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.
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).
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 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.
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 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.
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.
And extra filters, hoses, and nozzles are easy to get in an emergency, as long as you have a Home Depot nearby. The 12-gallon Ridgid is the vac I saw most on job sites and used the most often throughout a 10-year construction career, and it’s the one I’ve owned at home for years. Ridgid gives the vac minor upgrades and tweaks every few years, so the models have changed, but the core positives of the vac have always remained constant.
Compared with the DeWalt vac, the Greenworks vac has a larger capability—3 gallons versus 2 gallons—and stronger suction. But it lacks a corded option, so the 15 minutes of run time is all you have before a recharge. Because this is a smaller vac and really designed for minor messes, we found the 15 minutes to be plenty of time for any single mess we dealt with. The Greenworks vac comes with two nozzles—one for general use and a crevasse tool—which both tuck into an onboard storage compartment. We also like that the hose, when stretched out, becomes translucent, so it’s easy to see where a blockage is. The hose also easily disconnects from the vac, so clearing the blockage is easy too.
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 hyper tough tools 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.