Pros: portability, use with DeWalt batteries, wet & dry at once
Cons: no batteries included is a con for some
The Bottom Line: This meets a need for many consumers - especially those who makes plenty of messes in vehicles. Just remember to buy a battery when you buy the unit.
GuisBuild's Full Review: Dewalt DC500 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum
After my second spilt cup of coffee in a couple weeks, and the embarrassment of driving clients around upon sawdust-covered truck seats, I determined it was time to find a sensible tool (ah, yes, a tool) to remedy this problem. Sure, I could stop drinking coffee in the truck. And, yes, I imagine I could use a lint roller to remove every bit of sawdust from my clothing before sitting. But a lint roller hardly qualifies as a tool purchase.
Enter a new cordless vacuum.
DeWalt DC500
It may be a vacuum, but it is decorated in the yellow and black scheme that makes DeWalt a color-loving tool guy's dream. Plus you have to enter a store that sells power tools to buy it. Already sounds great.
I found mine at a local big box home improvement store which shall remain nameless (but which enjoys using bright orange in its own color scheme). I already owned a couple -okay, maybe three - shop vacs and I knew I was not looking for another. That said, a small handvac like the Ryobi Tough Sucker was great but I wanted something just a step above. Something between the Tough Sucker and a shop vac.
This DeWalt may just be the middle of the road solution many a consumer is looking for. In fact, it may rival some of the wet vacs marketed more to home owners and, pardon me for saying so, women. Some little green machine comes to mind, though this one is not constructed for carpet shampoo jobs. The size and constructions renders it very portable and very store-able (this time I can't find my literature but I&'d venture a guess at a weight of about 10 pounds when not filled with debris). In addition, the cleaning nozzle stores right onboard the unit itself. A good feature for those of us whose offices are on four wheels and tend to get a bit - ahem - cluttered. Furthering the portable nature is a built in handle always in an upright position.
Does it suck?
This unit runs on A/C power or a DeWalt battery (yes, the same batteries that are currently fueling your cordless drill). Needless to say, the greater the battery volt you use (it will accept 12, 14.4 or 18 volt batteries) the greater the suction and the greater the length of use you'll have on the battery.
For the sake of argument, assuming A/C power is used, the auction here is great. It handled my sawdust-covered seats with relative ease and did even better on the caked mud on the floor boards. In fact, it even took a few small nails up that were laying on the floor as well. At the time I did not purposely spill some coffee to test the suction, but did pour a bit of water on the ground to try the vac wet. Same good suction. In fact, one of the biggest pros for this user was the fact that if needed I could go from sucking up the sawdust to sucking up my coffee spills without batting an eyelid or changing something on the vacuum. When filled with liquids a port is available for easy dumping as opposed to having to take the unit apart to rid it of liquids.
The internal filter is a synthetic material as opposed to paper and will last quite some time with regular cleaning. I rinse mine off on a weekly basis assuming normal use of the unit and replaced it about 6 months after purchase. It claims to trap 99.7% of dust though I'm not quite sure how one measures .3% of dust in order to check the accuracy of this claim.
In addition, the unit can also be used as a mini blower worthwhile in tight situations (i.e. not something I'd use to blow my leaves around in the autumn).
Sure it sucks, but does it suck?
This is a good unit for me as it fit a specific need in terms of use and portability. Furthermore, as a guy working in the trades I have plenty of DeWalt batteries and a charger (or two or three) at my disposal. The first downside would be for the consumer who purchases this vac for about $100 only to have to purchase a battery and charger for cord-free use.
Secondly, it's worth noting that operating something that is continually running while in operation will mean a battery doesn't last as one normally anticipates. Think of your cordless drill and how it is essentially resting between uses. Well in this case, the unit is continually in operation which means the battery drains a whole lot sooner. In my case, this means I utilize the battery when on the go and cleaning up after myself. When I'm home and wanting to vacuum a bit, I plug the unit in to save battery life. A good compromise.
In the end I like this product. Its portability has rendered it useful in my work life and we even bring it along when traveling with three little ones for any distance. The power is beyond adequate and the easy use of dry and wet at once is a big benefit for fast pick ups without changing filters or attachments. The negatives do not outweigh the positives, though I'd knock off a star for having to invest in a battery and charger for the otherwise tool-free consumer.
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