Customer Reviews for RIDGID 6 Gallon 3.5 Peak HP NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum with Filter, Locking Hose and Accessories

Ok, Father's Day, 2023 we were on the way to camp. We remembered that that dad mentioned a shop vac would be nice to have, especially a wet / dry vacuum. Hey, a 6-gal vacuum that is wet/dry? Rigid? No brainer! We purchased the 6-gal model. Some assembly required? Ha! It was a freaking cheap mess of parts that barely fit together. See photos below: First, it would not pick up some nails, not 20 penny, but roofing, and some plaster nails. Second, we tried to demonstrate the wet pick up, we had mopped the porch and figured it would be a test and show it off. Wrong! With a sponge mop and a bucket, I removed more water in 15 min total than the vacuum had done all day. Ridgid should be embarrassed, a vacuum that does not vacuum novel approach to lose customers and alienate those who love this brand.

3 year old larger rigid shop vac is a waste of space in my garage since the switch went out and can’t find a replacement. Bought this for some work we are doing. Dust is fine. Small brads and such—not so much. My dirt devil had more suction. I guess if you are buying it to dust your house it is fine… but not if you are trying to clean up a room after pulling up a carpet and need it clean for new flooring….

This was easy to assemble. Love the attachments. Great suction.

Love it, came in handy for my construction clean up jobs . The correct brush attachment should be added but overall great vac for big and small jobs

I bought this shop vac without doing any research, which is completely out of my character. However I was needing a new VF5000 filter for my older Ridged, which is “old” and blows moldy smells— I needed this for our new home indoor projects. I have 4 shop vacs and my older Ridged is my best of all, to include my “very expensive” brand vac, so of course a Ridged is my go-to. When I went to buy a $24.97 filter for my older Ridged, I saw this complete shop vac for $55, so it was a no brainer to me. I bought it and set it up, went to vacuum my concrete floor in my dogs rooms — I just pulled the carpet up and plucked the tack stripes up; which left concrete pieces and tiny nails. Once I fired the new vac up, it was Extremely loud and only picked up 30% of the concrete pieces on the floor,— they were smaller than a dime and thinner than one too. But this vac would “not” pick them up unless I positioned the head piece directly over it and waited 2-3 secs. There was also some small tack nails (that were holding the carpet down) and it wouldn’t pick those up either— even after putting the vac over it. The nails went up (I could feel em rattling in the tube in my hand) but then feel out when I picked the vac up from the floor. When I put the vac to my hand, it “felt” strong but not sure why it wouldn’t grab anything. I had to return this piece and I was really hoping to fall in love with it since I just bought a new home and need something to do random projects without smelling up the house.

This small Rigid wet/dry vac had simple set up instructions which were accomplished in about 5 minutes. Basically, snap in the caster feet, screw in the handle and you are set. It is a manageable size for storage and home use and has a carry handle for easy movement. The feet have molded storage posts for the extension wands which keep them secure when not in use. Unfortunately, as great as the look and construction of this unit is, I had some issues once I tested it out on my auto mats and interior. I was hoping this unit would be powerful enough to replace my ancient Shopvac but it was rather disappointing. I thought the large diameter of the hose would be an asset but it has insufficient suction for many tasks. There should be an attachment included that narrows the end opening for tight spaces and more concentrated suction. It wouldn't add much to the price and it is definitely needed. I was unable to reach many places in the car's interior and I felt it had mediocre performance. I would opt for a Rigid model with more HP and other attachments. I like the basic design, weight and low noise level but I need more power before I retire my bulky metal Shopvac.

Love this vacuum! Its squatty design makes it harder to tip over which is great because we all pull shop vacs around by the hose. This vac is super easy to assemble. With the exception of the 2 screws attaching the handle to the top of the unit, everything snaps together easily. I've used it for blowing up inflatables, blowing dust and debris out of the garage, vacuuming up dirt/leaves/trash - damp and dry and it works very well. I took it to work where we have a LOT of chalk dust which normally clogs up vacuums quickly - the vac made short work of the dust without clogging and everyone really liked using it.

Ridgid raises the bar on economical shop vacuums. The engineers did their best to create a more powerful, more user friendly garage vacuum and keep the price at $50. I believe this is a much improved vacuum over the older Ridgid WD0670. Look for my video summary on YouTube (or below) for an in-depth review of how this vacuum performs. Summary- Pros: • Great Suction. Better than Shop Vac. • Better hose. Nice flexible hose that has larger diameter than most but not too large to be annoying. • Price. Hard to believe you can buy a vacuum for less than a pair of sneakers. You’ll probably still want to purchase vacuum bags (see note below), an accessory muffler, some accessory tools (and possibly HEPA filter) but you’ll still be way ahead. Cons: • Noise. This vacuum is louder than most and you should wear hearing protection for extended uses (i.e. sanding). • Filter Mounting. Ridgid vacs use a tool-less press on filter design that really doesn’t work well. It’s easy to damage the filter taking it on/off and the rubber longevity is questionable. Difficulty increases if the filter is really dirty. Note on the bags. The HD website says this vac uses VF3505 6-9 gallon bags. Box says VF3501 (3-4.5 gallon). I purchase both and found the VF3501 worked best (See Video). The larger 6-9 gallon had to be awkwardly folded to fit in this new squattier canister. About my ratings: 5 stars – Exceeds all expectations. Better than the competition in all aspects, design, cost, operation, and support (A+). 4 stars – Nicely done. Better than the competition and solves the problem. (B) 3 stars – Works as expected. Has some shortcomings but gets the job done. Might be short in design, cost, longevity, or support. (C). 2 stars – Falls short of expectations and needs improvement. Pass and look elsewhere. (D) 1 star – Fails miserably. Does not get the job done, might even make things worse. Someone at the company should be fired. (F)

Big vacuum in a small package! This little guy really sucks in a good way! Its compact flying saucer design puts the wheel closer inside the diameter of the vacuum rather than outside like previous designs. The cord storage is a feature that has been missing from many other designs. The small size makes it easy to move around. The large power button makes it easy to turn on/off with gloves or big hands. I only wish it came with the crevice attachment. That's all it's missing.

The vacuum works well. It has a good amount of suction.

Light weight. Perfect for vacuuming out your automobile or garage. Im please with my purchase!

Love this shop vac. Talk about suction power. It starts sucking stuff up before I get to it.

The caster wheels were very difficult to install

Casters didn’t fit. Missing two screws.

Low suction . Safe you money and buy a real shop vac. Worst shop vac ever.

I am returning this item. Theresa hose will not stay in the machine. There is a plastic clip to hold it in place, but the hose will not go in far enough for the clip to catch. When the hose is on, the suction is good.

Very disappointed!!!!!!

I needed a good middle of the road vacuum specifically to help with a swimming pool resurface. Keep the pool free of debris. This worked very well with very strong suction. I had to free some larger debris that got clogged but it was easy. The suction is great. Luck would have it that I had a water accident with the sink days after this purchase. I used several towels before I remembered the vacuum! I used it and got the water up off the floor in minutes. A great and timely purchase. It seems very sturdy & assembly is easy. Just takes some force to get the rolling wheels in.

Superior power for an inexpensive vacuum. Large replaceable filters a plus. Reasonable price, has both vacuum and blower capabilities. Drawback is does not come with many attachments (no brush, no thin nosed device) and the hose seems stiff and less flexible than others I have used.

This was recommended by our furnace repair man. It is a really simple utility vacuum for the heavier cleaning. Lots of suction. Light to move around because of plastic body.

Shop vac is exactly what I wanted. Works great.