Tweet
FIrst off, full disclosure I do not recall the model # of my old 12 gallon Ridgid wet / dry vac, but it is the gray tank model with the inlet / outlet in the powerhead not the tank.
As posted in bargain alerts, I jumped on the sale for the Ridgid 16 Gal. 5.0-Peak HP NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vac.
I found no faults / flaws with the older 12 gallon model until I went to use it for drywall sanding dust control and oh boy did I find a problem. The drywall dust, unlike any and all wood dust I have worked with, is MUCH lighter and stays in suspension through the separator making the separation efficiency of the Thien trash can separator about 50%, which means when sanding drywall with a power sander, the drywall dust would bypass and clog my HEPA filter every 10 minutes or so.
After Hurricane Harvey, I bought my sister in law, and brother in law a Ridgid 16 gallon that would take the fine dust filter bags, and through their rebuilding, which included an obscene amount of drywall work as well as even some concrete work as they did find once th ewalls were apart some issues that needed to be handled, Yes they went through filter bags, but the filter never clogged on them before the bag / tank were full. At that point I went out and bought a pack of Ridgid 12 to 16 gallon wet dry vac bags, only to discover they will not work with the models that have the inlet in the powerhead, but instead only work on the in tank inlet models. Onto my wishlist it went, but as inflation was going, my price point was set pretty low for justification of buying it.
Well the price point was met on the 16 gallon model and I jumped on it.
So a little feature for feature comparison.
So in summary my impressions?
The new 16 gallon has a couple of nicer features design wise with the cord wrap, and hose retaining clips on the power head, the ability to use filter bags is critical for me due to the drywall work BUT... The overall fit and finish of the 16 gallon is not up to the same level of the older model, and therre are features the olde rmodel has instead of the features of the newer one such as onboard storage for 6 accessories instead of just 4 etc..
They both blow the Shop Vac branded wet / dry vacs I had previously completely out of the water quality and features wise, to the point I simply will not consider that brand again.
IIf it weren't for the need to be able to use the drywall dust bags, I seriously doubt I would have ever considered replacing my 12 gallon until it eventually failed, but it is so well made, it may not fail before my health does...
As posted in bargain alerts, I jumped on the sale for the Ridgid 16 Gal. 5.0-Peak HP NXT Wet/Dry Shop Vac.
I found no faults / flaws with the older 12 gallon model until I went to use it for drywall sanding dust control and oh boy did I find a problem. The drywall dust, unlike any and all wood dust I have worked with, is MUCH lighter and stays in suspension through the separator making the separation efficiency of the Thien trash can separator about 50%, which means when sanding drywall with a power sander, the drywall dust would bypass and clog my HEPA filter every 10 minutes or so.
After Hurricane Harvey, I bought my sister in law, and brother in law a Ridgid 16 gallon that would take the fine dust filter bags, and through their rebuilding, which included an obscene amount of drywall work as well as even some concrete work as they did find once th ewalls were apart some issues that needed to be handled, Yes they went through filter bags, but the filter never clogged on them before the bag / tank were full. At that point I went out and bought a pack of Ridgid 12 to 16 gallon wet dry vac bags, only to discover they will not work with the models that have the inlet in the powerhead, but instead only work on the in tank inlet models. Onto my wishlist it went, but as inflation was going, my price point was set pretty low for justification of buying it.
Well the price point was met on the 16 gallon model and I jumped on it.
So a little feature for feature comparison.
| Feature | 12 gal | 16 gal |
| Ability to use HEPA filter | Y | Y |
| 5 HP motor / 2.5" hose and accessories | Y | Y |
| Tank drain for liquids | Y and the openeing appears larger than the 16 gallon, less likely to clog with debris when draining. | Y |
| Ability to use filter bags | N | Y |
| Ability to stow more than 4 accessories on the vac | Y | N |
| Built in cord wrap | Sort of, it says it has one but it doesn't work. It is poorly designed. | Yes, a well designed one at that |
| Built in hose storage | N | Y |
| Wet floor pickup nozzle | Y | N |
| Crevice tool | N | Y |
| Angled auto cleaning tool | Y | N |
| Wide utility nozzle | Y | Y |
| Diffiser / silencer | N | Y |
| Noise level? | Not measured, but they both seem the same | Same as 12 gal |
| Recessed / protected power switch | Y | N |
| Easy to access large power switch can be used wearing gloves | N | Y |
| Filter attachment method | Screw on with retainer ring | Push on rubber top |
| Fit and finish | Everything fits as it should, no issues at all | One of ht eoutriggers for the casters won't sit in the pocket fully causing a slight rocking. This is due to plastic casting slag not fully cleaned up. It's not major, but it is there. |
So in summary my impressions?
The new 16 gallon has a couple of nicer features design wise with the cord wrap, and hose retaining clips on the power head, the ability to use filter bags is critical for me due to the drywall work BUT... The overall fit and finish of the 16 gallon is not up to the same level of the older model, and therre are features the olde rmodel has instead of the features of the newer one such as onboard storage for 6 accessories instead of just 4 etc..
They both blow the Shop Vac branded wet / dry vacs I had previously completely out of the water quality and features wise, to the point I simply will not consider that brand again.
IIf it weren't for the need to be able to use the drywall dust bags, I seriously doubt I would have ever considered replacing my 12 gallon until it eventually failed, but it is so well made, it may not fail before my health does...
Comment