DeWalt - DXV04T Portable 4 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum

I have a DeWalt wet dry vac DXV04T that's about the size of a small cooler instead of a big wheeled thing. The nicest thing about it is all of the accessories, the hose and cord all store onto it. I think they make a 20V cordless version of it also. I've owned and used all kinds of other shop vacs and being able to pack and store this one (without having to store stuff in the dirt bin) is a huge huge bonus.

I stopped using regular floor vacs altogether after going through pretty much every every so-called top-rated vacuum (including two disappointingly poorly-built Mieles) over the last 25 years. Now I just use a big 5hp shop vac. Mine is at DeWalt but probably any name brand will last for decades. It is definitely less convenient and I do have a dustbuster for small things, but but more than makes up for it in power and capacity. Being able to suck up liquids is a huge plus, being able to suck up things the size of your thumb is a mixed blessing, but there are plenty of attachments.

I wrote a long response about shop vacs and then saw this. Definitely less convenient than an upright, but they're so simple, powerful and durable. New ones are way quieter than they used to be coming to. I have a Dustbuster brand dustbuster for small stuff. (Actually I have three, one upstairs, one downstairs, and one in the garage. And two shop vacs, one steam cleaner, four pressure washers... I might have a problem.)

I use like 6 vacuums... I wish I was joking. Ecovacs X1 Omni - I swear by this thing. It runs twice a day automatically. Electrolux Ultimate 800 - It has great reach with the attachments. Gets into the corners 12 feet in the air. DeWalt Shop Vac - This is for the vehicle and most other places too dirty for a good vacuum. Dyson handheld - old Dyson with 30 seconds of battery life, I keep it around to clean out weird things like floor registers and sliding door tracks. Dyson corded - I honestly don't know why I haven't thrown this out. It still technically works. Barely. KitchenAid Handheld - I won this in a contest. It's a terrible vacuum, good for keyboards and Cheerios. Bissell Crosswave - My second favorite vacuum! Even though it's a mop it's great for quickly cleaning big messes or large areas.

I just bought a $100 Dewalt shop vac and it is surprisingly quiet. No HEPA filter but there is plenty of other dust in my shop to kill me.

Shop vac 👌 I got a $60 DeWalt one at Costco, it’s been going strong for 5 years now. Most professional cleaners I know use shop vacs, Henry (UK made shop vac) or Millie. Or a vintage Filter Queen. I have that on the second floor, I got it for $20 and it’s from the 70s. I tried a newer one and it does not work as well.