Ridgid WD1245

*Est. $70

The Ridgid WD1245 has ample suction for wet and dry pickup, and its lifetime warranty is a big plus. The tank has a drain, and the shop vac turns itself off when vacuuming liquids once the maximum level is reached. The Ridgid shop vac's small size makes it more portable than larger models, and it runs fairly quietly.

Although experts say most Ridgid-brand shop vacs emit fairly clean exhaust, emissions seem to be a problem with the Ridgid WD12145 shop vac. Although it's inexpensive, other budget shop vacs are recommended more often in reviews.

Our Analysis

Experts and owners agree that the 12-gallon Ridgid WD1245 shop vac is powerful for its size, but testing says emissions seem to be a problem, which makes the 14-gallon Ridgid WD1450 (*est. $100) a better buy.

Consumer Reports compares the Ridgid WD1245 with 22 other consumer-brand shop vacs in its most recent review, running the vacs through objective tests and ranking their performance. We found no user-reviews of this particular model on the Home Depot website, but it does receive some feedback in the Ridgid Tool Forum.

Our Sources

1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe

Consumer Reports includes the Ridgid WD1245 in its review of 23 consumer-brand shop vacs, ranking it in comparison with models of similar size. Each shop vac is put through objective tests, then assigned a total score, as well as separate ratings for wet and dry pickup, emissions and ease of use.

Review: Wet/Dry Vacuums, Editors of Consumer Reports, Mar. 2007

2. Ridgid Power Tools Forum

In this forum thread comparing Ridgid and Craftsman shop vacs, one user mentions that his Ridgid shop vac doesn't seal tightly to the tank when the motor is off. Otherwise, he has only praise for this model, saying it has excellent suction and is relatively quiet and portable. Unfortunately, this small discussion section is too limited to determine any big conclusions.

Review: Ridgid or Craftsman Wet/Dry Vac?, Contributors to Ridgid Forum.com

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