If there’s a mess in the shop, then you need a reliable tool that’s always handy so you can get it cleaned up. That tool should have a stainless steel tank, casters that roll easily, and a long enough power cord to help you work effectively. These are all of the features that the Shop Vac 5-Gallon wet/dry vacuum has, but it’s just the beginning of the user experience.
The primary feature we really appreciated with this shop vacuum’s design was the rear blower port. Some vacs have the blower on the side or the front, which makes it really difficult to pickup sawdust or other light debris. With this Shop Vac, you don’t have to keep cleaning up the same messes all of the time.
Here are the additional features you’ll want to take a look at with this model.
- It sits on a tank dolly instead of having the casters attached directly to the tank. This gives the vacuum much more stability as you’re working and eliminates the hitches in mobility that older shop vacs tended to have.
- There is on-board storage for the cord and for the accessories or tools that you want to use with the vacuum. As with most Shop Vacs, the cord storage isn’t the most convenient design, but it is an upgrade from previous models.
- The 2.5 PHP motor gives you a consistent performance that isn’t overly loud if you need to clean up a small, enclosed area.
- The vacuum includes a foam sleeve filter for wet messes and a reusable disc filter to clean up your dry messes. You do need to swap them out based on what you’re trying to clean up, which isn’t always easy to remember to do.
There is a top handle on this vacuum as well, which makes it easier to transport it from site-to-site when there are large messes that needed to be cleaned up. It performs consistently, has consistent suction, and requires minimal maintenance. It’s all backed by a limited 3-year warranty as well.
Key Observations About the Shop Vac 5-Gallon Wet-Dry Vacuum
The one thing we didn’t really like about this particular vacuum was the size of the hose attachments. It’s a little smaller than the standard size, so items of a larger diameter don’t get picked up very well by this machine. The smaller hose size also contributes to more clogging events than normal. In one instance, we had to run a table knife through the hose to unclog a wad of sawdust that had gotten jammed up in there.
The port is big enough for you to upgrade the hose to a standard shop vacuum size. We recommend considering this upgrade.
If you’re looking for an affordable shop vacuum that will provide you with consistent suction, then this Shop Vac 5-gallon model is the perfect option to consider. Maximize its performance with a hose upgrade and you will be able to make quick work of those messes that might get made.
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