Performance among our tested models is improving for both self-propelled and push battery mowers, and they offer more value, Trezza says. Several highly rated battery push mowers from Snapper, Ryobi, Skil, Greenworks, Kobalt (Lowe’s), and Atlas are priced at or below similarly rated gas models from Toro and Troy-Bilt. The top-rated Honda gas push mower has competition from an electric Ego push mower with the same high ratings—and the same for predicted reliability.
If you can’t find our pick or you just want a more powerful option, we also like the Ridgid 14-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Vac HD1400. This vacuum has more capacity and a more powerful motor than the 12-gallon HD1200, but the identical hose should suck up the same debris. User reviews for this model, like those for our pick, are extremely positive.
Cleaning up high—like if you’re sucking cobwebs off a garage window—is less of a problem with the DeWalt vac because you can just hold it. Although Ridgid vacs come in other sizes (many of them great), we think the 12-gallon size offers the best balance of capacity and mobility. It’s usually competitive on price, too, both within the Ridgid lineup and against similar hyper tough battery models from other brands. At a little over 17 pounds, this vac is more manageable on stairs than some larger, more powerful, also-popular versions. There is a wide dry nozzle, a wet nozzle, and a small crevice nozzle (for corners and detail work). Other models might come with more options, but I’ve found that they just tend to get in the way or lost over time.
They also nicely complement a larger, corded wet/dry vac, especially if you’re someone who takes a hands-on approach to your house. Whether you want to get a wet/dry vac for a flooded basement or general garage cleanup—or you’re simply someone who has a DIY mentality—it will clean the worst kinds of messes most floors ever see. These tools tend to last years, and they’re durable enough to get banged around a little—or a lot. We also looked at three larger cordless wet/dry vacs, Ego WDV0904 Power+ 9 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum, the Ryobi 40V 10-Gallon Wet/Dry Vac, and the Greenworks Pro 60V Wet/Dry Vacuum. Couple these limitations with the high cost, and we’ve come to the conclusion that for a full-size wet/dry vac, it’s best to stick with the Ridgid corded option, at least for now. For the cleaning power you’re getting with a cordless option, we don’t think the value is there just yet.
So when blockages happened here, they were a little more difficult to clear. We preferred how the Milwaukee hose entered straight into the canister (but using the Milwaukee vac with the accessory lid closed forces a right turn on the hose anyway). Senior staff writer Tim Heffernan has recently been using the HD1200 and is impressed with its versatility as a compact option for multiple spaces within his Queens co-op apartment. He has highlighted it easily cleans up damp and dry dirt, pumice stones, perlite, wet pine needles, cat litter and any random bike maintenance crud spilled on the balcony.
Several battery and self-propelled mowers in our ratings offer an impressive run time of 70 or more minutes. (The average run time of battery mowers in our tests is 45 to 50 minutes, a 10-minute improvement over last year.) Some manufacturers are designing new models with multiple battery slots. When one battery is spent, another can take over, a feature CR’s expert testers consider in determining a model’s true run time. The best battery lawn mowers perform as well as—or better than—the best gas mowers, Consumer Reports’ lawn mower ratings reveal. Ridgid’s largest size, the 16-gallon HD1800, can hold a lot of debris (and it comes with large wheels and a dolly handle).