Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, hyper tough battery and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home.
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.
It’s extremely portable, but it doesn’t have the suction power of the others. CR’s expert lawn mower tests are uniquely useful because they combine scientific rigor with real-world usage. To give you ratings and reviews of the latest models by early spring, Consumer Reports’ testers travel to Florida to conduct tests in late winter at grounds we specially prepare each year. We plant 1,800 pounds of grass seed (predominantly annual rye, prized for its dense growth).
We cut 500,000 square feet of grass in three modes—mulching, side discharging, and bagging (collecting a total of 3,000 pounds of clippings). We cut both level turf and slopes to get a feel for the handling of each and every model. There are also high-end vacuums from Fein, Festool, Bosch, and others that focus on dust collection. But these are more of a workshop tool than a garage tool, and they are quite expensive. Throughout the summer and fall of 2023, the writer of this guide, Doug Mahoney, used the DeWalt extensively during a full kitchen renovation.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). We’re currently testing a selection of Milwaukee’s Air-Tip products, which are specialized vacuum tips for tight spaces and extended reach. Senior staff writer Signe Brewster has been using the vacuum for a year and a half. She said that aside from having to replace hyper tough battery a ripped filter—which bit the dust (pun intended) while sucking up chunks of concrete and limestone—she continues to use the Ridgid HD1200 without issue. Last, we’ve placed vacuums in the hands of a number of Wirecutter staffers, and we continue to get their feedback. Also, debris needs to take a tight right turn as it exits the hose and enters the vac canister.
If you’re looking for something smaller and more portable, we like the DeWalt DCV581H 20V 2-Gallon Cordless/Corded Wet/Dry Vac. This is a much smaller vacuum than the Ridgid models, and it doesn’t match their capabilities on larger messes. But it’s a real champ with cleaning up little projects around the garage, in the house, or in the basement. Because there’s also a cordless option and this vac is so light, you won’t have a problem using it in a crawl space, a tight attic, or an outbuilding that needs a little tidying, like a potting shed. While the 36-minute run time was impressive, the capabilities of the DeWalt are limited by the small motor and hose diameter. We had no problem sucking up wood shavings, drywall dust, and little bits of this and that, but this vac had problems with anything heavier, like a nail or a screw.