The 4 Best Cordless Shop Vacuums August, 2020 (And 3 Other Models)

This 2-gallon cordless vacuum has a rated max airflow of 45CFM and sealed pressure of 32 inches. While it doesn't come with its own battery, it is compatible with both Milwaukee's 18V RED LITHIUM Li-ion batteries and the regular 18V NiCD slide-on batteries. It comes with a 6-inch hose, a crevice tool, utility nozzle, and a HEPA filter rated at .3 microns (which is typical of most HEPA filters).

Many users who gave the M18 high-scoring reviews praised its toolbox style and built-in accessory storage which make for a compact overall design. One user noted that none of its accessories stick out when stored, so they did not need to worry about it getting snagged while being carried. Another one liked how it can use other batteries from their other Milwaukee tools and specifically bought it for that reason.

A common complaint about the M18 was the fact that it lacks a 110V cord to let it connect to a power outlet, which means the only way to use it is to actually buy a separate battery (We encourage you, however, to look at the other good choices on this page, as some of them are hybrid, meaning they also include a standard power cord). Even with a fully-charged battery, users found that it only runs for about 10-11 minutes. However, even those who are critical of the M18 still approved of its overall performance, which is why, when our shopping algorithm crawled over 421 reviews, it found it to gather an average of 4.5 stars.

With an overwhelming amount of positive reviews, the M18 scored high enough that our system ranked it as the number one cordless vacuum with a 72 confidence level (More on confidence levels), a good example that sometimes good things can come in a small, toolbox-shaped package (Learn how we rank items).

Portable battery-powered hand wet dry vacuum that comes with a 0.3-micron HEPA filter and can be used as a cordless, but only if you buy a non-included battery.

What we like:

• That it comes with a wet dry HEPA filter sounds like a good start
• We kind of like that we can use it with the power cord (goodbye dead batteries), but we are frustrated that the battery does not come with it

The DeWALT DCV581H was apparently made for people who need shop vacuums for both indoor and outdoor use. It can run as a cordless model on 18-volt or 20-volt MAX batteries, which are sold separately, or electricity. It also comes with a washable HEPA-rated wet/dry filter that traps dust and, according to DeWALT, removes more airborne particles than regular filters.