Step away from the ShopVac, this is what you've been waiting for!
Written: Mar 24 '06 (Updated Mar 24 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Multiple nozzles, strong motor, 12 gallon capacity, onboard nozzle storage
Cons: Casters
The Bottom Line: If you are looking at Shop Vacs, just say No and buy a Ridgid.
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| junebugz's Full Review: Ridgid 12-Gallon 5HP Wet/Dry Vac WD1245 |
Ok, so I have had a fews year of shop vac experience. I used to have 2 smaller 5 gallon Shop Vacs. They were ok since they were all I was used to. I used them mainly for cleaning up stuff you don't want in the vacuum cleaner and sweeping out the car. They were by no means what I would consider heavy duty. Then I saw it. The Home Depot Christmas advertisement. And I rejoiced!
I got up extra early the day before Thanksgiving and was going to go to Meijer. I figured how busy could it really be around 6:00 am ... well, I was in Meijer for about 1 minute before figuring I would have to wait in line until lunch to get out of there. So I turned around and headed to Home Depot instead, personally, I'd rather go there anyway.
I pick up one of these Ridgid WD1245 wet/dry vacs. You know, sort of as a Christmas to myself from myself. What? Like you've never done something like that. Not only did I get an outstanding quality vacuum, but it was CHEAP. At Christmas time, these things are usually on sale for close to $30.
Already you can see the improvement over what I had. I went from 5 gallon capacity to 12 gallon and much improved HP to boot. Well, it was like Christmas all over again in early Spring before I broke this thing out. My son decided it would help the toilet out if he held down the flusher handle, and so as you can imagine water was all over the floor. I ran down stairs grabbed the box (yep, it was still in the box), opened it up and turned it on. The water was gone in no time. I was pretty amazed. The nice thing is that there is a drain in the front of it so if you are using it as a wet vac you can drain all of it without having to tip it over and pour it out.
After finally breaking it out, I found all sorts of uses for it. Especially when we were getting our house that we moved into ready for the move. We had a month of prep from anything like ripping out carpet and pad, putting down new vinyl flooring, tearing down wallpaper, ripping out cabinets, taking wall tiles off, and more. This thing would suck up anything and everything we could put in front of it ... nails, sawdust, broken tile pieces, torn off wallpaper scraps. This investment has already paid for itself many times over.
Here are some of the features this vacuum has:
MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS
There are two extension wands that fit onto the hose and then you have a choice of three different nozzles. There is a utility nozzle which is probably close to 7 inches wide and is a standard nozzle for shop vacs. A wet nozzle is also included. The wet nozzle is a longer, flatter, rubber tipped nozzle perfect for squeegeing a floor or cleaning up wet messes. Please note that after using it as a wet vac the filter should be dried though to avoid mildew or other damage. A car nozzle which is not as wide (probably between 3-4" wide) and is best suited for getting into the seat crevices and so forth of your automobiles. These three attachments will cover just about any use at all you could throw at this thing.
ROLLING CASTERS
These are helpful. There are 4 casters which can be attached to the bottom of the of the vac. You can also store the attachments or the extension wands on the top of these casters. NOTE: The casters on my vacuum do have problems coming off sometimes if you bump them when caring the vacuum and not rolling it. This is the only problem I have ever had with this vacuum though, and I am sure there is a way to remedy this but haven't found it or thought of it yet.
HOSE
The hose is 7 feet long and has a "Tug-A-Long" release on it so that you can pull the vac with the casters on it and be assured that the hose will not come off or lose causing dust to go spraying in the room. There is a button on the end of the hose connecting to the vacuum itself that latches down and holds the hose in place until you disconnect it manually ... great feature!
5 HP MOTOR
The motor is big and strong enough for heavy duty jobs and has never been bogged down. Even when I had to clean up a 3' x 3' area of 1" high water and chopped spaghetti noodles (first time using the disposal didn't go too well), the vac just sucked everything right on up. It also will produce 160mph blowing capacity if you care to use the vac as a leaf blower or clean off the deck, porch, or garage.
Most shop vac's are annoying loud ... at least, that is how I would describe them. One of the times when a friend was over and helping me work on the house he was impressed that this Ridgid vac was not louder. At the shop he works at they have a Shop Vac model and it is even smaller than this WD1245 but is considerably louder than mine. He said he was going to look into getting one of the Ridgid models when it came time. I know what he is talking about because I thought the same about my old smaller Shop Vacs, but have been spoiled with this Ridgid. I believe they also make a Noise Reducer if you would like to further quiet the operation, although this model by itself is more than bearable.
FILTER
The filter is both washable and replaceable. It has easy access one you lift the lid off.
CORD LENGTH
This is another great feature. The WD1245 has a 15' long electrical cord. This is about 14' longer than one of the Shop Vacs I had. So if you add the 7' long hose and an extension wand ... you have close to a 25' reach with this vacuum ... pretty outstanding.
ASSEMBLY
The drum (lid...top...whatever you would like to call it) locks down with side tabs so that it does not come loose during operation. With the exception of the casters the build of this vac is second to none as far as I am concerned. It will take a beating and keep on sucking.
WARRANTY
Yet further prove that this is the real deal. The WD1245 and it's big brother WD1635 come with a full lifetime warranty. So if there is any malfunction due to the workmanship or material of this vacuum it will be covered under warranty.
If I had to buy another vacuum for the shop area it would definitely be a Ridgid, however, I have the feeling I will not need to buy one for quite some time. This has been going for over a year strong and has lots of life left still. Definitely do not hesitate to purchase one of these. If you can wait until Christmas you will get a great deal. In fact, buy some as gifts if you know people who need them, because it will be one of the best gifts they will ever get.
Edit to add this link
http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7669&highlight=caster this is thread about the caster problem and possible fixes.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
junebugz
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Location: Mansfield, OH
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 2 members
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