VacmasterVJE1412SW0201 Beast Professional Series 14 Gal. 6.5 HP Steel Tank Wet/Dry Vac with Cart

I bought this for several uses, including vacuuming sludge out of the AC condensate line outdoors. The vac works great and has plenty of suction. When putting the large wheels on the axle I noted that the clips fall out holding the wheels on when using vac. You will need to replace these clips with better clips, cotter pins, or even a long bent skinny nail. Installing the wire hose holders had me scratching my head. They do not go in the lid clamp area, but in the top unit way above the base. This is a good vac for the price range. I’d say it’s medium duty. If I was a serious contractor, using it continuously,I’d buy an expensive commercial vac for $400.

To my surprise, the assembly instructions were clearly written and easy to follow. The unit navigates effortlessly, is very quiet and boy, the suction is extremely powerful. I first used the unit on my patio. In one pass It picked up leaves, tiny berries, dirt and anything else in it's path. I was amazed that dirt was retained in the canister and did not escape out the vent. In my opinion, the build quality, ease of use and proven work capabilities make this a quality investment.

I almost never write an Amazon review, but I liked this vacuum so much I wanted to share my experience with it--I bought it to replace an aging "Rigid Pro" shop vac. The power rating (6.5hp) is the same as my Rigid, but the performance with "The Beast" is much better (I would bet that the motors are all made by the same parts manufacturer because all the top vacs have a 6.5HP rating--its in the overall design where the big differences are).Pros:Very quietVery powerful suctionHigh quality parts (except for the hose)Large rear wheels are a blessingGreat design for storage, snapping the top on and off, changing a bag or filter, storing the cord, hose and toolsCons:Cheap extruded hose just like every Vac out thereNo brush attachmentI use this vac in my woodshop attached to a 18' flex hose on a reel. That means that the suction is reduced due to the length of the hose. I can tell from this machine that it can grab a lot more dust and debris in the crevices of my tools than the old Rigid with the same power rating. But even if it were just the same, the Vacmaster beats the Rigid hands down in the following ways:--It is much more quiet, perhap[s by half or more--It is much easier to move around (whoever designed vacs with those tiny wheels never tried to use one in a shop where there are extension cords laying all over and chunks of wood) because of the large rear wheels--The actual vacuum itself is thoughtfully designed with a place to store the hose, a great cord storage system that cost the manufacturer extra they really didn't have to provide but they did, the latch system to get the lid on and off just snaps instead of having to fight with the side handles, a great attachment bag--everything looks like it will go for the long haul--The only area I would recommend thinking about adding to this machine is the actual vacuum hose itself. Its the normal extruded 2.5" crappy flex hose about five or six feet long with attachments but no brush attachment. I am totally satisfied with the value here interns of what i got for what I paid--its super, but if you don't have a longer, superior hose system, you are going to need to go on Amazon and buy one, and that is true for EVERY vacuum on the market--there are just no good hoses that come with these machines.Bottom line--This is the right vac for a shop or garage, more than worth the price which is actually cheaper than some other brands. I am tired or poorly designed, cheaply made tools and gear--this is as good as it gets, better than I hoped and so worth the price!

Updated review:~This is a great shopvac. It is beyond superb of any shopvac Ive used prior to this, and thus, am humbly updating my review, from 1 to 5 stars for benefit, looks, effeciency, and performance of the unit.1st review- 1star: The last photo is what the unit is supposed to look like on both sides. Unfortunately, one side came without manufactured piece and knobs for it to snap into.Without it having a part number on the assembly piece, the units assembly top isnt snapped in on both sides to create the vortex of vacuming.Even though Amazon patched me in on manufacture call to fix issue, manufacture asked to verify purchase, and for me to send letter explaining everything I already did, to Amazon and Vacmaster, on phone, and wait for consideration. $180 is alot of money for a rolling trash can, which is all it can be used for now. The companys customer service process might be slow to fix an issue but Amazon swapped it out rather quickly.

Decent shop vac for $170, the price I paid in April, 2023.What I like:- good suction power, works well with my table saw and miter box for dust extraction. Has a dust bag and a circular filter- lots of pulling power for floor cleanup- long cord- screw port for water release- 2 1/4 inch hose has a lot of pulling power- water and dust capable- convenient tool, hose and wand storageWhat I don’t like:- the assembly instructions absolutely suck- the front swivel wheels have some sort of “beeswax” looking product pretending to be bearing lubricant. The front wheels don’t turn well. I removed the yellowish wax with shop cleaner and replaced it with Lubriplate lithium grease. Vast improvement in rotation!- the hose could be longer- be SURE to use the foam filter properly. It’s for wet use only. It goes over the intake base, NOT on top of the pleated paper filter and it’s ONLY for water use!- there is a mysterious chain under the vac that is not discussed in the manual. It’s a static discharge chain. Dust + rotation = static electricity in the stainless tank. The chain acts to ground the tank and discharge the static electricity.- could use a power tool “auto on/off” capability. But I bought a $50 switch that does that and it’s 15 amps.- only 1 front wheel locks. See the photoOverall, this is a solid, budget wet/dry shop vac. It replaced my 40+ year old Bosch 10 gallon model(See the photo) that was dying.You can spend a LOT of cash for a shop vac these days and this Vacmaster is a good compromise between functionality and stupid money for ageneral use sho0 vac.Hope that helps!