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Tested: Best Shop Vacs for 2023
Keep your garage looking spiffy with one of these wet/dry vacs. We tested six of them, including a Shop-Vac, to find the best for you.
The trusty wet/dry vacuum is a cornerstone of garage cleanliness. Commonly called "shop vacs" after the popular Shop-Vac brand, these handy large-capacity vacuums can suck up both dry and wet messes, from oil-soaked kitty litter to wood shavings. They're perfect for construction, woodworking, and general filth cleansing. But like anything, there are a slew of varieties. Which one do you get?
With this test, we aim to answer that question. We've called in a wide range of wet/dry vacuums to evaluate which ones perform better in various situations.
Things to Consider When Buying a Shop Vac
Capacity
Capacity is the most important aspect of a wet/dry vacuum. It's quite simple: The larger the capacity, the more gunk and garbage a vacuum can hold before needing to be emptied. The caveat is storage space—not all of us have room to keep a 16-gallon vacuum in our precious garage. A mid-size shop vacuum is enough for most people, but consider your usage carefully.
Power
Shop vac power ratings are measured in peak horsepower, and this affects the amount of overall suction the motor can produce. Generally, the higher power, the more suck (although there are other factors that come into play, such as level of blockage in the filter and hose size). High-power vacuums also excel in wet suction, slurping up liquid and mucky messes much better than a low-power vac.
Wet Capabilities
Most shop vacuums are capable of picking up liquids, which is a huge advantage over your typical household vacuum. This can come in handy if your basement floods or you need to remove water from your toilet, but you must verify that your vac can do it. Wet/dry vacs come with a sort of foam filter to control chunks, and it's quite easy to swap them over from dry to wet mode. The instruction manual is your friend.
Weight and Portability
You'll likely be moving a wet/dry vac around quite a bit. Thankfully, most shop vacs roll on wheels, but not all do. For the wheel-less wet/dry vacs, you'll want to take weight into consideration. This leads to the portability aspect—you want good casters that move freely. The Vacmaster in our test is wall mountable, which limits some portability while freeing up floor space.
Noise Level
Running these for extended periods of time can damage your hearing, so it's recommended you use some kind of ear protection. Use a wet/dry vac in a small space like a bathroom and you'll quickly realize how valuable a quiet vacuum is. Take a look at the readings we recorded from our average decibel reading to help you make your decision.
Power Source
The vast majority of wet/dry vacs are powered by your standard 120-volt wall outlet. However, battery-powered models are starting to show up in the market. Cordless power greatly increases portability, but you'll always need to take time to recharge the batteries. If you choose a battery-powered option, it's wise to stick with your favored lithium-ion battery system and brand, such as DeWalt's 20V MAX or Milwaukee's M18.
How We Tested Wet/Dry Vacuums
To give our shop vacs the Gear Team treatment, we tested them on both objective and subjective parameters. Of course, we had to know: Do they suck up real-world messes? We fed these hungry machines a buffet of wood chips, trail mix, kitty litter, and even a golf ball. Here's the full list of tested parameters:
- Suction performance on various-sized items
- Wet capacity
- Noise level
- Portability
- Usability
- Weight
After running each vacuum through these testing parameters, we were able to determine which works best in a given situation. For a more in-depth look at our testing, see below.
Here are our picks for the best shop vacuums.
Stanley 6-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
Stanley 6-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
The Stanley 6-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum is the best choice for your typical garage. The six-gallon capacity strikes an excellent balance between size and storage, and the price won't break the bank.
It performed fairly well against all our contaminants but struggled with the largest mulch pieces. Aside from that, we loved how easy it was to move around, the low noise level, and its attractive price point.
If you're in the market for a medium wet/dry shop vacuum, this is the one to get.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 6.0 Gallons/4.3 Gallons |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10 lb |
| Sound Level | 81 dBA |
| Claimed Horsepower | 4 hp |
Craftsman 16-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
Craftsman 16-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
If you're looking for a wet/dry vacuum for a job site or other large-mess areas, Craftsman's option is excellent. The 16-gallon behemoth was unstoppable on our suction test, guzzling everything in its path.
The vacuum rolls around nicely, and a unique hose design with more flexible sections on each end allows for superior usability. Attachments include a nice squeegee-like wet nozzle to aid in liquid pickups.
The one drawback is storing this beast, but Craftsman does offer a 12-gallon option. And if you need something larger, a 20-gallon vacuum exists too. For us, the 16-gallon hits the sweet spot and is our choice for the best wet/dry shop vac for big messes.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 16.0 Gallons/12.0 Gallons |
|---|---|
| Weight | 21 lb |
| Sound Level | 86 dBA |
| Claimed Horsepower | 6.5 hp |
Vacmaster 5-Gallon Wall-Mount Wet/Dry Vacuum
Vacmaster 5-Gallon Wall-Mount Wet/Dry Vacuum
On the opposite side of the spectrum, this wet/dry vacuum from Vacmaster is the ultimate space saver. With an extra-long hose and the ability to mount on your garage wall, it can reach all corners of your garage without needing to be lugged around.
For attachment fanatics, the Vacmaster provides plenty of options. One handy feature is a remote on/off switch at the end of the hose—it's perfect for a quick pause. We wish it had wheels in case we did need to move it around, but the wall mount will work for most.
The other note we have is the water capacity: 50 percent less than advertised. But otherwise, this is the ultimate space-saving wet/dry shop vacuum.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 5.0 gallons/2.5 gallons |
|---|---|
| Weight | 15 lb |
| Sound Level | 80 dBA |
| Claimed Horsepower | 5 hp |
Milwaukee M18 Fuel PACKOUT 2.5-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
Milwaukee M18 Fuel PACKOUT 2.5-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
If you aren't familiar with Milwaukee's Packout system, it's worth a look—and this wet/dry vac fits seamlessly. At first glance, it looks more like a lunchbox than a vacuum, but it's ingeniously designed to be as portable as possible. You can even sit on it while you use it.
Everything is self-contained inside the lid, and there's even some extra storage. The Milwaukee was the quietest vacuum we tested, and it picked up nearly as much water as advertised. However, it's not particularly powerful, and large chunks of mulch clogged it easily.
It's worth noting that this link only comes with the bare tool—you'll need an M18 battery. But if you're already in the Milwaukee ecosystem, this is our choice for the most versatile wet/dry shop vacuum.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 2.5 Gallons/2.3 Gallons |
|---|---|
| Weight | 13 lb |
| Sound Level | 74 dBA on low/77 dBA on high |
| Claimed Horsepower | N/A |
Shop-Vac 1-Gallon Micro Wet Dry Vacuum
Shop-Vac 1-Gallon Micro Wet Dry Vacuum
Maybe you don't need to suck up six gallons of mess in your garage. If that's the case, this Micro Shop-Vac is the one to grab. It's super compact and easy to move around—perfect for storing out of the way.
Size is, of course, the one drawback. But if you need it only for occasional spills, why spend money on a big one? The small size does translate to struggles against larger chunks, and an angled inlet to the drum doesn't help either. The hose lacks any useful flexibility, and it tends to get in the way of true compatibility.
But if you just need something small for occasional messes, you can't go wrong with the Micro wet/dry Shop-Vac.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 1.0 Gallon/0.6 Gallon |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4 lb |
| Sound Level | 84 dBA |
| Claimed Horsepower | 1 hp |
DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Wet/Dry Hand Shop Vacuum
DeWalt 20V Max Cordless Wet/Dry Hand Shop Vacuum
While we're not quite sure this qualifies as your traditional "shop vac," it is indeed a wet/dry vac. As far as portability is concerned, this DeWalt vacuum is the top dog.
The cordless design makes this a do-it-all vacuum for small spills. We like the one-handed operation, though you can remove the hose and use that separately too. For capacity, it's definitely small but capable—as long as you don't mind emptying it often.
The uses for this vacuum are limited, so we'd recommend this as a portable companion to a larger shop vacuum, rather than rely on it alone to do everything. But if that fits your fancy, it's a solid buy.
| Claimed Water Capacity/Tested Water Capacity | 0.5 Gallon/0.3 Gallon |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4 lb |
| Sound Level | 89 dBA |
| Claimed Horsepower | N/A |
How We Tested Wet/Dry Shop Vacuums
To properly test these vacuums, we wanted to evaluate how well they cleaned up different-sized items. As seen in the photo, we evenly lined trail mix along the diagonal tape line. We then ran each vacuum's hose along the horizontal line on the bottom, to measure the power of the suction.
Other items in our buffet of messes were chunky mulch, dry kitty litter, oil-soaked kitty litter, and even a golf ball. We took notes on how well each vacuum sucked up each item.
To verify the wet capacity, we sucked up water in a measured bucket until the vacuum was full. We then measured the total and compared it with manufacturer claims.
For noise level, we used a decibel reader six feet away and gathered an average number over 15 seconds. We also weighed each vacuum on our scale.
Plenty of notes were taken on the usability of each vacuum, including how the cords were stored and how easy they were to move. Another factor was portability, as we noted how easy each vacuum was to move around and use.
FAQs
Can a Wet/Dry Vacuum Clean My Carpets?
Not in the way professional carpet cleaners do. The term "wet/dry vacuum" simply means the vacuum can pick up both dry items and liquids. Sure, you could run your shop vac over your carpet, but it won't clean it as well as your conventional home vacuum, and it will be far less effective than a professional carpet-cleaning service.
What's the Deal with CFM?
Cubic feet per minute (CFM) is simply how much air your vacuum's motor can move at a certain load. Typical mid-size wet/dry vacs are rated between 75 and 100 CFM. The higher the number, the more air it can move.
Can I Use a Shop Vac in My Car?
Absolutely. Shop vacuums are great for cleaning your car. The ability to move the hose freely, combined with all the attachments, makes it a perfect interior vacuum. However, because most lack a spinning brush attachment, dirt embedded in your carpets will take some work to dislodge.
What Are Wet/Dry Vac Bags?
You can buy a bag that sits on the inside of your vacuum's drum that collects all of the yuck that gets sucked up. This makes disposal much easier once the vacuum is full. Without a bag, you need to dump the entire barrel into the garbage.
You don't want to use a bag for cleaning up liquids, though. Make sure to check the manual and remove the bag, change the filter for a foam covering, and just fill the drum on its own.
Why Trust Us
Hearst Autos combines the talent, resources, and expertise of three of the largest, most influential automotive publications in the world. The Gear Team has tested a wide variety of automotive products, parts, accessories, and gear, such as floor jacks, car buffers, and backup cameras. We get our hands on each and every product we test. Most are purchased; some are supplied by manufacturers.
Hearst Autos doesn't need to game algorithms for traffic or promote lousy products to earn a buck. Instead, we're more concerned with our legacy, our reputation, and the trust that our readers have in Autoweek, Car and Driver, and Road & Track to deliver honest opinions and expert evaluations.
Visit our Tested & Trusted page to see the very best in automotive gear. Read more about our product testing and evaluation process here.
Collin Morgan is an Associate Commerce Editor at Hearst Autos, where the former Rust Belt mechanic and gadget enthusiast presents the best gear for your automotive endeavors.
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