VacmasterVF408 4 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner with 2-Stage Motor

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I wanted an effective, reliable machine with strong suction that was easy to maneuver. I am so pleased with the quality and performance of this vacuum. It’s in the top ten list of purchases I’ve made that I’m most satisfied with. Easy to assemble, easy to use, good range of accessories, self-retracting cord (a real plus), and very well-priced. I bought it to replace a name brand machine I bought a year ago that never really worked very well.

I've owned and used a wide variety of vacuums in my life, and without a doubt, this is the best vacuum I've had the privilege to own. It is also a bargain. Some vacuums I've paid a good deal more for were far less in quality and usefulness than this unit. I love the length of the hose, and I especially like the floor attachment, which goes under the couch and maneuvers so effectively. I love the long power cord, the brilliant wheel setup, and how easily it moves around by pulling lightly. It is light to pick up and put away as well. I have only two very minor issues with this unit which I overcame with ease. One, the power cord retractor does not work very well, so now I pull it all the way out and never use it. The other is the cute little metal racks meant to wrap the hose around and hold it in place. A waste of time and energy, in my opinion, so I simply removed them. These are insignificant in comparison to the great features already described. I give it a 5 out of 5 with joy!

Bought this as a vacuum for cleaning out cars and camper. It works great. It is a loud but not nearly as loud as other shop vacs. Great little machine. Easy to move around. Better suction than I expected. Love all the tools that come to attach to it. I can also use my house vacuum attachments if I want to. I have been using it as a dry vac with a bag. I have not used it as a wet vac yet.My only complaint is the automatic cord retriever does not work. It is supposed to pull in on its own, but I have to push the button repeatedly and have help the cord go back in. But this is a minor thing for me when compared to all the other benefits. I do wish it would’ve worked. That would give this five stars instead of four.

Clearly Five Stars. We've had it for over 2 years. It is very dusty in our Honduras, Central America, home. The vacuum comes with a pleated filter standard. We fitted the vacuum with a dust bag from Space Tent, a third filter over the pleated standard filter, and the hepa filter. 4 filters in total. I suppose that reduces the suction force. But my sensitive nose likes it that way.The automatic cord wind up is wimpy. I'm careful with it. Two years old, still works.This is the second machine we've owned from this company. I wear hearing protection with the old machine. This red machine doesn't bother my ears.Super economical. Just be careful so the floor paint doesn't get sucked up too.

I have almost always bought Sears indoor and outdoor vacuum cleaners for my garage and patio needs. This is the first time I have bought outside of Sears, and I am pleased. This vacuum is small in size and much easier to move around the round vacuum's I was used to. In addition, it stores far more of its attachments than the Sears vacuum ever did. You still will need a container to store some of the attachments but its really impressive how much this thing can hold for such a small vacuum. It's got a basket attachment and a 2 slots for other attachments. The hose and tubes are about an inch and three quarters to two inches in diameter, are very light but strong, the tubing is very flexible but won't kink on you either. It is light moving around but is a bit top heavy, [this is where the motor is.], the tank is big enough to handle most household areas for wet work. It has a large on off button on the top and two large clasps for opening and closing the top half from the bottom half. This is a nice feature with those with big hands. A very nice feature is a spring-loaded extension cord. I cannot tell you how much easier it is to vaccuum an area without always tripping over the cord. Suction is really good as long as you make sure your attachment is in contact with the floor. If your at an angle to the floor it will not pick up things as well. As soon as I realized what I was doing wrong, there wasn't a problem.Positives: Good Price, very good suction power, ease to move around does not get in the way of itself. Great suction just be sure you're at the right angle with the attachment you're using. Nice interior volume. It stores nicely in a very small space, I love this.Negatives: Some assembly required and of course the instructions aren't always clear, YouTube it you will be fine. [The hooks for the hose were the most difficult.] Does not store everything that comes with it. To the best of my knowledge, it cannot be used as a blower. The floor wands for vacuuming and mopping are a little too small for large areas but do work well, just plan on it taking a little longer to do the same job.Overall, I recommend this vacuum. As long as you're not doing more than a two-car garage or a patio of equivalent size this product will serve you well. In addition, there are third party products that you can use, [bags and filters], that will save you money and work just as well as the factory brands. I do not recommend this product for commercial or large-scale use, mainly because of the small size of the attachments, not because it couldn't do the job.