The Highly-Rated Wet/dry Vacuum Harbor Freight Shoppers Can't Get Enough Of

Modern household vacuums are great for general cleaning around the home, but they're not the kind of thing you want to use for sucking up brick dust or wood chips. So, when you start getting into DIY projects or you have your own workshop space, a wet/dry vacuum (commonly called a shop vac) is often the tool of choice.

There are hundreds of models available, some starting at less than $50. For instance, we tried a cheap shop vac at Home Depot — and while it only costs around $40 for the 2.5 Gallon Stinger model, the main challenge is that its capacity is under 3 gallons. That's fine for minor cleanups and spills, but not much more. At the other end of the scale is the 16-gallon Bauer wet/dry vacuum. Bauer is one of several brands owned by Harbor Freight, and offers tools designed to appeal to DIY enthusiasts who want something more than low-budget basics.

Priced at $139.99, the Bauer vacuum is a big, powerful, feature-packed machine that's highly rated by owners. The motor produces up to 6.5 peak horsepower of suction, and the tool comes with a host of accessories for cleaning up debris and liquids. At 24.5 pounds, it's light enough to be relatively easy to carry, but it also has heavy-duty castors and a cart for maximum maneuverability and the ability to climb steps with ease. Together, these features account for its high popularity among owners.

Customers at Harbor Freight give the Bauer wet/dry vacuum 4.8 stars, and 96% of them would recommend it. A number were impressed by the power, while others complimented the quality of the brushes and said it left a wet floor nearly dry. Most thought it was easy to move around. Its performance was considered comparable to other brands but for less money, and one owner wrote: "I've had a bunch of different shop vacs over all these years[;] this one beats all I've had hands down!"

Though complaints are rare, some customers noted issues like broken plastic components and an instance where the machine stopped working. These problems should, however, be covered by Harbor Freight's limited 90-day warranty.

Those with a dedicated workshop might want to consider building a cyclone dust collector to keep the space clean, but even those devices don't catch everything, so a shop vac is still useful. For those doing DIY around the house, this type of tool is invaluable — and Bauer's 16-gallon wet/dry vacuum from Harbor Freight is a compelling choice, offering a strong balance of customer satisfaction and value.