"The tiny 1.5 gallon hyper tough one from Walmart works surprisingly well for what it is."

#26

Shop-vac

4.0

(2)

"I have a small 5 gal shop vac that I use for the shop and the bucket head is dedicated to my pellet grill."

"I have a tiny 1 gallon Shop-vac that I use to clean out my pellet stove(s), as well as grill."

#27

Walmart

3.5

3.0

(1)

"Still recommend using a quick broom and dustpan before vacuuming to get the majority of it out of the way."

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