On the other vacuums we recommend, the blower port is located opposite to the vac port which makes more sense to us. The Hyper Tough 20V MAX power tool interfaces with the +, T, and – terminals on the battery. But when we masked out the T terminal on the Hyper Tough 20V Max 8″ 2.0Ah 20V Battery Powered Cordless Pole Saw, we have found that the pole saw still operated.
Since wet/dry vacs are often used in an emergency, the cord provides a nice back-up power source, in case you don’t have a battery on hand. And you also have the cordless option for working in a remote location or during a power outage (if you have charged DeWalt batteries on hand). This Ridgid vac has a 12-gallon canister, which is the sweet spot between capacity and maneuverability. With the HD1200, you won’t have to stop and empty it as often as you would with smaller vacs. Compared with the larger sizes, this Ridgid vac isn’t too bulky to empty out, and most people will be able to haul it up a set of stairs with the aid of its conveniently placed upper handle. The HD1200 stands about 2 feet high, with a diameter of about 20 inches (approximately the same as on other 12-gallon models).
The other suction test we did was to fill a bucket with two gallons of water and time how long it took each vac to empty the bucket with the nozzle fully immersed in the water. We would have liked to have used a larger amount of water, but the smallest vac we tested has a 2-gallon capacity, so we stuck with that. For all of the large-size benefits, 12-gallon vacs are still manageable for most people to maneuver around their homes or down a set of basement stairs. (It’s awkward, but doable.) As a vac’s size increases, maneuverability naturally becomes more difficult. This small vac can be used either with a DeWalt 20-volt battery or plugged into an outlet.
As a result of our lengthy experience using wet/dry vacs and the testing we’ve done, we have found it’s tough to beat the Ridgid 12-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Vac HD1200. It’s very powerful, offers good capacity, and it comes with all of the right nozzle ends (and there are spots to store them, so they stay out of the way). The Ridgid HD1200 vac is readily available hyper tough tools on the shelves of Home Depot, where you can also get new filters, replacement hoses, and additional nozzle ends. This wet/dry vac was the one I most often saw during my construction career. I’ve been using one at my house for years, and I’ve never had any problems with it (other than the hose that I melted on a propane heater, but that was my own fault).
The HD1200 is a newer model, with an improved center-mounted handle for easy carrying and a larger, glove-friendly on/off switch. So far, this model has exhibited the same quality hyper tough tools we’ve come to expect from similar Ridgid vacs over the years. For structured tests, we recorded the time it took each vacuum to suck up a pile of “workshop stew” that we created.
For the size, this vac is easy to lug around, and it comes with a great selection of attachments. After a new round of testing, we’ve added Milwaukee’s 12- and 18-volt vacuums to the Competition section. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.