And with its four casters, well-positioned handle, and manageable weight, this model isn’t that difficult to drag through a basement or clunk up a flight of stairs. The Ridgid 12-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Vac HD1200 comes with two wand extensions and three nozzles (one for general use, another for wet spills, and a small one for detail work). They all store on the vac and out of the way—a smarter design than that of many competitors’ accessory caddies. This Ridgid vac is regularly sold on the shelves of Home Depot (where it has thousands of mostly five-star online reviews).
On other models, like many of the Shop-Vacs, the accessories are on a caddy up at the top; this causes trouble when the hose is moving back and forth over the vac during a cleanup. On construction sites, I’ve often seen these caddies get thrown away as a result of frustration—and then, a month later, all of the accessory nozzles are lost. These heavy-duty vacuums suck up water, sawdust, nails, and screws with equal vigor. We’ve been testing and using them for years, and our favorite is the Ridgid 12-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Vac HD1200.
Through the course of testing and using the vacs around the house during a small renovation, this became our go-to vac, even though it does sometimes have a high-pitched whine. The Greenworks vac normally costs around $200, which we think is a fine price, given that it comes with a battery and charger. The HD1200 has enough power to clean up the type of debris that could damage your home vacuum. On our test, it sucked up the entire pile of workshop debris in 15 seconds (the cordless models all took over a minute).
Recently, cordless models have appeared that emphasize portability over power. These are more for quick, little messes, like clean-up after a minor repair or home upgrade. hyper tough battery In the cordless category, we prefer the smaller models in the 2- to 3-gallon range. One of these might be the only wet/dry vac you need for a smaller home or an apartment.
And this vac is similar to the one I’ve spent countless hours using at home and on lots of job sites during my construction career. I’ve never had any problems with it, and I’ve never found another wet/dry vac that was noticeably better. Failure to pick up within the given time or refusal of product will result in a 20% restock fee.
We did not stop the timer when we cleared out any hose blockages, but we ran the test with each vacuum at least twice. And because they’re powered with a battery, they embrace speed and portability. They don’t have the power of the larger models, but they do have enough for most smaller messes, and they’re just so easy to carry around. A rare, important advantage with this DeWalt is that it can be powered with a 20-volt battery or via the attached power cord.
We suggest contacting the seller directly to respectfully share your concerns.
We think it’s overkill for around-the-house work, but if you have the space to store it and have big enough messes to deal with, it’s a fine machine, and one we’ve occasionally seen good deals on. The DeWalt DCV580H is the same vacuum as the one we recommend except that it doesn’t have the cord. In 2024, we tested the 18-volt Milwaukee M18 2-Gallon Cordless Vacuum and the 12-volt Milwaukee M12 Fuel 1.6-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. Their overall performance is similar to that of the DeWalt vac, and the boxy bodies make for very easy (and stackable) storage. Still, if you already have Milwaukee batteries, either of these could be a great purchase. Milwaukee also has a similar model that’s compatible with its Packout storage system.
This might not sound like a lot, but for the way a wet/dry vac is typically used, we never noticed it as a hindrance. But since the Greenworks vac is more powerful, with the larger hose, we think you could accomplish more with it over hyper tough tools the course of a single charge. You get the best value from this vac if you already own compatible DeWalt batteries. If you don’t, having to buy a battery and charger makes the investment a little steep for what you’re getting.
This vac really makes the most sense if you’re already fully invested in the DeWalt 20-volt platform (or you plan to be in the future). Even with normal use, the filters get clogged over time, and there are only so many times you can bang the dust out of them before you need a new one. Home Depot stocks a number of use-specific filters compatible with several types of wet/dry vacs, including HEPA filters and ones specifically designed for fine dust.