Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review

Over the last couple of years, Ryobi has been rocking the power tool world.  They have come out with some crazy stuff like a garage door opener, the Score, a cooler, a fan and not to mention a whole line of cordless power tools.  When it comes to a broad range of tools for a cordless battery platform, no one competes against Ryobi.  So let’s jump into another cool new tool from Ryobi, let’s check out the Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review.

Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review Overview

Ryobi is a great battery platform to own for a couple of reasons.  First, they make quality tools.  Second, they don’t overcharge for their tools.  Third, they have over 100 unique products for their Ryobi battery platform.  Which makes this ideal and a great solution for the homeowner.  In fact, we see a lot of professionals owning these tools because they are inexpensive and reliable, which says a lot about the brand.

Here is another cool feature of the Ryobi 18V ONE+.  While other power tool manufacturers have changed their batteries over the years, which means you have to buy your tools all over again, Ryobi has stayed consistent.  The batteries you buy today will still work on the tools they made as far back as 1996.  That’s pretty cool.

Ryobi has pushed the limits again with their introduction of a cordless wet dry vacuum.  How nice is it to be able to be free when using your vacuum?  No limitations and no more being held back by the length of your extension cord.  No more cords getting caught and no more trying to roll your vacuum over cords.

For me, this is a huge leap forward.  If one product needed to go cordless, it is the wet dry vacuum.  I have a basement which was built in 1924, so I get water when it rains.  In the spring, summer, and fall, I am using a wet dry vacuum all the time.  Most of the time it’s to clean up small puddles, but it’s still a pain.  I am always fighting with the extension cord length and trying to move the vacuum over the cord.  It’s a pain in the rear.

So when I heard Ryobi came out with this cordless vacuum, I had to give it a shot.

Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review Features

The Wet Dry vacuum is a 6-gallon vacuum that weighs about 15 lbs.  The vacuum is powerful and has produces 80 CFM.

Ryobi was able to cut the power cord and run this off their 18V ONE+ line.  The battery is a 4 Ah battery.

On top of the vacuum sits a large carrying handle.  On the front side of the handle, there is a power button to control the on/off.  On the lower back part of this handle is where a user can insert the 18V battery.

The On/Off is a simple toggle switch to turn the vacuum on or off.

One great design for this vacuum is the wheel set up.  On the front and back, there is caster wheel that spins freely.  On the side of the vacuum, is two large wheels, one on each side.  This set up allows the unit to easily be pushed around and also prevent it from tipping over, which happens a lot to wet dry vacuums.

One each side, just above the caster wheels, are two carrying handles which makes it very easy to lift up and dump out water or debris.

The unit comes with two extension wands, a crevice tool and floor tool.  I wish the floor tool was a little wider.  I also wish Ryobi included a floor tool that has the rubber strip so it acts like a squeegee and helps dry the floor when picking up water.  The floor tools do a decent job, but a floor tool with a rubber strip would work great and not leave streaks or spots.

Both the wands and tools are securely held in by elastic bands.  This is a plus and a minus.  The plus is once the tools are put away, they will never fall out.  On most wet dry vacuums we have seen, tool storage is awful and the tools tend to come loose and easily become lost.

The downside to the elastic is it’s a little hard to put away the tools.  For me, I would rather it be a little hard, but more secure.  So I am happy with the set up of the tool storage.

The 7′ hose is to attach and detach from the body of the vacuum.  When using it, the hose will not come undone even when you pull the vacuum by the hose.

There are four plastic latches that hold the top of the vacuum to the body of the vacuum.

opening up the vacuum, you have easy access to change or clean the filter.

One cool design to this vacuum is the angle of the intake hole.  As you can see it points to the side.  This allows all the debris to enter the vacuum and almost spin in a circle, which means the filter stays cleaner longer when picking up a lot of dirt.  As you know when a filter gets clogged, you lose suction.  So I think this is a great design.

When not in use, you can store the tools and hose all on board.  This makes it very easy to carry or roll around.  I love not having to deal with the hose falling off and the tools dropping all over the place.

Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review Performance

The vacuum is extremely powerful.  No, I am not comparing it to a full size corded wet dry vac.  However, the Ryobi isn’t a joke.  For the size and being cordless, this vacuum rocks.  It was easily able to pick up these nuts and bolts of various sizes without any issues.

If you watch the video below, you will also see that it sucks up water with ease and is fast.

Now I do wish the hose was a little longer and the floor attachment was a little wider, but I understand who this vacuum is designed for and what type of work you can expect to perform with this vacuum.

If you understand that this vacuum isn’t meant to work a full day’s work, then you will be extremely happy.  No cord to mess around with and plenty of power to get most work done.

Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review Value

This is Ryobi and the one thing we know about Ryobi, is they offer a great product for a great price.  This Wet Dry vacuum (Bare Tool) retails for about $100 at The Home Depot.

I have seen some wet dry vacuums sell for less but this one is powerful and best of all, you don’t need an outlet.  $100 is a steal.

Ryobi Wet Dry Vacuum Review Final Thoughts

I think this is another winner from Ryobi.  The vacuum is powerful, easy to move around and works great.  I know some people say it’s on the loud side, but I really can’t say it is much louder than my other wet dry corded vacuum.  If you are looking for an easy and convenient vacuum that is cordless, this is the one to own.  Actually, it’s the only cordless wet dry vacuum (at the time of this article).