The 9 Best Cordless Shop Vacuums
Special Honors
Bissell Garage Pro 18P03 As a permanently installed model, the 18P03 might seem like the antithesis of a cordless option, but for users working exclusively out of one garage or shop space, it can still offer a lot of convenience. As a wall-mounted unit, you'll never need to worry about plugging it in, changing its battery, tripping over it or losing it. bissell.com
HafcoVac If a battery-powered model just isn't doing the job you need it to, it might be time to think about a pneumatic unit from HafcoVac. These stainless steel selections are backed by a lifetime warranty, and can purportedly generate up to six times the suction of a standard, motor-driven model. hafcovac.com
Editor's Notes
February 18, 2021:
It was a busy round of updates. While we removed the Porter Cable Wet/Dry and Ridgid WD0318 due to availability issues, we also decided on eliminating the HoLife Rechargeable and Black & Decker Hand Vacuum, recognizing that – while these picks might’ve been nice choices for our list of cordless stick vacuums – they really just weren’t suitable picks for a shop-vac category. Even the Makita XLC02R1B, which we ended up deciding to retain – since it’s at least supported by a line of batteries from a popular power tool company, which may be of benefit to users shopping in this category – was questionable.
We replaced the Black & Decker Hand Vacuum with the Craftsman CMCV002B — a larger unit from the same parent company that’s more suitable for shop work. It isn’t the most powerful model we ranked, but is a fairly affordable choice, and it’s backed by a three-year limited warranty.
We also replaced the DeWalt DC515B with the DeWalt DCV517B. We previously listed DC515B for the benefit of users who were still operating on DeWalt’s 18-volt platform. But, with that series all but gone the way of the dinosaurs, we thought the time was right to replace the DC515B (which was discontinued and likely to become unavailable at any moment, anyway) with the DCV517B, which runs on the same 20-volt system as the DeWalt DCV581H.
Our other new additions during this round were the Bosch GAS18V-3N — which provides four minutes of runtime for every amp-hour a battery brings to the table; and the Milwaukee Compact 0882-20 —a handheld model that provides a complementary alternative to the larger Milwaukee 0880-20.
These cordless models are a great idea for mobile work crews, especially when combined with some of the new, high-capacity lithium-ion batteries that have been coming to market in recent years, but they do have their limits. If you think the convenience of never changing a battery doesn't necessarily outweigh the convenience of never plugging the machine in, then you might want to jump over to our list of wet-dry vacuums. And, if you’re consistently working out of the same garage or shop space, you might be interested in our rankings for wall-mounted vacuums.
October 26, 2018:
Analyzed choices from the top names in tools, including Milwaukee, DeWalt, and Porter Cable. Selected two Makita models for the variation in size and maneuverability they offer, despite the fact that they are relatively more expensive. Also added a Black & Decker dustbuster-style choice for its usefulness in cleaning up smaller messes.