Shop-Vac 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac vs Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac
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Quick take: The Shop-Vac 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac costs $5 less.
| Spec | Shop-Vac 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac | Ridgid 3 Gallon NXT Portable Wet/Dry Vac |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$74 | ~$79 |
| Type | Wet-Dry Shop Vac | Wet-Dry Shop Vac |
| Suction | 2.5 HP | 5 HP |
| Battery | Corded | Corded |
| Navigation | — | — |
| Filtration | Reusable dry filters plus foam sleeve, washable | VF3500 cartridge filter (VF3700 wet filter sold separately) |
| Cordless | No | No |
| Bagged | No | No |
| Noise | — | — |
| Dustbin | 5 gal | 3 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
Shop-Vac 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vac
- ✓Recognizable original Shop-Vac brand, actively manufactured new under current ownership
- ✓Lifetime warranty for the original purchaser under home use
- ✓Both filters (dry cartridge and foam sleeve) are washable and reusable, not disposable
- ✓Rear blower port and easy-roll casters included
- ✓Competitively priced against Craftsman and Stanley at the same capacity
- ✗Manufacturer spec page and the Amazon listing disagree on peak HP (2.5 vs 3.0) — don't read too much into either figure
- ✗Essentially no accumulated review history yet on this specific SKU
- ✗No published noise rating, weight, or dimensions
- ✗5-gallon tank fills quickly on anything beyond a small job
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