Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac vs Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac
Quick take: The Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac costs $20 less.
Which one to buy
A workbench vac and a garage bucket vac happen to sit $20 apart. The Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac is a 12.6 lb toolbox-shaped unit you carry by the handle, with 100 CFM, onboard hose and cord storage, and a built-in Sweep dustpan that owners call useful rather than a gimmick. The Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac is a full-size bucket on casters with three times the capacity and no cord, but it's sold as a bare tool, so its $99 price assumes you already own Ridgid 18V batteries.
For bench cleanup, car interiors and quick spills, the 3-gallon is the better fit and the cheaper buy. Owners note the limits that come with the size: it has no wheels, the 3-gallon tank fills quickly, its hose stretches only to 6 feet, the cord is 15 feet, and its 48-inch water lift makes it better for dry debris and small spills than standing water.
The 9-gallon is the one for bigger messes. Owners and testers report it picking up 3-inch nails and screws and clearing 5 gallons of water in about 9 seconds. Runtime is about 34.5 minutes on one 9.0Ah pack, or about 69 with both ports filled. It weighs 16.28 lbs before batteries, uses a brushed motor, and moves 82 CFM, less than the little corded unit. Both carry Ridgid's lifetime warranty once registered.
Buy the 3-gallon if you mostly clean a bench, a car or small spills and don't own Ridgid batteries.
Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac
The better pick for workbench, car and small-spill cleanup, especially if you don't already own Ridgid 18V batteries.
Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac
The one to get if you already have Ridgid 18V packs and need a 9-gallon tank and casters for bigger jobs away from outlets.
| Spec | Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac | Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$79 | ~$99 |
| Type | Wet-Dry Shop Vac | Wet-Dry Shop Vac |
| Suction | 5 HP | 82 CFM |
| Battery | Corded | 69 min |
| Navigation | — | — |
| Filtration | VF3500 cartridge filter (VF3700 wet filter sold separately) | VF4000 General Debris Filter |
| Cordless | No | Yes |
| Bagged | No | No |
| Noise | — | — |
| Dustbin | 3 gal | 9 gal |
| Water tank | — | — |
| Self-empty dock | No | No |
| Auto mop washing | No | No |
| Hot water washing | No | No |
| Obstacle avoidance | No | No |
| Carpet detection | No | No |
| Auto mop lifting | No | No |
| Multi-floor mapping | No | No |
| App control | No | No |
| Dimensions | — | — |
| Weight | 12.6 lbs | — |
| Warranty | Lifetime | Lifetime |
Pros & cons
Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac
- ✓RIDGID Sweep built-in dustpan is a genuinely useful, unique feature
- ✓Lightweight and stackable for easy storage
- ✓High CFM (100) for its compact size
- ✓Corded, so no battery runtime ceiling to manage
- ✓Full lifetime warranty on the vac body
- ✗3-gallon tank empties fast on anything beyond a small job
- ✗No wheels — this is a carry unit, not a roll-around one
- ✗Tethered by a 15-foot cord
- ✗No published noise rating
- ✗Ridgid also sells a larger, non-NXT 4-gallon portable (WD4070) that's easy to confuse this with
Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac
- ✓Compatible with Ridgid's existing 18V Octane battery lineup — no separate battery ecosystem to buy into
- ✓Dual battery ports extend runtime without hot-swapping mid-job
- ✓A real 9-gallon tank, not a scaled-down handheld
- ✓Professional reviewer of the predecessor model found no significant drawbacks and praised its wet pickup speed
- ✓Casters and blower port carried over from the corded NXT lineup
- ✗Sold as a bare tool — battery and charger add significant cost on top of the tool price
- ✗No built-in drain spigot, unlike the corded 12/14/16-gallon models
- ✗No published noise rating
- ✗Runtime depends heavily on how many batteries you run at once
- ✗The battery/charger warranty is separate from the vac's warranty and requires its own registration
Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac vs Ridgid 9 Gallon 18V Cordless NXT Wet/Dry Vac: common questions
Does the cordless 9-gallon have more suction than the 3-gallon?▾
Not in airflow. The corded 3-gallon is rated at 100 CFM and the cordless 9-gallon at 82 CFM. The 9-gallon's advantages are capacity, casters and freedom from a cord, and testers say its water pickup is strong.
Can the 3-gallon handle a water leak?▾
Small spills, yes. Owners say its 48-inch water lift is on the low side and the 3-gallon tank fills fast, so it's better for dry debris and minor wet messes than standing water.