When it comes to homeowners tools, I am a huge fan of Ryobi. They have a huge lineup and are all sold for a very reasonable price. About a month ago we reviewed the Ryobi Stick Vac and loved that vacuum. One of our favorite stick vacs. Well, today we are taking a look at the Box vacuum so let’s check out the Ryobi Vacuum Review.
Ryobi Vacuum Review Overview
The two vacuums I have been using over the last couple of years has been the Milwaukee and Ridgid vacuum. Both are lightweight, powerful and lightweight. However but have some things that annoy me. Such as the I am not a huge fan of how Milwaukee has the accessories under the lid. Every time I grab for one, I have to unlock two latches and grab them from under the hood. Then if I don’t latch it back up and I try to grab the handle, the lid breaks free.
The Ridgid box vacuum is nice, but I hate how the hose has a slide feature to deflect air flow so it’s not as powerful. I am always hitting this slide switch and it becomes less powerful when I don’t want it o.
The Ryobi solves these two small but noticeable inconveniences of the above two vacuums. I love the storage, the power and easy of use.
Ryobi Vacuum Review Features
The Ryobi P3240 is a 3-gallon wet/dry vacuum. Which means it perfect for those quick clean up or if you have a little water clean up.
The vacuum is powered by the Ryobi 18V battery. The battery is located on top of the tool along with the carrying handle.
The vacuum comes with two attachments, a crevice tool and utility nozzle. I do wish there was a brush tool for those areas you want to clean but not mark up such as painted stairs.
The on/off button is located on top of the tool so no more reaching around or trying to blindly turn on the vacuum. I never understood why some companies put their on/off switch on the back of the vacuum.
The hose is a 6′ 1-1/4 hose. You get a full 6′ if you stretch the hose. One cool feature of the hose is when you stretch it out, the hose is clear so you can visually see if you have something blocking the tube.
The inlet is on top of the vacuum and rotates 90°.
There are two large locks on the front and the other one is located on the back of the vacuum. When you need to empty the tank, it’s easy to open and access.
Once you open the vacuum, there is a nice large plastic container you can take to the garbage can, just like the Milwaukee vacuum.
The twist off filter is attached to the top of the lid.
I don’t ever use my vacuums as blowers, but this Ryobi does have the option. You can use the utility nozzle and place it on the side of the vacuum, then detach the hose from the other end and you now have a blower.
Ryobi Vacuum Review Performance
First I love that this has onboard storage. Yes, other vacuums have it also, but I feel like this one is so much easier. First, the attachments are on the outside so I am not opening any door to get the attachments. Second, I love how the cord management is set up. It to put away and take out
I am not going to say this is the most powerful box vacuum we have used, but for the homeowner, it does a great job. I was able to pick up large nuts and bolts without any issues. I was able to vacuum the stairs, clean out my truck and more. Not one time did I have an issue where I thought power or suction was an issue.
Ryobi Vacuum Review Value
The Home Depot has this retailed for about $90 as a bare tool. I don’t think it’s that badly priced but when you compare it to the Milwaukee or Dewalt, I am not sure how good of a deal this is. The Milwaukee and Dewalt are about $10 more for their box vacuum. For $10 more, why wouldn’t I upgrade if battery platform wasn’t an issue? If this was priced at $70 or even $80, I think it would be a much easier sell and not just because of the lower price point.
Ryobi Vacuum Review Final Thoughts
Ryobi is a brand I think every homeowner should invest in. First, they offer a ton of power tools in their line up. Second, they offer so much more than just power tools such as this vacuum, speaker and coolers. Third, the price point is awesome. For the quality you get at a low price point, it’s hard to beat. this vacuum isn’t any different. I love the onboard storage and ease of moving around. While it’s a little loud, the power is perfect for the homeowner. I do wish they had a brush attachment for this, but I love they offer two onboard attachments. With a price tag of $90, it’s a perfect portable vacuum solution for dry and wet applications.
Great review Eric. I already wanted the 6 gallon Ryobi cordless vac and now you have me wanting this one. TIA is killing my wallet. In the review you have a typo and put that it runs on the Milwaukee 18 volt battery. This looks like a nice portable unit.
Thanks for the feedback and letting me know about the typo. LOL, yes things get pricey as there are a lot of cool products out there.
Thanks for the write up. I’ve been looking at cordless vacs like this, and would have loved having this for any of a number of recent projects. As you note the Milwaukee and DeWalt may be more powerful, but minimizing the number of battery systems I own is a serious consideration. I already have several Ryobi 18v tools and they’ve generally been great (although there have been times when more torque would have been nice), and several Ryobi batteries – great to be able to share these across tools. I finally gave in last year when I needed a new dual bevel compound miter saw and found Makita’s gorgeous two-battery cordless unit at half price (amazing tool! Unadvertised deal when a local HD had two left on the floor – for that I gave in also snagged a few LXT batteries for it – if I ever switch to another cordless system, I’d be very happy with Makita).
I think my wife may actually have been paying attention when I was ruminating about the Ryobi vac… So I’ll wait until after the holidays to see if Santa brings me one. If not, it will become my New Year’s present to myself.
Jon this is great to hear! Honestly, it is hard for a lot of users to get 100% of their needs met on any one line, all of the brands you’ve mentioned are great picks! I hear so much about this cordless vacuum from Dan and Eric, I may just have to buy one myself too! Sounds like you got a great deal on that Miter Saw, that was definitely a lucky find!