Having a cordless vacuum will certainly make your life easier. You can clean up small messes and not have to worry about plugging in a cord and only having a small range of movement which is limited by the length of the power cord. So let’s take a look at this Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum.
Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum Overview
When it comes to job site vacuums, I think Milwaukee is one of the top performers for an 18V vacuum. While I love the Hilti, the Hilti also carries a hefty price tag compared to Milwaukee. So for the Money, Milwaukee makes a great vacuum.
I owned the first-generation Milwaukee vacuum, the 0880-20 (which is the same model number as this version). I think I bought that vacuum back in 2011 and have been using it ever since. So why did I upgrade?
I was cleaning my truck and the nozzle got stuck under the seat. As I tried to free up the nozzle, the end broke off. Looking around it was about $50 for a replacement which is crazy money so I decided to upgrade and here we are.
Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum Features
The Milwaukee cordless vacuum, Model 0880-20 is both a wet and dry vacuum which means you can pick up pretty much any mess. The vacuum offers 45 CFM and a 32″ water lift which is powerful for a small vacuum.
The vacuum is powered by the M18 battery. While you can use any of the M18 batteries, the 9Ah battery will give you about 30 minutes of run time.
Milwaukee placed a built-in handle and the on/off toggle switch on the top of the vacuum. (I don’t like the placement of the on/off switch, more on that below.)
The top lid locks in place with two heavy-duty plastic latches.
Once you open the top, you have access to the hose. The hose stores nicely and is easy to access. For me, I like this setup. On the old vacuum, the hose was on the outside and it would often fall down when moving it around.
Once you take the hose out, you can easily access both the attachments and the battery.
The vacuum comes with a flexible hose, crevice tool, utility nozzle, and a certified HEPA filter.
The flexible hose is 6 ft. long and has a diameter of 1-1/4 in.
To clean out the waste bin, there are latches on each side. Giving you have access to empty the 2-gallon bin and/or clean-off the HEPA filter.
Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum Performance
As I noted earlier, this vacuum is one of my favorites because of its power. I like the box design so it’s easy to store. As you can see from above, it can easily suck up these larger nuts without any issue. So as long as it fits through the 1-1/4″ nozzle, the vacuum will suck it up.
I do have one complaint about the vacuum and that is where the on/off toggle switch is located. For me, it’s backward. As you can see the hose comes out the left side. When the lid is closed, the handle is in the middle and the on/off switch is to the right. So as you are using this vacuum and holding on to it, the hose is in front of you. With the on/off sitting behind the handle, you always need two hands to turn it on and off. If they would have put the on/off switch on the other side of the handle, you could hold the vacuum and use your thumb to turn it on and off making it much easier to work with.
Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum Value
For a bare tool expect to pay $120. Considering how much use I got out of the first generation, this is worth every penny. I like how the tools and hose are now stored inside and love the power. So for $120, it’s a great value.
Milwaukee Cordless Vacuum Wrap Up
Bottom line you can’t go wrong with this Milwaukee. For the price, it has great power and I like its tool storage. If you need something that is a step up, I would go with the Hilti but you will pay about $225 but you get a vacuum that has 2 speeds, manual filter cleaning, and a bag, plus a bigger waster container and longer hose.
