They’re generally less expensive than self-propelled models, albeit with fewer features. Below, members can read on for ratings and reviews of this year’s very best battery-powered walk-behind mowers—both push and self-propelled—as well as a couple of models that miss the mark. The DeWalt vac’s power is decent, but this model clearly doesn’t have the suction of the corded Ridgid vacs (or even the cordless Greenworks vac, which we’ll get to next).
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.
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 hyper tough battery 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.
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 hyper tough battery to the Competition section. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.
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 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.
Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding 250-year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home.
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).