ToolGuyd readers asked if there will be any Black Friday 2022 deals on wet/dry shop vacuums. I haven’t seen many so far, but there are some good deals that are live right now.
I narrowed my search to focus on Amazon, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, as these retailers have had the best shop vac Black Friday deals in the past, and came across new deals by Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ridgid, and Vacmaster.
I’ll be keeping a looking for more deals as we get closer to Thanksgiving. Please share any that I might have missed!
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More Black Friday 2022 Deal Guides
Are you looking for more tool deals? These links will take you to other ToolGuyd posts.
Acme Tools Black Friday 2022 Deals
Amazon Black Friday 2022 Tool Deals
Home Depot Black Friday 2022 Tool Deals
Dewalt Tool Deals for Black Friday 2022
Milwaukee Tool Deals for Black Friday 2022
Ridgid 16-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vac
The Ridgid HD1640 is an NXT-series wet/dry shop vacuum with 5.0 Peak HP motor, locking-style hose and accessories, built-in blower port, and convenient drain plug.
Why to Buy: 2-1/2″ hose size, large collection container, low price.
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Price: $69.88
Ridgid 12-Gallon NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vac
The Ridgid HD1200 is also a 5.0 Peak HP wet/dry shop vacuum, with a 12-gallon collection tank.
Why to Buy: Going back and forth between images of the two Ridgid NXT vacs, the 12-gallon looks to have more user-friendly side handle latches. The 12-gallon vac also comes with more nozzle attachments.
I would pay the extra $10 to get this model unless I needed the extra capacity of the 16-gallon.
Price: $79.97
Ridgid 14-Gallon Wet/Dry Vac + Car Cleaning Kit
The Ridgid HD1401 kit is a bit different. This comes with the HD1400 – a 14-gallon 6.0 Peak HP wet/dry vac with fine dust filter, plus a car cleaning accessory kit with hose and nozzle assortment.
Why to Buy: Fine dust filter, more powerful motor, and a car cleaning accessory kit for $10 less than the vac typically sells for by itself.
Price: $119
Milwaukee M18 Fuel Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum
Why to Buy: The new Milwaukee M18 Fuel cordless vacs are among the best of few cordless wet/dry shop vacuums on the market. This deal gives you a free accessory set.
Don’t forget that you’ll need 2x batteries and a charger.
Home Depot has a free accessory offer for the 6-gallon vacuum, while Acme Tools has a different offer on 6-gallon and 9-gallon vacuums.
Price: $249 (6-gallon), $299 (9-gallon)
Dewalt 5-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
The Dewalt DXV05P is a smaller wet/dry vacuum with 5 Peak HP motor and 5 gallon capacity.
Why to Buy: This is a smaller vac with a more portable size.
Price: $79.94 + a $5 clickable coupon
Dewalt 9-Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum
The Dewalt DXV09P is a 9-gallon wet/dry shop vacuum with 5 Peak HP motor, built-in drain valve, and blower port that is “powerful enough to blow Sawdust and debris from most any workshop.”
Why to Buy: This vac looks to have the slickest accessory storage setup I’ve ever seen on a rolling shop vac-style product of this kind.
Price: $99
Vacmaster 12-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
The Vacmaster VBV1210 has a 12-gallon collection tank and 5 Peak HP motor.
Why to Buy: It comes with few additional nozzle accessories – an air and noise diffuser, concentrator nozzle, car nozzle, and a couple of general purpose nozzles. It also has a lift-out motor head for use as a blower.
Price: $82.20
Ridgid 3-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
The Ridgid WD3050 is a compact 3-gallon wet/dry vacuum. It’s described as a “compact car vacuum” and comes with a locking hose and car nozzle.
Why to Buy: Sometimes you only need a small vacuum. It also has a “suction-powered dust pan” feature you can simply sweep a mess into with a brush (not included).
Price: $49.88
Which Would I Buy?
There are reasons to buy any of these models, but with respect to the best value corded wet/dry shop vacuums from the deals I found so far, I’d go for the Ridgid 12-gallon vac.
The Dewalt 9-gallon and Ridgid 14-gallon would be the next models I’d look at for more specific needs.
I’m intrigued by the Vacmaster, but I bought a Shop Vac vacuum with lift-off blower motor head before, and it’s a pain to move around up and down stairs or in any way other than its wheels. With my Shop Vac, if I pull it up by the handle, the entire motor separates from the collection canister – every single time.
With the ubiquity of cordless leaf blowers and shop blowers, do we really need this as a shop vacuum gimmick? My Shop Vac also came with blower-specific attachments I still haven’t been able to use.
So, I’m now of the “if you need a shop vacuum, just get a shop vacuum, and if you need a blower, get a blower” mindset.
More Black Friday 2022 Deals on Vacuums
Dewalt 4-Gallon Portable Wet/Dry Vacuum – $93 at Amazon
Vacmaster 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum – $74
Vacmaster Professional 5-Gallon Beast Series Jobsite Vacuum – $77.50
fred
I haven’t looked at OEM’s for vacuums in a while. But earlier this year it seemed that the Ridgid corded vacs were being made in the USA by a division of Emerson. At that time Dewalt corded vacs were being made (under license) by Alton Industries. But I see that Acme lists COO for many Dewalt vas as China. Milwaukee vacs seem to originate from some different sources – but the 0910-20 is USA-made according to Acme. The Vacmaster trademark is owned by Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Co., Ltd. – so I assume it is made in China.
Albert
I’m keeping an eye on this Dewalt box vac:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYHM9NK
I’ve had so many bad experiences with small shop vacs, both corded and cordless, that I really don’t want to try again. My experience with the large Ridgid vacs, on the other hand, have been very good.
Chris I
So then why are you keeping your eye on that vacuum?
Chris
Albert, I have personally used that DeWalt vacuum and was pretty impressed, good suction for being little, no wheels and flat bottom so good to keep in work van, and impressively quiet. If they make a HEPA filter for it – not sure – then I will def be switching to that from the screaming Rigid I have now.
Steven+B
As a woodworker, the most important metric is suction. I hook mine up to a cyclone, so I’d be happy with just a really powerful motor to add to a cyclone. Unfortunately, dust collectors are devoted to CFM instead of suction…which performs POORLY. Hook up an expensive dust collector to a tool and you’ll still get chips and dust everywhere. Hook up a mid-range shop vac and you’ll find about half the mess as a 2HP dust collector that’s twice as big as I am.
That said, as much as I am not a fan of Home Depot, Rigid is really king of the shop vac. I greatly prefer DeWalt or Milwaukee, but when it comes to vacs, Rigid just beats them on specs, including suction power. They also have lots of sales throughout the year, especially around black friday.
Jay
Agree 100 percent about ridgid vacs. Can’t beat their price and quality you get. Although I think Project Farm did a YouTube review about vacs. Forgot the rankings
MoogleMan3
The dewalt 14 gallon took top ranking in suction; I bought the 16 gallon dewalt vac because of that video and it’s been excellent in my shop. I have it connected to a dust deputy so suction pretty much never drops unless I let the waste tank (an eagle 14 gallon) overfill.
Nate
I worked on a project where A/V work and infrastructure was installed. The company doing the work was an all Hilti shop (there was a sub-contractor for some equipment installers who ran a mixed DeWalt and Milwaukee outfit). Among that crew, though, all the shop vacs were Ridgid. These are everywhere, good vaccums at a great price.
William Fitch
I love all my Dewalt hand and power tools
AlexK
I love all my Milwaukee hand and power tools. Having used co-workers Dewalt tools, I’d love them as well. I think we are in a golden period. Manufacturers that want a loyal following, are upping their game. There are so many reviewers out there, they can’t afford to make crappy or poor handling tools.
Like the 12v battery style of the Dewalt vs Milwaukee, but being that I’m in the system, I look on the bright side. I can easily stick a drill/driver in the pocket of my cargo pants.
Rob
Once you’ve owned a Fein Turbo it’s really hard to accept anything less.
John
Agree whole heartedly. I have 5 Fein vacs from the early 2000s to the last round model prior to their square redesign that omitted the variable suction. I picked up a few from ebay when I needed more spread out between workshops and onsite work. Still some of the best vacs ever made. The beauty is they all used the same fine micron/HEPA filters and only two different sized bags. And to this day, some of the quietest vacs around.
Jim Felt
I totally agree. Fein’s have served us well since the first one maybe 15 plus years ago. And it too still works great.
fred
“Me three” – I have a pair of “Dalek-look-alikes” and a mini-turbo – all over 20 years old still quiet and going strong. I had taken for granted that shop vacuums had to be noisy – based on my old Craftsman 32gal. The first Fein convinced me otherwise.
I don’t use them on my shop stationary machines (have a ducted system) – but on most everything else
Nate
Never had the pleasure, but did the research on them. Ended up going Festool CT-MIDI for the ecosystem. Also have a Ridgid, because it’s tremendous bang for the buck. But I think the Fein Turbo is probably my next shop vac.
Doug N
Most reviews I’ve seen agree that the Ridgid/Emerson vacs have the most cfm, and the Dewalt/Alton vacs have the most suction. The greater suction helps vacuum heavier items like sand from a car or wet leaves on a garage floor.
Stuart, you didn’t mention the newest Dewalt vacs which are only 65db. It’s so nice to not need hearing protection every time I turn on the vacuum.
$139, about 50% more expensive than most of the vacs listed here, but it’s been worth it to me for the low noise and high power.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-12Gal-5-5-PHP-Quiet-Vac/5013026391
Stuart
Thanks, I’ll take a look – I haven’t seen that Dewalt quiet model yet I don’t think.
Big Richard
There are 3 models actually, 9, 12, and 16 gal. DXV09P-QTA, DXV12P-QT, and DXV16P-QT, respectively.
MoogleMan3
I’m having trouble finding the 16 gallon version; I have the regular 16 gallon dewalt vac but would have snapped up the quiet version in a second had I known it existed.
Big Richard
Lowes is the only retailer I’ve seen so far with a listing for it, and it is unavailable.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT/5013926563
Tool Junkie
Wow, now there is one I would buy, if I needed one. All the others listed on Stuarts page are around 90db. I read a review on this one & a guy had a decibel meter. He said it was 69db. His other DeWalt was 89db. I had a Fein, that I loved, but it quit after 20 years. I have 2 Festools now and a Rigid, but the Rigid is too loud, so I don’t run it.
John+E
For a budget ‘shop vac’ the DeWalt “Stealth Sonic” is stupid quiet. Only thing I have that is quieter is a Miele.
John+E
I have that “Stealth Sonic” 12 gallon vac from Lowe’s. Will get another if they put it on sale.
Upgraded the hose to 1 7/8″ antistatic HEPA and filter and am working on improving the bag attachment inside so I can use quality fleece bags instead of paper. Will not go back to a noisy vac ever.
BigRichard
They have a 9 gal version as well, DXV09-QTA. That one is on HD’s website, but not available.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-9-Gal-Stealth-Sonic-Wet-Dry-Vacuum-with-Accessories-DXV09P-QTA/321457152
Andy
I bought the Ridgid 14 gallon for general home project and light wood-working use. Saw it listed in the HD deals about a week ago and ordered before this article was published, but glad to see this put together.
Chris
The Ridgid HD1640 was $50 last year (inflation, sure, whatever).
It is not worth more than $50.
I bought it and it is easily the loudest shop vac I have (their exhaust muffler doesn’t help either as it produces a very shrill/high pitched whine while running. The muffler does work on my older shop vacs with lower pitches).
I have 6 shop vacs of different capacities and brands. (I have a bigger ((non NXT)) ridgid vac that has been great) This ridgid is hooked up to a dewalt 12″ miter saw and a momentary foot switch. I run both off the same circuit so I fire up the saw first because of the high amp draw and step on the switch for the vac second because I can tell it is running since it is louder than the saw…
My 2 cents, buy any other vac that is quieter for everyday use.
MFC
So one thing I would say about Ridgid vacs. Their filters suck, or rather, when you try to suck up water they stop sucking. I tried 2 of their wet/dry filters and after one tank of water they are so saturated that air can’t pass through anymore and you have to run the vac without a filter. My DeWalt, Shopvac, Craftsman filters have never had this problem. So, be aware that you need to buy a separate sleeve foam filter to be able to suck up more than a puddle. Just another piece floating around that you won’t have when you need it…
Tom
Love the storage on the Dewalt 9gal. Anyone know of aftermarket options or diy ideas to do similar? I didn’t realize how annoyed I am with extensions and tools floating around until I saw a solution!
Doug N
I agree, that storage bag works great. I DIY’d a similar setup using a canvas tote bag slung around a dust deputy mounted to the top of a ridgid vac. You may need to remove the vac’s carry handle to create a flat surface for the bucket to sit on. The set up is a little top heavy, but not an issue most of the time.
Nathan
I almost bought that ridgid 14 gallon a few years ago, or rather it’s at the ime predecessor. Still think it’s a good deal for the extra pieces. but I bought the Shop Vac 12 gallon in SS instead and I have to say I still really like it.
BUt cost wise I’ve had to addon 2-1/2 hose which is spendy itself but over all it works well and I do use it with a HF cyclone bucket on my table saw and swap it over for my mitre saw as I need to.
I’m curious about the lower noise model.
TonyT
Ryobi also makes a number of cordless wet/dry vacs, from the handheld 18V to 10 gal 40V. I’ve been very happy with my 3 gal wet/dry Ryobi (which I bought several years ago as part of a BF deal); so far have only used it for dry pickup.
eddie sky
None of these do anything for me because: I need HEPA. I’ve the festool setup and love it. Also a HEPA DustVac that gets their money from their “proprietary” bags.
What I want to see? one of these shop vacuum producers to work with a cyclone maker (like the Dust Deputy) and make an integrated cyclone/canister vacuum. No more need of filters, and can handle one or two shop tools. Heck, even a portable vac for jobsites that stay clean. Has to handle the abuse of a jobber though…
MM
I haven’t used it so I can’t speak to its durability or performance but I believe that Festool has a modular cyclone separator which fits on top of their vacs.
Nathan
most shop vac based devices can have a hepa filter put on.
I did with mine. I use a dustbag and a hepa filter on my shop vac 12gallon.
Ben
I’d agree with your take on the 12-gallon Ridgid model, Stuart. I got mine on sale for $50 or so in May 2021, and it’s been great to me so far for cleanup around the house and garage. Also does an excellent job with sawdust from the table saw.
I will say that the casters that come on it are, in my opinion, terrible. They get caught on the slightest little bit of debris on the floor. I replaced them with some Shepherd casters (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009PFB2H6) that work much better. The vac is more stable and rolls more smoothly.
As others have noted, if you try to suck up water without the special water filter, though, you’ll ruin the main filter. That was a lesson I hope I only have to learn once.
Noah
Can anyone compare the Fein turbo against the festool? I just bought an entry level CT 15 for my business as an all purpose vacuum/ dust extractor and I’m wondering if I should return it for the fein. I work in old homes so and I deal with plaster dust as well as lead paint. I’m not in the festool system so I have no brand loyalty.
Stuart
In my experience, the Fein is a great all-around vac that can sometimes be used with tools, while the Festool is a great dust extractor that can sometimes be used for cleanup tasks.
I cannot speak about lead paint specifically, but would remind you that there are regulations regarding vacuum filtration and collection disposal methods.
Noah
Interesting, thanks. The festool is certified for lead abatement but I just noticed the fein turbo 1 does not come with a hepa filter out of the box.
Vards Uzvards
Turbo I can be purchased as a device itself, and as an accessorized set. Turbo II, which is very similar, has the same specs but higher capacity (32 gal vs. 22 gal), can also be purchased on its own, as a set, and also with a HEPA filter. The filter can be purchased separately, and it fits both models, I believe.
Vards Uzvards
32 vs 22 litres, not gallons, of course!
MoogleMan3
FWW did a comparison in their 20200 tools and shops issue; they compared the fein turbo II vs the festool ct48 (amongst others). The fein was slightly quieter (74 vs 80db), slightly less suction (93″ vs 97″ static lift) but far less bag capacity vs tank capacity (3.8 gallon bag capacity vs 8.4 gallon tank capacity). Festool really shines with suction and bag to tank capacity; it’s usually really close. For example your ct 15 has 3.96 tank capacity and 3.3 gallon bag capacity. They also shine with power across the line; aside from the ct sys vacs, the ct midi, mini and 15 have 130cfm while the 26,36 and 48 all have 138cfm, which most likely wouldn’t be noticeable vs the dt mini midi and 15 vacs.
I’d say stick with the 15. I went with the midi I and have zero regrets. One of the best tool purchases I ever made.
MoogleMan3
*2020 tools and shops issue.
We need an edit feature Stu!
Stuart
Unfortunately, that’s not happening; edit privileges require admin and editor privileges, which allow for editing any post or page on ToolGuyd.
I haven’t found secure plugins yet, and I don’t like the idea of 3rd party sign-in services.
Let’s say that I approve a comment. What happens if a bad actor then edits it to include spammy, scammy, or malware-laden links?
MoogleMan3
IIRC some forums have an editing grace period, say 60 seconds or so. That way you can edit quickly noticed mistakes.
I get where you’re coming from with bad actors and editing though; I’ve seen plenty of that on reddit with sometimes hilarious results.
Stuart
Perhaps, but ToolGuyd is built on top of blog/content management software. Forums are centered around community comment, where members have individuals, user accounts, and logins.
I’ve seen a lot of bad behavior from spammers on the ToolGuyd forum (which I’ve honestly been contemplating shutting down in 2023), and editing posts is a tool in their bags of tricks.
I read a lot of comments via email notifications, other times live on the site or via the backend. If editing were possible, it could lead to a lot of bad things.
But beyond that, editing isn’t natively possible, let alone permissible. Even on the back-end, high-level privileges are needed to edit comments – the same as the ability to edit posts.
I’d rather avoid 3rd party commenting systems or shared sign-in methods. With registration or account-based comments systems, there’s usually public-facing usernames and such. The last thing anyone needs is a way for spammers to identify and message readers that they won a giveaway, similar to what’s been happening on YouTube and social media.
There’s simply no way to allow for comment editing natively, and all the 3rd party options I’ve seen can cause vulnerabilities or other issues. If the company behind the back-end software I use add a comment editing feature to their group of plugins, I’ll give that a try, but so far nothing like that exists.
KokoTheTalkingApe
FWIW, I’ve gotten a lot out of the forum (and I’ve reported some spammers myself.) I hope you can keep it running. There are some incredibly knowledgeable people here.
Noah
I didn’t even think of the capacity not being actual. Thanks! It sounds like my ct15 may have more or equal volume than the Turbo 1 which is listed at 5.8 gallons.
Lyle
I want to say that last year you posted about a Walmart stainless steel shop vac, 6 gallon maybe for like $29 or $39. I bought one and I like it. It lives outside under my shed to suck up all kinds of stuff. Great for the price. Since it’s outside and I don’t use it that often I don’t care if it’s loud (not saying that it is, just that I don’t notice or care). This year they have a similar sale but out of stock online so prob no chance of me being able to buy another one.
Stuart
Thanks! Walmart says “1000+ bought since yesterday,” but I still see it as unavailable as well, and it’s not available at any stores either. I’ll try to check back.
Stuart
Update for anyone following the comments – I added 3 more smaller vacuum deals at the end of the post.
Christi
Lots of expertise here. Wondering if someone can offer a suggestion. I work for a animal shelter and need to hose and disinfect the floors. All but one drain is blocked and no plans to repair. This means using a large squeegee to push the water to the one drain that works. This is a hard task for some of our volunteers.
Is there a modest priced wet/dry vac you could suggest or a maybe don’t by a —- because. Thanks Christi
Stuart
In theory you can vacuum water, wheel over the vac, and then empty it over the working drain, but that can be a dangerous idea depending on the type of disinfectant.
Ideally, get your drains cleared. What happens when that last one clogs?
Robert
Blain’s Farm and Fleet has the 5 gal Dewalt at $60.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1319716-dewalt-5-gallon-poly-wet-dry-vacuum.html