12 Gal. 5.0 Peak HP NXT Wet Dry Vac HD1200

The answer to literally every “best vacuum for x” is a shop vac. We have two massive dogs with shedding as their #1 hobby. Once you shop vac you never go back. I only use the basic attachments it came with for rugs, hardwood floors, and furniture - but plan on upgrading with the “auto detail” attachments to use both in our car and on the furniture, mainly the couch, to use both the wet and dry features.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-12-Gal-5-0-Peak-HP-NXT-Shop-Vacuum-Wet-Dry-Vac-with-General-Debris-Filter-Locking-Hose-and-Attachments-HD1200-HD1200/304006023 Used mostly by contractors or other general industries. Simple, powerful, wet/dry capabilities, lots of attachments for different types of messes.

That’s what I suggested too. They have a Rigid on sale for $99 at Home Depot.

If you want decent power, just stick to corded. If it’s mainly for the car, I recommend a shop vac (aka wet/dry vacuum). They usually have good power and if you ever have something like water or construction debris, you can just use the shop vac. I personally like to use a bag for extra filtration because it prevents the filter from clogging up and losing suction. I stick to OEM bags for my “indoor” vacuums, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost given the use case. Edit: if you’re in the US and have a Home Depot nearby, they have this [Rigid](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-12-Gal-5-0-Peak-HP-NXT-Shop-Vacuum-Wet-Dry-Vac-with-General-Debris-Filter-Locking-Hose-and-Attachments-HD1200-HD1200/304006023?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl) on sale. That’s a go-to brand Again, given that it’s mainly going to be used for your car, you should be more than okay to use third party bags. Just look up “VF3502 bags” on Amazon.

Is it? A standard contractor grade ridgid 12 gallon is generally under a hundred bucks and they can handle anything.

The cheapest is $40 unit from HD that sits on a 5 gallon bucket. Best value is a Ridgid, I have 2 corded and cordless in 12 gallon. The new Dewalt is said to be the quietest. I've owned the first 2.

Go to the pawn shop and get a construction vac (wet/dry vacuum). Never have to worry about suction, never have to worry about the mess to be picked up, bag or canister, works on any surface. Usually it'll be a Home Depot Rigid, so attachments and bags will be easy to find. And if you're really lazy, you can go a year or more without emptying. Like you might need to change the filter first. Oh! And it uses HEPA filters.

Miele. But if I had the room for it, I’d love to have a vintage Electrolux or a Hoover just for show. Edit: of course a RIGiD NXT shop vac as well. This is one case where the Home Depot house brand gets really good reviews. I also a VersaMatic left over from a previous place, which I don’t use. Not sure if they’re still made? Or maybe no longer imported into US? They’re great if you have wall-to-wall carpeting, which I don’t anymore. It’s a “hotel vacuum”. A skinny upright that can slide under furniture.

I have a whole house, a Miele, and a shop vac. FWIW, here's how I use them: 1. Whole house, I just stopped using - the Miele is just easier 2. The Miele is fantastic for a few reasons: (1.) for bare floors the extra wide, maneuverable head is awesome - it literally takes me 50% of the time any other vacuum ever has. (2.) For carpets the motorized brush that can flatten to easily get under couches & beds is, again, fantastic. Saves another 50%. (3.) And it's got some funky attachments like a super long crevice tool (like 4 feet!) that's bendy, so you can easily get behind stuff. (4.) Plus it's VERY quiet and has HEPA filters with easy to swap bags. If you value time & ease, the Mieles are WAY worth it. 3. The shop vac is a Rigid 5hp that I put HEPA filters in and removed the wheels, so, yes, I have to carry it around but for the jobs I use it for, that's ok. It's for the dryer, ceiling fans, above curtains, ceilings, window sills, doorways, ceiling lights, big dry spills, etc. I have another tool-box size Rigid that's permanently set up as a wet vac, but because it's toolbox size it's easy to clean up after spills. Two examples are I recently spilled powdered psyllium husk - what a mess! But my dry-setup Rigid took care of it in all in <5 min. This next example is ... horrid. I was making cold brew on our center island countertop in a large Kerr pickling jar as I've done for years. Well, I guess the jar decided it was time and suddenly just ... broke. Coffee & grounds immediately went all over; and yes we have cabinets in our center island so coffee went in all of them, the drawers, everything inside of the drawers, all over chairs, floor, etc. Total and instant disaster! Luckily I have that small toolbox Rigid wet vac always ready to go so was able to quickly vacuum up the water part before it seeped too far into anything. Next I used the dry vac to get all the wet grounds up including in all the drawers & doors, floor, walls, etc. Of course I had to toss & replace the hepa filters and wash out the hose and attachments but it was worth it. TLDR: I recommend a good high quality indoor vac in combo with the shop-vac(s).