HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review

Vacuums are an important key to any job site. Cleaning debris and dust has become more and more important as the risks and dangers of ingesting certain chemicals commonly found on job sites become more publicized. One such example is silica dust. In recent years government regulations have been tightened to prevent excessive exposure in an effort to protect workers and environmental impacts. As manufacturers work to create solutions that meet OSHA compliance standards, they are left with some tough obstacles to provide performance and protection without being cumbersome. HILTI is a leader in job site solutions, and to answer the increasing demand they launched an industry first. Their new Cordless Vacuum provides compact power while giving the protection needed with concrete drilling and other applications. Let’s dig a bit deeper in the HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review and see what this new tool is all about.

HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review Overview

HILTI is an innovator in the world of dust collection. When we attended the HILTI Innovation Day 2018, this was one tool that really stood out as a really unique idea. This model, the VC-75-1-A22 is the first cordless vacuum that meets the newer regulations regarding Silica dust in the United States. When you pair this vacuum with some of HILTI’s dust collection accessories, like the DRS-D shroud for rotary hammers, you have a Table 1 compliant dust extraction solution when drilling into concrete as well. When you need the compact nature of a cordless vacuum, but also need to maintain a safe work environment, HILTI seems to have designed an answer.

What always stands out to me about HILTI isn’t just their tools, but their warranty. HILTI offers a 20/2/1 year warranty that is unparalleled in the power tool industry. What this means, is that you receive 20 years with coverage for the repair or replacement of defective parts, a two-year coverage period for repairs at no cost, which includes wear and tear. What’s most impressive, is that there is also a 1 day turn around guarantee on their tools which mean your downtime is limited. This is a huge benefit for busy worksites that need to get their crews back to the job at hand. For more information on HILTI’s warranty, be sure to ask your local HILTI retailer.

HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review Features

The HILTI Cordless Vacuum runs on HILTI’s 22V battery platform and provides 75 cubic feet of suction per minute. The one-gallon storage capacity can hold up to 7 pounds of dust and debris.

HILTI includes a fuel gauge on their batteries to easily determine your available battery life.

The vacuum comes with an 8-foot expandable hose.

HILTI includes two attachments as well, a floor tool and crevice tool with onboard storage.

The vacuum not only provides suction but also can be used as a blower by ejecting the hose and moving it to the blower outlet at the back of the vacuum.

Two power modes are included, ECO and MAX based on the suction needed. Switching between the two modes and Off is done using the simple knob.

A clean button to engage the manual filter cleaning allows the user to maintain ideal suction and keep the filter clean. This is an important feature for keeping up with high demand situations.

The tank and filter are easy to access for changing using two heavy duty latches.

The internal filters and bag are easy to change when needed.

Hilti included a comfortable carrying strap for easy job site transport as well as a heavy duty handle on top of the vacuum.

HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review Performance

HILTI designed this cordless vacuum to not only provide effective dust collection but remain portable for job site transport. This was accomplished in spades with this vacuum. There is a lot to be said for the small footprint of this vacuum and its usefulness. Often times corded, larger vacuums are difficult to maneuver on a job site, or even in a garage. The compact design is ideal for maneuvering in small spaces as well.

The included shoulder strap also allows for portability while keeping both hands free. It isn’t an overly heavy unit either. HILTI did a great job balancing the weight needed for durable construction without being cumbersome to the user. As well the runtime was fairly good on this unit. While ECO mode will give you longer run time, the 3Ah battery provided for testing gave a fair amount of run time before needing a charge. The vacuum is noticeably quieter than most shop vacuums on the market, something I find valuable when using power tools in conjunction with it.

The suction on this vacuum is quite stellar for a vacuum of this size. Often cordless vacuums and smaller sized vacuums lack the suction needed to get the job done effectively. While you will certainly find vacuums with higher CFM values on the market, this model is quite adequate for most jobs. While at HILTI innovation Day 2018, this vacuum debuted to all of us and it the short span of an afternoon I think most everyone was pretty eager to get their hands on one. One of the demonstrations they did use small concrete pieces to demonstrate the suction. While I didn’t have a cup of crushed concrete, I did have gravel from a gardening project. Without a doubt, this was no match for HILTI’s Cordless Vacuum.

I have used this vacuum on virtually every material you could imagine. Since my main focus is on woodworking, you can imagine sawdust was easy to come by. Because HILTI is a pioneer in concrete tools, and their dust extraction technology centers often on that medium, I spent quite a bit of time drilling into concrete blocks to see just how well this vacuum could perform on concrete dust. It was quickly able to rid the area of the dust created, and if you combine HILTI accessories designed for your application, users will find their collection improved. It never struggled to accommodate any of the mediums I tested, sawdust, concrete dust and debris, and even the gravel, were no match for this small but mighty HILTI vacuum.

HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review Value

HILTI is a pioneer of powerful tools that professionals swear by. While you wouldn’t count them among the budget-friendly, those that have had the pleasure to use HILTI tools are rarely seen using anything else. This vacuum clocks in at $199.00 bare tool from The Home Depot. They do have a combination set including the Vacuum, two batteries and a charger that runs $349.00. To me, this vacuum is a great tool to solve the much-needed dust collection needs and maintain job site safety as well as compliance. There are certainly less expensive cordless vacuums available, but the dust collection technology isn’t available elsewhere yet. To date, I also have never used a cordless vacuum that performs as well as this one.

The one consideration I wasn’t crazy about is the cost of the filter bags. Because they are small in capacity, a trade-off of having a compact vacuum, changing the collection bag will be frequent. As of now, the replacement bags clock in at $50.00 for five at The Home Depot. The replacement filters are available for $24.99 at The Home Depot, which is about normal for a HEPA filter replacement. This hasn’t stopped me from using this Vacuum at all, just something to keep in mind.

HILTI Cordless Vacuum Review Final Thoughts

HILTI definitely caught my attention with this vacuum. As the first to bring this specific compliance to the market in a cordless form, HILTI is an industry leader. We have already heard of other manufacturers that will be launching similar models soon and I expect more will follow. I’ve reached for this vacuum repeatedly in the last few weeks and with good reason. It’s easy to grab while working in the shop so it is incredibly convenient.

The portability of this vacuum makes it a great option for those needing to meet the demands of frequent moving. This vacuum is also compact enough that it serves a lot of value in tight working conditions as well. Not to mention, a job site is freed of cords, no running extensions or sourcing a plug, rather you have a battery you pop in and get to work. I can imagine a true general contractor finding a lot of value in the compact nature and versatility of cordless performance. With technology designed to provide protection and compliance from harmful dust, it is hard to argue the value of this tool.